Moon wrasse

Moon wrasses are carnivorous and tend to prey on fish eggs and small sea-floor dwelling invertebrates.

They are protogynous hermaphrodites, all starting off as females and changing to males, a process which, for the moon wrasse, takes only 10 days.

The alpha male is more brightly colored, and at every low tide hour, changes from green to blue, and goes into a show of attacking and nipping all the other wrasses.

During breeding season and before high tide, the alpha male turns completely blue, gathers up every single female, and the spawning frenzy begins.

They are popular fish in the aquarium trade, due to their hardiness, bright colors, and engaging behavior.

Blue coloured male.
Hybrid ( T. lunare x cupido ). In Japan.