Basslets & Dottybacks

Containing some of the most popular marine species such as the Royal gramma, these pocket-sized predators are related to groupers and can be equally feisty. This family connection makes some of them a risk to tiny fish or shrimp tankmates, but they can all be trusted with corals.

Caribbean basslets are a good choice for a range of set ups, with species such as the Chalk bass happy to live in groups. Some of the more predatory members of this group tend to be a bit more territorial but can be housed together in larger aquaria if introduced simultaneously. Unlike many marine fishes, these are hermaphrodites which makes sexing them particularly simple.

Grammas are excellent fishes for the reef tank and will stand their ground without being aggressive. Like many of these fishes, they appreciate the cover of a reef structure that provides caves, and it may take them a little time to adjust to brightly lit set ups. The Royal gramma looks particularly stunning when kept in groups and these work best when a single larger dominant fish is combined with smaller ones.

Dottybacks are often a good match for damsels and other assertive fishes, with the Red Sea endemics being generally more peaceful than their Indopacific relatives. This extends to members of their own species and means that fishes like the Orchid dottyback can be kept in pairs of groups, especially if one larger individual is combined with smaller ones – this approach is not recommended for the similar Magenta dottyback, which is more likely to make war than love in all but the largest of aquaria.