Epinephelus lanceolatus - T.B.

Epinephelus lanceolatus, commonly known as the Giant grouper, is like the common name suggests a giant grouper. And with specimens over 2,5 meter recorded, this certainly is not a fish for home aquaria. When small they look good. It's really too bad these fish get this big because as juveniles they look gorgious with their yellow and black vertical bands with in the black bands yellow spots and in the yellow bands black spots. When they get older the bands fade and the yellow gets cream coloured and the black more brown. When they really mature the colours changes again and the brown fades to a greyish blue brown and the cream gets really dark greyish as well. The pattern becomes all mottled and the size becomes more impressive than the colours and pattern. Some fish have the yellow colour remaining in the fins, but the older they get the darker these get as well.

As juveniles these fish are quite shy. The older they get the more often they're seen and because they prefer shallow waters they're often seen on reefs, shipwrecks and in harbours. These fish are predators and will eat anything they can get. In nature their diet consists of mud crab, juvenile sea turtles, lobsters, crustaceans and small fish (even small sharks). This means they can only be housed with fish that are large enough to not end up in their mouth.

This fish is Tank Bred and will adapt to your aquarium easier compared to a wild caught specimen!