TankBud

Blackcap basslet

Gramma melacara

Also known as Black Cap Basslet, Blackcap Gramma

SaltwaterFish

Blackcap basslet (Gramma melacara)
The original uploader was Aquaimages at English Wikipedia. · CC BY-SA 2.5

Care at a glance

Temperature
72–81°F
22–27°C
pH
8.1–8.4
Adult size
3.9 in
10 cm
Minimum tank
29 gal
110 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Solitary
Tankmates
With caution
Swim level
Middle
Diet
Carnivore
Difficulty
Easy
Breeding
Cave spawner · Hard
Rarity
Common
Reef safe
Reef safe
Family
Grammatidae
Origin
Western Atlantic and Caribbean, including the Bahamas and the West Indies

Overview

The blackcap basslet is a hardy, easygoing reef fish that keeps close to a cave in the rockwork. It is easy to keep.

Did you know

The blackcap basslet's vivid purple body and jet black cap make it one of the most photographed Caribbean reef fish. True to its wall-dwelling habits, it spends much of its time hanging upside down with its belly to the rock. That is exactly how it sits on a vertical reef face in the wild.

Caring for the blackcap basslet

Give the blackcap basslet a tank of at least 29 gal (110 L), with dim, cave-riddled rockwork. It settles in best out of direct, intense lighting. It spends its time near a favorite cave, darting out to grab food and retreating just as quickly.

Keep the water at 72 to 81°F (22 to 27°C) and a pH of 8.1 to 8.4. It is a carnivore, so feed a varied meaty diet of mysis, brine shrimp and other frozen foods a couple of times a day.

It is peaceful toward unrelated tank mates but territorial toward its own kind and the similar-looking royal gramma. Keep only one per tank, unless the system is large enough for separate territories. It is reef safe with corals, clams and larger invertebrates. It may still pick off tiny amphipods, copepods and very small ornamental shrimp.

The male builds and guards a nest of eggs in a rock crevice. The blackcap basslet has been reared in captivity on a small scale, and breeding it is hard.

Good to know

The blackcap basslet, Gramma melacara, belongs to the small basslet family Grammatidae. Its close relative is the royal gramma, and the blackcap basslet is the larger of the two. Nearly all blackcap basslets in the trade are still wild-collected from deep reef habitat.

In the wild

The blackcap basslet lives on steep reef walls and drop-offs in the Caribbean and western Atlantic, including the Bahamas and the West Indies. It is typically found in 20 to 60 meters of water, and sometimes much deeper. It hovers upside down under ledges and ducks into a crevice the instant it feels threatened. It gradually takes over the deeper rock face where the shallower royal gramma leaves off.

Common questions

What size tank does a blackcap basslet need?

A blackcap basslet needs at least 29 gal (110 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.

What temperature and pH does a blackcap basslet need?

A blackcap basslet is comfortable at 72–81°F (22–27°C) with a pH of 8.1–8.4.

What does a blackcap basslet eat?

A blackcap basslet is a carnivore. Feed it a varied meaty diet of mysis, brine shrimp and other frozen foods a couple of times a day.

How big does a blackcap basslet get?

An adult blackcap basslet reaches about 3.9 in (10 cm).

How does a blackcap basslet breed?

Blackcap basslets spawn in rock crevices, where the male builds and guards a nest of eggs. They have been reared in captivity on a small scale, and breeding them is hard.

Related species