TankBud

Chalk bass

Serranus tortugarum

Also known as Chalk Basslet, Tortugas Bass

SaltwaterFish

Chalk bass (Serranus tortugarum)
Williams, J. T.; Carpenter, K. E.; Van Tassell, J. L.; Hoetjes, P.; Toller, W.; Etnoyer, P.; Smith, M. · CC BY 2.5

Care at a glance

Temperature
72–81°F
22–27°C
pH
8.1–8.4
Adult size
3.1 in
8 cm
Minimum tank
29 gal
110 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Swim level
Middle
Diet
Carnivore
Difficulty
Beginner
Breeding
Egg layer · Hard
Rarity
Common
Reef safe
Reef safe
Family
Serranidae
Origin
Western Atlantic, from the Bahamas and southern Florida through the Caribbean to Venezuela

Overview

The chalk bass is a small, peaceful sea bass that gets along with a wide range of tank mates. It is among the easiest small fish to keep.

Did you know

A bonded pair of chalk bass can switch roles up to twenty times in a single day. That way both fish get a turn fertilizing eggs and being fertilized.

Caring for the chalk bass

A single chalk bass needs a tank of at least 29 gal (110 L), with live rock and some open sand. Add roughly another 55 to 75 liters for each additional chalk bass in the group. Keep the water at 72 to 81°F (22 to 27°C) and a pH of 8.1 to 8.4.

Chalk bass are hardy, unfussy carnivores. They take chopped seafood, mysis, brine shrimp and flake food without hesitation.

Unlike most of their relatives, chalk bass do well in a group. Add three or five at once, preferably collected or introduced together, and they settle into a loose hierarchy rather than fighting. They are peaceful and show little aggression toward anything outside their own genus. They are completely reef safe, though a larger chalk bass may eat very small ornamental shrimp.

Pairs spawn by egg trading, a well-studied behavior in which the two fish take turns in the male and female roles. Breeding chalk bass is hard.

Good to know

Serranus tortugarum belongs to the sea bass family Serranidae, in the same subfamily as the groupers and anthias. Its species name comes from the Dry Tortugas. Unlike the protogynous dottybacks and basslets, it is a simultaneous hermaphrodite. Every adult carries functional ovaries and testes at the same time.

In the wild

The chalk bass is native to the western Atlantic, from the Bahamas and southern Florida through the Caribbean to Venezuela. It hovers over sand, rubble and rocky bottoms and shelters inside empty conch shells and crevices. It lives in loose, easygoing groups.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The chalk bass is a peaceful, social species that keeps to the middle. These picks share a community profile with it, are safe together in both directions, and overlap on water type, temperature and pH.

Check the full mix in the stocking calculator

Common questions

What size tank does a chalk bass need?

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

What temperature and pH does a chalk bass need?

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

What does a chalk bass eat?

A chalk bass is an unfussy carnivore that eats chopped seafood, mysis, brine shrimp and flake food without hesitation.

How big does a chalk bass get?

An adult chalk bass reaches about 3.1 in (8 cm).

How does a chalk bass breed?

Chalk bass spawn in pairs by egg trading, with each fish acting as male in turn. Breeding them is hard.

Related species