Royal Gramma

Overview

• Coloration: The fish has a distinct, bisecting color pattern, featuring a bright purple or violet front half that fades into a golden-yellow rear half. It also has a small black spot on the front of its dorsal fin and a black line running from its mouth to its eye.
• Size: Adults typically grow to about 3 inches (7.5 cm) in length.
• Habitat: In the wild, they inhabit deep-water coral reefs, preferring to hover within caves, crevices, and under rock overhangs. A fascinating behavior they exhibit is occasionally swimming upside down to stay hidden while keeping an eye out for food sources.
• Temperament: They are generally peaceful toward other species but can be territorial with members of their own kind or fish of similar shape. It is generally best to keep only one per aquarium, except in very large systems.
• Reef Safe: The Royal Gramma is considered reef-safe, as it rarely bothers corals or invertebrates. 

• Tank Requirements: A minimum 30-gallon saltwater aquarium with ample live rock, caves, and crevices to mimic their natural habitat is recommended. They prefer subdued lighting.
• Water Parameters:
  • Temperature: 72°F – 80°F (22°C – 27°C)
  • pH: 8.1 – 8.4
  • Salinity/Specific Gravity: 1.020 – 1.025
• Diet: They are carnivores, primarily feeding on zooplankton and small crustaceans in the wild. In an aquarium, they are not picky eaters and will thrive on a varied diet of high-quality marine flakes or pellets, as well as frozen foods such as mysis shrimp, brine shrimp, and chopped seafood. 

Approximate Purchase Size: Small: 1/2″ to 1-1/4″; Medium: 1-1/4″ to 1-3/4″; Large: 1-3/4″ to 2-1/2″