Formosa Wrasse - Coris frerei - Juvenile

Juvenile Formosa Wrasses (Coris frerei) are red-orange with two black edged white spots on the head and rear dorsal area and a black edged white slash from the front of the dorsal to the belly. The black edge color often bleeds onto the orange body color. As they mature, they turn grey with black spots on the body and pink and green in the fins. The face is yellow with a distinct blue-green slash from cheek to nape.

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.