Hewett's coris

Where they come from

Hewett's coris (Coris hewetti) is a Hawaiian wrasse. Think clear offshore reefs, lots of rock and rubble, and a life spent hunting little critters in the open. They're not a "sit pretty" fish - they're built to roam and dig.

Setting up their tank

This is an advanced fish mostly because of behavior and space. They get big, they move a ton, and they like to rearrange your sand like they're getting paid for it.

• Tank size: I would not keep one in anything under 180 gallons, and bigger is honestly nicer once it's past the juvenile stage.
• Sand bed: give them real sand, not bare bottom. 2-4 inches works well. They dive into it to sleep and when spooked.
• Rockwork: stable and on the glass or on a solid base. They can undermine rocks by digging at the edges.
• Lid: tight-fitting. Wrasses jump, and coris are no exception.
• Flow and oxygen: strong, reef-like water movement and good gas exchange. They are active and appreciate "fresh" water.
• Acclimation: dim lights, slow drip if you can, and a quiet first day. New coris can freak out and carpet-surf if startled.

They'll spend a lot of time in the water column, but they'll also bulldoze the bottom. If your aquascape is a stack of wobbly rocks balanced on sand, this fish will eventually expose that.

What to feed them

These are meat-eaters with a strong hunting drive. In a big tank they will constantly pick at the rock and sand for pods, worms, tiny snails, and whatever else they can crunch. In captivity you still need to feed them like a predator, not like a grazer.

• Staples: frozen mysis, chopped shrimp, clam, squid, and quality marine carnivore blends.
• Pellets: many will take sinking carnivore pellets once settled. Start by mixing pellets into thawed frozen so they learn the smell.
• Variety: rotate foods. They do better long-term when they're not living on one frozen cube forever.
• Feeding schedule: juveniles do best with smaller feedings 2-3 times a day. Adults can handle 1-2 solid feedings daily if they're in a mature tank.

How they behave and who they get along with

Coris hewetti is confident and busy. Juveniles can seem almost "cute" and manageable, then they hit the awkward teen phase and start throwing their weight around. Adults are bold fish with a real presence.

• Temperament: semi-aggressive to aggressive as they mature, especially toward smaller wrasses and similarly shaped fish.
• Best tankmates: sturdy, similarly sized fish that won't be intimidated (bigger tangs, angels, larger damsels, some triggers in the right setup).
• Risky tankmates: small gobies/blennies, tiny wrasses, firefish, ornamental crustaceans, and anything that sleeps in a sand burrow they can raid.
• Reef safety: not what I'd call reef-safe. They can be fine with corals, but they are not safe with many inverts and they can knock frags over while digging.

They sleep buried in the sand. The first time you keep one, you'll think it vanished. Give it time. If the tank is quiet, they'll pop out in the morning like nothing happened.

Breeding tips

Breeding them at home is not really a realistic goal for most of us. Like many wrasses, they are broadcast spawners in the wild, and raising the larvae is the hard part (tiny foods, long planktonic stage, and a lot of losses).

Common problems to watch for

• Jumping: the classic wrasse problem. A lid saves lives.
• Sand-related injuries: abrasions from sharp substrate or panicked dives can turn into bacterial issues.
• Ich and velvet: they are not magically resistant. New fish plus stress plus shipping can equal parasites fast.
• Starving new imports: some arrive thin and take a while to recognize prepared foods.
• Rockwork collapses: digging can undermine rocks and topple structures if your scape is sitting on sand.

My biggest "success" tip is to plan for the adult fish, not the juvenile you see at the store. Give it room, give it sand, feed it like a predator, and don't try to force it into a peaceful community reef with pricey shrimp. That's where most stories go sideways.