Basslet General description

Basslets are a small family of marine fish. Most species of basslet rarely exceed 4 inches in length and are known for their vibrant colorations. They are a relatively peaceful and hardy species of fish, making them a popular choice among most marine aquarists.

The basslet is a relatively peaceful and hardy species of fish, making them a popular choice among most marine aquarists.

Origins

Basslets are native to the Western Atlantic Ocean.

Color

Basslets are an extremely colorful family of fish. They come in shades of red, yellow, orange, purple, tan, black and white.

Maintenance and care

Basslets are generally a peaceful species of fish and make great additions to most community aquariums. They can also be housed in reef and nano reef aquariums. As deep water dwellers they prefer aquariums with plenty of coral and rock cover and subdued lighting. Basslets, however, can be extremely aggressive and territorial to their own kind in an aquarium environment. Each one will claim a small territory including a hiding place as its own and will fight other basslets viciously for these territories. When raising a few basslets in the same aquarium it is important to provide them with ample hiding places and to introduce them to the aquarium simultaneously. When first introduced to the aquarium it is not uncommon for these fish to spend days, if not weeks, hiding in caves and crevices before feeling comfortable enough to explore their new habitat. For this reason, it is unadvisable to introduce them into aquariums with aggressive tank mates as they can sometimes hide out for long periods of time and starve to death.

Feeding

Basslets are carnivores and will readily accept live foods such as brine shrimp and mysis shrimp. They can also be trained to accept most flake and pellet based foods.

Basslets are generally a peaceful species of fish and make great additions to most community aquariums.

Breeding

Certain species of basslet have been bred in captivity since the 1960s. When spawning, the male will build a nest using algae and tiny pieces of plant matter. They lay up to 400 eggs per spawn and both parents guard the spawn until they hatch. Like many other marine species, they are sequential hermaphrodites meaning they have the ability to change sex depending on their reproductive situation.

Aquarium varieties

Black Cap Basslet, Macneill’s Assessor Basslet, Royal Gramma Basslet, Tobacco Basslet, Yellowtail Reef Basslet, etc.