We love getting a peak at rare livestock, especially when we get to see the gorgeous specimen on video. Very recently, a pair of Earl’s Fairy Wrasse (Cirrhilabrus earlei) showed up in the US via Pacific Island Aquatics, and fortunately they’ve decided to share a couple of videos of these fish. Both fish in the video are male, so it’s not a traditional male/female pair that you might expect, but that’s fine because the male of the species is much more vibrantly colored than the female anyways. These fish are currently in quarantine at the Pacific Island Aquatics facility in Hawaii.
So why is C. earlei such a rare fish? Well, besides the fact that they are just so beautiful and highly sought after, these fish are found in extraordinarily deep waters. Many of today’s super rare, high dollar fish are found at depth, and the Earl’s Fairy Wrasse is no different. These fish have been collected over 300 feet down, which is a depth inaccessible to everyone but the most advanced fish collectors. Most C. earlei find their way into the reef aquariums of Asian hobbyists, and their presence in the US is definitely a rare occurrence. A few individuals have been imported in the not too distant past, and hopefully with the advances in fish collecting, more will begin to show up.
