Assorted Cleaner Snails Margarita Snail or Margarite, Green Spiral or Cat Eye Turbo Snail, Size Small 
Chalk Basslet
Serranus tortugarum
Original price was: $78.99.$41.99Current price is: $41.99.
| Stock | Variations | Price | Quantity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| In Stock | 2" or smaller - Caribbean | Original price was: $78.99.$41.99Current price is: $41.99. |
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| Out of Stock | 2 - 3" - Caribbean | Original price was: $83.99.$43.99Current price is: $43.99. | Email me |
Every order ships with our standard 3-hour live arrival guarantee. Need more time? Add our 5-Day Guarantee at checkout.
Full guarantee terms →Ships Monday – Thursday for next-day arrival at your nearest FedEx Hold location — typically ready by 9 AM. We monitor every delivery.
Shipping details →
Monday – Friday 8 AM – 9 PM
Saturday 12 PM – 4 PM
Sunday 12 PM – 9 PM
Healthy, stable animals from vetted suppliers — inspected before packing, shipped overnight. Decades of experience built this model so we can deliver premium livestock at 30%+ less than you'd pay elsewhere.
| Care Level | Easy |
|---|---|
| Temperament | Semi-Aggressive |
| Reef Safe | Yes |
| Functional Benefit | Ornamental Only |
| Diet Type | Carnivore |
| Mininum Tank Size | 30 gallons |
| Max Size | 3 inches |
| Temperature | 72–78°F |
| pH Range | 8.1–8.4 |
| Specific Gravity | 1.022–1.025 |
The Chalk Basslet (Serranus tortugarum) is a small Caribbean basslet with a pale blue to lavender base color and narrow orange vertical bars that show more strongly under reef lighting. It’s often seen hovering in the water column near rubble and rockwork, adding steady motion to reef-safe community tanks.
What You’ll Observe:
- Hovering a few inches above the sand or rock, then gliding back into a nearby crevice
- Short, confident patrol loops around a favorite section of rockwork
- More “grouped up” behavior when kept with other Chalk Basslets added at the same time
- Quick, midwater feeding responses once it learns your routine
To help it settle in, provide rockwork with multiple caves plus open space in front for hovering and feeding. Offer small meaty foods (like mysis and finely chopped frozen blends) in portions it can grab easily from the water column. If keeping more than one, introduce them together and spread out shelters so each fish can claim a spot.
Can I keep just one Chalk Basslet, or do they “need” a group?
Either works—single fish often adopt one main rock zone, while groups tend to hover together more when added at the same time.
Do Chalk Basslets pick one sleeping spot?
Many keepers notice they choose a consistent cave/ledge to tuck into at lights-out, then resume hovering from that same area the next day.
Will a Chalk Basslet learn to eat pellets?
Yes—once it’s eating frozen consistently, small sinking pellets usually work best when offered alongside frozen so it recognizes them as food.
Do they change color depending on lighting and background?
They can look more blue/gray over lighter sand and show stronger orange bars under higher-contrast reef lighting and darker rock.
Do they do better with lots of open sand, or lots of rock?
A balanced layout tends to work best: rock structure for “home base” plus open space in front for their hovering behavior.
Each fish is checked for strong appetite and activity before we approve it for your tank.
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