At a glance the quick version
Looks how to spot one
Slender, elongated basslet
A slim fish striped like a candy cane: a red to yellow-orange body with broad black stripes along the sides, plus dark spots on the rear dorsal fin, anal fin and tail, edged in pale blue.123
Personality what they are like
Shy and secretive at first, gradually becoming more visible once it trusts its surroundings. It is calm toward most fish but may see very small crustaceans as food.13
Daily activity how busy a day looks
Prefers to slip between caves and crevices rather than swim in open water.12
Grooming and care the hands-on bits
Build plenty of caves and crevices into the rockwork so it feels secure, and offer meaty foods daily.32
Home where they are happiest
LiveAquaria lists a minimum of about 10 US gallons (38 L), with rockwork that offers deep crevices. Saltwater at about 22 to 26 °C (72 to 78 °F), pH 8.1 to 8.4, dKH 8 to 12, specific gravity 1.020 to 1.025.3
Food basics what goes in the bowl
Carnivore. Wild fish eat crustaceans and small fish; in the aquarium offer chopped marine fish and crustacean flesh, mysis and quality frozen foods.23
Company who they like around
A solitary species in the wild and usually kept singly. It mixes well with most peaceful reef fish.123
The story where it all began
Felipe Poey, a Cuban zoologist, described the species in 1861 from Cuba. It has since been bred in captivity and is prized by reef keepers for its striking stripes.2
Fun facts for the dinner table
- 1
It is common on reefs yet so secretive that divers rarely see it.1
- 2
It lives deep inside reef crevices and caves at around 3 to 45 metres.1
- 3
Its red, yellow and black stripes are often compared to a peppermint candy, which inspired one of its common names.2
- 4
It has been bred successfully in captivity.2
Recognised by the official bits
- IUCN Red List
- Least Concern (assessed 2012)1
The care rhythm Furry Diary remembers it for you
A typical home-care rhythm for a Swissguard Basslet. It is our own starting plan, not a vet's advice, and you can change every line in the app.
- FeedingSmall amounts once or twice a dayevery day
- Temperature checkevery day
- Salinity checkevery week
- Top-upTop up evaporation with fresh RO water, not salt waterevery day
- Water testevery week
- Water changeAbout 10 to 20% of the waterevery 2 weeks
- Glass cleanevery week
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Where this comes from
Every breed page shows where each fact comes from. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are pet people, not a science magazine. Tell us at support@furrydiary.app and we will fix it.
- FishBase: Liopropoma rubre summary fishbase.seused for origin, size, habitat, colour, behaviour, IUCN
- Wikipedia: Liopropoma rubre en.wikipedia.orgused for history, diet, colour, captive breeding
- LiveAquaria: Swissguard Basslet liveaquaria.comused for care, water parameters, tank size, diet, temperament
Checked 2026-09-30. Text is written in our own words from these sources.