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About Lunar Wrasse

The Lunar Wrasse is a spectacular and highly active marine wrasse recognised for its bright green, blue and yellow colouration, red markings and distinctive crescent-shaped markings around the tail. Its bold appearance and energetic personality make it an impressive feature fish for large marine aquariums.

Lunar Wrasses are powerful swimmers and active predators that spend much of their day exploring rockwork and searching for food. They are hardy once established but can become increasingly aggressive as they mature.

They are best suited to large fish-only or fish-only-with-live-rock systems with robust tank mates. Although they generally won't bother corals, their predatory behaviour means they can eat shrimp, crabs, snails, small fish and other ornamental invertebrates.

Lunar Wrasses are carnivores and should be offered a varied diet of mysis shrimp, brine shrimp, chopped seafood, krill and quality marine pellets.

Quick Care Guide

Scientific Name: Thalassoma lunare
Common Name: Lunar Wrasse / Moon Wrasse
Family: Labridae
Type: Marine Fish / Wrasse
Adult Size: Approximately 25–30 cm
Temperament: Aggressive / Highly Territorial
Care Level: Intermediate
Minimum Aquarium: 500 L+
Temperature: 24–28°C
pH: 8.0–8.4
Salinity: 1.023–1.026 SG
Diet: Carnivore
Tank Level: All Levels
Reef Safe: No — With Caution
Suitable For: Large fish-only marine aquariums and aggressive community systems

Frequently Asked Questions

How big does a Lunar Wrasse get?

Lunar Wrasses can reach approximately 25–30 cm, making them a substantial fish that requires a large aquarium.

Are Lunar Wrasses reef safe?

They are not considered reliably reef safe. While they generally leave corals alone, they can prey on ornamental shrimp, crabs, snails and other small invertebrates.

Are Lunar Wrasses aggressive?

Yes. They can become highly territorial and aggressive as they mature. They are best kept with appropriately sized, robust tank mates.

What do Lunar Wrasses eat?

They are carnivores and readily accept mysis shrimp, brine shrimp, krill, chopped seafood and quality marine pellets.

Can Lunar Wrasses live with other wrasses?

They can be aggressive towards other wrasses, particularly smaller or more peaceful species. A very large aquarium and careful selection of tank mates are required.

Common Mistakes

Buying one for a reef aquarium because it is colourful
Lunar Wrasses are powerful predators and can quickly remove ornamental invertebrates.

Keeping one in an undersized aquarium
They are fast, active swimmers and become large adults.

Keeping them with small fish
Small fish may eventually be viewed as prey.

Keeping them with ornamental shrimp or crabs
These can become natural prey items.

Underestimating adult aggression
Juveniles can appear relatively peaceful, but their temperament can change significantly as they mature.