Smalltail Pencil Wrasse - Pseudojuloides cerasinus

Smalltail Pencil Wrasse (Pseudojuloides cerasinus)

The Smalltail Pencil Wrasse, Pseudojuloides cerasinus, is a slender, elegant and highly colourful reef wrasse with strong sex-related colour differences. Males can show green upper body tones, blue and yellow lateral striping and a dark-edged tail, while females are usually pink to orange with softer markings. Also known as the Candy Pencil Wrasse or Smalltail Wrasse, this Hawaiian species is a rare and desirable marine fish, best suited to mature reef aquariums with soft sand, peaceful tank mates and careful feeding.

Common Name:
Smalltail Pencil Wrasse, Smalltail Wrasse, Candy Pencil Wrasse, Candy Wrasse, Pencil Wrasse, Long Blue-lined Wrasse, Pink Wrasse.

Scientific Name (Latin):
Pseudojuloides cerasinus

Maximum Size:
Up to around 12 cm.

Water Type:
Marine

Origin / Natural Habitat:
Hawaiian Islands. This species was once treated as a much wider Indo-Pacific fish, but current references now restrict true Pseudojuloides cerasinus to Hawaii, with similar regional forms separated into related species. Naturally found on clear lagoon and seaward reefs, especially over coral rubble, algal clumps and live coral areas, where it forages for small invertebrates.

Water Parameters:
Temperature: 24–27°C
pH Range: 8.1–8.4
Hardness or Salinity: SG 1.020–1.025

Temperament:
Peaceful to mildly assertive. Best kept with calm to moderately active reef-safe fish that will not bully it or outcompete it for food. Males may be territorial towards other pencil wrasses or similar wrasses, so avoid keeping multiple males unless the aquarium is very large and carefully planned.

Diet:
Carnivorous micro-predator. In nature, it forages for small benthic invertebrates among rubble, sand, algae and reef structure. In the aquarium, offer frequent small feeds of frozen mysis, enriched brineshrimp, copepods, cyclops, calanus, finely chopped clam, finely chopped prawn and high-quality small marine pellets if accepted. Newly imported specimens may be reluctant to feed at first, so live brineshrimp, live mysis or copepods can help trigger a feeding response.

Minimum Tank Size:
A minimum of 400 litres is recommended for a single specimen, with larger aquariums preferred for long-term success or mixed wrasse communities. Provide mature live rock, open swimming room and a soft sand bed.

Behaviour & Activity:
An active daytime forager that spends much of its time moving above sand, coral rubble and rockwork while picking at tiny prey. Like many sand-sleeping wrasses, it buries in soft sand at night or when frightened, and newly introduced specimens may remain buried for several days while settling. It is a strong jumper, so a tight-fitting lid or mesh cover is essential.

Reef Safe:
Reef Safe with Caution
Generally safe with corals and most sessile invertebrates, as it does not normally nip coral tissue. The caution is due to its natural feeding behaviour: it may eat small worms, pods, tiny snails, flatworms, feather dusters, very small shrimps and other small mobile invertebrates. Larger established ornamental shrimps are often ignored, but this cannot be guaranteed.

Special Requirements or Care Notes:
Requires a mature aquarium with a soft, fine sand bed for sleeping and stress relief. Avoid coarse coral gravel, bare-bottom systems, newly set-up aquariums and aggressive tank mates. Pencil wrasses can be delicate during shipping and may fail if they do not begin feeding, so choose alert, undamaged specimens with good body condition. Feed frequently, maintain strong filtration and avoid mixing with aggressive wrasses or very similar males. Because this species is part of a complex, exact identification should be checked if collection locality matters.

Suitable for:
Experienced fishkeepers

Availability:
Rare or occasional in trade

All images are a visual representation of the fish you will receive, made to be as accurate as possible. Please note that Mother Nature is a wonderful thing, and variation in patterns and colours will occur — that is part of the unique beauty of these animals.