Not furry, but we like them anyway.

Yellow Coris Wrasse

Halichoeres chrysus

Also called Canary wrasse, Golden wrasse, Yellow wrasse

SpeciesShort profile

From Eastern Indian Ocean (Christmas Island) and Western Pacific, from the Solomon Islands north to southern Japan and south to New South Wales; also reported from Tonga1 2 3

At a glance the quick version

Length12 cm1 2

Sizesmall

Sunny yellow colour

Hardy and active

Eats fireworms and pest snails

Looks how to spot one

Slender wrasse

A slim, bright yellow wrasse with a small mouth at the tip of the snout. Young fish carry several black spots on the fins, while adults keep just one white-rimmed spot on the dorsal fin; mature males show greenish to pinkish bars on the face.2 1 3

Coloursyellowblack spotsgreen or pink facial bars (males)2 1 3

Personality what they are like

Peaceful and lively, usually ignoring corals.3

Daily activity how busy a day looks

Very active swimmer that needs open space plus a sand bed to dive into.3

Grooming and care the hands-on bits

Feed a varied range of meaty foods in small portions several times a day. It may pick at ornamental shrimp or fan worms.3

Home where they are happiest

Minimum about 50 US gallons (189 L) with lots of live rock, open swimming space and 5 to 8 cm (2 to 3 in) of sand. Saltwater at about 22 to 26 °C, pH 8.1 to 8.4, dKH 8 to 12, specific gravity 1.020 to 1.025. Wild fish live at reef edges over sand and rubble, usually at 15 to 60 m.3 1

Food basics what goes in the bowl

Carnivore. Hunts small crustaceans, molluscs, worms and other bottom invertebrates; in aquariums it takes varied meaty foods.2 3

Company who they like around

Lives in small groups in the wild and pairs up to breed.1 2

The story where it all began

John Randall described it in 1981. It is a regular in the aquarium trade and is not considered threatened by collection.2 1

Fun facts for the dinner table

1
All start life as females, and some later change to males.2
2
Young fish wear several fin spots that shrink to a single spot as they grow up.3
3
It is a natural hunter of fireworms and pyramidellid snails.3
4
It has been recorded as deep as 70 m, though it usually stays shallower.1

Recognised by the official bits

IUCN Red List: Least Concern (assessed 2009)1

The care rhythm Furry Diary remembers it for you

A typical home-care rhythm for a Yellow 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

Start a free diary

Melanurus Wrasse

Christmas Wrasse

Cleaner Wrasse

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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: Halichoeres chrysus fishbase.seused for distribution, size, depth, habitat, colours, IUCN
Wikipedia: Halichoeres chrysus en.wikipedia.orgused for other names, body, diet, history, sex change
LiveAquaria: Yellow Wrasse liveaquaria.comused for care, tank size, water parameters, diet, colours

Checked 2026-09-30. Text is written in our own words from these sources.