The French Angelfish or Pomacanthus paru is a saltwater fish from the family Pomacanthidae. This species of Angelfish inhabits the western Atlantic from Florida and the Bahamas to Brazil. It is also found in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean.
French Angelfish are most often seen in depths of between 2 and 100 m and can grow up to 16" (41 cm). This species is monogamous, staying with the same partner and defending its territory together against other couples. They are often caught around reefs and are considered to be quite tasty.
When these fish are young they act as cleaner fish, removing parasites and other "food" from the bodies of other fish including jacks, snappers, morays, grunts, tangs, and wrasses. The fish that wants to be cleaned does a dance of sorts to let the French Angelfish know they would like to be serviced. You can check out a Tang fish getting cleaned by a juvenile French Angelfish in the video below.
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The Glassy Sweeper or Pempheris schomburgki is a small saltwater fish with a tall, long body. They have a big head with large eyes and a very wide mouth. These fish are quite the sight to be seen when they are younger. Their bodies are so transparent that the backbone can be seen in the living fish. As they grow older, their bodies become more solid reaching lengths of about 15cm in length.
Also known as the Copper Sweeper, their color varies from tan-yellow to silver.
They are found in Western Atlantic, southeastern Florida, USA, from Bahamas to Santa Catarina (south of Brazil) and Brazilian oceanic islands. They are a nocturnal species found in clear water with coral bottom, forming aggregations in dark crevices and caves. Glassy Sweepers can be kept in an aquarium plenty of hiding spaces. This fish will feed on zooplankton and invertebrate larval in the wild. You can check out a large school of adult Glass Sweepers in the video below.
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Courtesy of Ellano J. Silva - Fisheries engineering student (UFERSA- Brazil)
The Scat fish or Scatophagus argus is one of only four known species in the Scatophagidae family. This fish has the ability to survive in saltwater, brackish water and freshwater. Also known as the Spotted Scat and the Argus Fish, they are often kept in an aquarium setting. Scats have an oblong body that is laterally compressed. It has a bunch of dark spots on it that become fainter as they grow older. This fish is greenish brown with younger fish tending to have some red on their fins.
Scats are found in the Indian and Pacific Oceans and can grow to about 12" (300mm) in length. In the wild they are scavengers that will eat whatever they can find. In fact their scientific name actually means excrement eater! This helps in an aquarium because they are not picky eaters and will help to keep the tank clean. This fish will eat pretty much anything including green foods such as spinach, peas, flake foods and lettuce. Triggerfish are said to be a good tankmate for these fish. You can check out a Scat swimming in the video below.
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The Humbug or Dascyllus aruanus is a popular saltwater aquarium fish from the Pomacentridae family of Damselfish. Considered to be quite hardy, this fish is a great choice for beginners. It goes by a couple different names in the aquarium trade including the Three Striped Damsel and the White-tailed Damselfish.
Humbug are found in the Indian and Pacific oceans and can grow to about 3" (75mm) in length. These fish can easily be identified by the three black bars that run across their bodies and their white tails. They are the hardiest of the Damselfish. Chopped meats, flake food and frozen foods as well as algae will keep the Humbug happy and healthy. Be careful they need plenty of room when kept with similar species. You can check out the Humbug fish in an aquarium setting in the video below.
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The Striped Sailfin Tang or Zebrasoma veliferum is just one of the many different species of saltwater fish from the Acanthuridae family of Tangs and Surgeons. This fish has an unusually large dorsal and anal fin with a brown, yellow and white striped body. Their tails are a bright yellow with blue highlights. Striped Sailfin Tang are found in the shallow waters of the Indo-Pacific and Red Sea, in and around reefs. Sometimes they are referred to simply as the Sailfin Tang or the Pacific Sailfin Tang.
Like other Tangs, they are quite poplar in an aquarium setting and are considered to be peaceful unless around larger fish. These fish should be fed a variety of greens and protein foods. They are also considered to be bold grazers. Striped Sailfin Tang can grow to about 15" (380mm) in length and require a large aquarium of at least 180 gallons with the following water conditions, 72-78° F, dKH 8-12, pH 8.1-8.4, sg 1.020-1.025. You can check out the Stiped Sailfin Tang swimming in the video below. Can you name all the species in the video?
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The Royal Gramma or Gramma loreto is just one of three known species of saltwater fish in the Grammidae family. The Royal Gramma is a cave-dwelling fish that is found in the Western Atlantic Ocean. These fish grow to about 5" (130mm) in length and are made up of a beautiful combination of purple and yellow.
Royal Gramma are sometimes kept in an aquarium setting, but do not get along very well with others when kept in small aquariums. They do best in a large tank with many soft corals and hiding spots. The Royal Gramma should be gradually exposed to brighter lights. It can be fed a variety of foods included flake food as well as frozen and live marine foods.
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The Striped Mullet or Mugil cephalus is a fish from the Mugilidae family which consists of about 70 different species. Striped Mullet fish are bluish gray or green along the back with silver on the sides and a white underbelly. They have a series of black horizontal bars that run down their bodies with a small mouth and blunt nose.
Also known as the Black Mullet, Sea Mullet and Fatback, this fish can grow to about 3' in length and and weigh up to 12lbs. These fish can survive in both freshwater and saltwater and are found in the Pacific Ocean and many warm seas throughout the world.
Striped Mullet are schooling fish that are often seen leaping out of the water. These fish will ingest mud from the bottom and work it through their gill rakers and teeth, filtering out the plant and animal material and spitting out the rest. They are said to have gizzard-like stomachs for grinding food up. You can check out a large group of Striped Mullet in the video below.
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Blind Shark (Brachaelurus waddi) is one of the two species of Carpet Sharks from the Brachaeluridae family. Despite their name, these sharks are not blind, but instead get their name from the fact that they tend to close their eyes when outside of water.
Blind Sharks are found off the Eastern coast of Australia in waters of up to 460' (140 m). These sharks are nocturnal feeders and are often found in seagrass beds or around rocky formations. They will normally dine on any and all invertebrates and a variety of bony fishes. This species can live for up to 18 hours out of water, allowing it to survive being stranded by the outgoing tide.
Like other sharks they are ovoviviparous and normally give birth during the summer months. They will produce a litter of up to eight pups. You can check out the Blind Shark in action in the video below...
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The Majestic Snapper or Symphorichthys spilurus is a beautiful saltwater fish from the Lutjanidae family of Snappers. They can be easily identified by their extremely long dorsal and anal fins. They also have horizontal blue and yellow stripes that run down their bodies. Another distinguishing characteristic of this species of Snapper is a black blotch that is found near their tail and two black bars crossing their heads.
Majestic Snappers are found in the Pacific ocean and can grow to about 12" in length. They make a very good aquarium fish due to their peaceful temperament and brightly colored bodies. Like other Snappers, they are carnivores that should be fed a variety of meaty foods. These fish are very fast growers and should be kept in a large aquarium of at least 180 gallons. They are also known as Hifin Snapper, Blue-lined Sea Bream and the Sailfin Snapper. You can check out the Majestic Snapper in the Pacific Ocean in the video below.
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The Hickory Shad or Alosa mediocris is a fish that can survive both freshwater and saltwater from the Clupeidae family of Herring. It goes by a few different names including Fall Herring, Bonejack, Shad Herring and the Freshwater Taylor. These fish are long and slender reaching about 2' in length and weighing up to 6lbs. This fish has an oblique mouth and a lower jaw that sticks out further then its upper jaw.
The Hickory Shad spends the majority of its life in the ocean. Once it matures it returns to the freshwater streams and rivers in which it was born to spawn in the spring and summer months. Once these fish hatch they will often make their way to the sea in the fall and early winter. You can learn a bit more about Hickory Shad in the video below.
They are found exclusively on the Atlantic coast of North America and is often found in schools. They will feed on small fish, squid, fish eggs, crustaceans and crabs. If you have any additional information about the Hickory Shad please leave us a comment below.
The Scribbled Angelfish or Chaetodontoplus duboulayi is a beautiful saltwater fish that is found in the Pacific Ocean in and around reefs. This species of Angelfish can grow to about 8-1/2" (220mm) in length and is a fairly popular aquarium fish. Scribbled Angelfish get their name from the dark blue scribbles that cover the majority of their bodies. A dark bar runs across their eyes and their mouths are yellow. They also can be identified by the vertical yellow bar behind their gills and a yellow horizontal stripe that runs across the top of their bodies.
Scribbled Angelfish are omnivorous grazers that will feed on crustaceans, algae, coral polyps and a variety of foods. They are from the Pomacanthidae family of saltwater fishes are are sometimes referred to as Duboulay's Angelfish. These fish require a large aquarium with plenty of hiding spaces. They are considered to be fairly shy at first, but once they grow accustom to their new environment they will be quite active and can even learn to feed right out of the owner's hand! You can check out the Scribbled Angelfish in an aquarium in the video below.
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The Stonecat or Noturus flavus is one of the more common species of Catfish. It is widely distributed throughout North America in places like the Hudson River, Great Lakes, St. Lawrence River and Mississippi River basin. This freshwater fish is often found in and around large rocks, hence their name the Stonecat. Be careful if you catch one of these fish they have poison glands at the base of their pectoral and dorsal fin spines that can cause an unpleasant sting if they puncture the skin.
Stonecats can grow to about 12" in length and will live to about 9 years old. They are olive in color and often have a white spot on the upper part of their caudal fin. Like other species of Madtoms, they mainly feed on larvae, fish eggs, worms, minnows, amphipods and the occasional crayfish.
Spawning of the Stonecat fish occurs in the 3rd or 4th year of life. The male will guard the nest which is often made under large rocks. If you have any additional information about the Stonecat please leave us a comment below.
The Sabre-toothed Blenny or Aspidontus taeniatus is the trickster of salt water fish. This species of Blenny will actually mimic the "dance" of the Cleanerfish or Cleaner Wrasse which is a fish that will clean parasites and scales of other fish from their underbellies. When the Sabre-tooth Blenny gets it unsuspecting victim to expose their underbelly it will will attack with its sharp teeth and then run away as if to just teach a lesson not to trust other fish. This odd trait gives them the nickname False Cleanerfish and Cleaner Mimic. You can check out the Sabre-tooth Blenny attacking a Yellow Tang in the video below.
As you can imagine this fish should only be kept in a solitary tank. It can be distinguished from the Cleanerfish from its shark like mouth. They are found in the Indo-Pacific Oceans and can grow to about 4" (100mm).
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The Congo Glass Catfish or Parailia congica is an amazing fish with a semi-transparent body. You can actually see the internal organs and backbone of this fish right through its skin! This freshwater fish is also known as the African Glass Catfish and can grow to about 3" (8cm) in maximum length. Their odd appearance makes them a favorite in aquariums. The follow water conditions are acceptable, pH 6.5 to 7.5 (6.9), 2-15 dH (8) and temperatures between 73-79°F (23-26°C). They are considered to be a good community fish and should be in a tank of at least 30 gallons with plenty of hiding places with vegetation if possible. They can be fed flake food, brine shrimp, tubifex and the live food as much as possible to keep them healthy.
Congo Glass Catfish have a scaleless body that lacks pigment and gives them their unusual appearance. They often have small brown spots that cover their bodies. They have a darker brown stripe that runs through the middle of its body to its tail. This species of Catfish has long barbels on its upper jaw and two shorter barbels on its lower jaw. They have no dorsal or adipose fins. You can check out the Congo Glass Catfish underwater in the video below.
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