🐠 Harlequin Bass (Serranus tigrinus)
A White-Yellow Body With Irregular Black Bars and Dots • A Bold, Hardy Hunter • One of the Feistiest Small Basses
 
📋 The Harlequin Bass, also known as the Harlequin Basslet or Tiger Bass, has an eye-catching elongated body: a white-to-yellow base marked with irregular black stripes, bars, and dots in a jester-like patchwork, a long pointed snout, a bluish upper half, and yellow-and-black mottling below.
It comes from the Western Atlantic, including the Caribbean Sea, where it hunts crustaceans alone or in pairs along rocky reefs and scattered coral. It's the boldest of the Serranus basslets, territorial toward similarly shaped, bottom-dwelling fish, so it's best kept singly or as a true pair introduced together. Every Harlequin Bass we ship is feeding well, and it's a hearty, hardy eater.
It's reef safe with caution: it won't bother corals, but it will eat small shrimp and small fish it can fit in its mouth. It's a big eater that produces a fair amount of waste for its size, so run strong filtration. It reaches about 12-13cm, so plan on at least 115L.
 
💡 Highlights
🎨 White-Yellow Body, Black Bars and Dots: A striking, jester-like pattern
💪 Hardy and Bold: Easy to acclimate, full of attitude
⚔️ The Feistiest Serranus Basslet: Best kept singly or as a true pair
🍽️ Ships Feeding Well: A hearty eater from the start
🌿 Reef Safe With Caution: Will eat small shrimp and small fish