Not furry, but we like them anyway.
Red Coris Wrasse
Coris gaimard
Also called African coris, Clown wrasse, Yellowtail wrasse
From Tropical Indo-Pacific reefs: from Christmas Island and the Cocos-Keeling Islands east to the Society and Tuamotu islands, north to Japan and Hawaii and south to Australia12
At a glance the quick version
Looks how to spot one
Elongated reef wrasse with a big change in looks from juvenile to adult
Young fish are bright red-orange with large white saddle spots edged in black, a look that makes them popular. As they grow they change completely: adults have a speckled body that shifts from green at the front to dark blue dotted with bright blue at the back, an orange face with green stripes, colourful fins and a bright yellow tail. Most stay around 20 cm, though the species can reach about 40 cm.231
Personality what they are like
A confident, semi-aggressive wrasse. Young fish get along with most tankmates, but adults are robust hunters that are best kept with fish of similar size and spirit rather than with small invertebrates.3
Daily activity how busy a day looks
An active swimmer that roams the tank by day and buries itself in the sand to sleep at night or when it feels unsure.3
Grooming and care the hands-on bits
Needs a soft sand bed deep enough to dig into; a retailer advises against a coarse crushed-coral bottom. Feed varied meaty foods and keep stable marine water.3
Home where they are happiest
A large fish-only or fish-with-rock aquarium, about 125 to 130 US gallons (roughly 470 to 490 L) as a minimum. Saltwater at about 22 to 26 °C, pH 8.1 to 8.4, specific gravity 1.020 to 1.025, dKH 8 to 12. In the wild it lives on mixed coral, sand and rubble of reef flats, lagoons and seaward reefs, down to about 50 m.31
Food basics what goes in the bowl
A carnivore. Wild fish eat mainly molluscs, crabs and hermit crabs, sometimes tunicates. In aquariums offer enriched frozen mysis and brine shrimp and good marine flakes or pellets.13
Company who they like around
Usually solitary in the wild and best kept as a single fish; pairs form for breeding.1
The story where it all began
The species was described in 1824 by the French naturalists Quoy and Gaimard, and its scientific name honours Gaimard. Its striking juvenile colours made it a long-standing favourite in marine aquariums, and it is also shown in public aquariums.21
Fun facts for the dinner table
- 1
Juveniles look like a completely different fish from adults, red-orange with white saddles, before turning green, blue and yellow as they mature.2
- 2
It sleeps buried in the sand and also dives into the sand when startled.3
- 3
In the Indian Ocean it is replaced by a close relative, Coris cuvieri.1
- 4
Adult females are recognised by their bright yellow tail fin.1
Recognised by the official bits
- IUCN Red List
- Least Concern (assessed 2008)1
The care rhythm Furry Diary remembers it for you
A typical home-care rhythm for a Red Coris Wrasse. It is our own starting plan, not a vet's advice, and you can change every line in the app.
- FeedingSmall amounts once or twice a dayevery day
- Temperature checkevery day
- Salinity checkevery week
- Top-upTop up evaporation with fresh RO water, not salt waterevery day
- Water testevery week
- Water changeAbout 10 to 20% of the waterevery 2 weeks
- Glass cleanevery week
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Where this comes from
Every breed page shows where each fact comes from. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are pet people, not a science magazine. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
- FishBase: Coris gaimard, African coris fishbase.seused for distribution, size, depth, habitat, diet, IUCN status, social behaviour
- Wikipedia: Coris gaimard en.wikipedia.orgused for common names, description history, colour phases, aquarium use
- LiveAquaria: Red Coris Wrasse liveaquaria.comused for aquarium care, tank size, water parameters, temperament, diet, sand bed
Checked 2026-09-30. Text is written in our own words from these sources.