Comb Wrasse Care Guide
Coris picta is a small subtropical wrasse from eastern Australia with a black-and-white striped body; juveniles act as cleaner fish.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
The comb wrasse (Coris picta) is a wrasse of the family Labridae from the western Pacific. It has a white body with a prominent black stripe running from the mouth through the eye to the tail, its lower edge wavy and comb-like. The species reaches about 25 cm in total length.
Taxonomy
- Family: Labridae
- Genus: Coris
- Scientific name: Coris picta
- Described by Bloch & J. G. Schneider, 1801
Habitat
Coris picta occurs in the western Pacific off eastern Australia and near offshore islands of northeastern New Zealand. It lives over sandy substrates around rock reefs at depths of about 3 to 25 m, in subtropical waters.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 400 L
- Temperature: 24-26 °C (75-79 °F)
- pH: 8.1-8.4
- Maximum size: about 25 cm
- Lifespan: 8-15 years
- Sand bed for burying
Diet
Juveniles function as cleaner fish, obtaining much of their food by removing parasites from other reef fish; their contrasting stripe advertises this service. The diet is supplemented with small crustaceans.
Compatibility
This is a relatively peaceful, diurnal wrasse for a Coris, swimming in the middle column. It suits robust tank mates such as tangs and cardinalfish and benefits from a sand bed for resting.
Reef compatibility
Coris picta feeds on small crustaceans and other invertebrates, so it is generally not safe with ornamental shrimp and small invertebrates in reef systems. Specific gravity 1.024-1.026, carbonate hardness 8-12 dKH.
Conservation status
The IUCN Red List assesses Coris picta as Least Concern. It appears in the aquarium hobby.
Coris picta (Comb Wrasse) Breeding Guide
Overview
Coris picta, the Comb Wrasse, is a labrid of the western Pacific, recorded from southern Queensland to northern Victoria, Lord Howe Island, Norfolk Island, the Kermadec Islands and New Zealand. FishBase gives a maximum total length of 25 cm over fairly deep sandy bottoms around rocky reefs, usually at 3-25 m, in subtropical water of 20-26 °C. FishBase classifies it as oviparous with distinct pairing during breeding.
Sexing
FishBase does not state the sexual system for this species directly, but family Labridae is predominantly protogynous, with fish maturing as females and the largest becoming terminal-phase males. On that basis reliable visual sexing for pairing is not practical at purchase, and a group's largest fish tends to function as the male.
Conditioning
As a carnivorous wrasse of sandy reef margins, conditioning would centre on varied small meaty foods in a subtropical-temperature system with sand. No published conditioning protocol has produced spawning in captivity for C. picta.
Breeding Setup
No aquarium breeding setup exists for this species. It favours fairly deep sandy bottoms around rocky reefs and subtropical temperatures, and like other labrids it spawns over open substrate where pairs ascend to release gametes rather than using a fixed nest site.
Spawning Behavior & Trigger
Labrids broadcast-spawn planktonic eggs that disperse with currents, with no parental care. FishBase records distinct pairing during breeding. The triggers are environmental cues at reef scale rather than tank parameters, so spontaneous spawning is not expected in captivity.
Egg & Fry Care
Eggs are pelagic and the hatched larvae are planktonic, drifting in open water before settlement. The tiny first-feeding larval stages of broadcast-spawning wrasses cannot be sustained in home aquaria, which is why the species is not captive-bred.
Common Challenges
Pelagic broadcast spawning, planktonic larval rearing, the subtropical temperature preference and the family's protogynous social structure together make purposeful breeding impractical. C. picta should be regarded as a wild-collected display fish rather than a breeding subject.