Exquisite Fairy Wrasse Pair (Cirrhilabrus exquisitus)

The Exquisite Fairy Wrasse (Cirrhilabrus exquisitus) earns its name. Males wear a green to blue body brushed with violet and magenta, a bold dark spot at the base of the tail, and fins edged in electric blue, and when a male flares at a female the whole fish lights up in a flash display of color. This listing is a male and female pair, which is how you get the full show, since a male saves his best colors for a female to impress. These fish come from Fiji, where the males tend toward rich greens and blues with more subtle red markings than Indian Ocean fish. Like every fairy wrasse it is completely reef safe, active in open water all day, and peaceful with anything it cannot swallow. Browse the rest of our saltwater livestock and supplies to round out the reef.

Care Guide

• A tight lid is rule one. Fairy wrasses are notorious jumpers, and the risk is highest in the first few weeks. A fitted screen lid like the Innovative Marine SafeScreen is required equipment, not an upgrade. Close the gaps around returns, cords, and overflows too.
• Tank size: 90 gallons or larger with real swimming length. A pair needs more open water than a single fish, and both cruise the tank all day.
• Water parameters: 72 to 78°F, pH 8.1 to 8.4, salinity 1.020 to 1.026.
• Feeding: a zooplankton feeder, so think small and often. Two or three modest meals a day of PE Mysis, enriched brine shrimp, live copepods, and a quality marine pellet will keep both fish full-bodied and colorful.
• Aquascape: give them rockwork with caves to duck into and open water in front of it. Both fish settle quickly once they learn where food comes from.
• At night fairy wrasses wrap themselves in a mucus cocoon and wedge into the rocks. Not finding them after lights out is normal.
• Add them together: introduce the male and female at the same time so neither fish claims the tank first.

Specifications

Compatibility

Fully reef safe. It ignores corals, clams, snails, and shrimp, so it fits any reef build.

Good tank mates include tangs, dwarf and swallowtail angels, clownfish, anthias, cardinalfish, gobies, and blennies. Try the Ocellaris Clownfish, Lyretail Anthias, Firefish Goby, or Banggai Cardinalfish. Fairy wrasses of different species can share a larger tank, such as our Clown Fairy Wrasse or Pink Margin Fairy Wrasse Pair, when they go in at the same time and there is only one male of each species. Avoid dottybacks, hawkfish, and larger predatory fish that will harass or eat the smaller female.

Recommended Foods & Supplies

• Innovative Marine SafeScreen Mesh Lid, essential for any wrasse
• Piscine Energetics PE Mysis frozen food
• Reef Nutrition Tigger-Pods live copepods
• Ocean Nutrition Formula 1 Pellets as a daily dry staple
• Boyd VitaChem Marine to soak foods and keep colors bright
• Innovative Marine AccuDrip Acclimator for acclimating both fish together

FAQ

What exactly do I get?
Two fish: one male and one female, selected by their coloring and size. The male is larger and more colorful, and the female is smaller with softer tones and the same dark tail spot.

Why buy a pair instead of one fish?
A male fairy wrasse only shows his full flash display when he has a female to impress. The pair gives you better color, more natural behavior, and a calmer male.

Can the female turn into a male?
Yes. Fairy wrasses start life as females, and the dominant fish in a group becomes male. With a male already present the female stays female, which is another reason to keep them together.

Do I really need a lid?
Yes. Jumping is the most common way fairy wrasses are lost. A screen lid with the gaps closed prevents almost all of it.

I cannot find them at night. Are they OK?
Almost certainly. Fairy wrasses hide in the rocks and wrap themselves in a mucus cocoon to sleep. They reappear when the lights come on.