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Christmas Wrasse
Wrasse

Christmas Wrasse

Halichoeres claudia

A green, elongate Halichoeres with pink-to-orange lattice striping and a black eyespot in the dorsal fin — split off from the Hawaiian H. ornatissimus in 2009 and now the fish sold as Christmas Wrasse in most of the trade. It is a constant, restless swimmer that patrols the rockwork all day and dives into the sand bed to sleep, so it needs an open sand bottom of at least 5 cm, not a bare-bottom or plumbed-full tank. Useful as a pest hunter — it eats fireworms and pyramid snails — but the same appetite means ornamental shrimp, feather dusters and small snails are at risk. Peaceful toward similar-sized fish but will push around smaller passive ones like firefish and fairy wrasses, and it jumps, so keep a lid on.

Temperament
Semi-aggressive
Max size
5.1"
Min tank
50 gal
Reef-safe
Reef safe
Diet
Carnivore
Zone
Mid-water, Rockwork, Sand bed
Keep just one per tank — two will fight.
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Tankmates

How Christmas Wrasse gets on with the rest of the reef, checked pair by pair by the same engine as the live pre-flight.

Best kept apart

A real clash — aggression, predation or a same-genus fight.

Leopard WrasseLeopard Wrasses are slow, delicate feeders that need calm at mealtimes. The Christmas Wrasse is an aggressive, fast Halichoeres that is documented as unsuitable with more peaceful wrasses — it takes the food first.Melanurus WrasseChristmas Wrasse and Melanurus Wrasse are the same genus (Halichoeres) and will fight — keep only one.Yellow Coris WrasseChristmas Wrasse and Yellow Coris Wrasse are the same genus (Halichoeres) and will fight — keep only one.Volitans LionfishVolitans Lionfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Christmas Wrasse.Snowflake MoraySnowflake Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Christmas Wrasse.Zebra MorayZebra Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Christmas Wrasse.Chainlink MorayChainlink Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Christmas Wrasse.Clown TriggerfishClown Triggerfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Christmas Wrasse.Miniata GrouperMiniata Grouper has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Christmas Wrasse.Panther GrouperPanther Grouper has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Christmas Wrasse.Blue-Leg Hermit CrabChristmas Wrasse hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Blue-Leg Hermit Crab is on the menu.Trochus SnailChristmas Wrasse hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Trochus Snail is on the menu.Astrea SnailChristmas Wrasse hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Astrea Snail is on the menu.Cerith SnailChristmas Wrasse hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Cerith Snail is on the menu.Nassarius SnailChristmas Wrasse hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Nassarius Snail is on the menu.Nerite SnailChristmas Wrasse hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Nerite Snail is on the menu.Bumble Bee SnailChristmas Wrasse hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Bumble Bee Snail is on the menu.Scarlet Reef Hermit CrabChristmas Wrasse hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Scarlet Reef Hermit Crab is on the menu.Zebra Hermit CrabChristmas Wrasse hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Zebra Hermit Crab is on the menu.Halloween Hermit CrabChristmas Wrasse hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Halloween Hermit Crab is on the menu.

Keep an eye on these

Usually fine, but worth watching in a smaller tank.

Maroon ClownfishChristmas Wrasse and Maroon Clownfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Radiant WrasseThe Christmas Wrasse is one of the more aggressive Halichoeres and grows pushier with age, while the Radiant Wrasse is a peaceful one. Only combine in a large tank, and add the Radiant first.Blue DamselChristmas Wrasse and Blue Damsel both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Yellowtail DamselChristmas Wrasse and Yellowtail Damsel both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Flame AngelfishChristmas Wrasse and Flame Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Coral Beauty AngelfishChristmas Wrasse and Coral Beauty Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Lemonpeel AngelfishChristmas Wrasse and Lemonpeel Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Bicolor AngelfishChristmas Wrasse and Bicolor Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Red Saddleback ClownfishChristmas Wrasse and Red Saddleback Clownfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Yellow TangChristmas Wrasse and Yellow Tang both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Red Sea ClownfishChristmas Wrasse and Red Sea Clownfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Sailfin TangChristmas Wrasse and Sailfin Tang both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Purple TangChristmas Wrasse and Purple Tang both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Powder Blue TangChristmas Wrasse and Powder Blue Tang both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Matted FilefishChristmas Wrasse and Matted Filefish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Yellow Clown GobyChristmas Wrasse (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Yellow Clown Goby and may harass it.Green Clown GobyChristmas Wrasse (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Green Clown Goby and may harass it.Convict TangChristmas Wrasse and Convict Tang both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Clark's ClownfishChristmas Wrasse and Clark's Clownfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Tomato ClownfishChristmas Wrasse and Tomato Clownfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.