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Royal Gramma
Gramma

Royal Gramma

Gramma loreto

A hardy purple-and-gold Caribbean basslet that is one of the best beginner reef fish — peaceful, colourful, and cave-loving. It defends a chosen ledge and will squabble with other grammas, dottybacks, and similarly-coloured cave fish that crowd its niche, but ignores unrelated tankmates. It is a notorious jumper, so a sealed lid is essential.

Temperament
Peaceful
Max size
3.1"
Min tank
30 gal
Reef-safe
Reef safe
Diet
Planktivore
Zone
Caves, Rockwork, Bottom
Keep just one per tank — two will fight.
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Tankmates

How Royal Gramma gets on with the rest of the reef, checked pair by pair by the same engine as the live pre-flight.

Best kept apart

A real clash — aggression, predation or a same-genus fight.

Maroon ClownfishMaroon Clownfish (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Royal Gramma and may harass it.Purple TangPurple Tang (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Royal Gramma and may harass it.Blackcap BassletTwo Gramma basslets of nearly identical shape and habit, each wanting the same cave and the same patch of rock. The Blackcap is the more territorial of the pair.Coral HawkfishGrammas are on the Coral Hawkfish's documented list of preferred targets. The gramma's habit of hanging under ledges puts it right in the hawkfish's ambush zone.Springer's DottybackTwo small purple-and-blue cave dwellers that want the same crevice and look enough alike to read as rivals. They clash over territory, and care sheets routinely warn against keeping Royal Gramma with dottybacks.Antennata LionfishAntennata Lionfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Royal Gramma.Picasso TriggerfishPicasso Triggerfish (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Royal Gramma and may harass it.Fourline WrasseGrammas are on the documented list of fish harassed by Pseudocheilinus wrasses unless the tank is very large. The Fourline works the same rockwork the gramma shelters in.Royal DottybackThe Royal Dottyback and Royal Gramma share almost the same half-magenta, half-yellow pattern, so the dottyback reads the gramma as a rival of its own kind and hunts it down. Keep one or the other, not both.Domino DamselDomino Damsel (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Royal Gramma and may harass it.Marine BettaMarine Betta has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Royal Gramma.Dragon WrasseDragon Wrasse has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Royal Gramma.Volitans LionfishVolitans Lionfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Royal Gramma.Snowflake MoraySnowflake Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Royal Gramma.Zebra MorayZebra Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Royal Gramma.Chainlink MorayChainlink Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Royal Gramma.Golden Dwarf MorayGolden Dwarf Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Royal Gramma.Rectangle TriggerfishRectangle Triggerfish (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Royal Gramma and may harass it.Clown TriggerfishClown Triggerfish (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Royal Gramma and may harass it.Miniata GrouperMiniata Grouper (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Royal Gramma and may harass it.

Keep an eye on these

Usually fine, but worth watching in a smaller tank.

Sailfin TangSailfin Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Royal Gramma and may harass it.Purple DottybackThe Purple (or Strawberry) Dottyback, Pictichromis porphyrea, turns territorial toward grammas and other small, passive cave fish — same hiding places, similar colours.Red Coris WrasseRed Coris Wrasse (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Royal Gramma and may harass it.Convict TangConvict Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Royal Gramma and may harass it.Yellow AssessorBoth are small cave-dwellers that hover upside-down under a ledge and defend that spot. The gramma is territorial toward fish that behave like it, so give them separate caves or a tank over about 75 gallons.Emperor AngelfishEmperor Angelfish (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Royal Gramma and may harass it.Regal AngelfishRegal Angelfish (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Royal Gramma and may harass it.Achilles TangAchilles Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Royal Gramma and may harass it.Naso TangNaso Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Royal Gramma and may harass it.Scopas TangScopas Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Royal Gramma and may harass it.Queen AngelfishQueen Angelfish (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Royal Gramma and may harass it.Blueface AngelfishBlueface Angelfish (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Royal Gramma and may harass it.Chevron TangChevron Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Royal Gramma and may harass it.Mimic TangMimic Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Royal Gramma and may harass it.Valentini PufferSmall grammas are listed among the passive fish a Valentini may harass; friction is size/personality-dependent.Crosshatch TriggerfishCrosshatch Triggerfish (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Royal Gramma and may harass it.Niger TriggerfishNiger Triggerfish (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Royal Gramma and may harass it.Threadfin ButterflyfishThreadfin Butterflyfish (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Royal Gramma and may harass it.Majestic AngelfishMajestic Angelfish (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Royal Gramma and may harass it.Blonde Naso TangBlonde Naso Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Royal Gramma and may harass it.