Leopard Wrasse

Leopard Wrasse

Macropharyngodon meleagris

Also known as: Blackspotted Wrasse

🧂 Saltwater ✌️ Peaceful 🔴 Advanced 🥩 Carnivore Reef Safe

A spectacular wrasse covered in dark spots on a pale greenish body, creating a leopard-like pattern. Sleeps buried in the sand at night. Delicate but rewarding for experienced aquarists.

Tank Size

50 gal
minimum (75+ preferred)

Temperature

74–80°F
23–27°C

pH Range

8.1–8.4
water acidity

Max Size

5"
12.7 cm

Lifespan

5-8 years
typical in captivity

Swim Level

Bottom
preferred zone

Care Notes

Requires a deep sand bed of at least 2 inches for sleeping. Difficult to acclimate and feed initially. A well-established tank with a healthy copepod population is essential.

Feeding

Live copepods, enriched brine shrimp, and finely chopped mysis shrimp. Difficult to wean onto prepared foods.

Compatible Tank Mates

Blue Green Chromis 3" Pink Skunk Clownfish 3.5" Skunk Clownfish 4" Orange Skunk Clownfish 4.5" Talbot's Damselfish 2.5" Lubbock's Fairy Wrasse 3" Melanurus Wrasse 5" Cleaner Wrasse 4" Yellow Coris Wrasse 5" Carpenter's Flasher Wrasse 3" Firefish Goby 3" Yellow Watchman Goby 4"

Use Caution With

Ocellaris Clownfish 3" True Percula Clownfish 3" Yellowtail Damselfish 2.5" Blue Tang 12" Yellow Tang 8" Kole Tang 7" Clarkii Clownfish 5" Tomato Clownfish 5" Scopas Tang 8" Naso Tang 18" Convict Tang 8" Azure Damselfish 2.5"

Incompatible With

Maroon Clownfish 6" Blue Devil Damselfish 3" Powder Blue Tang 9" Achilles Tang 10" Purple Tang 10" Three Stripe Damselfish 3" Domino Damselfish 5" Four Stripe Damselfish 3" Jewel Damselfish 6" Clown Tang 15" Catalina Goby 2.5" Volitan Lionfish 15"

Check Compatibility

Want to check if Leopard Wrasse is compatible with a specific fish? Use our compatibility checker to build your complete tank.