Choerodon jordani

(Snyder, 1908)

Jordan's Tuskfish

Range: Indo-West Pacific Ocean: Southern Japan south to Western Australia and the Great Barrier Reef and east to Samoa and Tonga.

Size: 7 inches (17 cm)

Natural Environment: Inhabits areas near coral heads and usually found at depths between 50 – 100 feet (15– 30 m) where it feeds on benthic hard-shelled invertebrate.

General Husbandry: Occasionally seen in the trade having a whitish body with a lengthwise black wedge ending on the caudal peduncle in females and at a white spot on males.

Can be maintained in a reef or fish-only aquarium having many rocky hiding places and lots of open swimming area.

As to diet, products such as marine fish and crustacean flesh, clams, and other marine meaty foods should make up the majority of their diet and be enriched and chopped into fine pieces and fed twice daily.

May be difficult to feed in the early days in the aquarium, as it’s often shy when first introduced into the aquarium. If so, (if small live marine fish are not available) live glass/grass shrimp, small crabs, e.g., fiddler crabs and/or live guppies/mollies may be needed to sustain the fish. Will become bolder as it ages.

Taxonomy:

Order: Perciformes

Suborder: Labroidei

Family: Labridae

Genus: Choerodon

FYI: May eat smaller fishes, snails, tubeworms, ornamental shrimps, crabs, brittle stars, sea stars and urchins.

May spit a jet of water at the surface. It’s not known why they do this.

Usually sleep in caves and crevices.

Hardy species. One per aquarium

May disturb sandbeds by using its pectoral fins to excavate depressions in the sand to find buried prey.

Experience Level: Intermediate

Temperament: Semi-aggressive

Diet: Carnivore

Coral Safe: Yes

Fish Safe: With caution

Invertebrate Safe: With caution

Acclimation Time: 30 minutes+

Aquarium Environment: Reef or fish-only aquarium

Tankmates: Moderately aggressive

Minimum Tank Size: 100 gallons

Temperature Range: 74 - 82°F (23 – 27°C)

Specific Gravity: 1.020 - 1.026

pH: 8.0 - 8.5