Yellow-edged lyretail

Where they come from

Yellow-edged lyretails (Variola louti) roam reefs across the Indo-Pacific, from the Red Sea to Japan. You usually see them hanging off ledges and drop-offs, cruising open water and then ducking back into caves. They hunt at dawn and dusk and spend midday loafing in shade.

Setting up their tank

Short version: they get huge. Mine pushed past 18 inches in a few years and still had growing to do. Plan for an 8-foot tank with real width. If you cannot commit to that, pick a smaller species.

• Tank size: 500+ gallons long-term. Footprint matters more than height. Aim for 8x3 feet or bigger.
• Aquascape: big, stable rockwork with at least one cave it can fully back into, plus open water to cruise.
• Lids: tight-fitting. They spook and jump, and that tail can clear gaps you did not know you had.
• Flow and oxygen: moderate to strong, with rippling surface and high O2. Big groupers suck up oxygen.
• Filtration: oversized skimmer, heavy biofiltration, and a plan for nitrate export (refugium, roller mat, big water changes).
• Lighting: whatever your other fish need. They do not care much, but they like shaded ledges.
• Parameters: 76-79 F, 1.025-1.026 SG, pH 8.0-8.4, 0 ammonia/nitrite. Nitrate 10-40 ppm is fine if oxygen is high and the diet is solid.

Quarantine pays off. I give new groupers 4-6 weeks with observation, praziquantel for flukes, and copper only if I see ich/velvet. Keep the QT roomy with strong aeration. Use PVC pipes for hides.

What to feed them

They are carnivores with a serious bite. You can keep them healthy without live feeders. In fact, skip feeders entirely.

• Staples: chopped shrimp, squid, scallop, clam, krill, and marine fish flesh (mackerel, salmon, silversides).
• Pellets: train to large sinking carnivore pellets (e.g., 4-6 mm). Start by stuffing pellets into shrimp, then reduce the shrimp over time.
• Supplements: soak foods in vitamins and HUFA (like Selcon) a few times a week to avoid HLLE and fatty liver.
• Feeding stick or tongs: keeps your fingers safe and reduces the chance of gulping air at the surface.
• Schedule: juveniles small portions daily; adults 3-4 modest meals per week. A stuffed grouper is a lazy, greasy grouper.

How they behave and who they get along with

Think solitary, confident, and very food-motivated. Mine claimed one cave and ignored most fish that were too big to swallow. Anything bite-sized vanished at night.

• Safe tankmates: other large, assertive fishes that are too big to fit in the mouth - big angels, large tangs, robust wrasses, puffers, foxfaces, some triggers (the less-nippy types), and morays.
• Risky: small wrasses, anthias, chromis, gobies, dartfish, and shrimp/crabs. They are snacks.
• Other predators: mixing with another grouper can go either way. Similar body shapes or sizes often scrap. If you try it, add both large and at the same time, with multiple caves.
• Reef status: they do not eat corals, but they will redecorate and swallow your clean-up crew. Not a shrimp-friendly fish.

Breeding tips

Not a home project. Like most groupers, they change sex (female to male) and form spawning groups on reefs. You would need a massive system and a group, and even then you are fighting biology and space. Enjoy a single specimen.

Common problems to watch for

• Refusing food early on: keep lights low, offer fresh squid or prawn on tongs, and do not hover. They almost always cave within a few days.
• Parasites: flukes are common. Two rounds of praziquantel in QT clears most cases. Watch for flashing and excess mucus.
• Ich/velvet: heavy breathing and fine dusting on the fins means act fast. Copper or chloroquine in QT, plus strong aeration.
• HLLE and fatty liver: solved with varied diet, vitamin/HUFA soaks, and stable water quality. Pellet training helps with balance.
• Jaw and head injuries: they spook and blast into lids or rock. Leave a clear runway in front of their cave and cover sharp edges.
• Low oxygen: big predators crash fast in a power outage. Battery air pumps and a generator are worth it for a tank like this.
• Waste load: they are messy. If nitrates creep up and you get a greasy film, increase export and cut portions.

If you stick with them, they become interactive and surprisingly calm. Set up the space right, feed smart, and they are a blast to keep.