Latin name | Gramma melacara - Böhlke & Randall, 1963 |
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Local name | Blackcap basslet |
Family | Grammatidae - Gramma |
Origin | The Mexican Golf, West Atlantic |
Max length | 10 cm (3.9") |
Minimum volume | 100 l (26 gal) |
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Hardiness | Hardy |
Suitable for aquarium | Suitable for most aquarium |
Reef safe | Always reef safe |
Aggressiveness | Might be aggressive towards similar species |
Recommended |
Small crustaceans (Krill, mysis, artemia...) Zooplankton (Cyclops, pods...) |
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This species is known to jump out of open aquaria.
This species is not neccessarily aggresive, but it has a greater tendency towards aggresion then other species of the same genus.
This species must be fed with an appropriately varied diet.
Out in wild this species is used to faint light, so to acclimitize it, it is advantageous to dim the light at first and gradually increase it to normal.
This species needs good hiding places, for example, between live rocks.
This species can live with many of its own kind, when provided with enough space.
This species is very shy and docile, so one should be careful when keeping it with more aggressive fish.
This species can be bred in captivity, one can therefore consider asking your local fish store for a captive bred specimen.
Basslets (Grammaer) are suitable for most aquaria, as they are a relatively easy and peaceful fish.
They are similar to Dottybacks (Pseudochromidae) in appearance and colour, but are more gentle and therefore a good alternative.
Basslets will always stay hidden if kept together with aggressive Wrasses, for example.
They like vertical rocks with many hiding spots, as it resembles their natural habitat.
Several Basslets can be kept together, but not without risk. One must be ready to separate them, as they sometimes fight by locking jaws.
It can be an advantage to have different sized fish, as this increases the chance of having both males and females. They also require a spacious tank to be able to live together >65 gal (300 liters)
Aquarium trade | Yes |
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Distribution | Western Central Atlantic: West Indies including the Bahamas and Central America. |
English common names |
Blackcap basslet |
Scott W. Michael. 2001. Basslets, Dottybacks & Hawkfishes: v. 2 (Reef Fishes) - TFH Publications / Microcosm Ltd. - (English)
Scott W. Michael. Reef Basslets & Grammas - Part 2 - Live Aquaria - (English)
Henry C. Schultz. 2002. Grammas - Reefkeeping Magazine - (English)
Bob Fenner. The Basslets that We Call Grammas, Family Grammatidae - Wet Web Media - (English)
Minimum volume
"Minimum volume" indicates the size of the tank needed to house this species under optimal conditions.
This is based on a medium size animal, which you want to keep for several years.
It might be possible to keep smaller specimens for a limited period in a smaller tank. A larger tank might be needed for fully-grown specimens.
Hardiness
"Hardiness" indicates how resistant this species is to disease and how well i tolerates bad conditions in general.
Some species doesn't handle transportation very well, but that doesn't mean that the species isn't hardy under the right conditions.
Suitable for aquarium
In this case, a "normal" aquarium is a reef aquarium with mixed corals or a fish only aquarium with an approximately salinity of 1.026 (sg) and a temperature close to 26°C.
Species requiring more than a 4000-liter tank are considered not suitable for home aquarium.
Special aquariums may cover tanks with low salinity, sub-tropical temperature, deep sand bed, sea grass etc.
Reef safe
Always reef safe: No sources indicate that this species will harm corals or other invertebrates.
Often reef safe: Only a few aquarists has reported problems keeping this species with corals and other invertebrates.
Reef safe with caution: This species may be a threat to some types of invertebrates.
Reef safe with luck: Most specimens will harm corals and/or other invertebrates, but you might be lucky.
Not reef safe: This species is a threat to most corals and/or other invertebrates.