a healthy royal gramma will always eat, right?

[blk_g20]

i've been wanting to get a royal gramma. i've seen 3 total in two of my LFS and none of them ate when i asked the employee to feed them. so i ended up not buying any. i assumed a normal healthy fish will eat when given the chance, like my clowns. is this correct?

[Tanked]

When I bought my royal gramma 3 weeks ago, I asked the store employee if he would feed it. He told me it had been fed about an hour before I arrived and probably wouldn't eat. It was also housed with about a dozen very aggresive yellow damsels. I watched the gramma for 20 minutes without it taking a nibble. It did seem interested, but wasn't willing to break through the damsel frenzy. Everything else about the gramma seemed okay. Fins were in good shape, was breathing normally, acting normally in that it was quick and alert. So I bought it without seeing it feed and everything has been fine, aside from one slightly scary water condition issue. Very active in my 12 gallon tank, eating well, and not nearly as shy as they are reputed to be.

[fawkes027]

Yeah my royal gramma is an odd ball as well. It eats, but that's the only time I see it. It hates me. Everybody else it comes out and swims around...lets its photo be taken. It sees me and hides. Ah well.

[Jennifer]

I've found that my gramma simply doesn't like going above the rockwork, and doesn't like getting too close to another fish. He'll dart quickly to the top, grab a bite, then retreat until the optimum opportunity presents itself once again.

 

As for him "liking" me...I think grammas have a cat-like attitude. They'll never let on that they dig you! I've had mine over a year, but he pretty much stays in and around the rockwork unless I feed him. Unlike the clown, that greets me every time I come by.

 

Here's a photo of my gramma.