KaiTheFishGuy
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Kai is a systematic ichthyologist at The Australian Museum, Sydney. His research interests combine the use of cutting-edge next generation sequencing techniques with traditional methods of morphology to better understand the evolutionary history of coral reef fishes. He is a legacy ReefBuilders contributor, having previously written close to give hundred articles under his pseudonym LemonTYK.

Time Travel Thursday: Mr Wong’s collection from the film era

In our previous installation with regards to Mr. Wong, we took a look at some of his existing collection of butterflyfish in his home aquarium. Today we’re stepping into a time machine to explore some of Mr. Wong’s fish that he…

Pearl of The Orient: Mr Wong’s butterflyfish collection

When it comes to the rare fish game, there are only two players that immediately come to mind. Hong Kong and Japan. Together these two are undeniably the largest absorbers of rare fish, and have been consistently spitting out amazing specimens…

Variations and forms of Paracentropyge venusta

Paracentropyge is a small genus with three species. Over the years, the placement of P. venusta as well as P. multifasciata have been in rather constant shuffle, moving back and forth between this as well as Centropyge. Allen and Erdmann’s…

Awesome Fish Spotlight: Lipogramma trilineatum

Today’s Awesome Fish Spotlight features a tiny basslet from the Lipogramma genus. All Lipogramma are small basslets confined only to the deep water reefs of the new world, namely the Atlantic. There are eight described species of Lipogramma, with undeniably…

Survival on the reef part 1: Masquerading under false colours

Look at this amazing pair of Meiacanthus grammistes. Eh hmm…wait a minute. That’s not quite right. Look closer. Cardinal fish? Bingo. This is a pair of Cheilodipterus nigrotaeniatus and they are excellent mimics of their venomous fang blenny models. Mimicry is an…

Sequential Hermaphrodites: Protandrous, Protogynous or serial bidirectional?

Things are rather peculiar in the realm of reef fish. Few phenomenons are clear cut in black and white. At a glance it’s as if the myriad of biological processes walk the grey zone, waiting for the deciding waves to push them…

Understanding the photography triad: ISO, aperture and shutter speed

As aquarium owners, we are often very proud of our creations and want to capture them in pictures. Perhaps it’s that Acropora that you’ve been growing, or that fish that you love so much. Photography is a great way to…

Poetry in motion, Apolemichthys kingi in notion

Embellished throughout, with stripes of a tiger. Not one of mammal, but of equal desire. Your presence is known, but secret i’ll keep. A halo a clue, is all I shall speak.

Geminate sisters and their path to speciation

Ever wondered why with an endless possibility of patterns and permutations, there is always somehow a few fish with consistently repeated pattern templates? A few species that share the same overall appearance but not quite the same. That confusing group of…

No need for costumes, I’m already halloweeny

The pumpkin’s been carved, the candy laid out. Your dogs and cats are probably decked in a casper costume and your daughter, as princess Anna or Elsa. But hey, what about your fish? They don’t look very scary. Sure most super…