A Rainbow From The Deep

The Rainbow Basslet (Liopropoma fasciatum) is a member of the family Serranidae also known as the Seabass or Grouper family. While related to giants, this brightly colored little fish only gets about five to seven inches long, making it a much more plausible fish for home aquaria. They have stunning coloration that must be seen to be appreciated, but in general is a reddish orange color with stripes of dark red, yellow, and orange running parallel down the length of its body.

Rainbow Basslets can be found from Southern California to Peru on the coastline of the Eastern Pacific Ocean. Like most other Basslets they cling tightly to structure where they make their homes. They live in overhangs, cracks, crevices and caves on deep reef walls, usually deeper than 100 feet.

Much smaller than some of its massive grouper cousins, but also slightly larger than most of the Basslets found in the aquarium trade, this fish requires an aquarium of at least 75 gallons for life. They are more gregarious than many of the other Basslets and will spend more time out in the open than their diminutive relatives. They will also want and appreciate plenty of rock work to navigate through the tank and call home. This becomes increasingly important if housing the fish in a reef aquarium with bright lights as these deepwater fish are not accustomed to intense light; a system of caves will help them feel at home.

Deepwater Basslets are generally easy to feed, they lay in wait from the security of a cavity in the rock until something the right size drifts incautiously too close. In captivity they should be feed a quality sinking pellet and/or meaty foods such as pieces of fish, shrimp, squid, krill etc cut to an appropriate size for the fishes mouth. Young, smaller specimens also do well on frozen food such as mysis or small krill.

Not much is known about these stunning deep water fishes, but other Basslets have been bred in captivity. It is likely that a similar formula could be followed to spawn Rainbow Basslets, but one would most likely a dimly lit larger aquarium for multiple specimens to make them all feel comfortable. After the spawn, the real work would begin in rearing the fry to a size where they could start accepting standard aquarium foods.

The Rainbow Basslet is a rare fish not frequently seen in the aquarium trade. Its bright colors, and uniqueness are likely to make a great talking piece for any aquarist lucky enough to get one of these for their aquarium. For advanced marine hobbyists with breeding experience, this might be an amazing and rewarding project. Talk to your local fish store today about sustainably sourced Rainbow Basslets from Quality Marine today!