Lutjanus decussatus

(Cuvier, 1828)

Checkered Snapper

Range: Indo-West Pacific Ocean: Southern India and Sri Lanka to Papua New Guinea, north to Southern Japan, and south to the Great Barrier Reef.

Size: 12 inches (30 cm)

Natural Environment: Inhabits coastal reef faces, sandy slopes and patch reefs at depths between 6 – 100 feet (2 – 30 m) and feeds mainly on smaller fish, along with crustaceans, crabs, worms, clams, urchins, and various other benthic invertebrates.

General Husbandry: Rarely appears in the trade and has an elongated white body with numerous horizontal brownish and tan bands, some broken up into dots and short patches, and a large black spot on the caudal peduncle.

Best maintained in large fish-only aquariums with wide-open swimming areas, and also caves and overhangs to take shelter in when it feels it needs to, to continue to survive in captivity.

As to diet, will eat a wide variety of frozen and fresh meaty foodstuffs (chopped squid, fish flesh, shrimp, clam, etc.), including any ornamental crustaceans and small fish in the aquarium, and should be fed at least once per day. Requires lots of open swimming area.

Taxonomy:

Order: Perciformes

Suborder: Percoidei

Family: Lutjanidae

Genus: Lutjanus

FYI: A predator and will eat any moving invertebrates and fish small enough to fit into its mouth! One per aquarium.

Groupers, angelfish, and triggerfish make good tankmates.

Experience Level: Intermediate

Temperament: Active/aggressive

Diet: Carnivore

Coral Safe: Yes

Invertebrate Safe: No

Fish Safe: With caution

Acclimation Time: 30 minutes+

Aquarium Environment: Fish-only aquarium

Tankmates: Active and slightly aggressive

Minimum Tank Size: 200+ gallons

Temperature Range: 72 - 84°F (22 – 29°C)

Specific Gravity: 1.020 -1.026

pH: 8.0 - 8.5