🐠 Painted Sweetlip (Diagramma pictum)
A Bold Black-and-White Striped Juvenile • A Slate-Grey, Spotted Adult • A Showpiece for Very Large Tanks
 
📋 The Painted Sweetlip, also known as the Slate or Dotted Sweetlips, goes through a striking transformation. Juveniles show bold horizontal black-and-white stripes from the eye to the tail with a white belly, and adults fade to a slate-grey body dotted with small tan-to-black spots.
It lives across the Indo-West Pacific and the Red Sea, in lagoons, estuaries, and coral reefs at depths of 1 to 170 metres. It's a peaceful, shy, nocturnal bottom feeder that settles best when brought home small, and it keeps to darkened spots until it feels secure. Like other grunts, it makes a grunting sound by grinding its teeth, resonated through its swim bladder. Every Painted Sweetlip we ship is feeding well.
It grows very large, up to 100cm in the wild (55-70cm is common), and grows quickly, so it's a showpiece for very large systems: we recommend at least 1,100L (300 gallons). It isn't reef safe, as it will eat small fish and crustaceans. As with many large reef fish, it should never be eaten.
 
💡 Highlights
🎨 A Dramatic Transformation: Bold-striped juvenile to a slate-grey, spotted adult
🔊 It Grunts: Makes a grunting sound by grinding its teeth
🍽️ Ships Feeding Well: Every Painted Sweetlip we send is eating confidently
📏 Up to 100cm: A showpiece for very large tanks
🪸 Not Reef Safe: Eats small fish and crustaceans