The Royal Gramma is a small basslet split vividly into magenta-purple at the front and golden-yellow at the rear.
Hardy, peaceful toward unrelated fish, and reef-safe, it is a good colourful beginner marine fish.
It darts among rockwork and often hangs upside-down beneath ledges.
It comes from Caribbean reef caves and appreciates plenty of hiding spots.
A well-fed Royal Gramma is shy at first but soon becomes confident, claiming a favourite cave and defending it with mostly harmless bluster against passing tankmates.
Housing
A cycled 110L (30 gal) tank with abundant live rock, caves, and overhangs lets it feel secure.
Maintain salinity 1.024-1.026, temperature 24-27°C (75-80°F), pH 8.1-8.4, and nitrate under 20 ppm.
A lid is essential, as they readily jump from open tanks.
Provide line-of-sight breaks with rock so it can establish a home base without stress.
The more caves and crevices available, the bolder and more visible it becomes, since it always wants an escape route close at hand.
Diet
The Royal Gramma is a carnivore that in the wild eats zooplankton and small crustaceans.
In the aquarium offer frozen mysis and brine shrimp, finely chopped seafood, and a sinking marine pellet, fed once or twice daily.
Most specimens feed readily within days of settling in.
A varied meaty diet keeps the purple and gold colours strong.
Feed modest amounts to avoid fouling the water, and make sure faster tankmates do not take all the food first.
Health
Royal Grammas are hardy and relatively disease-resistant in stable water.
The main risks are marine ich and bacterial infections following stress, poor water quality, or aggression from tankmates or a rival Dottyback.
Quarantine new arrivals and keep nitrate low and parameters steady.
Watch for hiding, refusing food, or white spots as early warning signs.
A secure, cave-rich tank reduces stress and keeps this basslet healthy for years.
Temperament
Peaceful toward unrelated species, the Royal Gramma is territorial mainly around its chosen cave, where it bluffs and posts largely harmless threats.
It is reef-safe and ignores corals and invertebrates.
Keep one per tank unless the system is very large with widely separated territories, as they fight their own kind and the similar-looking Royal Dottyback.
With peaceful tankmates and good cover it is a confident, characterful resident.
Beginner
Beginner
Beginner
Beginner
Beginner
Beginner