Care
The Blueheaded Wrasse is known from inshore bays and seagrass beds, up to a depth of 30m (98ft), where it feeds mainly on zooplankton, small benthic invertebrates, and sometimes on the ectoparasites of other fishes. These beautiful, multicoloured fish are easy to keep, but a spacious aquarium is a necessity, as they are active, grow large, and are powerful swimmers. Ideally, there will also be plenty of rockwork and a sand substrate that is 3-4" deep, to provide resting places for your wrasse. Provide clean, well-oxygenated water with areas of fast current. This is a fairly boisterous species that should only be kept alongside fish of similar size and temperament. Blueheaded Wrasses are protogynous sequential hermaphrodites and there are three primary phases, their colour and size depending on whether they are terminal phase (TP) males, initial phase (IP) males, or females. TP males are also known as "supermales" and have blue heads and green bodies. Three vertical stripes (black, white, black) divide the colours of the head and body, and these fish are generally of a large size. IP males and females are much smaller and have two colour forms. One type, known from reef areas, has a yellow upper half of the body with a slight greeny-black area and a white lower half; the other type, from inshore non-reef regions, is white both above and below the dark area. A dark spot is found on the anterior dorsal fin of both types of IP males and females. IP males and females have the ability to change into TP males and this switch includes a dramatic change of size and coloration. Once transformed from IP male or female to TP male, the change is permanent. It should be noted that in the aquarium, TP males are particularly territorial. Well-fed specimens should not harm corals, but they will prey on shrimps, snails, serpent stars, bristleworms, and small fish. It is best to make this species the last addition to the tank, so that it is less likely to harass any newcomers. Will jump from an open-topped aquarium.
Feeding
Carnivorous. Will readily accept most meaty frozen foods such as Mysis shrimp, krill, vitamin-enriched brineshrimp, cockle & mussel meat, whitebait etc.
Breeding
This species has not been bred in captivity, most probably because large groups of this species are seldom kept together.
