🐠 Swalesi Basslet (Liopropoma swalesi)
An Orange Body With Purple Stripes and Black Eye Spots • A Rare Deep-Reef Western Pacific Basslet • A Secretive, Vividly Coloured Prize
 
📋 The Swalesi Basslet, also known as Swales' Swissguard Basslet or the Pacific Candy Basslet, has an elongated orange body with horizontal purple or cream stripes, with the dorsal and tail fins rimmed in blue or purple and marked with large black eye spots.
It comes from the deeper reefs of the Western Pacific, where it hides in dense coral formations on coastal slopes at depths of up to around 110 metres. It's a rare and intriguing deep-reef species and a prized addition for aquarists who love vivid, intricate colour. It's secretive by nature and settles best in a mature, stable aquarium with plenty of live rock, deep caves, and subdued lighting. Every Swalesi Basslet we ship is feeding well.
It reaches only about 5.6cm, so a small, quiet reef suits it well (75L for one, 190L or more for a pair). It's reef safe with caution: it won't bother corals, snails, or tube worms, but it may harass small ornamental shrimp and similarly sized fish. Like other Liopropoma basslets it's a known jumper, so use a tight-fitting lid.
 
💡 Highlights
🎨 Orange Body, Purple Stripes, Black Eye Spots: A vivid, intricately patterned basslet
🌊 A Rare Deep-Reef Species: From depths of up to around 110 metres
📏 Just 5.6cm: A jewel for a small, quiet reef
🌿 Reef Safe With Caution: Leaves corals alone, but may harass small shrimp
🔒 Tight Lid: A known jumper