Clown Wrasse Coris aygula

In the wild, the Clown Wrasse is associated with reef flats, surge zones and sand-rubble areas of the Indo-Pacific, where it turns over rocks and sifts the substrate hunting hard-shelled prey. Replicating this environment means providing a deep sand bed of several centimetres for burying, mature rockwork that is stable enough to be pushed around, and a very large expanse of open sand and swimming space. This is very much a big-tank fish.

Juveniles are white with orange-red saddles and black-and-white spots; adults transform dramatically into a dark green to blackish fish with a pale band and, in large males, a bulbous forehead. It reaches around 35 cm in captivity and much larger in the wild. Healthy specimens are alert, active, well-filled through the body and quick to feed. It buries in the sand at night and when startled, so a suitable sand bed is essential.

Temperament is best described as boisterous and increasingly aggressive with size. Adults are powerful, disruptive fish. Suitable companions are robust, similarly assertive fish in a very large system, such as large tangs, rabbitfish, large angels and triggers. It is not reef safe: it eats crustaceans, snails, urchins and other invertebrates and will move rock and disturb aquascaping. Keep it in a large fish-only or robust system.

Feed as a carnivore. Offer a varied diet of frozen mysis shrimp, enriched brine shrimp, chopped prawn, squid, clam, mussel and other meaty and shellfish foods, plus quality marine pellets once accepted. Hard-shelled foods suit its natural diet. Feed once or twice daily. Most individuals feed readily and enthusiastically, and a well-fed fish grows quickly, so its increasing size and appetite must be planned for.

For long-term success, provide a minimum aquarium size of 700 L, with a much larger system, well over 1000 L, required for a full-grown adult, along with a deep sand bed of several centimetres. Maintain temperature at 24–27°C, pH 8.1–8.4 and salinity around 1.020–1.026. Moderate to strong flow suits it. Lighting can match the system. Provide stable rockwork and a large expanse of open sand. Strong filtration, a large protein skimmer and regular water changes of 10–20% are recommended. A tight-fitting lid is essential, as coris wrasses jump.

Breeding in the home aquarium is not achieved and should not be expected. Coris wrasses are protogynous hermaphrodites and pelagic spawners with delicate planktonic larvae requiring specialised rearing far beyond normal home aquarium keeping. For keepers, the focus should be on providing enough space and sand, correct feeding and stable water quality.

Suitable tank mates include large tangs, rabbitfish, large angels, triggers and other robust, assertive fish in a very large system.

Avoid keeping with ornamental shrimp, crabs, snails, urchins and other invertebrates, small or timid fish, prized delicate aquascaping, and open-top tanks without a secure lid.

See how Clown Wrasse | Coris aygula gets along with the rest of your tank. Our Aquarium Compatibility Checker scores tank size, aggression, diet and water type against everything else you're keeping.

Open the Compatibility Checker for Clown Wrasse | Coris aygula →

Is your tank ready?

A few quick checks before you buy save most of the common losses.

Tank size for the adult, not the juvenile

Check the species page for max size and minimum tank size, and size your tank for what this animal will grow into – not what it looks like today.

Cycle first

Your tank needs an established nitrogen cycle before livestock goes in. Adding fish to an uncycled tank is one of the most common causes of early losses.

Match the conditions

Check temperature and pH on the species page against what your tank currently runs, and make sure you've got the right gear – a heater for tropical species, adequate filtration turnover, lighting and CO2 for planted tanks, or the right salinity setup for marine.

Start conservative

New to the hobby? Start with a small number of hardy species and add slowly – overstocking a new tank is one of the fastest ways to crash your water quality.

Ready to place your first order? See our Buying Livestock Online – Start Here guide for the full walkthrough of packing, delivery, arrival day and acclimation.

Where we ship

We are based in Brisbane and ship live fish and corals to most of Australia. Some states have import rules that may affect what we can send and the cost.

• Western Australia: Import requirements and fees may apply. Read first.
• Tasmania: Import requirements and fees may apply. Read first.
• Northern Territory: May require a permit and be subject to quarantine.
• Regional and remote areas: Carrier options can be limited, which may affect service and transit time.

If you are unsure we can reach your location, please contact us before ordering.

A note on timing: All transit times are estimates and can vary with your location, the weather, and carrier schedules. Regional and remote areas may take longer. To give your livestock the safest trip, please order early in the week.

Live Fish

• Oxygen-filled bags – each fish is bagged in clean water from its own system with a generous charge of pure oxygen, giving many hours of safe transit time.
• Double or triple bagging – spiny or sharp-finned species (catfish, plecos, marine oddballs) are multi-bagged with liners so a spine can't cause a leak.
• Dark, calm transit – bags are packed upright in the dark, which keeps fish calm and lowers their oxygen use during the trip.

Live Corals & Inverts

• Individually bagged or cupped – each coral travels in its own bag or rigid cup of system water, sized so the piece can't knock against the sides.
• Frags secured – frag plugs are held so they can't tumble or land face-down against the polyps.
• Inverts packed to species – shrimp, snails, starfish and anemones each get the packing method that suits them, not a one-size-fits-all bag.

Live Plants & Tissue Cultures

• Moist, not swimming – plants travel wrapped in damp paper inside sealed bags, which prevents both drying out and rot in transit.
• Tissue culture cups sealed – cultures stay in their sterile cups, cushioned so lids can't pop.

The Box

• Insulated foam boxes – all livestock ships in polystyrene-lined cartons to hold temperature steady.
• Heat or cool packs by season – we add heat packs in winter and cool packs in summer heat waves, based on the forecast for your delivery route.
• Void fill and bracing – bags are braced so nothing shifts, even if the box travels on its side.

When Your Box Arrives

Open the box promptly, check everyone in, and follow our Acclimation Guide before releasing anything into your tank. If something has gone wrong in transit, take photos of the unopened bags straight away and see our Live Fish Arrival Guarantee for what to do next.

Questions about packing or shipping to your area? Email us at sales@nicksaquariumoceanariumterrarium.com.au – we're always happy to talk through it before you order.

Dead on Arrival (DOA) Cover

DOA cover applies only to livestock shipped by air freight. It gives you peace of mind that eligible animals are covered if they arrive deceased. Full terms are in our Live Fish Arrive Guarantee.

How to make a claim

• Take clear photos or video of the deceased livestock in the sealed, unopened inner bag.
• If double bagged, you may remove the outer bag, but the inner bag must stay sealed.
• Take individual photos or video of each animal once unbagged, where applicable.
• Send your claim by email or text message within 4 hours of receiving your order. Claims by Facebook Messenger or phone cannot be accepted, and claims made after 4 hours may be declined.
• Please include: your name, order number, approximate time received, number of bags affected, and quantity of livestock affected.

If your claim is approved

We will offer store credit or a replacement of the same item, subject to availability. Replacement shipping is covered only if more than 50 percent of your order arrives DOA. Shipping charges and fees are non-refundable.

To keep your cover valid

Be present at the airport or at home to receive your order, and collect it promptly. Livestock left unattended, returned to a depot, or delayed in collection may void cover. We can only ship to a valid residential or business address, not PO boxes or third-party addresses.

Why quarantine

Quarantining new arrivals before they go into your main tank protects the fish you already have from disease, and gives new stock time to settle and start feeding under close observation.

Freshwater Fish

• Duration: 2 to 4 weeks in a bare-bottom tank with a cycled sponge filter.
• Watch for: white spots, flicking or scratching, laboured breathing, clamped fins, and loss of appetite, checked twice daily.
• Medication: only if a problem appears – quarantine is for observation, not routine treatment.

Marine Fish

• Duration: around 4 weeks minimum.
• Options: observation only, a copper treatment held at 2.0 to 2.5 ppm for at least 30 days, or the Tank Transfer Method (four transfers over about 12 days).
• Flukes and worms: treated with praziquantel, with a repeat dose about a week after the first.

Full details: see our Fish Quarantine Guide, and our Freshwater Fish Quarantining at Home and Marine Fish Quarantining at Home guides, for tank setup, dosing, and day-by-day steps.

Before you start

Test your aquarium water, gather a clean bucket and net, and dim the room lights. Never pour transport bag water into your aquarium – always net your livestock out and discard the bag water, since acclimating too quickly after CO2 build-up in the bag can make trapped ammonia rapidly more toxic.

Freshwater Fish

Float the sealed bag for about 15 minutes to match temperature, then open it into a bucket and add roughly a cup of aquarium water every 5 minutes for about 45 minutes. Net the fish into the tank, keep the lights off for the rest of the day, and hold off feeding until the next day.

Marine Fish

Use the same cup method as freshwater fish, but keep the lights off or dimmed for at least 12 hours after introduction, and hold off feeding until the next day. We recommend quarantining marine fish before adding them to your display.

Corals, Clams & Invertebrates

• Drip acclimation is recommended: 1 to 2 drops per second until the bucket volume has at least doubled, around 45 minutes for fish-safe inverts and 60 to 90 minutes for corals and clams. Echinoderms such as starfish, urchins and sea cucumbers need the slowest acclimation of all.
• Handle corals and clams by their base, skeleton or frag plug only – never the soft tissue, polyps or mantle.
• Light acclimation: place new corals low in the tank away from strong light and flow for the first few days, then raise them gradually over 1 to 2 weeks.

Full details: see our Acclimation Guide for the complete drip and cup methods and coral dipping.