Threadfin Lookdown (Selene vomer)

The Threadfin Lookdown or Selene vomer is a very odd looking saltwater fish that can grow to about 1' 8" in length. Sometimes just called the Lookdown, this fish looks like it just got punched in the face by a heavy weight boxer. As you can probably guess from their name, the Threadfin Lookdown's eyes often have the illusion that they are looking down at the bottom at all times.

When these fish are young their dorsal fins will have long filaments attached to them that will fall off as they grow older.  They have a thin, flatten body that shimmers as they swim through the water. In the wild, these fish are found in the Atlantic Ocean at depths of up to 53 meters.
Also referred to as Moonfish, the Threadfin Lookdown fish can be kept in a very large aquarium of 150 gallons or more. Their blue & silver scales make for a showy display as the light reflects off of them. They are not considered to be aggressive fish, so you can house them with many other non aggressive fish that are not fin nippers. The following water conditions are acceptable for the Threadfin Lookdown, 72-78° F, dKH 8-12, pH 8.1-8.4, and sg 1.020-1.025. These aquarium fish are carnivores that can be fed a variety of meaty food and live foods as well. You can check out the Threadfin Lookdown swimming in the video below...


POP QUIZ: Can you name all the other species in the video above?