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Ornate Leopard Wrasse
Wrasse

Ornate Leopard Wrasse

Macropharyngodon ornatus

An exquisitely patterned leopard wrasse — the male a mosaic of orange and green scales rimmed in electric blue, the female finely spotted — and one of the more demanding reef fish to establish. It is a poor shipper that arrives thin and stressed, a finicky feeder that must be weaned onto frozen food, and a continuous pod-hunter, so it needs a mature tank rich in micro-fauna and a deep bed of fine sand to bury in at night. Peaceful and coral-safe, but strictly for experienced keepers; a harem of juveniles added together settles best.

Temperament
Peaceful
Max size
4.7"
Min tank
75 gal
Reef-safe
Reef safe
Diet
Carnivore
Zone
Sand bed, Bottom, Rockwork
Keep one male with several females in a large tank.
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Tankmates

How Ornate Leopard 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.

Purple TangPurple Tang (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Ornate Leopard Wrasse and may harass it.Picasso TriggerfishPicasso Triggerfish (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Ornate Leopard Wrasse and may harass it.Dragon WrasseDragon Wrasse has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Ornate Leopard Wrasse.Divided Leopard WrasseOrnate Leopard Wrasse and Divided Leopard Wrasse are the same genus (Macropharyngodon) and will fight — keep only one.Volitans LionfishVolitans Lionfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Ornate Leopard Wrasse.Snowflake MoraySnowflake Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Ornate Leopard Wrasse.Zebra MorayZebra Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Ornate Leopard Wrasse.Chainlink MorayChainlink Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Ornate Leopard Wrasse.Golden Dwarf MorayGolden Dwarf Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Ornate Leopard Wrasse.Rectangle TriggerfishRectangle Triggerfish (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Ornate Leopard Wrasse and may harass it.Clown TriggerfishClown Triggerfish (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Ornate Leopard Wrasse and may harass it.Miniata GrouperMiniata Grouper (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Ornate Leopard Wrasse and may harass it.Panther GrouperPanther Grouper (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Ornate Leopard Wrasse and may harass it.Six-Line SoapfishSix-Line Soapfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Ornate Leopard Wrasse.Painted FrogfishPainted Frogfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Ornate Leopard Wrasse.Blue-Leg Hermit CrabOrnate Leopard Wrasse hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Blue-Leg Hermit Crab is on the menu.Trochus SnailOrnate Leopard Wrasse hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Trochus Snail is on the menu.Astrea SnailOrnate Leopard Wrasse hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Astrea Snail is on the menu.Cerith SnailOrnate Leopard Wrasse hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Cerith Snail is on the menu.Nassarius SnailOrnate Leopard Wrasse hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Nassarius Snail is on the menu.

Keep an eye on these

Usually fine, but worth watching in a smaller tank.

Sailfin TangSailfin Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Ornate Leopard Wrasse and may harass it.Melanurus WrasseThe robust, boisterous-feeding melanurus wrasse shares the sandbed and live-food niche and can out-compete the delicate, slow-to-settle leopard wrasse for food; leopards want passive tankmates.Mandarin DragonetBoth are continuous copepod/amphipod grazers on the same live-food supply; care sheets warn not to house leopard wrasses with mandarins unless the tank produces pods faster than the two can strip them.Scooter BlennyThe scooter dragonet is a pod-grazer like the leopard wrasse; in a small or young system the two compete for the same live copepod supply.Red Coris WrasseRed Coris Wrasse (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Ornate Leopard Wrasse and may harass it.Spotted MandarinShared reliance on live copepods/amphipods: pairing a leopard wrasse with a spotted mandarin risks depleting the pod supply for both unless the sandbed/rock is very productive.Emperor AngelfishEmperor Angelfish (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Ornate Leopard Wrasse and may harass it.Queen AngelfishQueen Angelfish (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Ornate Leopard Wrasse and may harass it.Blueface AngelfishBlueface Angelfish (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Ornate Leopard Wrasse and may harass it.Niger TriggerfishNiger Triggerfish (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Ornate Leopard Wrasse and may harass it.Blonde Naso TangBlonde Naso Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Ornate Leopard Wrasse and may harass it.Desjardini Sailfin TangDesjardini Sailfin Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Ornate Leopard Wrasse and may harass it.