It has been said countless of times that the japanese somehow have the magic touch when it comes to rare fish, and they are able to obtain just about anything under the sun; or in this case, under the sea. The market for exotic fish and collectable coral in the land of the rising sun is very strong there with plenty of willing customers. This week not one, but three japanese powerhouses pit against each other with their own haul of prized fishes.
Vessel scored with an undesribed Pseudojuloides wrasse from Palau as well as a juvenile Epinephelus radiatus and a female Tosanoides flavofasciatus. We posted about these really cool new slender wrasse last year when they hit the japanese market. The contrast of blue and yellow is extreme and shares somewhat of a resemblance to Pseudojuloides mesostigma. The lone male brought in by Vessel this time isn’t as gorgeous as the previous batch but when it comes to such a rare specimen, no one’s choosing.
B-Box Aquarium scored with two rarities this week. A stunning juvenile hybrid lemonpeel angelfish and the gorgeous hybrid butterflyfish above which, coincidentally, was also much talked about last year. The true identity of the butterflyfish remains dubious and although it is listed as a “Raccoon x Pakistani” butterfly hybrid, it could also very well be a “Raccoon x Wiebeli”. As for the hybrid lemonpeel angelfish, although it may not be adorned with spots and what have you, the blue ring from the juvenile phase coupled with the blue stripes make for an interesting piece. As you know, lemonpeel hybrids run the gamut of being from relatively dull to extremely gorgeous and the infinite combination of designs makes this hybrid one of the most interesting and successful love child of our generation.
BlueHarbor got the short end of the stick this time and scored with only one Sailfin Jawfish. It is however, just as uncommon and just as beautiful. That’s +3 for Vessel, +2 for B-Box and +1 for BlueHarbor. But hey, who’s counting?
