All fish / Serranidae

Painted Comber

Serranus scriba

Also known as painted comber, lettered perch, scribe sea bass, comber, 斑带锯鮨

A sturdy small sea bass with reddish brown vertical bars, a blue patch on the belly and squiggly blue and red markings on the head that look like writing. It is kept in temperate Mediterranean style aquariums for its bold colours and confident behaviour.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Aggressive

Adult size

20 cm

Temperature

14 to 24 °C

pH

8 to 8.4

Smallest tank

300 litres

Keep as

Keep singly

Diet

Carnivore: shrimp, mysis, krill, small fish and chopped seafood

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

5 to 10 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Eastern Atlantic from the Bay of Biscay to Mauritania, Mediterranean and Black Sea

Breeding

It is a simultaneous hermaphrodite, so each fish carries working male and female tissue, and it scatters pelagic eggs. Breeding in home aquariums has not been reported in any meaningful way.

Good to know

A predator that will eat any fish or shrimp small enough to swallow, and it needs cool water, so a chiller is often required. The trade name "No" appears to be a listing error rather than a real common name.