Fish Story Blues

[M.Dandaneau]

Just a short anecdote or anyone interested in small predatory fish........last summer, I decided the 125 gal. smaller fish tank in my livingroom needed a "dash of color" and bought a Blue Hamlet that had been hanging around a local LFS for some time.
Since the sale tank was bare and poorly lit, the fish was displaying a pale barred stress pattern, but I knew how beautiful they could be in a decent tank.
About 10 minutes after getting it into my tank, the fish was eating like there was no tomorrow and it settled into it's "normal" colors.......cool, I had a Black Hamlet, and although I'd never had one, black wasn't exactly the flash of color I'd been seeking.
Today I bought Blue Hamlet #2 from the same shop, out of the same bare tank and displaying the same faded bar pattern, and it too is eating well and settled in, my only real concern being that Hamlet #1 wouldn't tolerate it.
Guess what?
This one's an Indigo Hamlet, so at least I got SOME blue!

Hamlets, by the way, are hermaphoditic members of the sea bass family from the Caribbean/Tropical S. Atlantic, with each animal being both male and female, often mating twice in fairly rapid succession, "once as a he" and once as a "she", perfect additions for 55-125 gal. tanks with medium sized fish and that come in a wide range of colors.....they average 4" as adults.

Mike

[Leslie]

Where are the photos ...Pleeze!

[Leslie]

Hey Mike,

I just looked at some photos of these fish.

There is a pretty golden one. ....fits into the color scheme

How would they do with My Zebra Moray, Harlequin Tusk, and Marine Betta??

Leslie

[hogpark7430]

here are 2 I photographed in Cozumel

shy Hamlet (Hypoplectrus guttavarius)


Barred Hamlet (Hypoplectrus puella)

[M.Dandaneau]

Beautiful photos (of course **grin**)....in my estimation these fish are among the most under appreciated by many hobbyists, as well as one of the hardiest, perfect for the small tank grouper enthusiast.

It's still under debate in certain circles as to whether they are seperate species or just many color morphs of one or two species.

My own personal opinion is that some taxonomists have split way too many hairs trying to earn reputations, as evidenced, for examply, by Lake Tanganyika cichlids, the poor man's saltwater fish.........I've personally bred 4th generation hybrids between GENUSES that were fertile and fecund, which should be biologically impossible, but obviously isn't.

Mike

[jwm2k3]

Mike, when I used to live in Ft.Lauderdale working as a SCUBA instructor, I used to collect my own fish for the 180 I used to have. One of the best fish I have ever had was a blue hamlet that I collected in 25 feet of water. It was a bold eater, curious about what I was doing when I was in the room and it didnt bother any other fish, although it could hold its own quite easily.

John

[M.Dandaneau]

Exactly, John....what many people don't realize is that we DO have much more influence over what's available at the local lfs than many suspect.
If person after person requests a certain fish, it will eventually sink in and the lfs owner will at least TRY to order it.
Likewise, sites and posts like these have a LOT of bearing and influence............IMO if more people made posts and took photos of fish like these that ARE suitable for a 29-75 gal. tank, it will reaise awareness and once more benefit everyone.
For the small tank, this is one of the mini-groupers of choice with all of the benefits and fascination of their much larger cousins and at the same time, very few of the negative aspects!

These are perfect tankmates at 4"-5" for Hawkfish, Clownfish, Cardinals, Blennies, Dwarf Angels and medium Gobies.

By being reasonably priced, they are fish that pairs of CAN be introduced at the same time without bankrupting the hobbyist, and to make the picture even better, if you have two fish, you always have a pair, with each being true functional hermaphrodites........they hybridize so willingly that even in the wild, when two species share a range there will be crosses, much like the Blue and Queen Angelfish.

Mike

[Leslie]

Hey Mike,

Do you think one of those Hamlets or a "pair" would interfear with my Betta or visa versa?

Thanks,

Leslie

[M.Dandaneau]

As with everything where individual personality comes into play, I hate to give blanket, "carved in stone" type answers, but in my opinion, no they should get along fine.
If I remember correctly, we're discussing a 72/75 gal/ bf here with a fair amount of LR?
The Hamlets, by the way, won't be "a pair" (not to be confused with au pare, in which case they'd do the partial water changes for you!**grin**) except for those times when they are actually spawning, which actually HAS some relevance because the rest of the time you're looking at three separate fish who want their own private little nook or cranny to call home, as opposed to a single and a dual entity.
They'd also be fine with all of the other fish in your tank as well.
Another advantage unique to the Hamlets is that you can get two separate species with widely differing colors and mix or match as desired.....should spawning ever occur (the two circle and rise in the water column, until they broadcast the eggs and sperm at the apex of the ascent, thus making a cover more desirable) it will often be done twice, with fish A playing the HE role in spawning number one and then repeating and playing the SHE role in spawning number 2.
It only becomes apparent that they are predators when you have small shrimp or fish in the tank, such as firefish or clown gobies.

Mike

[Wild Card-inal]

Wow, those Hamlets look pretty cool. I'm considering fish that swim around in my 55 gallon when I get it. However, the tank will contain a scorpion. What kind of Hamlet will be good for that tank size and be able to take care of itself?

It seems that there is no such fish that can live in a 55 gallon with a scorpion, or at least I have never been given a good answer.

[M.Dandaneau]

The reason you've never been given a definite answer to your question is because it's too "iffy"!

In other words, Hamlets would get along fine with any small species of scorpionfish, but being on the small side themselves, they would also be high on the preferred food list for larger scorpions, and in areas like this is where familiarization can make all of the difference.

For starts, I'd suggest Hamlets as good roomies for Leaffish and Waspfish, both with similar sizes and likewise dwarf lionfish (both fuzzies and zebras) and any scorpionfish with an adult size up to 4"......after that, don't get too attached to the Hamlet.
Any help at all?

Mike

[Leslie]

Hi Mike,

Yup the 75g with tons of LR.

Thanks fopr the reply. I understand the personality thing all to well and know there are no quarantees, so no worries there. I certianly won't hold you responsible if they rip each other up I promise ....I may however have to boo hoo on your shoulder. Just kidding. I was just lookin for the adverage expectation and any possible .....definitely not NO WAY, LADY are you nuts warnings. I know there are no guarantees.

I have had quite a bit of experience with the individual personality thing......and I never get the one on the angel end of the spectrum, so baring that and taking into consideration that there is always one Mr Hyde out there I am always prepared to remove any new fish that cannot play nice, including ripping the tank apart to get to the trouble maker. I always get the the less than usual black sheep of the family. Just lucky I guess .

These fish are not to easy to come by .....none of the online retailers list them and I've never seen one in the lfs.

Thanks,

Leslie

[M.Dandaneau]

As to not being easy to find, here's an interesting case of an old stand by that's largely fallen by the wayside.....early on in the keeping of marine fish, when smaller tanks were the norm, the Hamlet was a fish shop staple that could be found in almost any shop that carried salt water, along with the yellow tangs and royal grammas.
Now, a few years later, they just aren't exotic or pricey enough to be a "bragging" fish, nor are they large or aggressive enough for the average predator enthusiast.......who knew being reasonably priced, amicable towards tankmates, hardy to the extreme and small enough to never become a problem would become negative sale factors?
To make matters worse, they are either American or at least close enough to called such, knocking them down another notch in the eyes of those looking for the unusual.
For my money, they are the perfect fish for the hobbyist looking for durability, ease of keeping and being undemanding..........for someone who's been doing this as long as I have, they're kind of like familiar old friends.

Mike

[jwm2k3]

This turned into a great thread!

[Jow13]

I read somewhere that Indigo Hamlets primarily only eat blue chromis in the wild and that may potentially cause problems nutrition wise in captivity.

I really like the pics i've seen of hybrids between some of the species. The only online source where i've seen hamlets offered is saltwaterfish.com has a golden hamlet available for like 50 bucks

[M.Dandaneau]

Really?
Sounds like highway robbery to me.

I currently have two, with only the one problem.....I asked the owner of the LFS the other day, "How many Hamlets do I have to buy at $14.99 before I get a Blue?" **grin**

Remember, the first was purchased because I wanted some color in anotherwise drab small predator tank......yep, the "Blue" turned into a Black about 5 minutes in the tank.
While black wasn't exactly the color boost I had in mind, it's a neat fish and I've never had a black, so............

As near as I can tell, the 2nd is either an Indigo or a hybrid, with either just as likely.

When life throws you lemons................

Mike

[Leslie]

I stumbled upon 2 of the Hamlets at etropicals ......the Shy Hamlet (Hypoplectrus guttavarius)
and the Indigo Hamlet (Hypoplectrus indigo)

I have never purchased from them so I can't help out there but they have a 10 day guarantee, the prices seem more reasonable at $34.00 and $28.00 respectively, and if you have a purchase over $175 the shipping is free.....nope I am not affiliated with them in any way .

Only the Indigo is currently available but they have a note that says they get fish in daily and to check back.

I'm pretty tempted, but then that's not unusual


Leslie

[Jow13]

http://www.saltwaterfish.com/site_11...a71bbde0bf1013

Here is the link to the one i found. Hope it works this is my first time posting a link. Anyways this is a real good looking fish.

[Jow13]

oh yea and this one says free shipping as well.

[M.Dandaneau]

While on-line shopping seems to be the wave of the future, the friends that I've talked to seem to have had mixed results at best.

I hate to disagree with many of the other posters, but here's a couple of opinions/options that I have excellent luck with.

Talk to the owner or manager of your local LFS, even if it's one of those stores that you're not always thrilled with.......many will special order fish for you at rates FAR below those quoted in the on-line.coms.

I'v gotten GREAT deals by telling the owner that I'll take the fish still in the shipping bag so that it never touches his tanks (there's a hint here for the shops that always seem to have sick fish).....that way, as long as it comes in alive, it's mine as is, while if it comes in dead he/she has enough leverage to have it replaced with the next order and not have shipping eat you up.

With expensive fish (to me, and that's far less than to many of you) I like to see and examine it closely before making the purchase while with inexpensive specimens, I'm more than happy to gamble, since it will be quarantined anyways.

Mike