All fish / Serranidae

Strawberry Grouper

Cephalopholis spiloparaea

Also known as strawberry hind, orange-red pigmy grouper, orange-red pygmy grouper, strawberry rockcod, red grouper, ヤミハタ, 斑点九棘鲈, 橙点九刺鮨

A small grouper with an orange-red body flecked with paler mottling and a pale edge to the tail. It lives on deeper outer reef slopes and is kept as a hardy, colourful predator for fish-only or robust reef systems with plenty of rockwork caves.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Aggressive

Adult size

20 cm

Temperature

23 to 27 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

400 litres

Keep as

Keep singly

Diet

Carnivore: chopped fish, shrimp, squid, mysis and quality frozen marine foods

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

10 to 15 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Indo-Pacific, from East Africa to French Polynesia, mainly oceanic islands

Breeding

Like other groupers it is thought to be a protogynous hermaphrodite, with females later changing to males, and it scatters pelagic eggs. It has not been bred reliably in home aquariums.

Good to know

It will eat any fish or crustacean small enough to swallow, so keep it only with tankmates of similar or larger size. Easily confused with other red Cephalopholis species such as C. urodeta and C. miniata.