Rarities: The Candy Basslett

Candy Basslet
Liopropoma carmabi (Randall, 1963)

Excerpt from the CORAL, September/October 2010

Maximum Size: 6 cm (2.4 in)
Range: Caribbean, Florida Keys, Tropical Western Atlantic
Depth: 15-70 m (50-230 ft)

When I first became involved in the marine aquarium hobby, it was fishes that captivated me above all.

Back then, the most beautiful fish that I could imagine was the extremely colorful Candy Basslet (Liopropoma carmabi), which I knew from a book by Frank de Graaf. According to him, this incredibly pretty fish was also fairly easy to maintain in the aquarium. This species quickly found itself at the top of my wish list—certainly a naive hope, but I was only 12 years old at the time.

I soon found out that this fish was practically never available in the trade, and when it was, the price in those days of around 300 Dutch Guilders (about 175 US dollars or 135 Euros)—way beyond the reach of my pocket money.

Today, 18 years later, I recently acquired a pair of Candy Basslets. The species has not gotten any cheaper during the intervening years; on the contrary, its price has roughly doubled. But a pair of the fish of my dreams was, after such a long wait, more than worth the outlay!

In the wild, Liopropoma carmabi occurs from the Florida Keys and the Bahamas south to the north coast of South America, and lives at depths of 50 feet (70 m). The species attains only 2.4 inches (6 cm) in length.

Male and female have the same coloring, but on close examination the sexes can be distinguished on the basis of the pupils, which are larger in males. The Candy Basslet is sometimes confused with the similar Swalesi Reef Basslet, L. swalesi, whose colors are, however, much paler than those of the brilliantly colored L. carmabi, which has a further distinguishing characteristic in the form of blue-edged black spots on the dorsal and caudal fins.

Frank de Graaf was correct in his evaluation regarding the ease of maintenance of this species: these little beauties are not very sensitive to transportation and rapidly accept artificial foods. But because they are deep-water fishes, it is important to check carefully for swimbladder problems before purchasing; these may arise through lack of proper decompression and in the majority of cases have fatal consequences.

When it comes to feeding, Artemia and Mysis (live or frozen) are readily taken, as are various dried foods after a short period of settling in. In addition, L. carmabi will go hunting for its own food in the aquarium and will eat any small crustaceans present.

The Candy Basslet will be particularly happy if the aquarium is decorated along the lines of its natural habitat, with numerous rocky overhangs and caves to provide shelter and shade‚Äîthese fishes avoid bright light whenever possible. L. carmabi is often described as an extremely shy species—an observation that probably reflects incorrect maintenance conditions.

If these fishes are kept in pairs, with plenty of hiding-places and no large, dominant fishes as tankmates, they will generally also be seen outside their caves. They particularly like to swim around the aquarium together in the morning or in evening twilight, likewise if the lighting is muted, though on the other hand they will also go their separate ways during the day.

The aquarium should be covered without fail for these basslets, as they are inclined to jump out, particularly during the first weeks.

It should be borne in mind that despite their small size Candy Basslets are predators that may pose a danger to very small shrimps and fishes—such as dwarf gobies (for example, juvenile Eviota spp.) or dwarf shrimps (for example, juvenile Thor amboinensis).

In conclusion, anyone who wants to have a dream come true, even if it costs a bit, should consider acquiring this wonderful little fish.
 

References

De Graaf, F. 1977. Tropische Zierfische im Meerwasseraquarium. J. Neumann-Neudamm Verlag, Melsungen, Germany.