Anyone have experience with "serranus tortugarum" aka Chalk Bass?

mr_alberta · #1 01-28-2008, 07:03 PM

Does anyone own these fish? I see they are slightly more available nowadays (I actually see them in stores from time to time!) but I don't know anyone who owns them. If you could tell me more about their feeding habits, temperment, how many you have in what size tank, etc etc. that would be most helpful.

christyf5 · #2 01-28-2008, 07:40 PM

I had one a few years ago. Neat little fish. They're kind of secretive and you may not see them often. Once they become more comfortable they will become more apparent. I liken their behavior sort of to a royal gramma without the territoriality and general crabbiness

They eat mysis, sometimes flake. I had mine in a 90 gallon tank and he died when he jumped onto the glass crossbrace

. I was pretty upset as they were really hard fish to find at the time. I only ever saw two other people that owned them (one person had a 180 gal, the other had two in a 75 gal) and both were in the US.

I haven't had one since as they weren't not readily available (I have only seen them posted on the J&L website from time to time, although sometimes they have them in there when I visit). I would love to have one or two but my tank is pretty full these days. I'd definitely think about getting one or two if I had room though.

Whatigot · #3 07-16-2008, 08:12 PM

man i love reviving ancient threads....
I just acquired a school of 5 chalk bass and they are so awesome.
beautiful coloration and they school in my 72 bowfront tank.
They were very secretive at first but once they had worked out their pecking order and became a unit they are much more active members of my reef scape.

They are a distant relative to grammas (and basslets in general) and act very similarily to them without the territorial aggression.

I looked for a school for almost 6 months before JL aquatics got some in that were captured together and were healthy.

I am more and more appreciative of these fish everyday as they get more comfortable in their home, they seem to enjoy swimming high in the water colum as much as they like to hide an rocks (near each other, so if you feed the tank it's like a chalk bass explosion from your live rock) and hang out on the substrate and all in all for 25 bucks a piece offer great value to us salties.

Bump for chalk bass.