Coris

Coris formosa

(Bennett, 1830)

Queen Coris Wrasse

Not Reef Tank Suitable

Likely Fish-Only Tank Suitable

Range: Western Indian Ocean: Red Sea, South Africa, and east to Sri Lanka.

Size: 24 inches (60 cm)

Natural Environment: Inhabits weedy and algae rich areas near seagrass beds and usually found at depths between 6 – 150 feet (2– 45 m) where it feeds on benthic invertebrate, usually hard-shelled invertebrates.

General Husbandry: Occasionally seen in the trade with juveniles appearing similar to the juvenile Coris gaimard and C. cuvieri with an attractive orange body and several half-body height white vertical bars edged in black, with its first bar behind the head a full body height. Adult males have a body that is brown or light red with green spots and dark purplish vertical bars, a greyish-red head with narrow green lines, with the base of the caudal fin bright red and the remaining purplish grey with blue spots. Females have a greyish or green body with small black spots and a yellow head with two blue diagonal lines, and the base of its caudal fin is red with the remaining white.

Best maintained in fish-only aquariums having a fine sand bed, (0.5 – 2.0 mm) and at least 4 inches deep (For juveniles), along with several rocky crevices to hunt and also open swimming areas. Those in this genus will not only rearrange bottom dwelling corals in its search for tasty bottom dwelling invertebrates, as it will eat smaller fishes, snails, tubeworms, sea stars, cucumbers, urchins, crabs, and shrimp that it can find, it will also quickly burrow into the sand bed if frightened or for sleeping at night. This diving into the sand bed will cause clouds of sand particles to be dispensed into the water, and would cause various corals harm, therefore, as mentioned above, those in this genus, depending upon their size, are not often recommended for reef aquariums.

Preferable tankmates are those that are larger and somewhat aggressive, e.g., groupers, angelfishes, hawkfishes, and moderately aggressive triggerfishes.

Requires a meaty diet, including fortified brine shrimp, mysis, and other meaty type marine-based frozen or fresh foods, and should be fed twice daily.

Taxonomy:

Order: Perciformes

Suborder: Labroidei

Family: Labridae

Genus: Coris

FYI: Cute when small, however quickly grows too large for most home aquariums.

Upon first entering into the aquarium, may stay buried for days. Simply await its decision when to emerge. Once established, it will go to sleep under the sand and arise the next morning at almost the exact same time every day!

The aquarium should have small pieces of rocks for the wrasse to ‘play’ with in its daily search for prey.

Can greatly stir bottom sandbeds creating large clouds of sand being dispensed in many directions.

Smaller tankmates are at risk of being attacked or harassed as this species grows to adulthood.

Slow swimming tankmates cannot compete with this wrasse at feeding time.

One male per aquarium.

Hardy species.

Previously C. frerei Playfair & Gunther, 1867.

Experience Level: Intermediate

Temperament: Semi-aggressive

Diet: Carnivore

Coral Safe: Yes

Fish Safe: With caution