Gomphosus varius

Common Names:

Bird Wrasse
Blackbird Wrasse
Brownbird Wrasse
Greenbird wrasse

Synonyms:

Gomphosus caeruleus

Family:

Labridae

Category:

Labroids

Distribution:

Indo Pacific; Commonly found in the Indo-Pacific from India to Japan and all the way over to Hawaii.

Main Ecosystem:

Reef; Reef

Temperament:

Predatory; Bird wrasses are usually not considered reef safe because of the way they pick at the rocks constantly in search of food. Since they will eat tank-mates, (shrimps, crabs, small fish, etc), they are commonly labeled as semi-agressive.

Diet:

Ominvore; Ominvore

Care:

Bird wrasses are omnivores which lean heavily towards the carnivore side. While they readily accept spirulina flakes and wafers; they love meaty foods such as crustaceans, small fish, stars, mollusks, scallops, shrimp, squid, clams, brine shrimp, etc. Female bird wrasses grow almost half the size of the males, and are appropriate for a minimum 75 gallon tank or larger. Male bird wrasses reach lengths of 10-14 inches and need a minimal tank size of 125 gallons. Wrasses in general, including the b

pH:

Temperature:

24°C - 28°C

75°F - 82°F

Specific Gravity:

1.02 - 1.025

Potential Size:

Male: 30cm (11.8")
Female: 30cm (11.8")

Water Region:

Middle, Bottom; Middle-Bottom

Activity:

Diurnal; Diurnal

Gender:

Like most wrasses these are born all females and go through a terminal phase when some females become males and choose to change color and sex. The drab and plain coloring is the females who stop growing around 5-7 inches, while the males have the bright green coloring and reach full lengths of 10-14 inches.

Breeding:

Unknown

Variants:

Comments:

Bird wrasses make a beautiful addition to your FOWLR setup; just remember to leave no tank openings at the top.

Main Colours:

Brown, Green, Blue

Markings:

No Markings

Mouth:

Normal

Tail: