#gramma loreto

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Royal Gramma

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Among the most eternally delightful and popular of reef fishes in the aquarium, is surely the Royal gramma, Gramma loreto. When the marine aquarium hobby was formerly much more focused upon large and showy 'centerpiece' fishes in large tanks - fish such as the tanks, triggers and puffers, groupers, lionfishes, and angelfishes - the royal gramma was already ubiquitous in fish only tanks, and held in high regard and high demand, despite its small size and nocturnal disposition. Nowadays the focus of the saltwater aquarium hobby has shifted firmly onto coral aquariums, and with it onto smaller fishes creating less bioloads, and obviously compatible with live clams and corals. G. loreto is popular for its attitude and it's sharply two bone coloration, namely a deep purple in its forequarters, and a bright yellow behind. Actually such coloration is not exactly unique, among the fishes of coral reefs, but the other species in the Gramma genus do not share it. G. loreto is believed to grow to only 8 centimeters, or about 3 inches, and the male fishes are slightly larger than the females.

The genus Gramma hails from the Caribbean and associated waters, where they live secretively and hang around caves and overhangs. There and in the aquarium, they may be seen to swim in what may seem like odd positions, frequently oriented with their bellies towards the nearest substrate. Such behavior is actually common among fishes that seek refuge in such natural aquascape features. G. loreto is the most common Gramma species in shallow reef environments, where collection of wild fishes is easiest, which is why it is the commonest in the aquarium trade. At greater depths on the reef, other species of Gramma take over as dominant. G. loreto in the wild may aggregate in groups of up to about a dozen individuals, but nonetheless these are territorial fishes, that jealously guard their own homes from intruders of their own and other species. Ecologically Gramma sp. are zooplanktivores that feed on tiny animals that pass by them in the water column, but they have also been observed to glean ectoparasites from the skins of other fishes. Other than their tendency to guard their nooks from other crevice dwellers, royal grammas altogether possess a number of positive qualities, that together explain their continuing popularity among reef aquarists. Although their courtship and parental care behaviors are rarely seen in the aquarium, royal grammas were among the earliest ornamental reef fish species, to be captive bred for longer than one generation.

Historically, Gramma was regarded as a member of the comber and grouper assemblage, the serranoid fishes, which happen to include the Swiss guard basslets and the fish we call anthias or fairy basses. Gramma sp. do indeed resemble miniature groupers in their swimming style, lurking habits, nocturnal activities, and general appearance. However it is known today that it's true affinities lie with the successful blennies and the mouthbrooding jawfishes. They are also related, more distantly, to the pseudochromid basslets that they resemble much more closely. These are quite Gramma-like fishes restricted to the Indo-Pacific region, just as Gramma is restricted to the Atlantic. Thus similar fishes occupy the same kinds of niches in different seas of the world ocean, where they are mutually absent. Despite it's similarity to the mighty groupers, G. loreto is limited to consuming small prey by its own diminutive size and it's dentition, for which reason adult fish and shrimp tankmates are entirely safe from being eaten. Truthfully, it is unsurprising that the old serranoids were not exactly a natural grouping of fishes, because they share together only a small number of problematic anatomical characteristics.

Despite it's shyness on the reef, G. loreto becomes bold once it feels securely established in a new and suitable aquarium home, and will even begin to feed happily in the daytime. Their only requirement of the aquascape is that they be provided a suitable cave or cranny, within which they will instinctively set up home and conceal themselves if stressed, which is exactly as they behave in the wild. As habitual lurkers they neither cruise in midwater nor rove over the bottom, so their aquarium may be as small as only 20 or 30 gallons. Housing more of the same species, or together with other species having similar spatial usage, would require a larger tank with more and well spaced hideaways. Grammas are not difficult to feed because they will grab small morsels of meaty food as it floats by in the current, and they will happily take to proprietary foods such as flake, although these must be nutritionally appropriate for zooplankton eaters. The only aggression likely to be seen from G. loreto is likely to be directed at intruders into their homes, usually fishes of their own or similar kinds, but also sometimes towards cave frequenting crustaceans that use available spaces similarly. Despite their appearance grammas are not macropredatory animals, and they are also not a nuisance to corals, clams, or tubeworms. Nor will they bother popular gastropods such as turban snails, ceriths, and conches. All in all the royal gramma is still commonly recommended as a suitable introductory species, for people familiar with the theory of fishkeeping, who wish to enter the saltwater hobby - as they have been for decades.

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The Royal Gramma - A Guide on The Stunning BASSLET, Gramma Loreto

The royal gramma (Gramma Loreto), along with the percula clownfish, flame angel, yellow tang and the blue tang make up the five most recognizable fishes in the marine aquarium hobby. It is also known as the fairy basslet.

Royal Gramma -Gramma loreta - Photo: Wikimedia

The royal gramma is brilliantly colored. Its front half is a rich bluish-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.There is also a single black spot at the front of its dorsal fin.

They are commonly found 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. Telling them apart is easy. 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.

They can reach lengths of nearly 4 inches in their natural habitat. Such lengths are generally unseen in captivity. Expect your royal gramma to get as big as 3 inches.

I've seen hobbyists successfully keep one in a 10-gallon tank. Personally, i think at least a 20 gallon is the minimum size you should use with the royal gramma. The only way I'd ever keep one in a 10 gallon is if its the only fish in the tank.

Royal grammas are carnivores that eat copepods and plankton in the wild. They are completely reef safe so you don't have to worry about any coral nipping.

A variety of meaty foods should be offered. Krill, Mysis shrimp and Prime Reef (A great blend of seafood) are all great frozen foods to feed. They normally begin eating very quickly after 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 attempts to lure the female into its newly built spawning site by quivering and flaring his 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.

While breeding in captivity has been successful, the vast majority of royal grammas sold are still wild caught. Breeding of this fish isn't wide spread by any means and high rearing costs normally mean losing out to cheaper, wild caught specimens.

By Indran Manickam

On my hubpages site I've written many guides covering this fish, the royal gramma as well as other popular species like the blue tang. All guides are photo and video heavy.

Article Source: EzineArticles

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Royal Gramma

Gramma loreto

Gramma

The royal gramma is stunning. Its front half is a rich magenta while the back half is a bright yellow-orange. It has a thin dark stripe that runs from its snout through its eyes.There is also a single black spot at the front of its dorsal fin.