A
Anonymous
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Cheilinus oxycephalus - Probably the most unusual and beautiful fish I've kept in a reef. You don't hear people talk about this fish much.
I was never able to get a good picture of mine, and I can't find a decent one online that does it justice! This medium sized wrasse (6-8") is a brilliant deep red and sage green, the proportions of those colors depending on mood. Sometimes it's completely red and shows no green at all. No picture I've seen captures this. It also possesses an attractive, stippled facial pattern. One of the most drop dead gorgeous fish available IMO.
They are fairly hardy once acclimated, eat well, and don't bother sessile inverts for the most part, although they may flip smaller items over to look underneath for vittles. Mine never bothered my snails, but it wouldn't be unusual for this species to consume your turbo or astrea snails, as well as any shrimps or crabs that it can overpower.
It's not a belligerent species, a bit secretive though - especially when first introduced, and it can spiral downhill if dropped into a tank with established and aggressive tank mates. Once it gets used to it's surroundings, and if it's not being harassed, it will swim happily about in the open looking for it's next meal. Take care when acclimating this species, although not normally disease prone, they can succumb readily to acclimation stress
Below are the best pics I could locate, but Matt or Jay, or anyone else, please help here if you can. This is one of those fish that the camera just doesn't do justice to very well, and neither of these pics shows the green I spoke of.
I was never able to get a good picture of mine, and I can't find a decent one online that does it justice! This medium sized wrasse (6-8") is a brilliant deep red and sage green, the proportions of those colors depending on mood. Sometimes it's completely red and shows no green at all. No picture I've seen captures this. It also possesses an attractive, stippled facial pattern. One of the most drop dead gorgeous fish available IMO.
They are fairly hardy once acclimated, eat well, and don't bother sessile inverts for the most part, although they may flip smaller items over to look underneath for vittles. Mine never bothered my snails, but it wouldn't be unusual for this species to consume your turbo or astrea snails, as well as any shrimps or crabs that it can overpower.
It's not a belligerent species, a bit secretive though - especially when first introduced, and it can spiral downhill if dropped into a tank with established and aggressive tank mates. Once it gets used to it's surroundings, and if it's not being harassed, it will swim happily about in the open looking for it's next meal. Take care when acclimating this species, although not normally disease prone, they can succumb readily to acclimation stress
Below are the best pics I could locate, but Matt or Jay, or anyone else, please help here if you can. This is one of those fish that the camera just doesn't do justice to very well, and neither of these pics shows the green I spoke of.
