Royal Gramma - Care Guide from A to Z

Royal gramma, a small but very prominent marine aquarium fish with purple-yellow color, friendly temperament, easy to raise, not yet popular in Vietnam.

Royal gramma (Royal gramma - Gramma loreto), a marine aquarium fish with a brilliant appearance with a unique color change from purple to bright yellow, easy to raise, aquarium-friendly, is the perfect choice for those who are new to aquarium fish keeping or long-time hobbyists.

To learn more about the Royal Goby, please follow the content shared by nice fish in the article below!

Royal gramma information :

Origin & Distribution of Royal Gramma

Royal Goby likes to live in coral reefs.

Royal goby or Royal gramma, scientific name Gramma loreto, is a small marine fish originating from coral reefs in the western Atlantic Ocean.

In nature, they are mainly distributed in:

• Caribbean Sea
• Gulf of Mexico
• The waters around the Bahamas

Royal gramma likes to live in coral reefs, rock crevices or complex water structures near the seabed, at a depth of 1 - 60 meters, where the sea water is clear, warm, and has stable salinity.

This fish became popular in the aquarium world in the 1980s and exploded in popularity in the 1990s due to its beautiful appearance, vibrant colors, ease of keeping, and friendly temperament.

Nowadays, thanks to successful breeding in aquarium farms, the exploitation of this fish species in the wild has been reduced.

Royal gramma appearance

The colorful, eye-catching appearance of a Royal Gramma fish.

Let's learn in detail about the appearance of the Royal Goby to see what impressive morphological and color characteristics it has that makes it so popular.

• Size : Average 7 - 8 cm, largest reaches 10 - 13 cm but quite rare.
• Shape : Elongated, slightly flat, round belly, small head.
• Color : Impressive color transition with the head to mid-body being dark purple or blue-purple, the hind body to tail gradually changing to a very bright yellow.
• Dorsal & anal fins, ventral fins : Similar color to body.
• Caudal fin : Fan-shaped, wide, bright yellow.
• Eyes : Big, round, purple, very alert.
• False Eye : There is a large black dot on the dorsal fin, like a false eye.

Royal gramma behavior

Royal Gramma fish are friendly and gentle.

Right below are the typical characteristics and lifestyle of the Royal goby, let's learn more!

Gentle, less quarrelsome

Royal gramma is a very peaceful marine aquarium fish, suitable for keeping with many other fish species in the aquarium. However, it is necessary to ensure space because they also tend to protect a small territory around their shelter.

Like to hide

Most of the time, Royal Gramma fish like to hide in crevices, coral reefs or artificial caves and only swim out to roam and forage when they feel truly safe.

Daytime activities & nighttime rest

Royal gramma has a very scientific lifestyle, it will be active mainly during the day and at night it will hide in its shelter. Therefore, when raising it in an artificial tank, you must consider the lighting time of the lamp so that the fish can rest comfortably and avoid stress.

Omnivorous, easy to raise

Royal gobies are omnivorous, carnivorous, so they are quite easy to raise and do not require elaborate diets like many other marine aquarium fish.

Don't like too strong light

Although these fish are brightly colored, they do not like too much light, especially direct strong LED lights. Therefore, you need to create dim, dark areas in the tank by shading the direct light.

Royal gramma fish care and breeding guide

Royal Grammas prefer tanks with lots of crevices, caves, and holes to hide in.

Right below, we will give detailed instructions on how to raise and care for Royal goby fish so that they can grow well, have beautiful colors and have a long life. Those of you who are new to marine aquarium fish should refer to it right away!

Design suitable Royal goby fish tank

The first important thing in raising Royal Gramma fish is to design a suitable aquarium so that they can quickly adapt to the artificial captive environment. Please pay attention to some parameters and requirements after setting up the aquarium!

Optimal water parameters for Royal Goby

For Royal gramma fish to grow healthily, have beautiful colors, and not get sick, water quality is the most important thing. To raise this fish, you should pay attention to the following basic parameters:

• Temperature : 24 - 27 degrees Celsius, always stable, avoid sudden changes.
• pH : 8.1 - 8.4
• Salinity : 1.020 - 1.025 SG
• Calcium : 400 - 450 ppm, if kept with coral.
• Dissolved oxygen : High > 6 mg/L
• Nitrite, Ammonia : Always 0 ppm.

What do royal gobies eat?

As we know, the Royal Goby is an omnivorous but carnivorous fish, capable of adapting to many different types of food. Here are some of the most suitable types for this fish,

• Food in the natural environment : Plankton, small crustaceans, shrimp larvae, crabs, sea worms,...
• Food in artificial tanks : sea shrimp, artemia, minced shrimp, floating pellet food specifically for carnivorous fish, or gel food.

Feed the fish 1-2 times a day, with just enough food for the fish to finish in 1-2 minutes to avoid wasting food and polluting the water source.

Which fish should and should not be kept with Royal Goby?

Although Royal gramma is a gentle fish, getting along with many different fish species, you need to be careful to choose the right "friends" and avoid aggressive "fish friends", specifically as follows:

Royal goby should be kept with :

• Nemo Fish (Clown Fish)
• The family of surgeonfishes such as the yellow surgeonfish , purple tang , green tang ,...
• Goby fish, shrimp, coral....

Royal Goby should not be kept with :

• Lion fish
• Mini shark
• Big, aggressive fish

Tips for raising together :

• Arrange many caves and crevices so that fish have many places to hide.
• Royal Grammas should be introduced into the tank last to avoid territorial encroachment by other fish.
• You should only raise one bird or raise them in pairs, 1 male - 1 female.

Royal Goby Health Care

If properly cared for, the Royal Goby can live up to 5 years. Below are some basic principles to help you monitor and ensure the health of this fish, let's find out now.

• Maintain stable water quality, check water periodically 1-2 times/week.
• Change water regularly every week from 10 - 20% to ensure the water is always clean.
• Provide a varied, nutritious diet.
• Quarantine new fish for at least 7 - 14 days before introducing them into the main tank.
• Observe unusual signs in fish such as rubbing against rocks, not eating, white spots like cotton, tiny like salt,... to be able to treat promptly.
• Use fresh garlic and multivitamins added to food to supplement fish.

Royal gramma price

Currently, Royal Gramma fish are not very popular in the Vietnamese ornamental fish market, however, according to our research based on international market prices plus shipping costs, the price of this fish can range from 500,000 - 1,000,000 VND and more for fish with beautiful colors and large sizes.

However, to get the most accurate price, please contact the aquarium stores that sell and import Royal gramma for more details.

Beautiful Royal gramma pictures

We invite you to explore the collection of the most beautiful and brilliant Royal Gramma fish pictures that we have compiled here to fully admire the pinnacle beauty of this fish species.

A pair of Royal Gobies swimming side by side.

Impressive moment royal gramma fish opens its mouth to take prey.

Royal Goby fish prefer low light.

The striking appearance of a Royal gramma fish.

Two Royal Gobies are foraging on a rock ledge.

Frontal view of a Royal Goby

Through the article that nicefish.net shared above, we can see that the Royal gramma is indeed a beautiful marine aquarium fish, considered the "purple gem" of the ocean, friendly, easy to adapt and care for, a perfect choice for saltwater aquariums.

If you want to learn about the origin, habits and how to care for more beautiful ornamental fish, visit our Blog section now!