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.

Paracheilinus togeanensis flasher wrasse and its hybrids are a spectacular bunch

Pictured above is a really gorgeous hybrid between Paracheilinus togeanensis and P. filamentosus. While P. filamentosus is a staple and a widely known species in the trade, P. togeanensis (Togean flasher wrasse)is not. The Togean flasher wrasse is a species…

The top four breakthrough exciting reef aquarium fishes of 2011

2011 has been a fantastic year for aquarium reef fish enthusiasts. Not only have we seen a great deal of exceptional fishes in terms of rarity and beauty, we’ve also scouted some potential would-be aquarium staples in the near future.…

Brown banded cusk eel Sirembo jerdoni is a super cool fish that is too seldom seen

Sirembo jerdoni (Brown-banded cusk-eel) is a really cool and really cute little eel like fish that is just too seldom seen in the trade. It inhabits a wide range across the Indo-west pacific, but due to it’s shy and benthic…

Lagoon shows off a unique four step photograph of a transforming Tosanoides flavofasciatus

Lagoon of Japan recently scored with a female T. flavofasciatus that came singly without a male partner. We wrote about this female not very far back, but at that time, we had no idea that Lagoon from Japan was putting together a…

Valenciennea bella is a goby you’ll definitely want sifting your sand

Most reefers get a little bit iffy at the thought of adding a sand sifter goby to the reef tank. The thought of a sand spewing fish dropping aragonite particles all over the ever precious acan frags and scolymia is…

BlueHarbor showcases super rare juvenile Bodianus masudai hogfish

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvQdtgSaLTQ&feature=player_embedded[/youtube] The Masudai hogfish is a super rare species that rarely ever makes it into the trade, and even if it does, it’s almost always within the local Japanese market. BlueHarbor once again, in living up to its reputation, scores…

Pacific Island Aquatics scores with very unusual Randall’s Anthias lookalike

Pacific Island Aquatics recently brought in this curious looking anthias rumored to have come from Kiribati Islands at 245ft. While the fish bears a striking resemblance to Pseudanthias randalli, it is pretty obvious that it is not. First off the range…

Cookeolus japonicus and Pristigenys niphonia are two of the coolest Big Eyes we’ve ever seen

Cookeolus japonicus is an uber cool super spectacular Big Eye that is very seldom seen. The ridiculous length and color on those ventral fins need no description and lends a sinister almost devilish look to the fish. Although seldom seen…

Aberrant Cirrhilabrus luteovittatus looks strikingly similar to C. aurantidorsalis

We’ve posted plenty of aberrant butterflies, angels and tangs but have you ever  wondered why we’ve not been posting any aberrant fairy wrasses? For some strange  reason, major aberrations seem to be pretty rare and nearly unheard of in  the Cirrhilabrus genus.…

Assessor randalli is a seldom seen, virtually unknown member of the genus

Somewhere along our reefing lives we’ve probably thought about keeping the upside down-swimming Assessors – either the Blue Assessor (A. macneilli), or its yellow counterpart, the Yellow Assessor (A. flavissimus). If the thought of keeping either one has never crossed…