Gold Stripe Grouper - Grammistes sexlineatus

The Golden Stripe Soapfish Grouper, also known as the Sixstripe Soapfish, or Skunk Fish, is black with horizontal uneven stripes. The Golden Stripe Soapfish Grouper is well known for producing a skin toxin, called grammistin, which dissuades predators. This toxin is given off when the fish is frightened or annoyed.

The adult Golden Stripe Soapfish Grouper are brown in colour with white incomplete lines running parallel throughout the body. There is blue coloration at the end of tail, and fins.

The juvenile Golden Stripe Soapfish Grouper coloration is quite different. Basically six black and white evenly spaced stripes run horizontally the length of the fish. As it gets older, the white stripes get smaller until they become the dotted pattern and the black becomes lighter until the fish looks like the photo above.

The Golden stripe Soapfish Grouper fish is a solitary predator that hangs out among the rocks waiting for prey. The Golden Stripe Soapfish Grouper is easy to keep. They are extremely hardy and have a voracious appetite.

General Size Specifications: The Golden Stripe Soapfish Grouper grows up to 12 inches.The small size will come to you generally 2 to 3 inches; the medium generally 3 to 5 inches; the large generally 5 to 7 inches. This Golden Stripe Soapfish Grouper is well suited to aquarium life since it only get to be about 10 to 12 inches (25-30cm) long. This is small for a grouper.

Habitat: The Golden-striped Grouper, Grouper, Goldline Grouper, or Sixline Grouper are collected in the Indo-Pacific. These are found in the waters of Srilanka,India, Maldives and other Indo-Pacific water regions.

Minimum Tank Size Suggested: A 50 gallon or larger aquarium is required. The Golden Stripe Soapfish Grouper should be kept as the single grouper in the aquarium with other larger fish. In addition to possibly eating tank mates, it has a poisonous mucus coat. When frightened, it releases the poison grammistin from the mucus which can kill other fish. This toxin is almost always found in the shipping water. Be sure not to add the shipping water to the aquarium.

Feeding and Diet: The Golden Stripe Soapfish Grouper prefers a diet of meaty foods such as krill, shrimp, and other small fish. The Golden Stripe Soapfish Grouper feed all kinds of live and frozen protein foods like squid, clams, shrimp, chopped fish. Live foods like guppies and goldfish are also appreciated and can be fed occasionally.