Just put in Royal Gramma, is this behaivor ok?

[fish 511]

Ok, so yesterday I put in my new royal gramma. After drip acclimating him, I put him in with the lights off. He immediately went and hid behind the rocks. So my main question is, how long do you think it will take until this guy will be more active? Also, I am feeding Formula two and some fish meal to tis guy, will hat be enough? THANKS for any input

[inlandreef]

This was on LiveAquaria:
A single specimen should be housed in a minimum of a 30 gallon tank. They are aggressive towards their own species, and should be housed singly. Because the Royal Gramma Basslet is a deep-water dweller, it prefers caves and extensive rockwork, as well as a somewhat subdued lighting arrangement.

As a carnivore, the Royal Gramma Basslet will do well on a diet of meaty fare including marine fish, crustacean flesh, mysid shrimp, and quality frozen preparations.
Hope this helps

[fish 511]

Ok, thanks. Hes in my 50g so I have that covered. I have about 56lbs of rock and I have plenty of coverings and what not. I just have flourescent light right now that are

[fish 511]

Ok, thanks. Hes in my 50g so I have that covered. I have about 56lbs of rock and I have plenty of coverings and what not. I just have flourescent light right now that are not too bright so I think that is ok...

As for its diet, I think I may have to go buy someething. Would fromula one work????

THANKS for the quick reply

[reefworm]

he should be fine with your set up and the feeding advice you've been given. other behaviors you'll notice - g. loreto is very territorial. Once he's staked out his cave he'll rush out with mouth open if he perceives a threat. they also like to hang out upside down in the cave - so don't panic over a faulty swim bladder or anything else - they just do that. Kind of fun, actually - maybe for them, too :)

[fish 511]

Ok thanks everybody. What would be best for that guy to eat? I would like for this guy to get nice and fat lol. By saying this I mean mysis shrimp, formula one, etc., etc.

[FLReefGirl]

Mine took about two weeks before she came out other than feeding time. I've had her about 2 mths now and she hangs out all day w/ the rest of the fish now. She is very protective of her cave. If another fish get too close to her cave she rushes over and does the wide open mouth thing. It's amazing how big there mouths are. She doesn't ever bite though. When I go up to the glass she comes over and follows me. She also does the upside down thing in her cave, it's funny
I feed her spirulina enriched flake food and frozen brine shrimp and she loves it.

[fish 511]

I am a little worried right now because he is not een coming out to eat. Then again, those are probably like brussel sprouts to him! :lol:

[fish 511]

Ok everybody, a little update. I could not find my new Gramma and found him hiding under one of my rcks in a ittle hole. I did notice him kicking up a little sand, but now he is just sitting there. He is still alive, but I am concerned he may not be much longer. IS this behaivor ok? Could this be his new "cave"? Please let me know what you think

[FLReefGirl]

It's common for them to hide. This is normal. Day or night, they hang out in the rocks. Give him time to warm up to the new home and fish. It may take a week or so. If he starts gasping for air or breathing heavy then I would start to be concerned. When you feed the tank tomorrow he may come out grab a piece of food and dart right back in. Back and forth back and forth and then stay in the cave for the rest of the day. He just needs time to adjust. :)

[fish 511]

Ok, thanks. I may not be able to get meaty food for him for a couple of days, will he be ok without that????

BTW, thanks FLReefGirl for your help. After hearing "Its common" i let out a huge sigh lol.

[mikeandjenn99]

He should be just fine with what you have for now, as long as he is eating it. They are resilient fish, but they do take some time to get used to the tank enough to start coming out a lot. Mine depended on the day as well. Some days he wouldn't come out very much at all, others he would be out all the time. They are great fish, so enjoy!

[FLReefGirl]

No problem fish 511.
Enjoy your new Gramma. I named mine Violet. :D

[fish 511]

I heard that these like subdued lighting. If I get T5 lights will my guy not be too shy??

[WILDTHING]

I have a harem of 5 Royal Grammas in my 75g tank. I had my big guy for over a yr alone then decided to try a harem so went out and got 4 smaller ones. They get along very well, even from the first. The only open mouth displays are between the 2 which are the biggest under my male. Tho it lasts a second or 2 then they get bored and move off. LOL The smallest one follows my biggest like a dog, did it from the moment it went into the tank.

I have 2- 250 w HQI MH lamps in the tank and it doesn't bother them in the least, they are always out and about seeing what everyone else is doing. They also seem to "claim" and abandon caves frequently.

Mine love their morning Spirilina flakes, in the evening they get a varying mix of sushi eggs, Cyclopeeze, Arcti pods, and homemade fish mush.

All in all I find them to be very hardy fish once they have been in a tank for a while. They adapt easily and well to different environments foods etc.

[FLReefGirl]

I have T5's in my tank and it doesn't bother her. I have it on a timer, when its lights out she goes to her cave. Bed Time! She comes back out in the morning when the sun starts to shine through the window.

[fish 511]

Ok, cool. Today my guy did something kind of wierd. I came in the room and he was swimming around-good thing. Then he saw me and went and kind of layed on his side in a crevice in the liver rock. He is not on his side, like dead, but more like leaning against the rock. I found some frozen tilapia fish in my freezer and diced that up to feed him. I dropped in a few pieces and put one right by his little nook. Let me know what you think of this behaivor. THANKS

[LauraCline]

Totally normal behavior but definately feed meaty stuff. Mine will not eat any veggie based foods but loves carnivore formula and mysis. Also, mine is very aggressive, it killed a purple firefish as soon as it was introduced.

[zma21]

Mine (lenny) has finally started coming out after 3 weeks, but he just stays in one spot. It's either in his cave, or in the one spot. Nothing else. Yawn.