Hamlets of the Hypoplectrus genus are a small group of colorful fish from the Carribean Sea. Hamlets come in a few very bright yellow or blue colors and although they are affordable and readily available, this genus is still not as well known in the aquarium hobby as they deserve. Aside from their small size and bright colors, Hamlets have great personalities and a mild disposition. The only thing to watch out for in an aquarium environment is that their sizeable mouth will easily slurp down most shrimp and small fish, much as a larger hawkfish would do. The other interesting thing to note about hamlets is that they are simultaneous hermaphrodites which produce egg and sperm at the same time. So when they spawn, Hypoplectrus hamlets take turns being the dominant male or submissive female partner using color and posture to advertise which role they will take during a particular spawning ascent. The video above clearly shows the several spawning ascents that hamlets make every evening and it gives good footage of several really beautiful species including the golden hamlet, H. gummigutta and the indigo hamlet, H. indigo.
