Halichoeres cyanocephalus

(Bloch, 1791)

Yellowcheek Wrasse

Range: Western Atlantic Ocean: Florida, and Antilles to Brazil.

Size: 12 inches (30 cm)

Natural Environment: Inhabits rubble slopes and drop-off areas and usually found at depths between 65 – 300 feet (20– 90 m) where it feeds mainly on small fishes and crustaceans.

General Husbandry: Rarely seen in the trade with the juvenile stage bright blue with a yellow back. Adults have a yellowish green back with a central blue horizontal band and white belly.

Best maintained in fish-only aquariums having a fine sand bed, (0.5 – 2.0 mm) and at least 4 inches deep, 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 by first bashing them against hard objects, then consuming the pieces, and also snails, tubeworms, sea stars, cucumbers, urchins, crabs, and shrimp, also bashing them if needed to be consumed. 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, 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 for fresh foods, and should be fed twice daily.

Taxonomy:

Order: Perciformes

Suborder: Labroidei

Family: Labridae

Genus: Halichoeres

FYI: Upon first entering 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.

One male per aquarium.

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: Fish-only aquarium

Tankmates: Larger, active and moderately aggressive

Minimum Tank Size: 150 gallons

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

Specific Gravity: 1.020 - 1.026

pH: 8.0 - 8.5