All fish / Haemulidae

Porkfish

Anisotremus virginicus

Also known as porkfish, pork fish, atlantic porkfish, yellow-striped grunt, grunt, porky, ポークフィッシュ, 黄带石鲈

The porkfish is a deep-bodied grunt with silvery blue and yellow horizontal stripes and two bold black bars across the eye and behind the head. Juveniles look quite different, with two black lengthwise stripes and a dark spot near the tail, and they pick parasites off other fish. People keep it for its striking colours and calm, sociable nature in large fish-only systems.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Peaceful

Adult size

25 cm

Temperature

22 to 27 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

700 litres

Keep as

Singly or in a small group in a very large tank

Diet

Carnivore: mysis, krill, chopped shrimp and squid, quality marine pellets

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

8 to 10 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Western Atlantic: Florida and Bermuda through the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico to Brazil

Breeding

It scatters pelagic eggs in open water and has not been bred in home aquariums; nearly all specimens come from the wild.

Good to know

It grows to about 30 cm and needs a big tank with plenty of swimming space. It will eat small shrimps, crabs and worms, so it is not safe with ornamental invertebrates.