The Dispar Anthias, Pseudanthias dispar, is a small, colorful reef fish known for its vibrant colors and peaceful temperament. It's a popular choice for home aquariums, particularly for those with reef tanks.
Key Features:
Coloration: Males have a bright red dorsal fin and a distinctive purple-edged orange stripe. Females display a yellowish-orange top and pale lavender to white underside.
Size: They grow to a maximum of 10 cm (4 inches).
Temperament: They are generally peaceful and reef-safe, making them suitable for community tanks.
Habitat: They are found in shallow waters on coral reefs and outer reef slopes.
Aquarium Care:
Water Parameters: They prefer a temperature of 23-28°C, a pH between 8 and 8.5, and good water quality with low nitrates.
Tank Size: A minimum of 200 liters (50 gallons) is recommended for a small group.
Social Structure: They are social and thrive in groups of one male and 3-4 females.
Diet: They are active planktivores and prefer a diet of frozen mysis shrimp, enriched brine shrimp, and high-quality flake food.
Reef Compatibility: They are reef-safe and can be kept with other peaceful reef inhabitants.
Distinctive Features:
Hermaphroditic: Anthias are known for being hermaphroditic, meaning they can change sex if a dominant male dies.
Schooling Behavior: They naturally live in schools, so keeping them in groups is recommended.
Pseudanthias squamipinnis, commonly known as the Sea Goldie or Lyretail Anthias, is a vibrant, colorful fish with a distinctive appearance. Males are purplish-pink with a pink to orange stripe and a red patch on their pectoral fins, while females are golden-orange with a violet streak. They have elongated dorsal and caudal fins, particularly in males.
Here's a more detailed description:
Males: Purplish-pink with a pink to orange stripe from the eye to the pectoral fin base. They also have a red patch on the pectoral fin, pale spots on a blue anal fin, and elongated dorsal and caudal fins.
Females: Golden-orange with a violet streak below the eye.
Body Shape: Oval, laterally flattened body.
Scales: Scales may have a red edge.
Fins: Usually reddish or pink, occasionally with blue or purple edges.
Size: Can reach a maximum total length of about 15 centimeters.
Other Notable Features: Some populations exhibit variations in coloration, but generally feature gold and red tones with an orange/blue cheek stripe.
Behavior: Known for their attractive colors and are often shy, hiding under overhangs during the day.
Protogynous Hermaphrodite: A male can retain a harem of females, and the largest and most dominant female can transition to a male role when necessary.
The Amblyeleotris guttata, also known as the Spotted prawn-goby, is a small, peaceful fish typically found in pairs, often associated with Pistol shrimp. They are characterized by a pale white or grey body with orange spots and dark markings on the pelvic fins and eyes. These gobies are commensal, meaning they live in a mutually beneficial relationship with Pistol shrimp, and are considered reef-safe.
Key Characteristics of Amblyeleotris guttata:
Appearance: Pale grey or white body with bright orange spots, darker pelvic fins, and black eye markings.
Commensal Relationship: They live in association with a pair of Pistol shrimp (genus Alpheus).
Diet: They are carnivores and planktonophages, with them as predators.
Temperament: Peaceful and reef-compatible.
Size: Typically reach a maximum size of 7 cm.
Origin: Native to the reef environments of the Western Pacific Ocean.
In Pairs: Spotted prawn-goby are often kept in pairs within an aquarium, and their natural behavior is to live with Pistol shrimp
Signigobius biocellatus, commonly known as the Twinspot Goby or Eyespot Goby, is a species of Goby that often lives in pairs. Pairs typically share a burrow and exhibit a unique behavior of "hopping" around, with their large, yellow-ringed ocelli (eyes) on their dorsal fins and black pelvic and anal fins resembling pincers. They are known for their pale body with brown blotches and a narrow brown bar through the eye.
Here's a more detailed description:
Appearance:
Twinspot Gobies have a pale body with irregular brown spots and saddles on the upper half, and three irregular brown bars on the lower half. A narrow brown bar runs across the base of the caudal fin. Their pelvic and anal fins are black with blue spots.
Behavior:
They often hover low over the sand and signal to each other with their ocelli. They may be aggressive towards other Goby species, but prefer to live singly or in pairs.
Habitat:
They inhabit lagoons and coastal bays with silty substrate and cover amongst corals and reef rubble, to depths of 30 meters.
Breeding:
Twinspot Gobies can be bred in captivity. In the wild, pairs work together to create and maintain burrows. The male will sometimes be sealed into the burrow during spawning, and the pair may occasionally return to the burrow for maintenance.
Salarias ramosus, commonly known as the Starry Blenny, is a small to medium-sized fish with a dark brown or black body adorned with numerous small, white spots, giving it a starry appearance. It also features white markings around the mouth, pectoral fin bases, and along its back, as well as white "antlers" or frills on the head. These blennies are herbivores, primarily grazing on marine algae and detritus.
Here's a more detailed description:
Appearance:
The Starry Blenny is characterized by its dark body color, often appearing red-brown or black, with a multitude of small, white spots that resemble stars. They also have white markings around the mouth, at the bases of their pectoral fins, and in the form of saddle or band-like patches on their back. White "antlers" or frills are also present on their head.
Habitat:
These blennies are found in shallow, coastal areas, including reefs, and can also be found in brackish estuaries. They are often seen near reef rubble margins or in shallow protected areas.
Behavior:
Salarias ramosus are generally solitary or live in small groups. They are known to be territorial and can be aggressive towards other blennies, as well as some other fish that compete for food.
Diet:
Primarily herbivores, Starry Blennies graze on various marine algae and detritus. They have specialized, comb-like teeth for algae grazing.
Conservation Status:
Salarias ramosus is currently classified as Least Concern by the IUCN Red List.
Size:
These blennies can reach a length of up to 14 centimeters (5.5 inches)
A pair of Synchiropus splendidus, also known as the Splendid Mandarin, are characterized by their vibrant, multicolored appearance and unique body shape. They are small, scaleless fish with a broad head and elongated body, reaching about 3 inches in length. Their bodies are primarily blue, adorned with intricate patterns of orange, red, and yellow lines. Males have a more pointed, elongated first dorsal fin compared to females.
Key features of a pair of Synchiropus splendidus:
Coloration: Vivid blue, orange, red, and yellow patterns create a striking visual display.
Body Shape: Broad head and elongated body, with no scales.
Sexual Dimorphism: Males have a more elongated and pointed first dorsal fin.
Fin Structure: They possess two short dorsal fins, two large pectoral fins, and a large anal fin.
Habitat: Primarily bottom-dwelling reef fish, found in sheltered lagoons and inshore reefs.
Behavior: Slow-moving, peaceful, and slightly territorial, they typically live in pairs or small groups.
Diet: Primarily carnivores, feeding on small crustaceans and invertebrates.
The Zebrasoma veliferum, also known as the Sailfin Tang, is a distinctive marine fish easily recognized by its high dorsal and anal fins, which give it a "sail-like" appearance. It is a species in the Acanthuridae family, also known as the surgeonfishes. The Sailfin Tang is characterized by vertical stripes, dark greyish to brown dorsal and anal fins with pale bands, and a greyish-brown to yellow caudal fin.
Key Features:
High Fins: The dorsal and anal fins are significantly larger than those of other tangs, making the fish appear tall even when compared to its body length.
Striped Appearance: Adults have broad dark bands on a whitish background with thin yellow lines running through the banding.
Coloration: The head is white with a black bar through the eye and yellow dots and lines. The tail is yellow with a blue-white margin.
Size: The Sailfin Tang can reach a maximum length of 40 cm (15.5 inches).
Habitat: It lives in association with coral reefs.
Distribution: The Sailfin Tang is found throughout the Indo-West Pacific region, including Australia.
Diet: It is primarily herbivorous, feeding on filamentous algae.
Juveniles:
Juveniles are smaller and have alternating yellow and black bars.
They may be mistaken for small angelfish due to their similar dorsal and anal fins.
The Black Storm clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris) is a designer strain of the Ocellaris clownfish, known for its striking black and white coloration. It features a predominantly black body with irregular, bold white markings, creating a marbled or "stormy" appearance. These markings, along with a white face and black eyes, make each fish unique.
Here's a more detailed description:
Coloration:
The Black Storm clownfish is characterized by a predominantly black body with varying degrees of white markings. These white markings can appear as bars, spots, or a marbled pattern, making each fish's appearance unique.
Facial Features:
The face is typically white, contrasting with the black body, and the fish has black eyes.
Designer Strain:
The Black Storm is a specific strain bred by aquarists, resulting in a visually appealing and sought-after variant of the Ocellaris clownfish.
Behavior:
Like other Ocellaris clownfish, Black Storm clownfish are generally peaceful and adaptable to captive environments. They are also known to establish relationships with their host anemones or other substitutes.
Care:
Black Storm clownfish, like other Ocellaris clownfish, are relatively easy to care for in a well-maintained saltwater aquarium. They require a 20+ gallon tank, live rock for hiding, and a moderate water flow.
Diet:
They can be fed aquarium pellets, flakes, and various frozen foods like Mysis shrimp and brine shrimp.
The black Amphiprion ocellaris, also known as the black storm or Darwin ocellaris clownfish, is a striking variation of the common clownfish. These clownfish are naturally jet-black with white stripes, a stark contrast to the typical orange and white coloring. They are a captive-bred variant, meaning they do not naturally exist in the wild in their black form.
Key features of the black Amphiprion ocellaris:
Appearance:
Jet-black body with three distinct white stripes on each side. They may have a splash of orange on their face, especially when young, which disappears as they mature.
Size:
Reaches a maximum size of around 8 cm (3 inches).
Behavior:
They are known for their symbiotic relationship with anemones, providing shelter and protection for the clownfish and cleaning the anemone. They are also territorial over their anemone home.
Care:
They have the same care requirements as standard ocellaris clownfish. They need a well-established reef aquarium with a suitable host anemone, like the Bubble Tip anemone.
Diet:
They are omnivores and readily accept frozen, live, pellet, and flake foods.
Acanthurus olivaceus, the orange-band surgeonfish, the orange-shoulder surgeonfish or the orangebar tang,is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Acanthuridae, this family includes the surgeonfishes, unicornfishes and tangs. It lives in the tropical waters of the Indo-west Pacific.
Taxonomy
Acanthurus olivaceus was first formally described in 1801 by the German naturalists Marcus Elieser Bloch and Johann Gottlob Theaenus Schneider with its type locality given as Tahiti in the Society Islands,This species is closely related to the range restricted Marquesas surgeonfish (A. reversus), and together these taxa form a species complex within the genus Acanthurus.The genus Acanthurus is one of two genera in the tribe Acanthurini which is one of three tribes in the subfamily Acanthurinae which is one of two subfamilies in the family Acanthuridae.
Description
The orange band surgeonfish is a deep-bodied, laterally-compressed oval fish, rather over twice as long as it is deep, with a maximum length of 35 cm (14 in), although a more typical length is 25 cm (10 in). Both dorsal and anal fins are long and low, extending as far as the caudal peduncle. The dorsal fin has nine spines and 23 to 25 soft rays while the anal fin has three spines and 22 to 24 soft rays. The tail fin is crescent-shaped, the points growing longer as the fish gets older. The adult fish is greyish-brown; a sharp vertical line usually separates the paler front half of the fish from the darker hind portion. There is a distinctive orange bar, surrounded by a purplish-black margin, immediately behind the top of the gill cover, and blue and orange lines at the bases of the fins. Like all surgeonfish, this species has a pair of scalpel-like scales that project upward from the caudal peduncle. Larger males develop a convex snout which clearly differentiates them from females. Juvenile fish are yellow.
Distribution and habitat
This fish is found in the tropical eastern Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean. Its range extends from Christmas Island and the Cocos Keeling Islands to southern Japan, Western, Northern and Eastern Australia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Hawaii. It is associated with reefs, often on outer slopes and in more exposed locations. As an adult, it is a solitary fish or sometimes joins schools, with a depth range of between about 9 and 46 m (30 and 150 ft), but juveniles are found in shallower water in sheltered locations in small groups.
Ecology
The orange band surgeonfish feeds on detritus and on algae growing on the seabed, as well as the film of diatoms and filamentous algae that grows on sand and other substrates.[2] It often forms schools with parrotfish, tangs and other species of surgeonfish, which all have similar diets; their grazing is important in maintaining biodiversity by keeping rocks free from excessive growth of algae so that coral larvae can find suitable habitat to settle. The fish can change colour from dark to pale almost instantaneously.
Status
The orange band surgeonfish has a wide distribution in the tropical Indo-Pacific region and is moderately common. It is sometimes found in fish markets and in the aquarium trade but is not a species targeted by fisheries. No particular threats have been recognised, so the International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed its conservation status as being of least concern.
Valenciennea puellaris, commonly known as the Orange-spotted sleeper-goby, is a small, slender species of goby found in the Indian Ocean and western Pacific Ocean. They are characterized by their pale grey to brownish-grey body with a blue-edged orange stripe along the lower sides, orange dashes along the upper sides, and pale blue dashes on the head.
Key features of Valenciennea puellaris include:
Body Shape: Slender and elongated with a rounded caudal fin.
Coloration: Pale grey or brownish-grey with distinct orange markings. Pacific fish have a pale grey body with orange spots, while Indian Ocean fish have a pale blue-grey body with an orange stripe across the lower head and orange bars on the sides.
Scales: Ctenoid body scales that become cycloid anteriorly before the first dorsal fin.
Head: Lack scales on the head or midline of the nape, with scales extending forward on the side of the nape.
Fins: The third dorsal spine is the longest and filamentous in juveniles.
Habitat: Inhabit lagoons and outer reefs, with sandy substrates and rubble for burrows.
Behavior: Usually found in monogamous pairs, seeking refuge in shallow burrows.
Diet: Sift through sand for invertebrates, but may also consume small frozen foods.
Breeding: Spawning occurs in small caves or burrows, with the female guarding the eggs.
The Spotted Mandarin Dragonet, Synchiropus picturatus, is a popular aquarium fish known for its vibrant colors and peaceful nature. It's best kept as a pair, with a single male and female, though they can also live alone or in small, loose groups. They are often solitary, spending much of their time near the substrate or rocks in their natural habitat.
Key aspects of keeping a Synchiropus picturatus pair:
Pairing: A male and female pair is ideal, as they can live peacefully together.
Size: They can grow up to 8cm in length.
Tank Size: A minimum of 100 liters is recommended for a single specimen, with larger tanks needed for pairs or groups.
Diet: They are carnivorous and primarily feed on live microfauna like amphipods and copepods, which need to be present in sufficient numbers in the tank.
Tank Mates: Peaceful fish, seahorses, pipefish, and other small fish are good tank mates. They are not compatible with highly aggressive or competitive fish.
Aquarium Setup: They require a well-established aquarium with plenty of live rock for grazing and hiding, and a sandy bottom.
Temperament: They are generally peaceful and do not harm corals or invertebrates.
The picturesque dragonet (Synchiropus picturatus) is a brightly colored member of the dragonet family native to the Indo-West Pacific: Philippines, eastern Indonesia and northwest Australia. It occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade, where it is commonly known as the spotted mandarin, psychedelic mandarin or target mandarin.
Description
The picturesque dragonet may grow to a size of 7 cm in length. They have thick slime on their skin that inhibits many types of parasitic infection and minimizes the risk of disease following stress or physical trauma. This seems to help protect them from some other more aggressive fish.
Synchiropus picturatus is one of only two vertebrates known to have blue colouring because of cellular pigment, the other being the closely related Synchiropus splendidus. The name "cyanophore" was proposed for the blue chromatophores, or pigment-containing and light-reflecting cells. In all other known cases, the colour blue comes from thin-film interference from piles of flat, thin and reflecting purine crystals.
This species is quite harmless to humans and is quite peaceful with other species. The Picturesque dragonet is a marine animal that naturally lives at a temperature between 24-28 C.
