Royal Gramma : Guide On The Most Popular Marine Basslet
The royal gramma (Gramma Loreto), along with the percula clownfish (percula and ocellaris), flame angel (Centropyge Loriculus), yellow tang (Zebrasoma Flavescens) and the blue tang (Paracanthurus Hepatus) make up the five most recognizable fishes in the marine aquarium hobby. It is also known as the fairy basslet.
The royal gramma is a sight to behold. Its front half is a rich blueish-purple while the rest of its body is a bright yellow mixed in with some orange. There is a single black stripe that streaks through its eyes.Also present is a black spot on its dorsal fin.
They are commonly fond throughout the Caribbean Sea. They retail for as little as $15 dollars and are disease resistant and hardy. A winning combination. Cheap, beautiful, plentiful and easy to keep in an aquarium. They are commonly mistaken for the bicolor dottyback (Pseudochromis Bicolor) as they both have very similar colors. Fortunately, they are easily distinguishable. The bicolor dottyback does not have a black streak running from its snout through its eyes.
The royal gramma is a good candidate for a wide variety of aquariums. They are a relatively peaceful fish, provided they have a small territory of their own. I have personally kept the royal gramma with clownfish, dwarf angels, large angels, gobies, damsels and dottybacks and have found that it does well with all of them. Again, only if they have their own territory. There can be trouble if any fish continually attempts to enter its shelter.
Royal grammas can reach lengths of nearly 4 inches in the wild. Such lengths are usually not common in captivity, expect your specimen to reach a maximum of 3 inches. Royal grammas have been successfully kept in aquariums as small as 10 gallons. Minimum tank size should be at least 20 gallons since they will eventually attain a length of 3 inches.
Royal grammas are carnivores that eat copepods and plankton in the wild. Your corals are safe with them as they are reef safe. A variety of meaty foods should be offered. Frozen foods such as Krill, Mysis shrimp and Prime Reef (A good blend of raw seafood) are all great choices. They generally start feeding within days of introduction.
Efforts to breed the royal gramma have been successful. They are nest builders that use macroalgae as material for their spawning site (usually a cave). The male tries to lure the female into its newly built spawning site by quivering and flaring its fins. If the female is receptive to the males advances she will then enter his cave and begin spawning. Their larvae accept rotifers and eventually baby brine shrimp without hesitation.
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