Yellowtail Coris Wrasse – Coris gaimard – Small Juvenile

As a juvenile, the Yellowtail Coris Wrasse (Coris gaimard, also called the Red Coris Wrasse or African Coris Wrasse) is orange-red with 5 white spots outlined in black. The adult is greenish with blue spots on the sides and rear, a yellow tail, and a pink face decorated with green radiating lines and red fins. The intermediate adult phase is red in its head, darkening towards maroon at the rear, a bright yellow tail and blue spots over its entire body.

Coris Wrasses spend much of their time buried in the substrate of the aquarium. They are best kept in tanks with fine to moderately-sized substrate without sharp edges that they can bury in without harming their bodies. Open spaces free of rockwork are required to give them room to bury.

Most coris wrasses do not actively feed on corals but may nip at some polyps. They also have a habit of picking up and overturning pieces of rock and rubble while searching for small crustaceans, worms and other prey underneath them and should not be kept with corals that are not firmly secured. They may also nip at inverts like feather dusters. Some coris wrasses grow very large and, while juveniles may be safe in reef systems, large adults may be far more destructive.

Though some coris wrasses may be difficult to get to feed at first, they will typically accept a wide range of food items like brine shrimp, mysis shrimp, some flakes and pellets, and live items like copepods and amphipods. They can be kept with most fish that are too large for them to eat but may prey on shrimp and some crabs.