Halichoeres garnoti

When young the fish is yellow with a stripe along its side.

Fish of the genus Halichoeres are very populair in aquaria, as they are attractive and effective at eradicating flatworms and pyramid snails.

They are generally more peaceful than Pseudocheilinus hexataenia, which are often acquired to the same end. However, most fish of the Halichoeres genus will quickly become too large for smaller aquaria.

There is a difference in which food these fish live on, some on small invertebrates, whilst others can crush various crustaceans. Some species will take prey larger then themselves and smash it against rocks, so be aware of this when one has small fish, crabs, shrimps, snails etc. in the aquarium.

These Wrasses will dig themselves into the sand when feeling threatened or needing to sleep.

When they are choosen at the fish store one must make sure they are not injured during transport, especially in the area around the mouth. If the fish will be long in transit, it is a good idea to have enough sand in the container used so they can bury themselves.

They have an excellent biological clock, but after transportation it takes a bit of time before it start working properly again.

Wrasses are nearly always seen in reef aquaria, since many of the species are both attractive and useful in battling a range of unwanted invertebrates like i.e. flatworms, pyramide snails.
These fish live of everything from zooplankton to large crustaceans, sea urchins and the like.

The needs and behaviour of Wrasses vary greatly, so it is vital to familiarize oneself with the specific species before buying one.