Hi Katfish,
If you can figure out the great "Royal Gramma" mystery....I could sure use the advice. Here's my itsy bitsy knowledge base on em - they are very prone to ich and timid creatures. Other than that - they're supposed to be pretty hardy - HA! I've gone through 3 of em, and vow never again to try and kill another one.
My first one had a slight case of ICH when I got him - no problem I thought, my green-x and cleaner shrimp can help - they cured my tang, or so I believed at the time ( this was back when before I had a quarantine tank ). The Gramma acclimated fairly well, chased my yellowtail damsel quite a bit, ate very well, and found a small home in a front LR I have in my tank. It even gave other fish the "Large Mouth Scare" when they came close to its hole ( only scares damsels - clowns and tangs seem immune form the scare 8^).
Then he started staying in the hole for a long time ( 1-2 days solid ). Next morning he was floating - ACH. BAD Luck me thoughts...
So I got another one - Stronger, Faster and bursting with virility. No hint of spots anywhere. Heck he could practically live in a gallon of gasoline. So OK - acclimated fine like the other. Even found the same hiding whole as the other - kinda worried me a bit. Ate well, chased damsels, and all the rest. Then one day he stayed in the hole the whole day and simply squirmed around in there - so I knew he was alive ( I could spy on him there ). Hmmmmm...my concerns began. OK he'll be allright just shy and not eating with the rest of the fish. Then that night one of my Fire shrimp went into that hole, and the RG flew out and circled wildly like he couldnt swim right...he went into the back rocks and stood still. I noticed lots of whitespots on his belly. ( BTW I've been treating the tank religiously since the first one died ). Sure enough - he went belly -up.
After a few weeks and no signs of Ich on anyone else ( yep even the Purple Tang who even catches ICH when he sees dandruff commercials on my TV ). I found a RG at a Distributor outlet ( yep for 10 bucks ). He looked like he was in great shape, he didnt have the big red "S" like my second RG, but strong enough...
By Now, I have graduated to "level 2 marine aquarist" and have already set up a small Quarantine tank which I vowed to use on any incoming fish. Small rock in it to hide in, etc. I acclimated him into the new tank and then gave myself a Scooby Snack for thinking I was a genius. After about 4 hours...I saw him in the corner breathing rapidly and laying sideways...ACK Water parameters checked out fine, but he looked like he was going belly up soon....Then a voice from heaven said "place him in the main tank" - OK it wasnt really from heaven but from my friend who thinks he's God when it comes to fishkeeping. Ok I thought, makes some kind of obscure sense to me.
When I floated the bag in the main tank - All my fireshrimp stood up and started applauding - I should have known something was wrong then and there. BTW - there is no doubt I unintentionally have the best fed fireshrimp in the whole US - but thats another story...
OK so Gramma #3 goes in, hides and settles. That evening he comes out - swims and feeds like he's in perfect health. Next day - he comes out and swims and starts asserting himself . All is good I think - third times a charm. Then the RG seems to find the hole in the front piece of LR that all the other Grammas went into - uh oh, I thinks, that's the HAUNTED ROCK of the tank. Well, he goes in, sees that it fits, and starts to protect it. At least I can spy on him a bit, he'll be ok. Well that evening he doesnt come out to feed like he normally does. The next morning he's missing. I leave and come back for the day in the evening and Fireshrimp number 1 is napping on the couch with his hand in his pans watching TV. Fireshrimp #2 is relaxing on the can like he just ate a big meal, and low and behold, Fireshrimp number 3 gets spotted with the goods - a cleaned our RG with head still intact , but nothing else but skeleton ( I bet he was leaving it for my Coral Banded Shrimp - my fireshrimp sure are generous...)
OK - I get the point. I wish not to extinct these colorful beautiful creatures so I wont try another one for quite a long time....
Lathen