Variola louti
SeaScopes Vol. 13, Summer 1996. The Lyretail Grouper,
Image of juvenile
A brilliant juvenile
Variola louti
(Photo by Scott W. Michael)
It is best to keep only one lyretail to a tank unless the system is
very large (hundreds of gallons) and well-appointed with rock and
coral. The lyretail will probably become the dominant fish in the
aquarium. As with most species of bass, it is not particularly
aggressive, but it is carnivorous and will swallow any fish small enough
to fit into its mouth.
Nutrition
Like other large bass and groupers, the lyretail soon learns to
recognize food and to associate you with it. It will accept live
freshwater organisms as well as formulated, preserved, or frozen
foods. Unless you want to have your fish outgrow and pollute its
aquarium quickly, feed sparingly and infrequently, two or three times
a week. Unlike some of its smaller brethren, the lyretail is
relatively hardy and disease resistant.
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