Liopropoma Swalesi is a small deep-sea bass commonly found in Indonesian waters. It resembles other members of the Liopropoma genus, graceful, streamlined, with a body shape resembling an arrowhead. I rarely exceed 4 inches, while most specimens are 2-3 inches in size.
Orange stripes horizontally border its faded purple body, while its muzzle is dark gray. Its dorsal and anal fins have a single black spot.
It is commonly known as the shyest member of the Liopropoma genus. They also go by other names like swalesi basslet, pacific candy basslet, swale’s swissguard basslet, and my personal favorite, the poor man’s candy basslet. That last description refers to Liopropoma Carmabi, the sweet bass.
Differentiating the two is a fairly easy task. Liopropoma Carmabi lacks a black spot on the anal fin, costs ten times as much, and has very striking colors. So striking that they are probably the most sought after fish among deep sea bass enthusiasts.
It is not a cheap fish with prices ranging between 80 and 120 dollars per specimen. They are not regularly imported, so finding one can be a problem.
Unfortunately, the swalesi bass is considered one of the most difficult bass to keep due to its shy disposition. I hope this guide provides all the necessary information regarding your requirements in a marine aquarium. Simply put, raising swalesi sea bass is going to be very easy or next to impossible. Success depends on a number of factors that I will mention throughout this article.
The Swalesi Basset is a very shy and solitary fish. It does well with non-aggressive fish. Small, invertebrate fish like the sexy shrimp and neon goby will end up being eaten.
I currently have two in a 15 gallon reef aquarium. They were introduced at the same time and although there was some mild aggression between the two, life after a week was very peaceful.
They are not as hostile towards members of the same species as other fish normally are. That is, members of the centropye family.
In the overview I mentioned how this fish would be very easy or very difficult to keep in a saltwater aquarium. Its difficulty largely depends on 3 things: –
* Tank size
* Availability of caves and shaded areas
* Tankmates
Swalesi Bass do best in smaller aquariums from 15 to 30 gallons. This is because in smaller aquariums they have fewer tank mates (well at least they should) and you have more control over the tank. Removing tankmates, as well as rock repair, can be done with a minimum of effort. Not so in a large 150 gallon tank. If you put a swalesi basslet into a tank that size, it won’t get it out. You’ll probably never see it either.
They need “silent” tanks to do it right. By quiet I mean an aquarium with very little daily activity. Putting them in a small tank full of constantly moving fish will spell doom for them. They should be kept in smaller aquariums that were designed just for them or in tanks with very few fish.
The genus Liopropoma are all deep-sea cave basslets. As such, the rocky landscape in your saltwater aquarium MUST contain at least a few caves for them to shelter in. These fish do not do well in tanks with “open” rocky landscapes and will surely die in such environments.
Avoid housing them with aggressive fish, if there is any intimidation they may refuse to come out of their hiding places to feed. Which is a commonly reported case, I might add. They retreat to a shady area and refuse to go out to eat.
Since they come from deeper water, they are not used to lighting levels as intense as those normally seen in aquariums. Don’t worry if you don’t see them very often after the presentation. Give them time to slowly adjust.
All members of the genus Liopropoma are carnivorous. They actively explore the rock work in and around their roost for small crustaceans.
They do not take dry food. They will spit out just about every type of pellet you can offer. I’ve also tried dried krill, dried shrimp, basically anything dried and it didn’t work. Feed it only frozen food.
Offer them a wide range of meaty foods in captivity. Offer frozen foods like Krill, Mysis Shrimp, and Prime Reef (a nice mix of raw seafood) from Ocean Nutrition.
Don’t worry if they don’t feed right away, they require up to a week to adjust to their new environment. When you initially try to feed them, turn off the pumps and place some frozen mysis shrimp in their cave. Wait 10 minutes then turn the pumps back on and look for any floating pieces of mysis, there shouldn’t be any. I have found that they are very receptive to mysis shrimp, probably because they recognize shape.
As always, I advise you to stay away from frozen brine shrimp as they are nutritionally poor. If you must feed them brine shrimp, always choose a type that has been enriched, but in the end it is better to feed them krill or mysis shrimp.
To date, no one has successfully reared swalesi bassleti larvae. The longest time someone has reared their larvae is 15 days. The genus Liopropoma is thought to have bidirectional juvenile gonads. This means that the juveniles have the potential to become either male or female, but cannot turn back once they are sexually mature.
Spawning behavior consists of the male encircling the female and pushing her up into the water column until they finally spawn. Very similar to how dwarf angelfish spawn. Once the fertilized eggs are released, they float to the surface of the ocean. Where they presumably hatch and begin to feast on the planktonic life that is always present near the ocean’s surface.
While this fish may be beautiful, it’s certainly not for everyone. Especially not for you if:-
* You want a fish that you can see swimming outdoors every day
* You have a small tank with lots of fish and a constant high level of activity
* You have a tank with too little live rock or a rocky landscape that is too “open”