Happy February fish folks! Our fish of the week is the Royal Gramma (Gramma loreto). These fish have a very distinctive coloration, with their front half being brilliant purple and their back half yellow. They are planktivores, meaning their diet consists of plankton containing  zooplankton and tiny crustaceans. In the wild, their love of tiny critters makes them excellent cleaner fish. They will swim around larger fish and eat parasites off their skin. The larger fish get a clean bill of health and the royal gamma gets a tasty meal!
Royal gammas are a fairly common marine aquarium fish and have been successfully bred in captivity. They are a relatively peaceful fish, but need enough room to establish a territory between some rocks or a crevice. They will eat several different types of food and do not need a lot of special care. Keep a single fish in a tank or a pre-established mating pair. Overall, they are a relatively hardy fish for a home aquarium and get along with many different species.
Don’t forget! Dr. Jessie Sanders will be speaking at the Pacific Coast Cichlid Association meeting this Saturday night! We hope to see you there!
