Royal Gramma (Gramma loreto) Group

[MathiasM.]

Good evening,

I just started my new 260g SPS dominated reef tank.
As highlight I'd like to keep a group of Royal Grammms.
I'm thinking of 5 specimen.

So I really would appreciate some experiences on Gramma groups in captivity.
Show they any aggressions towards the other Grammas in the group? Is 260g big enough?

Any tips are helpful and appreciated :)

Best wishes

[SoloChromis]

I've also been interested in keeping multiple royal grammas, as they are one of my favorite fish. From what I understand, and after talking to several people who have tried this themselves, I would definitely feel safe adding a group of 3-5 to a tank 200g+ . Such a gorgeous species, and I consider myself lucky to have such easy access to them. Up in Australia and parts of Europe they are *highly* sought after, and can fetch big bucks for a single specimen

[albano]

I've had a trio for ~2yrs in my 450g DT ... About a month ago, it appears to have become a pair, with the 3rd spending his time on the other end of the tank... don't see any fighting, but he definitely doesn't go near the other 2, and rarely swims around.

[MathiasM.]

@SoloChromis: indeed they are one of the most beautiful fish I've ever seen.
Well you guys in the US have much, much better prices for most corals and fish. Yesterday I went to my LFS to get some RGs but they wanted 40€ so I left without one.

@albano: That is interesting did they mate ?

[o2manyfish]

Before my last crash I had 5 of them. They spread themselves out around the tank, no grouping. We did have 2 that paired up and were caught spawning on two occasions.

Since the last crash I have only come across 1 big one, and he's been living in the tank for awhile.

Over the years I have kept multiples in my tanks several time and with lots of rock work I don't see too much aggression. Having dove with the grammas in the wild, they are usually found hanging out together in little groups. But in my experience in the tank they each find their own areas and keep their distance from each other.

Dave B

[MathiasM.]

Good morning,

@Dave: Thanks a lot for sharing your experiences!
When you had 5 in the tank, did you put them in
all together or one by one over a course of time?
Interesting that their behavior seems to differ quite a bit when living in captivity.
How large did they grow?

By the way I love your tank! Hope it will go on nicely :)

[o2manyfish]

Mathias,

I had 1 for about 3-4 months. They I added 6 more as a group that were nice sized. 1 jumped out of the tank the first day. They all started out on the back wall of the tank on the right side. They would hang off the back wall heads pointed to the surface, and it was a gorgeous site to be seen. Then within a week or so they all kind of ventured off and found there own nook & crannie to call home.

While 2 of them still lived on the back wall, they found little holes in the rock work and would stay in the rock work and just come out when there was food or looking for food.

Dave B

[Chihuahua6]

Yes do it! For. Many years misinformation regarding grouping Royal Gramma fish together has been rampant. Years ago I decided to put a group into a 280 gal tank knowing how they exist in fairly close proximity in the wild. I put a medium size Gramma that I owned for two years with four small ones that I purchased after their quarantine period.
One of the small ones grew to be the largest and exhibitions courting behavior towards the smaller ones. He would take objects from around the tank and try to impress the ladies with his building skills. It was a lot of fun to watch. A year or so later I moved and put them into a temporary 55 gal tank packed with rock. They still got along well and I ended up selling them due to moving. I plan on putting five into my 150 gal.

[MathiasM.]

@Dave: Thanks for your input here!
That sounds like they are as awesome as I hoped.
In my old tank I had just a pair, which was hiding all the time.
So I hope to simulate a closer to nature environment for them, when having a group.

@Amanda: Thank you fir chiming in, too!
That is very valuable information. I used a lot of rock which is full of holes and caves, to give my fish as many places to hide as possible. When buying the fish, is there something I should look for especially?
Maybe I will get the chance to aquire them directly from the whole seller (one or two words?). So directly after the fish arrive from their country of origin.

What did you guys feed them with?
I mainly feed mysis, artemia and different pellet foods mainly from JBL and OceanNutrition.
Best wishes!