General description
Sweetlips are a species of fish belonging to the grunt family. They are characterized by their big, luscious lips and come in a variety of vivid colorations. They are one of the harder species of saltwater fish to keep in the aquarium both due to their size and difficulty in adapting to life in captivity. They should only be kept by more experienced aquarists.
Sweetlips are a species of fish belonging to the grunt family. They are characterized by their big, luscious lips and come in a variety of vivid colorations.
Origins
Sweetlips originate from the Indo-Pacific Ocean.
Color
Most aquarium varieties of sweetlips are vibrantly colored and come in shades of brown, yellow, grey, black and white. Their bodies are also covered in complex patterns of stripes and spots.
Maintenance and care
The main consideration for the aquarists attempting to raise sweetlips is their great size. Most species have incredibly fast growth rates and can reach lengths of over 3 feet. For this reason they should only be raised by experienced aquarists that are able to provide them with sufficiently large aquariums. Sweetlips, like most species of grunts, are nocturnal and prefer dimly lit aquariums with plenty of caves and crevices to hide in. They will most often spend the daytime in hiding and venture out in the night to feed.
Sweetlips, like grunts, are a relatively peaceful species of fish and make good additions to community aquariums with large tank mates. In the wild these fish live in pairs or small groups and should be kept in groups of 4 or more in the aquarium. In fact, most experts advise that sweetlips are best kept in larger groups as they can sometimes pick on weaker fish when raised in smaller groups. Care should be taken when keeping sweetlips in reef aquariums as they will often devour any crustaceans or worms that they come across.
The main consideration for the aquarists attempting to raise sweetlips is their great size.
Feeding
Sweetlips thrive when fed a meaty diet of shrimp, clams and worms.
Breeding
Little is known about breeding sweetlips in the home aquarium. Sweetlips, like all grunts, are pelagic spawners and release thousands of eggs into the water when spawning in the wild.
Aquarium varieties
Spotted Sweetlips, Striped Sweetlips, Dogfish Orientalis, etc.
Photo credit: Nhobgood/Wikimedia; Jnpet/Wikimedia
