How Large is a Grouper?

Groupers can reach the length of 2.5 meters while weighing 1,000 pounds! This fish is very large and heavy. The name grouper is given to many different fish, however when referring to this name it usually means that the fish belongs to the subfamily Epinephelinae.

Some groupers can even become pets but some of them are too large for a life in captivity. Keep on reading to get to know grouper more along with their behavior and size in this article.

Grouper stats

As you know groupers are large and these statistics are for the fish type that can be kept as a pet. One of the most remarkable groupers is the grouper goliath fish which is 8.2 feet long and weighs up to 363 kg.

The appearance of Grouper

The fact is grouper can vary in size and appearance drastically because of how widely the term is used. You can find groupers that are a few inches in size to groupers that are a few feet in size!

However, one way to identify a grouper is by their elongated body and their predatory behavior. Moreover, most groupers have huge and thick mouths to be able to swallow even big prey very easily.

When it comes to their body color, they are very dull. Most of them come in dull green or brown colors that are not exciting at all. However, there are some species that are very brightly colored with cool patterns found as well; they can be red, orange, blue, and black in colors along with cool patterns.

Types of gropers

There are many different types of groupers found and it would take forever to name them all. Therefore, here are some groupers that you can find in the ocean and how big they can get. Some groupers are very unique, and some are only found in some places.

Black-saddled coral grouper

These are found in East Africa, Japan, Australia, and some other places. They are considered rare but can be kept as pets. This fish gets 51 inches in size. Appearance wise there are quite variations, but they all have black saddles on their bodies as the name suggests.

Black grouper

These are different from the one mentioned above as they are dark gray or olive in color with black blotches all over their bodies. You can find these fish in deep water like the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. These are one of the largest found that can be around four feet in length and weigh 100 pounds.

Gag grouper

These are also known as gray groupers and can be hard to distinguish from black groupers. These groupers can get up to three feet in length and can weigh 50 pounds which is much less than the black groupers but still, it is a lot. They are mostly found in Florida and the Bahamas and have a long lifespan of around 30 years.

Miniatus grouper

This is another grouper that can be kept in a home tank granted it has to be a big tank. In the wild, they can get as big as 18 inches but in captivity, they usually don’t get bigger than 12 inches. It is an aggressive fish that is brightly colored like orange, blue, and yellow.

Goliath grouper

You already know that this is the largest grouper found in the ocean. Interestingly, despite their eight feet long bodies and 800-pound bodies, they are found in shallow water hunting for food. You are not allowed to keep these fish due to overfishing in the last century, they are only good for looking at.

Blueline grouper

These are quite small saltwater fish that can be kept as pets. They have a maximum size of only 11 inches, and they are easy to keep but they are just as aggressive as bigger grouper. These are famous for having quite interesting appearance with brown bodies which have bright blue lines all over the body and their eyes are this bright blue color as well.

Snowy grouper

These groupers are used mostly as food as they are famous seafood items. Physically they are completely brown with random white dots on their bodies. They can grow to be 17 to 20 inches in length weigh around 50 pounds and are found deep in the ocean.

Clown grouper

These are other smaller groupers that cannot be kept with other small fish and shrimp, and they are best for a tank with no other organism. They have interesting patterns on their bodies and have a yellow body with brown-black saddles and white dots on the yellow part of the body. They can get up to 14 inches in size.

Nassau grouper

The Nassau grouper is also known as white grouper because they have white stripes on a usually brown body. They are mostly found in the Bahamas but now they are an endangered species and you are not allowed to take them. They are around 12 inches in size and weigh 30 pounds and are not the biggest.

Scamp grouper

This grouper can be caught and kept if you do manage to catch them. You might not even recognize them as groupers because they are much smaller than all the other groupers that you find.

The average size of these is around 42 inches and they are very light and weigh only five pounds! If you do manage to find a scamp grouper that is over five pounds, it will be a huge deal. These are one of the most delicious groupers that can be eaten and are only found in very deep water.

Conclusion

There are many different grouper in the wild and they all have different sizes and weight and it is hard to tell how large they are.