Soldierfish and Squirrelfish are not the most common fish seen in reef tanks but they should be as they don’t touch coral at all. Ostichthys alamai is a new member of this group, more specifically a recently described species of ‘highfin soldierfish’ from Japan.
Although the basic appearance of these fish is mostly red, the variation of fin shape and color and degree of bony scaling varies a lot. Ostichthys alamai is among the most bony group but not quite as protected as the pineapple fish.
Ostichthys alamai has the highest dorsal spines of any species in the highfin soldierfish complex but the body color is still a basic red being more white along the ventral area, and a white spot on each scale. For examples of more ‘compelling’ soldierfish definitely check out our articles on the crosseye soldierfish and the bright white blacktip soldierfish.
