Author's posts
May 03
Cleaner Wrasse
The Cleaner Wrasse is one of the most fascinating fish on a coral reef. Instead of simply hunting for food around rockwork, it operates something resembling a tiny underwater service station: larger fish deliberately approach, hold still, spread their fins, and sometimes even open their mouths and gill covers while the wrasse inspects them for …
May 02
Scooter Blenny
The Scooter Blenny is a small, peaceful marine fish famous for “scooting” across sand and live rock while hunting tiny crustaceans. Its mottled brown-and-cream pattern, oversized eyes, unusual perching behavior, and spectacular sail-like dorsal fin in males give it considerably more personality than its subdued coloration might suggest. Despite the common name, the Scooter Blenny …
May 01
Blackcap Basslet
The Blackcap Basslet is a striking Caribbean reef fish known for its rich violet-purple body and dramatic black marking that sweeps across the top of its head and forward portion of its dorsal fin. Although closely related to the much more familiar Royal Gramma, the Blackcap Basslet has a personality and natural habitat distinctly its …
Apr 30
Blenny
Blennies are some of the most entertaining small fish in the marine aquarium hobby. With their expressive faces, oversized eyes, comical perching behavior, and habit of watching everything happening outside the tank, these little reef fish often seem to have personalities far larger than their bodies. The word blenny can be used broadly for several …
Apr 29
Green Wrasse
The Green Wrasse is a colorful, active reef fish known for its vivid green coloration, constant movement, and habit of searching through sand and rockwork for small invertebrate prey. In the aquarium trade, the name Green Wrasse commonly refers to the Pastel Green Wrasse, Halichoeres chloropterus. This Indo-Pacific wrasse can look remarkably different depending on …
Apr 28
Harlequin Tusk
The Harlequin Tusk is one of the most spectacular wrasses available to marine aquarists. With its alternating blue, orange, white, and black bands, bright blue teeth, thick lips, and powerful body, it looks unlike almost any other commonly kept reef fish. Scientifically known as Choerodon fasciatus, the Harlequin Tusk is a member of the wrasse …
Apr 27
Spotted Hawkfish
The Spotted Hawkfish is a compact, colorful marine predator with one of the most entertaining personalities among reef-associated fish. Instead of swimming continuously through open water, it spends much of its day perched on rocks, coral structures, sponges, and other elevated surfaces while watching everything around it. Scientifically known as Cirrhitichthys aprinus, the Spotted Hawkfish …
Apr 26
Black Ocellaris Clownfish
The Black Ocellaris Clownfish is one of the most elegant variations of the familiar Ocellaris Clownfish. Instead of the classic bright orange body, mature Black Ocellaris develop a deep black background crossed by three brilliant white bands, usually with thin black edging around the fins and sometimes a small amount of orange remaining around the …
Apr 25
Saddleback Clownfish
The Saddleback Clownfish is a distinctive marine aquarium fish named for the broad white marking that curves across the middle of its back like a saddle. Depending on geographic origin and individual coloration, its body may range from orange and yellowish brown to nearly black, creating a dramatically different appearance from the familiar orange Ocellaris …
Apr 24
Pajama Cardinalfish
The Pajama Cardinalfish is one of the most unusual-looking small reef fish in the marine aquarium hobby. With its yellow-green face, enormous reddish-orange eyes, bold dark vertical band, silver body, and scattered reddish-brown spots, it looks almost as though several completely different fish patterns were combined into one animal. Scientifically known as Sphaeramia nematoptera, the …
