Gramma loreto

Cladus: Eukaryota
Supergroup: Opisthokonta
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Superclassis: Osteichthyes
Classis: Actinopterygii
Subclassis: Neopterygii
Infraclassis: Teleostei
Superordo: Acanthopterygii
Ordo: Perciformes
Subordo: Percoidei
Superfamilia: Percoidea
Familia: Grammatidae
Genus: Gramma
Species: G. loreto

--

The Royal gramma (Gramma loreto) is a popular aquarium fish.

Appearance

The fish begins as a dark purple starting at the head which fades mid-body to yellow at the tail. The royal gramma will also have a small black spot on the front of the dorsal fin. The royal gramma resembles the false gramma (Pictichromis paccagnellae), with the two main differences between the two being that the false gramma has clear fins and does not fade, but rather has a distinct change in color. Royal gramma averages slightly over 8 cm (3 inches) and has been tank bred.
Gramma loreto

Diet

The royal gramma is a planktivore, eating mostly zooplankton and crustaceans. They will also accept frozen and meaty foods such as brine shrimp and mysid shrimp in the wild.

Range

Their natural range covers the Bahamas, Venezuela and the Lesser Antilles. They are carnivorous and eat most meat-based diets.

In the aquarium

Due to their relatively peaceful nature, diet and small size, the royal gramma is considered an ideal inhabitant for most reef aquariums containing coral and other invertebrates. Notwithstanding this general statement, royal grammas can become aggressive towards tank-mates when kept in smaller nano reef tanks. Minimum suggested tank size is 20 gallons. The royal gramma should not be kept with its own kind unless in a formed male-female pair. It should also not be kept with larger, aggressive fish. They are, however, resistant to most diseases and make very good beginner fish.

References

"Gramma loreto". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 18 April 2006.
Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2006). "Gramma loreto" in FishBase. January 2006 version.

Trivia

In the film Finding Nemo the character Gurgle (voiced by Austin Pendleton) is a royal gramma.