Cheilinus undulatus care

[thelizardkin]

I found a Cheilinus undulatus or giant hump head wrasse for sale online i'm not going to get it cuz it can get 6'+ but I was wondering how to care for it if I ever do get a huge tank
How big of a tank would it need
What could I keep with it
How big of a fish could it eat
Would it be coral safe
How mean are they

 

[Luiz Rocha]

Haha, good one, may I ask where you found it? This species is endangered and under CITES control, it should not have been exported from wherever it was.

Anyhow, it needs a lot of space, and a lot of food, I wouldn't put it in anything smaller than what we see in public aquaria (30 feet + long). If it is not well fed, it will eat any fish that is moving slowly for some reason.

What could you keep with it? Groupers, I guess. As far as I know they don't eat coral, but in captivity you never know if they will take a bite, and a bite from them is a huge chunk.

 

[thelizardkin]

A fish exporter in Bali

 

[jd474]

Haha, good one, may I ask where you found it? This species is endangered and under CITES control, it should not have been exported from wherever it was.

+1

Ours was purchased years ago at 6", and is now over 30", and 16" tall. Not sure what your notion of "big" is, but 20K gal. minimum. I once saw him suck down a 9" crosshatch triggerfish, probably just because he thought it would be tasty.