Royal Gramma

Gramma loreto

Also known as Fairy Basslet, Royal Gramma Basslet

SaltwaterFish

Royal Gramma (Gramma loreto) — H. Zell · CC BY-SA 3.0

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: Mostly peaceful
Social behavior: Solitary
Swim level: Middle
Difficulty: Beginner
Breeding: Medium
Rarity: Very common
Reef safe: Reef safe
Origin: Western Atlantic and Caribbean, including the Bahamas, the Antilles, and reefs off northern South America
Family: Grammatidae

Overview

A hardy, easygoing carnivore that spends its time near a chosen cave, darting out to grab bits of food from the water. Feed a varied meaty diet of mysis, brine, and quality frozen preparations. It is peaceful toward unrelated tankmates but territorial toward its own kind and toward the similar-looking blackcap basslet, so keep just one per tank unless the system is large. Fully reef safe: it ignores corals and leaves ornamental shrimp, crabs, and snails alone.

In the wild

Lives on Caribbean reef walls and in caves, often hanging upside down under ledges and orienting its body to the rock surface rather than to gravity. It stays close to a home crevice that it defends, and it favors shaded overhangs and steep faces. In the tank it wants live rock with plenty of caves and dark nooks.

Good to know

Gramma loreto is a small basslet in the family Grammatidae reaching about 8 cm. Its body splits sharply from vivid purple at the front to golden yellow at the rear, with a dark spot on the front of the dorsal fin. It is a substrate spawner: the male tends eggs bound into a rock-crevice nest, which makes it one of the more approachable marine fish to breed for a dedicated hobbyist.

Did you know

It habitually swims and rests upside down against the roofs of caves and ledges, so seeing one hang belly-up under an overhang is completely normal, not a sign of trouble.