Green Bird Wrasse

The Green Bird Wrasse (Gomphosus varius) is a hardy, highly active, and visually striking saltwater fish characterized by its distinctive elongated, bird-like snout. In this species, terminal males display a vibrant emerald-green or aquamarine color, while females are distinctly colored in a half-black, half-white pattern.
Proper care requires satisfying their high energy levels, fast swimming habits, and unique hunting behaviors.

Tank Requirements & Setup
• Minimum Tank Size: 125 to 130 gallons or larger. They need at least 6 feet of horizontal swimming room due to their fast, constant pacing across the aquarium.
• Tight Lid Mandatory: Like most wrasses, they are notorious jumpers, particularly when newly introduced or startled. A completely secure glass or mesh lid is essential.
• Aquascaping: Provide large amounts of live rock arranged with open arches and caves. This accommodates their constant foraging while leaving the upper and middle water column entirely open for swimming room.

Water Parameters
To keep your wrasse healthy, maintain standard, stable marine environment metrics:
• Temperature: 72°F to 78°F (22°C to 26°C)
• pH: 8.1 to 8.4
• Specific Gravity / Salinity: 1.020 to 1.025

Diet & Feeding Guidelines
Green Bird Wrasses are active carnivores with high metabolisms and short digestive tracts.
• What to Feed: Offer a varied rotation of high-quality meaty foods. Their beak-like snout is perfectly adapted to crack and manipulate chunks of krill, vitamin-enriched frozen Mysis shrimp, brine shrimp, chopped squid, clams, and fish. They will also readily accept high-quality marine pellets and flakes once acclimated.
• Feeding Frequency: Because they are perpetual swimmers, they require 3 to 4 small meals per day.
• Nutritional Boosts: Regularly soak their frozen meals in marine vitamin supplements like Selcon or Vitachem to maintain their bright green pigmentation and support their immune system.

Temperament & Compatibility
• Reef Compatibility: They are reef safe with caution. While they will absolutely not bite or consume corals, they are specialized hunters that will eagerly devour ornamental shrimp, crabs, snails, tube worms, and small starfish using their long snouts.
• Tank Mates: They are classified as semi-aggressive. Do not house them with very small, passive fish (like firefish or small gobies) that they can bully or swallow. They pair best with larger, robust semi-aggressive community fish such as tangs, large angels, damsels, and hawkfish.
• Conspecifics: Avoid keeping multiple males in the same tank to prevent severe aggression. If you wish to keep more than one, introduce a single terminal male alongside a small harem of females simultaneously.