African Coris (Coris cuvieri)

African Coris Coris cuvieri
Name	African Coris
Name Lat.	Coris cuvieri
Family	Wrasses
Family lat.	Labridae
Order	Wrasses & Relatives
Order lat.	Labriformes
Origin	Indian Ocean, Red Sea
Habitat	Lagoons, seaward reefs
Diet	Carnivore
pH	8,1-8,4
Hardness	8-10 °KH
Behavior	Semi-aggressive
Keeping	Individual, group
Reef Compatible	With caution
Care Level	Moderate
Life Span	N/A
Protection	No
Metric Units
Size	35 cm
Temperature	24-28 °C
Salinity	33-36 ‰
Aquarium	~ 800 l
US Units
Size	14"
Temperature	75-82 °F
Salinity	1.020-1.025 sg
Aquarium	~ 200 gal

Distribution and habitat

The distribution area of Coris cuvieri is the Red Sea and the western Indian Ocean, from the Arabian Peninsula and the coast of East Africa to the Maldives and Sri Lanka. They live mostly solitary in lagoons and on outer reefs over coral rubble and sandy bottoms down to 50 m depth.

Maintenance

They need a well structured aquarium with rock or stone structures with living stones, which offer enough hiding and covering possibilities as well as sufficient swimming space and a bottom substrate consisting of a layer of sand at least 20 cm thick (no coral rubble!). Only lime-rich, heavy metal-free sands, gravels, stones or sea sand may be used.

Filters, skimmers and heaters are necessary to ensure water quality, as well as pumps to simulate tides, swell and bottom currents. Lighting must be appropriate for the species' day-night rhythm

Salinity: 33-36 ‰	pH value: 8.1-8.4
Carbonate hardness: 8-10 °KH	Nitrate content: 2-8 mg/l
phosphate content: 0.01-0.1 mg/l	nitrite content: 0.0-0.05 mg/l

For salinity, an average value should be aimed for, which may only vary slightly by +/- 0.5 ‰. Ammonia and ammonium must not be measurable. Special attention must be paid to constantly good water quality.

Diet

They feed on small crustaceans and mollusks. The food change usually succeeds without problems. The food supply should consist of a combination of chopped shrimp, mussel and crab meat, plus live and frozen food such as mysis, krill, artemia and shrimp or a frozen food mixture enriched with vitamins. High-quality flake and granulated food is also often accepted after an acclimation period

It is recommended to feed small portions several times a day, this reduces intra-species aggression and protects lower animals in the aquarium. Regular and varied feeding promotes health and increases resistance.

Behaviour and compatibility

Juvenile animals can be kept in a group. Adults live solitary and behave very aggressive within the species. They can be well socialized with other, not too small fish.

Sex dimorphism

They are protogynous hermaphrodites, meaning that most males develop from functional females when needed. There are no known external distinguishing characteristics.

Reproduction and breeding

There are no known reports of successful breeding in the aquarium.

Important

The juveniles are clearly different from adults in markings and coloration. The juveniles are orange and have white tiger stripes or spots on the body

Overnight and when threatened they bury themselves in the sandy substrate

As reef dwellers, they should be kept together with corals and not in a fish-only aquarium. Only shrimp, snails, crabs, etc. should be kept with caution

If different species are kept together, care should be taken to match the fish in terms of water quality and temperature requirements and social behavior, and to ensure that the setup meets the needs of all species kept together. New fish to be introduced must be acclimated slowly to the water in the aquarium

Further literature can be found in your pet store.

References

Text: Werner Winter; Image: Franz Lowak

Source: KUITER, DEBELIUS (2007): Atlas der Meeresfische: Die Fische an den Küsten der Weltmeere, Kosmos Verlag; ENGELMANN (2005): Zootierhaltung - Tiere in menschlicher Obhut: Fische, Verlag Harri Deutsch

• Gemäß § 21 Abs. 5 Tierschutzgesetz idgF