Paraplesiops meleagris
Also known as the Southern Blue Devil. Juveniles are often sold in the aquarium trade as Allison’s devilfish or blue longfin grouperĀ
Habitat: Adults occur in the vicinity of rocky reefs and caves, in comparatively shallow water
Range: Southwestern Australia
The Australian Blue Devil is a very beautiful fish. It’s bright blue body speckled with light blue spots makes it one of the most uniquely colored fish in the ocean (and the blue’s brilliance is enhanced with a camera’s flash). Its elongated pelvic, anal and dorsal fins gives it the look of a Betta fish.
The Australian Blue Devil is one of the most requested of the Australian saltwater fish.
Australian Blue Devils can look very different in a home aquarium. Lighting in a home aquarium can affect the appearance of its skin, sometimes even giving it a blue-gray sheen.
Juveniles have very drab colors. Sometimes the colors create confusion for people who sell fish, leading them to ell their customers that it is actually a different fish.
Australian Blue Devils for sale usually measure about 8 inches in length, growing to 14 inches as a mature adult.
Because the Australian Blue Devil is a hard fish to find, it doesn’t become available very often.
The Australian Blue Devil is shy and hides away at first, but it soon becomes comfortable and begins spending its time out in the open among the other fish. Over time, it becomes bolder, and in some cases, it will feel so comfortable with its surroundings and its owner that it will begin to accept food from your hand. Until then, however, while the fish is still getting used to its new environment, you may need to use live saltwater feeder shrimp to get it to start eating. Once it has become acclimated and has gotten used to its new home, it can be fed meaty foods and frozen preparations 2-4 times weekly.
Australian Blue Devils are territorial. They should be kit alone in its own tank, or it can be kept with similar sized fish in a very large aquarium.
Minimum Tank Size: 180 gallons
dKH 8-12, pH 8.1-8.4, sg 1.020-1.025, 65-75° F
Australian Blue Devils are nocturnal fish. They love the shadows, staying in hiding spots to hide from the bright lights during the day, and then when night falls, they become much more active.
The Australian Blue Devil, like most groupers, is an ambush predator. It will spend a lot of its time hiding away, only to identify a fish swimming in front of it as food.
