[ReefWaters]

When I went off to college, I left my 110g reef to fend for itself with only an occasional feeding from my parents. This was wrong and topic for another day. When I finally took the tank back over, there was very little reef left, a lot of algae and some hardy softies. I decided to trade my LFS the few large colonies of mushrooms and other soft corals that had survived my neglect, along with about half of my rock, for an 8" Panther and a Snowflake moray. I knew that these fish were hungry animals but I did not know much else. Needless to say, I should have done my research on both of these species BEFORE I purchased them. Not because I would have decided against them, but because they are beautiful and amazing animals that deserve better treatment than I gave them. That said...

My Panther Grouper (affectionately named Sampson) was by far my favorite fish that I have ever kept.

Personality: He quickly learned that I was the one who fed him. If I were up and walking around the room, he would be swimming around the tank. If I was sitting on my couch (next to the tank) watching TV, he would lay in the corner of the tank closest to me and watch with me. At least he acted like he was watching TV. He was staring right at the screen. If I put my hand over the tank, he would come to the surface expecting food. If I lowered my hand into the water slowly enough, he would allow me to pet him. It was more like he would allow me to rub my fingers down his dorsal fin but I like to call it petting.
The fish seemed to be intelligent. At least very intelligent for a fish. He had different moods and emotions. He would look you in the eye. He did not like strangers. He got to know my close friends and would swim around when they were at my house but if someone he didn't know came over, he would hide.

Feeding: He ate like a pig. I only fed the tank live goldfish. I have since learned that this is a VERY unhealthy thing for any fish (PLEASE do your research before purchasing any fish and provide it with a healthy natural diet). He would eat his fill and retire to his cave to digest his meal for anywhere between a day and 3 days. He would not over eat.

Compatibility: I kept my Panther in a 110 long (72x18x18) with a snowflake moray eel. They got along great. The eel was too slow to compete for food so the panther always got his fill first. The eel would occasionally be seen roaming the tank and in the process would come upon a sleeping Panther Grouper. No matter how much the eel touched, or wrapped around the Panther, the Panther never showed any sign of aggression to the eel. He would just sit there.

I introduced a very small (3") Blue Spot Grouper a few months after the Panther. I made a plexi glass divider to keep the Panther away from the little Blue Spot. At first the Panther would make an occasional lunge at the plexi trying to get to the Blue Spot but eventually stopped trying after a week or two. I left the divider up for about a month and finally decided it was safe to remove it after watching both groupers carefully for any sign of aggression toward each other. Once I removed the divider, I had absolutely no problems. The two groupers didn't even know the other was there. The Blue Spot stayed on the left side in her little territory and the Panther roamed the right 2 thirds of the tank and never went after the Blue Spot.

Diseases: I introduced two native fish of the same species from off the coast of Georgia to the tank at one point. Again, this was moronic and will never be done again. Not to mention the fact that I believe it is illegal. So I wont say what type of fish either. What did happen though was that these native species brought some kind of parasite with them. After about 2 weeks with these foreign ocean fish, I discovered some nasty worms growing out of the sides of the Panther, right around the lateral line. The parasite's heads were buried with their tails sticking out of the skin. I immediately removed the little buggers, added a UV Sterilizer, and within a week or so, the Panther was back to his old self with no noticeable diseases or parasites.

Water Quality: I know that I was not good about my water quality when I kept this fish and he never showed any problems. This does not mean that these fish do not deserve to have the best care possible and that is, as with any fish, high water quality. The store where I got the fish, claimed that at one point before I took the fish, a very ignorant keeper actually placed the fish in fresh water for upwards of an hour. The store rescued the fish which by this time had almost completely lost its fins to the salinity change. They quarantined the Panther, dosed the tank with some kind of fin medicine, and the fish recovered completely. However, I was not a witness to this undertaking so I cannot claim this as truth or weather it actually happened the way I said. Either way, I would say that a MATURE Panther is a VERY hardy fish and VERY tolerant to a wide range of water qualities. Juveniles (specimen under 5") are probably much more finicky.

Summary: I absolutely LOVE Panther Groupers. I regretfully gave mine back to the LFS, along with the rest of his tank mates, due to the lack of a job and the ability to care for the fish properly at the time. I wish now that I had figured out some way to keep them as this was one of the most satisfying tanks I have ever kept. If you want an active, hardy, beautiful, fish with tons of personality, I highly recommend a Panther Grouper. They are not difficult to keep but they will desire (deserve) a large tank and lots of food to be happy and healthy. I recommend heavy skimming and a UV Sterilizer is a nice addition and a safeguard. Just do your research first, purchase the largest fish you can afford, and enjoy a fish that will become a true pet for years to come.

Good Luck