Care
Laboute's Fairy Wrasse is a remarkable-looking fish from the rubbly, seaward coral reefs of New Caledonia and the Loyalty Islands, and westwards on to the Great Barrier Reef. It is most commonly encountered at depths between 7-55m (23-181ft), where it feeds on zooplankton in large groups, just above the substrate. These groups are composed mainly of females and juveniles, the males being more solitary. Generally, in female fish, the upper head and body has a slightly more subdued yellowish brown tone, with three vibrant magenta stripes across the flanks and a lavender/white lower body. Sub-adult females have redder stripes with a small black spot at the base of the caudal fin. Male fish exhibit similar colours and patterns to the females, although they usually display more intense colouration on the head area and the magenta stripes are often edged in yellow, and with the ventral portions of the body frequently a deep lavender-blue colour. These exotic-looking fish can also change colour depending on mood and time of day. Laboute's Fairy Wrasse is a peaceful, active species that is well suited to mature reef aquaria. They should be provided with consistently high water quality, decent current, and plenty of aeration. Supply an abundance of hiding places amongst the live rock; these fish may be quite shy initially, but should soon gain confidence, especially if they know they have safe places to retreat to if necessary. Keep only one male per tank and if planning on keeping a group (ideally comprising one male and several females), be sure to add the entire group simultaneously, or else add all females before the male. Large males will behave aggressively towards other fairy wrasses and other small wrasse species introduced after them. It has been known for adult males to lose some of their colouration in captivity when they are maintained alone, and keeping a small harem tends to prevent this from occurring. Do not attempt to house with intimidating fish such as larger species of Angels and Tangs as their presence may make the fairy wrasses feel threatened and then refuse to come out and feed. Having said that, they can eventually become quite boisterous at feeding times, so ensure that any passive feeders do not miss out. It is imperative that the tank has tightly fitting coverslides and no escape holes, as these fish are notorious for jumping from open topped aquaria. May also be seen on sale as the Magenta-streaked Wrasse or the Northern Purple Wrasse.
Feeding
Feed a variety of meaty foods in small amounts several times per day, including Mysis shrimp, vitamin-enriched brineshrimp, finely chopped krill, and plankton. In time, may take flake food.
Breeding
This species has not been bred in the home aquarium.
