Ocellated Wrasse

About

The Ocellated Wrasse (Halichoeres melasmapomus) goes by several names in the hobby, Cheekspot, Earmuff, or Black-ear wrasse, all pointing to the same distinctive dark marking behind the eye that makes this fish easy to pick out of a lineup. In the wild, it ranges across a huge swath of the Indo-Pacific, from Cocos-Keeling Island and the Rowley Shoals out to the remote Marquesas and Pitcairn islands. Out there it haunts rubble patches and mixed rubble-coral zones along steep drop-offs, often at considerable depth, hunting the benthic invertebrates that make up the bulk of its diet. In the aquarium it grows to a solid size, and that influences everything about how you keep it. An 80-gallon minimum is realistic for a single specimen, and larger is better once you factor in territory. It has a reputation for being generally tolerant of unrelated tankmates but can turn on other wrasses, particularly closely related species, so mixing within the genus takes some thought. A single male can be kept with females in a harem arrangement, which is typical of this family. This is an intermediate-level fish. Active, rewarding to watch, and not especially delicate, but not one to drop into a small or overcrowded system.