Spotty, Paketi

• The Spotty is a typical elongate wrasse shape.  It has a protruding mouth with noticeable teeth.  The body is a creamy colour with brown flecks over it and a large black spot on each side.  This fish changes colour and sex as they grow.  Initially very small juveniles can be green or red but soon lose this in an aquarium.  Large females can change sex into a brilliantly coloured terminal male pase with blue lines on their heads.  Males dominate several females.
  
  

• Scientific Name: Notolabrus celidotus
• Habitat: Inhabits shallow water all around N.Z., but may reach to depths of 15 m
• Temperament: Easy, tolerate poor water conditions. Good starter fish but be warned hard to catch out later as it outcompetes slower fish.
• Tank Age/Maturity: 100 litres minium at least 4 weeks old
• Diet: Spotties feed on a variety of invertebrates, hermit and other crabs, molluscs, and echinoderms, will eat anything you feed it.
• Threatened Species: N/A
• Special Requirements: Spotties tolerate poor water conditions and are easy to keep. They will eat almost anything offered and outcompete slower fish, they can be impossible to catch out of your tank without removing all the rockwork. A good starter fish but can rapidly become annoying, young fish up to 3cm can be netted amongst seaweed in shallow water from October onwards they can be red or green but quickly lose this in the tank. Not recommended.
• Size: 23.9cm