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Mystery Wrasse
Pseudocheilinus ocellatus
Animalia›Chordata›Actinopterygii›Labridae
📍 Tonga, Fiji
Rare and stunning — white with bold yellow-outlined spots and red-tipped fins. A cryptic wrasse that stays hidden in the rockwork. Highly sought-after collector fish that commands a premium.
Care Guide
Diet
Mystery Wrasses are carnivorous and require a varied diet of high-quality frozen foods. Offer mysis shrimp, copepods, and small crustaceans once daily in small portions. Supplement with quality marine flake or pellet foods designed for wrasses to ensure complete nutrition.
Behavior
A cryptic, shy wrasse that spends much of its time hidden within rockwork and crevices, making it challenging to observe. Despite its reclusive nature, it is semi-aggressive toward smaller fish and may harass peaceful tankmates. Provide plenty of hiding spots and live rock to reduce stress and encourage natural foraging behavior.
Breeding
Breeding Mystery Wrasses in captivity is extremely rare and not well-documented in the aquarium hobby. They are broadcast spawners in the wild but require very specific conditions and large tank volumes to attempt breeding. Home aquarists should not expect to breed this species successfully.
Tank Mates
Similar reef-safe temperament and water requirements; both prefer rockwork
Compatible reef fish with similar care needs and non-overlapping feeding habits
Small, peaceful goby that occupies different tank zones and won't compete aggressively
May be viewed as food; monitor closely but can coexist if wrasse is well-fed
Reef-safe invertebrate that occupies burrows; minimal interaction with wrasse
Common Diseases
Ich (Marine Ich)
White spots on body and fins, rapid breathing, lethargy, rubbing against rocks
Quarantine immediately; raise temperature to 26-27°C, perform daily 25% water changes, use copper-based medication or hyposalinity if appropriate
Head and Lateral Line Erosion (HLLE)
Pitting or erosion on head and lateral line, loss of appetite
Improve water quality, increase feeding frequency with vitamin-enriched foods, ensure adequate nutrition and varied diet
Parasitic Infections
Excessive scratching, visible parasites, clamped fins, weight loss
Quarantine and treat with appropriate antiparasitic medication; maintain excellent water quality and perform frequent water changes
Bacterial Infections
Torn fins, open sores, cloudy eyes, lethargy
Improve water quality immediately, perform daily water changes, consider antibiotic treatment if severe
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Quick Facts
- pH
- 8.1–8.4
- diet
- carnivore — mysis, pods
- maxSize
- 4 inches
- minTankSize
- 30 gallons
- temperature
- 73–81°F (23–27°C)
Temperature
73–81°F
23–27°C