All fish / Serranidae

Butter Hamlet

Hypoplectrus unicolor

Also known as butter hamlet, hamlet, yellow hamlet, バターハムレット, 低纹鮨

A small, deep-bodied sea bass with a pale yellowish to whitish body, a black saddle spot on the tail base and often blue lines on the face. It is kept for its calm, curious personality and as an interesting reef predator that stays fairly small.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

10 cm

Temperature

23 to 28 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

200 litres

Keep as

Keep singly; one per tank unless very large

Diet

Carnivore: mysis, krill, chopped shrimp and fish, meaty frozen foods

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

5 to 10 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Western Central Atlantic: Florida, Bahamas, Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean

Breeding

Hamlets are simultaneous hermaphrodites that pair at dusk and take turns releasing eggs and sperm in the water column. Spawning has rarely been achieved in home aquariums and raising the pelagic larvae is very difficult.

Good to know

It will eat small fish and crustaceans such as shrimps, so it is not safe with small tankmates. Hamlets are often aggressive towards other hamlets.