Cave Basslet (Liopropoma mowbrayi)
- Thread starter snorvich
- Start date
AuroraDrvr
New member
They stay rather small (9cm max).
Last edited:
dfs/la2
.Registered Member
Snorvich,
Thank you for your questions about our beautiful Cave Basslet. Liopropoma feed on crustaceans and small fish. They have relatively large jaws that enable them to consume fairly large prey items. You may feed a variety of foods, including shaved table shrimp, frozen preparations for carnivores, frozen mysid shrimp and flake food. They will also feed on small crustaceans (e.g., amphipods, copepods) that live in and among the live rocks of your reef aquarium. Housing shrimp in your aquarium should be done with caution.
Please let us know if you need any further assistance.
Pat S.
LiveAquaria
Drs. Foster and Smith
Thank you for your questions about our beautiful Cave Basslet. Liopropoma feed on crustaceans and small fish. They have relatively large jaws that enable them to consume fairly large prey items. You may feed a variety of foods, including shaved table shrimp, frozen preparations for carnivores, frozen mysid shrimp and flake food. They will also feed on small crustaceans (e.g., amphipods, copepods) that live in and among the live rocks of your reef aquarium. Housing shrimp in your aquarium should be done with caution.
Please let us know if you need any further assistance.
Pat S.
LiveAquaria
Drs. Foster and Smith
DFS
.Registered Member
Steve,
Pat is correct in that as a general rule, most Basslets prey on crustaceans and small fish in the home aquarium as they are proficient hunters.
Basslets of the Genus Liopropoma vary considerably by species regarding their likelihood of attacking and preying on small gobies and crustaceans in the home aquarium. Some of these fish stay relatively small in size, and their demeanor differs from their larger relatives that reach a maximum size of 5â€Âor more. The largest member of this Genus is the deepwater Liopropoma maculata which can grow to almost 11†in length.
The Cave Bass (Liopropoma mowbrayi ), stay relatively small in size (3.5â€Â), and are more cryptic in nature when compared to other species that grow larger and are more aggressive hunters by nature.
I personally have had great success maintaining Cave Bass with all but the tiniest nano type gobies and shrimp. Full grown and established gobies of the Genus Gobiodon spp., Elacatinus spp., Trimma spp. and even adult Eviota spp. gobies along with shrimp of the genus Periclimenes spp. and Urocaridella spp. have done well for me in smaller reef aquariums that contain live rock and corals. The safest way to achieve this is by making sure the stocking order is planned correctly, and introducing smaller gobies and shrimp prior to the addition of the Cave Bass.
On the opposite end of the spectrum from the same region is a close relative that appears in the aquarium trade from time to time and is called Wrasse Bass (Liopropoma eukrines). I have found these larger species of Liopropoma to be very territorial and aggressive. A mature Wrasse Bass will normally hunt down any fish or crustacean that they think will fit into their mouths.
Please let me know if you have any additional questions and best wishes.
Regards,
Kevin Kohen
Director of LiveAquaria
Drs. Foster and Smith
Pat is correct in that as a general rule, most Basslets prey on crustaceans and small fish in the home aquarium as they are proficient hunters.
Basslets of the Genus Liopropoma vary considerably by species regarding their likelihood of attacking and preying on small gobies and crustaceans in the home aquarium. Some of these fish stay relatively small in size, and their demeanor differs from their larger relatives that reach a maximum size of 5â€Âor more. The largest member of this Genus is the deepwater Liopropoma maculata which can grow to almost 11†in length.
The Cave Bass (Liopropoma mowbrayi ), stay relatively small in size (3.5â€Â), and are more cryptic in nature when compared to other species that grow larger and are more aggressive hunters by nature.
I personally have had great success maintaining Cave Bass with all but the tiniest nano type gobies and shrimp. Full grown and established gobies of the Genus Gobiodon spp., Elacatinus spp., Trimma spp. and even adult Eviota spp. gobies along with shrimp of the genus Periclimenes spp. and Urocaridella spp. have done well for me in smaller reef aquariums that contain live rock and corals. The safest way to achieve this is by making sure the stocking order is planned correctly, and introducing smaller gobies and shrimp prior to the addition of the Cave Bass.
On the opposite end of the spectrum from the same region is a close relative that appears in the aquarium trade from time to time and is called Wrasse Bass (Liopropoma eukrines). I have found these larger species of Liopropoma to be very territorial and aggressive. A mature Wrasse Bass will normally hunt down any fish or crustacean that they think will fit into their mouths.
Please let me know if you have any additional questions and best wishes.
Regards,
Kevin Kohen
Director of LiveAquaria
Drs. Foster and Smith
AuroraDrvr
New member
I deleted 95% of what I originally posted. I figured I would let DFS & Kevin handle it.
