The Flashiest

Let's talk about “Holy Grail Fish.” There's a few, and honestly, the definition of what makes one might be subjective. What is the ultimate fish for someone new to the hobby is likely very different from a dream fish for someone who has been keeping marine aquariums since the 80's. If all us hobbyists got together in a room and starting talking about the factors of what defines this Holy Grail of Fish, there would likely be a lot of overlap. First we'd talk about looks; I mean, it has to be a stunner to look at, right? Then maybe we'd talk about its activity in the display and somewhere on this list there is its suitability for the home aquarium. Is it active? Is it sized well? Could we keep in in a reef? The truth is that there a lot of fish that are stunningly gorgeous and suitable for the home aquarium, so what separates the dream from the achievable for most?

One word, “rarity,” and it is with this in mind that we present to you the hyper rare and jaw-droppingly beauiful Mauritius Flasher Wrasse (Paracheilinus piscilineatus), a Holy Grail Wrasse if there ever was one. Only a few specimens of this fish have ever made it into the Americas, and not many more have ever been in captivity anywhere, with the bulk of the specimens going to China, Japan and the United States. The first specimens made it to the US back in 2011, and we've seen only a few since then.

So few Paracheilinus piscilineatus have ever been collected that very little is known about them. While they have only been collected in the waters surrounding Mauritius, it is hypothesized that they may also be found off Madagascar. The specimens collected back in the 2010s were from over 100 feet down, and fishbase reports no known depth limit for them. It has only one common name in English, and in Chinese is known only as 鱼纹副唇鱼, which google translates as “Fish Patterned Lip Fish,” and while google is frequently right, this one seems like it has to be a miss.

Like most Paracheilinus, they are small fish (less than three inches long), that are somewhat timid when first introduced to a display. They are planktivores in the wild and thus used to eating suspended food, which aids them in seguing over to a captive diet. We're feeding them a very finely chopped meaty mix that includes some small mysis. We also introduce a pellet with this feed to start to get them acclimated to it. The biggest challenge in feeding any Paracheilinus comes in making sure they aren't hiding at feeding times, so choosing mild mannered tankmates is an important aspect of long term success.

A display should be dimly lit initially, though they will acclimate to brighter lighting in short order. Aquarium size needn't be overly large for a single specimen, or small group. Make plenty of hiding places in the rockwork to make them feel more secure. Moderate flow will also encourage them to swim around. When startled, they will dart quickly and jump, and thus we recommend a covered display and do not recommend strong anemones like Stichlodactyla or Heteractis which could quickly sting and eat a panicked Flasher Wrasse, (trust us, you do not want to lose your showpiece specimen in this way). In regards to water quality, stability is more important than any specific parameter, and standard tropical marine aquarium numbers will be fine for their continued health; avoid nitrogen spikes and temperature / pH swings.

To be the fish no one has and everyone lusts over, rarity is key. Which means it either has to come from somewhere very hard to get to, or from dangerous depths, or from pirate infested waters, or well, you get the idea. To this end, Mauritius ticks a few of these boxes. The Mauritius Flasher wrasse checks the rest of the boxes, being stunning, active, and staying small. Choose tankmates with care, maintain a stable environment and you'll be well on your way to success, with one of the rarest, most beautiful fish available to marine aquarium hobbyists today! If you're ready to take that kind of plunge, have your LFS call Quality Marine right away!