Melanurus Wrasse Breeding Guide

Halichoeres melanurus is a pelagic-spawning Western Pacific wrasse. It was first captive-bred at a research lab in 2015, but rearing its planktonic larvae remains beyond home aquaria.

Overview

The melanurus wrasse (Halichoeres melanurus), also called the tail-spot or Hoeven's wrasse, occurs in the western Pacific from Japan to Samoa and Tonga and south to the Great Barrier Reef, on rocky shores and coral reefs at depths of 1-15 m and reaching 12 cm in total length. It is notable as one of the first pelagic-spawning reef wrasses to be reared in captivity.

Sexing

The male is generally more vibrant in colour, while the female can be distinguished by ocelli (eye spots) on the dorsal and caudal fins. Males also flash their colours more intensely in the presence of females. As a wrasse the species is a protogynous hermaphrodite.

Conditioning

There is no published home conditioning protocol. The captive-breeding work that succeeded was carried out at the Tropical Aquaculture Lab at the University of Florida under the Rising Tide Conservation program, not in a hobbyist tank.

Spawning Behaviour & Trigger

Like other labrids, the melanurus wrasse is a broadcast spawner that releases planktonic eggs into the water column.

Egg & Fry Care

In the documented Rising Tide effort the larvae were first offered Parvocalanus crassirostris copepod nauplii, then introduced to a prepared larval feed by day 14, and settled at only 22 days post-hatch — a short larval period for a pelagic-spawning reef fish. This degree of live-feed culture and water management is a laboratory undertaking, not a home-aquarium procedure.

Common Challenges

Even though this species has been bred, the planktonic larval phase requires a maintained marine food web (copepod cultures and graded feeds) that is impractical at home. Hobbyist-scale reproduction is therefore not feasible.