Bass and Groupers
In this exceedingly large group of fish, few are considered proper aquarium inhabitants, for various reasons including diet and size. Be aware that Basses vary greatly from species to species, and do appropriate research before purchasing a specimen. Many unsuspecting hobbyists bring home cute little specimens of popular aquarium fish such as the Lyretail Grouper, only to realize several months later that they don't have the resources to care for a meter-long that may cost hundreds of dollars a month to feed.
The blacktip grouper is a member of the Serranidae, the family which includes the sea basses as well as the groupers.
The blacktip grouper is widely distributed; it is found from the Red Sea to South Africa, as far north as Korea, and in the waters around Australia. The blacktip grouper grows up to 40cm in length and may weigh up to 2kg. The tips of the spines of the dorsal fin are black, and it may have a dark red cap above the eyes. There is a variant with a uniformly pale body except for the frontal part.
Cephalopholis argus, also known as: Blue-spotted Grouper, Argus Grouper, Peacock Hind, or Peacock Rockcod is a fish from the Indo-Pacific which is a commercial gamefish and occasionally kept in marine aquariums.
A medium sized fish that can reach a length of 60cm. It is typically brown with blue spots, and sometimes five or six vertical bars on the back half of its body.
Cephalopholis argus is a hardy aquarium fish for those who have a large marine aquarium. Its large size combined with its aggressive nature means it is best housed either alone or with other large aggressive fish such as lionfish, and moray eels. As a predator it will eat any smaller aquarium inhabitants such as damselfish.
Grammistes sexlineatus also known as Golden-striped Grouper, or Sixline soapfish is a small grouper from the Indo-Pacific. As a juvenile six white stripes run down the black body of the fish. As an adult the lines separate out into dotted lines. The adult size of this fish is 30 cm (12 inches).
While not a particularly difficult fish to keep in a marine aquarium, it is often avoided because of the toxic slime it can give off if stressed. Under the wrong circumstances this can result in the death of any other fish in the aquarium. Provided they are kept in a low stress environment they can be kept with other fish, but when shipped the water in the bag containing the fish should not be added to the aquarium.
This fish is usually peaceful with fish that are not small enough for it to eat. It should not be placed with Damselfish or other small fish which will typically be eaten. The minimum aquarium size to keep this fish is 60 gallons.
This beautiful grouper is bright red with iridescent blue spots on the body and head. Juveniles may lack spots or have fewer, larger spots, or none at all. The Miniatus Grouper is not as frequently available as the similar Louti Lyretail Grouper. This Miniatus Grouper, like its cousins, is a durable species that will thrive in captivity. Although it can be shy when initially introduced to the aquarium, with time it will spend more time in the open, becoming quite bold in time. Only one Miniatus grouper should be kept per aquarium, as they are prone to fight with one another. It will eat any fish that they can swallow whole and behave aggressively towards tankmates that intrude into its preferred hiding places. It will also eat ornamental shrimps and crabs.
The Marine Betta is a stunningly beautiful fish that unfortunately requires a lot of care to do well in aquariums since they can be very hard to get to eat. They often refuse to eat anything but live food and can be very slow eaters making it hard to feed them in aquariums with other faster eaters.
Marine Betta fish are predators with a very interesting hunting technique. They approach there pray swimming sideways and waiting for the prey to try to escape and when the prey try to escape on the side of the fish they have a 50/50 to escape towards the fish mouth. This behaviour is also believed to be a protection strategy since it is believed that the Marine Betta mimics morays with their spots and by swimming sideways.
Marine Betta fish (Calloplesiops altivelis) is a member of the grouper group and are found in the Indo-Pacific ocean. They are widely available in the aquarium trade and smaller specimens are usually a better purchase since they more easily adapts to new environments. They can grow to be 27 cm / 11 inches in aquariums even if most specimens never reach anywhere near this length and 16 cm / 6 inches is a more common size for an adult Marine Betta. They are a hardy species if their feeding habits are meet and only seldom suffers from diseases.
The Humpback Grouper or Panther Grouper (Chromileptes altivelis), in Australia more commonly known as the Barramundi Cod, is a species of fish in the Serranidae family. It is found in Australia, China, Guam, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kenya, Malaysia, New Caledonia, Northern Mariana Islands, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Pitcairn, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, possibly Mozambique, and possibly Vanuatu. Its natural habitats are coral reefs and coastal saline lagoons. It is threatened by habitat loss.
The Panther Grouper is commonly kept in marine aquariums. Great care must be taken when purchasing this fish as it will reach a size of 50cm (20 inches) and is a very fast growing fish. As this fish is typically sold while only a couple inches in length, it is often purchased while small only to outgrow the aquarium within months. Its large adult size and fast growth rate means it should only be kept in a 300 gallon aquarium or larger. It also must not be kept with fish such as damselfish which will be almost certainly eaten.
If kept in the proper conditions this is a very hardy, and long-lived fish.
The painted comber (Serranus scriba) is a subtropical marine fish, classified in family Serranidae, the groupers and sea basses. It is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Black Sea. Synonyms are Perca marina and Sebastus marinus.
Yellow-edged lyretail is the common name for the species Variola louti. It is also commonly known as the lyretail grouper or the coronation cod.
This fish reaches up to 81cm in length and 12kg in weight. It is distinguished by its lunate tail with a yellow-edged margin. As juveniles they resemble the goatfishes Parupeneus forsskali or Parupeneus macronema and may shadow them as they feed