All fish / Serranidae

Black Hamlet

Hypoplectrus nigricans

Also known as black hamlet, hamlet, no, 黑低纹鮨

A compact, deep-bodied small sea bass that is almost entirely dark blue-black, sometimes with a faint bluish sheen on the fins. Keepers like it for its hardy, characterful nature and its habit of patrolling rockwork on Caribbean-style reef tanks.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

12 cm

Temperature

23 to 27 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

250 litres

Keep as

Keep singly or as a mated pair

Diet

Carnivore: mysis, chopped shrimp, krill, small crustaceans and quality frozen foods

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

5 to 10 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Western Central Atlantic: Florida, Bahamas, Caribbean Sea

Breeding

Hamlets are simultaneous hermaphrodites that pair at dusk and take turns releasing eggs and sperm, producing pelagic eggs. Spawning sometimes happens in large aquariums, but rearing the tiny larvae is very difficult and rarely achieved.

Good to know

It will eat small fish and ornamental shrimps, so it is best kept with similar-sized tankmates. Keeping more than one hamlet can cause fighting unless they are a pair or the tank is large.