Animal-World > Marine - Saltwater Fish > Sea Basses and Groupers > Clown Grouper

Clown GrouperBearded Grouper

Family: Serranidae

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Pogonoperca punctataPhoto © Animal-World: Courtesy David Brough

     A very handsome grouper. You can see by its' strong markings why the Clown Grouper or Bearded Grouper is called a "clown"!

     The Clown Grouper is also called the Bearded Grouper because of the extra piece of skin on its bottom lip. A typical grouper that is hardy and hungry.

For more Information on keeping this fish see:
Guide to a Happy, Healthy Marine Aquarium

Maintenance difficulty:      The Clown Grouper or Bearded Grouper is easy to keep, mainly because it always gets its share of food and eats everything!

Maintenance:      Feed all kinds of live and prepared meaty foods: squid, clams, shrimp, chopped fish, lancefish, or silversides.

Habitat: Natural geographic location:      Clown Grouper or Bearded Grouper are found in the Indo-Pacific.

Foods:      Like most groupers it is a meat eater that preys on small fish.

Social Behaviors:      This fish is a solitary predator that hangs out among the rocks waiting for prey.

Sex: Sexual differences:      Unknown.

Light: Recommended light levels:      No special requirements.

Breeding/Reproduction:      Unknown.

Temperature:      No special requirements.

Length/Diameter of fish:      Clown Grouper or Bearded Grouper grow to length of 35 cm (14    inches).

Minimum Tank Length/Size:      A minimum 60 gallon aquarium is recommended.

Water Movement: Weak, Moderate, Strong      No special requirements.

Water Region: Top, Middle, Bottom      No special requirements. Provide rockwork large enough for the fish to hide.

Availability:      This fish is rarely available.

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Latest Comments
My clownfish Killah is a very personable fish. I was at first reluctant to get him because of the possibility of him contaminating my entire tank if he gets sick or dies. For 3 months I saw him at the store and took a chance. I love him! He is a very personable boy, and follows me around the room from inside the tank. He is hand-fed, and actually likes it when you rub his side. He is THE most gentle fish I have in the tank and right now I have a snowflake eel, a coral beauty, a volitans lionfish and a comet. Killah spends most of his time staring at me from the corner of the tank, and swims with his forehead sticking up from the top of the water. He is the largest fish by far in my tank and has not once attempted to eat any of his tankmates, and actually gets along very well with the coral beauty and the comet. Missa-naples fl 2009-08-19
Beautiful fish which spend alot of time swimming near the surface of my tank. Prefers live food, but will eat frozen prawns. Has to watch the food for a bit before eating and will often not eat food which stops moving (falls to the sand or live rock) before it attacks. carl 2004-05-19

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