Mediterranean Rainbow Wrasse Care Guide
Coris julis is a temperate wrasse of the Mediterranean and eastern Atlantic. It buries in sand at night and is a protogynous hermaphrodite needing cooler water.
Overview
The Mediterranean rainbow wrasse (Coris julis) is a wrasse of the family Labridae. Primary individuals are orange-brown and white, while secondary males are bluish-grey or greenish-brown with a characteristic orange zigzag mid-line. It is a temperate, cool-water species rather than a tropical reef fish.
Taxonomy
- Family: Labridae
- Genus: Coris
- Scientific name: Coris julis
- Described by Linnaeus, 1758
Habitat
Coris julis is distributed throughout the Mediterranean Sea and the eastern Atlantic from Norway south to Senegal. It lives over rocky and sandy bottoms and seagrass beds, typically at depths of 0 to 50 m but recorded as deep as 120 m. It buries in the sand between sunset and sunrise.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 400 L
- Temperature: 18-22 °C (64-72 °F)
- pH: 8.1-8.4
- Maximum size: up to 25 cm
- Lifespan: cool-water species
- Sand bed for nocturnal burying
Diet
It is carnivorous, feeding on benthic organisms such as molluscs and crustaceans gleaned from the substrate.
Compatibility
Coris julis is a diandric protogynous hermaphrodite, meaning individuals begin as females and some become males, with sex inversion recorded between August and December. As a cool-water species it must not be kept in tropical reef tanks; a temperate marine system with a sand bed suits it.
Reef compatibility
As a temperate species feeding on small invertebrates, Coris julis is unsuitable for tropical reef aquaria and is not safe with ornamental invertebrates. Specific gravity 1.024-1.026, carbonate hardness 8-12 dKH.
Conservation status
The IUCN Red List assesses Coris julis as Least Concern (2019). It has no targeted commercial fishery but may occur as bycatch.