Lantern Bass

Description

Lantern Bass, Serranus baldwini, are a common bass from Florida and the Caribbean.   They are a fairly common at most depth ranges, but because they are small and secretive, they are often overlooked by divers.  They are very attractive fish that do very well in most aquaria, and because of their small size and good nature, they are great for nano reef tanks.  They rarely grow longer than 2 inches, and the ones we sell are about 1.5 inches.  They adapt well to aquarium life and are a real hardy fish that will eat just about any food presented to them.  Because this fish is so hardy, we usually keep them in stock for a while and get them eating pellet food, so the fish you get will have been quarantined and will be eating.
Like most bass and basslets, they don’t pick at corals, anemones, starfish, or most other invertebrates, and they get along well with most other fish, even fish of the same species.  Use caution when keeping them in tanks with smaller fish as they will pick on them and sometimes even eat them if they get a chance. In the wild they feed on zooplankton, not other fish, so they are good tank mates for most aquariums.  In an aquarium they tend to “hop” around from perch to perch, and are a fairly active and visible fish.

Please Note:  Any new fish purchased from us or from a local pet store should to be quarantined.  All fish from anywhere in the wild can be possible carriers of bacteria and protozoa that can lead to an infection in your system, so we always recommend that you use some sort of quarantine system prior to adding them to your system.  If you have a fish only system and can medicate the whole system, you may not need a separate quarantine tank.  If you have a reef system that cannot be medicated, a good ultraviolet sterilization system should prevent any kind of disease outbreak.  We medicate our system for bacterial infections and protozoans, but because we don’t always hold our fish for long periods of time, there is no way to be sure all the protozoan cysts have been killed.  A little bit of prevention will save you lots of trouble down the line.