Lyretail grouper

Variola louti

Also known as Yellow-edged lyretail, Louti grouper, Moon grouper, Coronation trout

SaltwaterFish

Lyretail grouper (Variola louti) — Rickard Zerpe · CC BY 2.0

Care at a glance

Temperature: 75–81°F (24–27°C)
pH: 8.0–8.4
Adult size: 31.5 in (80 cm)
Minimum tank: 291 gal (1,100 L)
Temperament: Aggressive
Social behavior: Solitary
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Difficult
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Common
Reef safe: Not reef safe
Origin: Native to the Indo-Pacific from the Red Sea to the central Pacific, living on outer reef slopes and drop-offs.
Family: Serranidae

Overview

This is a serious commitment: adults reach around 80 cm and need a fish-only tank of at least 1100 litres, realistically far more, with powerful filtration. Keep it at 24 to 27 C and pH 8.0 to 8.4 with large caves. It will eat any fish or invertebrate it can catch, so keep it only with big, aggressive tankmates like large angels, triggers or eels. Feed meaty seafood a couple of times a week and do not overfeed.

In the wild

The lyretail grouper is a deep red to orange reef predator covered in blue and pink spots, with a beautiful crescent tail edged in yellow. Juveniles are brightly coloured and heavily traded, but this is a fish that reaches roughly 80 cm and becomes a tank-busting monster. It is a fast, hungry hunter that dominates any system it is in.

Good to know

Variola louti is one of the larger reef groupers and, like most serranids, is a protogynous hermaphrodite. Large wild adults can accumulate ciguatera toxin. The yellow-trimmed lyre-shaped tail gives the species its common name.

Did you know

Despite its size and appetite the lyretail is a picky roamer that patrols steep outer reef walls, and dive guides prize a sighting because adults are wary and rarely let people get close.