Normally loners, these fish usually only form groups to breed.

Cedric and his friends

Groupers are actually very unsociable loners. That’s what makes it all the more surprising that Cedric, the oldest of our three groupers, has built such a substantial group of friends. Shortly after his arrival at the OZEANEUM in 2009 he established close ties with his tank-mate in the quarantine area – the triggerfish. A friendship that arose and continues today despite the grouper’s normally instinctive territorial defensive behavior.

When Cedric was then allowed to move into his new home in the large schooling fish tank a short time after that, he found a contender for his friendship already waiting for him there. This time it was an amberjack. The playful mackerel quite clearly demonstrated to Cedric that it harbored a keen interest in him by relentlessly following him around the entire tank. Any attempt by the grouper to get rid of the intrusive mackerel failed. After a while, however, this attachment to Cedric petered out by itself and new visitors arrived in the tank. Two younger groupers were now vying for the upper hand in Cedric’s territory. The aquarium keepers feared smaller disputes. But here, too, the turf wars that had been expected surprisingly failed to materialize. Instead, the trio lives together in a kind of peaceful harmony and are often found in and around the sperm whale skeleton.