bumble bee grouper

**fishyboi** · 06-10-2006, 8:14 PM

I saw this bumble grouper at my a lfs near a PC Bang. I jsut went inside and saw the bumble bee grouper. It was 7-8 inches and they were asking $150, but It was saltwater, the lady said they never live in freshwater and should stay in salt and I told that she was crazy. I was wondering can u change back to freshwater??

**davo** · 06-10-2006, 8:17 PM

they are saltwater i think, and ones that are living in freshwater, have been acclimatised

**Justin_James** · 06-10-2006, 9:54 PM

I've been in the marine hobby for a number of years and never heard of someone changing a grouper to fresh or even brackish water. They are a marine fish. The only fish I know of that can go from salt to fresh and back again is a molly. Marine fish should stay marine unless you want to drasticly shorten their lifespan or most likley kill them.

**fishyboi** · 06-10-2006, 10:13 PM

I know bumble bee groupers change to salt, but isnt that when they are older and when young they stay in fresh. Just wanted to know if it was possible to change them back

**rkc772** · 06-10-2006, 10:25 PM

from what i heard these types of grouper can be from saltwater to freshwater.. vise versa.. should be able to. i don't see any reason why. long term effect... i really don't know since i don't have one and they cost a fortune to get one. i'll stick with dats for now.

**davo** · 06-10-2006, 11:26 PM

i think they are a saltwater fish, along with as far as i know all groupers. however, there are bumblebees that have been acclimated to fresh. there are a few people on here that have them in fw. use the search function

**Justin_James** · 06-10-2006, 11:50 PM

They must not be a true grouper. ??? Groupers are born and raised in the ocean. It's like calling a freshwater redtail shark a real shark, am I right??? or am I wrong???

**davo** · 06-11-2006, 12:01 AM

Epinephelus polystigma is the only true fw grouper and is found in brackish too i think.

they are converted bumblebees, heres a video by alfon76 http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/fo...blebee+grouper

and another byR1_Ridah http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/fo...blebee+grouper

some pics of ones fugupuff the com. seller was selling http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/fo...blebee+grouper

neos himselfs BG http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/fo...blebee+grouper

and there are plenty of others

**guppy** · 06-11-2006, 12:35 AM

Originally Posted by Justin_James

They must not be a true grouper. ??? Groupers are born and raised in the ocean. It's like calling a freshwater redtail shark a real shark, am I right??? or am I wrong???

Unfortunately you are wrong,
the groupers are part of the family Serranidae, almost all are salt water but a few are brackish, some spend part of their time in freshwater, and one is a freshwater to brackish water fish and (as far as I know) has never been found in full seawater. It is the white-dotted grouper (Epinephalus polystigma), it is an attractive fish that I have never seen sold, pity, becuase it would be perfect, getting to a max of just under 16" and breeding in brackish and freshwater as small as 8" long. here is a picture by Randall.

The Bumblebee grouper is a huge and rather unattractive fish as an adult and has been recorded at around 10' long and 800 lbs. Keeping them in freshwater lowers there resistance to disease and I have found no records of them reaching any where near maturity in FW, they seem to requie more and more salt as they age and by the time they are 4-5' long (in the wild) they are solitary hunters near reef systems. IMO they are not a good choice for private fish keepers.