The Choat's Red Leopard Wrasse

Name and morphology Choat’s Wrasse (Macropharyngodon choati) is a member of the family Labridae, better know as the wrasses. These beautiful white fish are covered with orange blotches and have a black spot on their operculum (gill flap) that is edged in yellow.

Distribution and Habitat Choat’s Wrasse is found throughout the Western Pacific and Australian waters. They are always found in areas with fine sand, but outside of that habitat and depth can be variable. They can be found in water as shallow as a few feet, to almost 100 feet deep! From protected lagoons to seaward reefs, there is a large assortment of habitats for these fish.

Aquarium Requirements These fish will appreciate an established reef aquarium with fine sand. When stressed or sleeping, the Choat’s Wrasse will bury itself in the sand. Upon being added to the home aquarium, these fish usually bury themselves and take some time to readjust (just like us after a long flight)! Insure that you have a couple of inches of sandbed to allow them to do this. Plenty of live rock for them to explore and hunt in will assist in their acclimation to your aquarium. Tight fitting lids are also always a good idea, as like most wrasses, these fish will jump.

Feeding In the wild, Choat’s Wrasses graze constantly on small invertebrates. Nutramar's live foods in the aquarium will certainly help entice them to eat, and is one of the reasons why adding them to a larger, established reef aquarium with plenty of live rock is a good idea. Over time, these fish can be acclimated to eating frozen food in captivity, but have a plan to source or grow some nutritious live food in case stress from shipping has them not eating as they normally would. Fish not given access to large amounts of established live rock are more likely to starve in the home aquarium.

Breeding Choat’s Wrasse has not been bred in captivity, however males and females can be told apart. These fish are protogynous hermaphrodites, meaning that they all start life as females and eventually transition to males as they mature and get big enough. Females appear the same as juveniles whereas males have horizontal stripes of orange and white. Anyone who was able to breed Choat’s Wrasse in captivity would be a well known aquarist for years to come!

Conclusion These bold and stunning fish can be a good choice for the advanced marine aquarist with a large established reef aquarium with plenty of live rock. They have been documented living at least five years in captivity under appropriate circumstances. If you are up for the challenge, contact your local fish store and ask them for a sustainably sourced Choat’s Wrasse from Quality Marine today