The Bicolor Blenny (Ecsenius bicolor) is a popular saltwater aquarium fish known for its distinctive two-toned coloration, typically blue or dark brown in the front half and orange or yellow in the back. They are relatively hardy, peaceful, and have engaging personalities, making them a good addition to many reef aquariums.
Key characteristics:
Appearance:
The most prominent feature is the color division, with the front half of the body displaying a blue to dull brown hue, while the posterior half is orange or yellow. Males may exhibit more vibrant colors, especially when breeding.
Size:
They typically grow to about 4 inches (10 cm) in length.
Temperament:
Generally peaceful, but can be territorial towards other blennies, gobies, and dartfish in smaller tanks.
Habitat:
Found in Indo-Pacific reefs, they are bottom-dwelling fish, often found among rocks and crevices.
Diet:
Bicolor Blennies are primarily herbivores, consuming algae and plant matter. They will also graze on algae growing in the aquarium and should be offered a varied diet including algae-based foods.
Reef Compatibility:
They are generally considered reef safe, but may nip at clams or large polyp stony corals in smaller setups or when underfed.
Aquarium Requirements:
A tank of at least 30 gallons is recommended, with plenty of rocks for perching and hiding.
In aquariums:
Bicolor Blennies are known for their active and curious personalities, often seen hopping from rock to rock, exploring their environment. They are a great addition to larger reef tanks where they can help control algae growth and provide entertainment with their antics.
Acanthurus pyroferus, also known as the chocolate surgeonfish or mimic surgeonfish, is a species of surgeonfish. Adults are typically dark brown or purplish-black with a yellowish tan anterior. They have a distinct orange patch at the gill opening and a prominent yellow band on the posterior margin of their caudal fin. Juveniles exhibit different color patterns that mimic other fish species like lemonpeel angelfish.
Key features of Acanthurus pyroferus:
Size: They can grow up to 29 cm (11 inches) in length.
Coloration: Adults are usually dark brown to purplish-black, sometimes with a yellowish tan anterior. They have an orange patch at the gill opening and a yellow band on their tail.
Fins: The dorsal fin has 8 spines and 27-30 soft rays, while the anal fin has 3 spines and 24-28 soft rays. The tail fin edge is lunate in adults and round in juveniles.
Tail Spine: A single, depressible spine on the side of the tail base, which is part of their defense mechanism.
Diet: They are herbivores and primarily graze on algae.
Habitat: Found in reef environments, including the Indo-Pacific region, the Red Sea, and the Indian Ocean
The yellow prawn-goby, or Cryptocentrus cinctus, is a small, bottom-dwelling goby native to the Western Pacific. They are known for their symbiotic relationship with alpheid shrimps, sharing burrows and benefiting each other. The fish can range in color from bright yellow to gray or brown, and can grow up to 10 centimeters long.
Here's a more detailed look at the yellow prawn-goby:
Appearance:
They can have a brilliant yellow color.
They can also have gray or brown coloration.
They may have a combination of these colors.
They often have 4-5 dusky bars and fine blue or white spotting on their head and body.
They can reach a length of up to 10 cm (3.9 in).
Habitat and Behavior:
They are found in coastal bays and lagoons.
They inhabit depths of 1 to 25 meters (3.3 to 82.0 ft).
They are symbiotic with alpheid shrimps.
They share burrows with shrimps, with the shrimp digging and maintaining the tunnel while the goby acts as a watchman.
Other Notable Features:
They can change color based on their environment and comfort level.
In good conditions, they are a bright yellow.
Under stress, they can become gray or brown.
They are popular in saltwater aquariums.
They are often kept in aquariums as small as 20 gallons (75 L).
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
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.
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 red-eye wrasse (Cirrhilabrus solorensis) is a species of wrasse native to Indonesia and Australia, where found near the Lesser Sundas, Maluka and Darwin. It inhabits coral reefs on coastal and outer reef lagoons at depths of 5 to 35 m (16 to 115 ft).
Adult male C. solorensis have a yellowish-dusky or yellow-green snout to crown, blue operculum, purple neck-region, yellow-orange upper body and blue belly. It can reach a total length of 11 cm (4.3 in).Until 2021, it was commonly confused with C. aquamarinus and C. chaliasi, which occur in similar habitats and all have mostly reddish eyes. In C. aquamarinus, which is found near Sulawesi, the adult male has a mostly deep yellow head, a dark blue back and operculum, and much of the body is blue-green. In C. chaliasi, which is found near the Lesser Sundas and Tukangbesi Islands, the adult male has a pinkish-red head, yellow-orange upper body and blue belly.Females of these species are considerably duller and not as easily separated.
C. solorensis occurs in small harems of one male, several females and juveniles. It is regarded as data deficient by the IUCN. It can be found in the aquarium trade.
The foxface rabbitfish (Siganus vulpinus), also known as the foxface, black-face rabbit fish, badger fish or the common foxface is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a rabbitfish belonging to the family Siganidae. It is found in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It can be found in the aquarium trade.
Taxonomy
The foxface rabbitfish was first formally described as Amphacanthus vulpinus in 1845 by the German zoologists Hermann Schlegel & Salomon Müller with the type locality given as Ternate Island one of the Molucca Islands in Indonesia.The blotched foxface (S. unimaculatus) differs from S. vulpinus in possessing a large black spot below the soft-rayed part of the dorsal fin. It is sympatric and not phylogenetically distinct, and though these two might be recently evolved species, they may be just colour morphs and should arguably to be united under the scientific name S. vulpinus. under the scientific name S. vulpinus.The specific name vulpinus means "fox-like", Schlegel and Müller did not explain what this alluded to but it is thought to be the pointed snout.
Description
The foxface rabbitfish has a compressed body which has a depth which fits into its standard length 1.9 to 2.4 times. The dorsal profile of the head is steep to the rear of the eye and there is an indentation between the eyes and a tubular snout. The caudal fin is weakly forked. There is a procumbent spine in the nape to the front of the dorsal fin.Like all rabbitfishes, the dorsal fin has 13 spines and 10 soft rays while the anal fin has 7 spines and 9 soft rays. The fin spines hold venom glands. This species attains a maximum total length of 25 cm (9.8 in), although 20 cm (7.9 in) is more typical.The main colour on this rabbitfish is vivid yellow with white on the head and front part of the body, however foxfaces can camouflage when experiencing threat, quickly changing colour to a dark brown. There is a black band running backwards from the mouth through the eye to the start of the dorsal fin and there is a black area on the breast that runs upwards to just above the base of the pectoral-fin, tapering as it does so.
Distribution and habitat
The foxface rabbitfish occurs in the far eastern Indian Ocean and in the western Pacific from Indonesia to the Marshall and Gilbert Islands north as far as Taiwan and south to New Caledonia and Australia.[1] In Australia it is found from Western Australia on the northern reefs and offshore reefs, at Ashmore Reef in the Timor Sea, and on the east coast in Queensland from the northern Great Barrier Reef to the Capricorn Islands. It has been recorded as deep as 30 m (98 ft).[1] This species lives in lagoons and seaward reefs where there is a rich growth of corals.
Biology
The foxface rabbitfish is omnivorous, eating mostly algae and zooplankton. They may be territorial, adults are normally found as either solitary individuals or in pairs and are associated with branching Acropora corals. Juveniles and subadults may sometimes form large schools, feeding on algae growing on the bases of Acropora corals.This species produces venom in the spines of its fins.In a study of the venom of a congener it was found that rabbitfish venom was similar to the venom of stonefishes.
Utilisation
The foxface rabbitfish appears in the aquarium trade. No statistics are kept for the catch and in some areas this species appears in mixed catches of reef fish, caught by spearfishing.
