A dazzling juvenile Neptune Grouper in alternating bands of white and yellow.

Cephalopholis igarashiensis, more commonly known as the Neptune Grouper, is a stunning and highly prized deepwater fish that is very rarely  almost never encountered in the trade. There are few groupers that can rival the rarity and coloration of this truly spectacular species. Adults are generally more insanely colored but juveniles are just as, if not, equally beautiful. The three inch juvenile above was brought into Singapore by Coral Farm, and is one of a handful of juveniles to have ever existed in the aquarium trade.

A healthy and inquisitive specimen, this little baby is only slightly larger than the average flame angelfish!

Measuring in at around the same length as a medium sized flame angelfish, this highly respected king of groupers is set to retail at around a hefty $8,000 SGD, that’s equivalent to 6.3k USD. Not a small price tag indeed. Needless to say, the rarity of this fish is only exacerbated by its size, as many of these species adopt an inverse price structure whereby juveniles are way more expensive. We can almost imagine the time and care taken to decompress this little guy.

Just as expensive as it is beautiful.

We hope this gem of a fish finds a good home and leads a long fulfilling life. It’s not everyday you get to see a juvenile Neptune Grouper in person, and it is truly breathtaking. Below are two videos of the only other two neptune groupers we’ve tracked down in the past, the first video is fresh from the depths collected by Deep Sea Challengers and the second had been living and growing at House of Fins for almost a year, and noticeably darker from living in a brighter environment.