Facts
| Latin name | Gramma melacara - Böhlke & Randall, 1963 |
| Common name | Blackcap basslet |
| Family | Grammatidae - Gramma |
| Origin | The Mexican Golf, West Atlantic |
| Max length | 10.0 cm (3.9") |
As aquarium fish
Food
| Recommended |
|
Jumps out of open aquaria
This species is known to jump out of open aquaria.
Can be aggresive
This species is not neccessarily aggresive, but it has a greater tendency towards aggresion then other species of the same genus.
Needs dimmed light at first
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.
Requires a varied diet
This species must be fed with an appropriately varied diet.
Bred in captivity
This species can be bred in captivity, one can therefore consider asking your local fish store for a captive bred specimen.
Docile
This species is very shy and docile, so one should be careful when keeping it with more aggressive fish.
Hiding places
This species needs good hiding places, for example, between live rocks.
Number of fish
This species can live with many of its own kind, when provided with enough space.
Family description (Grammatidae)
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)
FishBase
| Aquarium trade | Yes |
| Distribution | Western Central Atlantic: West Indies including the Bahamas and Central America. |
| English common names | Blackcap basslet |
| Spanish common names | Gramma violeta |
References and further reading
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)
Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2014. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, version (08/2014).
Tags
| docile shy, shoal group |
