Longfin clownfish have been around for a little while and by now some of you have seen these fish in real life. Now that we’ve all some time for the concept of clownfish with long fins to sink in, it…
Saltwater Fish
Black Lightning Clownfish from Alpha Aquaculture
The black lightning clownfish is a very interesting new strain of domestic clownfish which really got our attention at the LFS last weekend. We’ve been saying ‘lightning clownfish’ for so many years now, it is second nature to say ‘Lightning Maroon Clownfish’, but…
Diodon holocanthus: an Endearing Puffer for Spacious Aquariums
Circumtropical in distribution and ascribed more common names than one can possibly keep straight (spiny puffer, porcupine puffer, porcupinefish, longspined porcupinefish, and balloon porcupinefish, to list but a few), Diodon holocanthus can be a worthy, very pet-like aquarium candidate. This…
Face to face with the Cenderawasih butterflyfish, Forcipiger wanai
The Cenderawasih butterflyfish, Forcipiger wanai, was described just a little over three years ago from Cenderwasih Bay Indonesia. New species of butterflyfish don't come along very often so we definitely took note when one was newly minted. Forcipiger wanai is only the…
Indian Ocean zebra angelfish found in Central Indonesia!
When I first fell in love with the whole diverse family of angelfishes, Genicanthus caudovittatus was known as the ‘Red Sea Zebra’ angelfish, because back then, this species was only known to occur in the Red Sea and surrounding waters. Then in…
Banggai Cardinalfish becomes the first saltwater fish listed under Endangered Species Act
The Banggai Cardinalfish, Pterapogon kauderni, has become the first saltwater aquarium fish to be listed under the Endangered Species Act. The new ‘threatened’ species status of the banggai cardinalfish does not yet have an effect on trading or possessing this popular…
The wild color change of spawning green chromis
The green Chromis, C. viridis, is such a staple and common aquarium fish, we hardly give a thought to how uniform this species is in the home aquarium, and in the wild. Sure you occasionally get a Chromis atripectoralis mixed…
Plectrypops, the binocular fish that looks back at you
The cross eye soldierfish is a very peculiar fish that has held a soft spot in our heart for many a years now. Few saltwater aquarists would go out of their way to acquire a cross eye soldierfish, but if you…
Fluorescent Friday – Reef fish edition
Coral reefs are one of the most richly fluorescent ecosystems on the planet. When it comes to fluorescence, most of us reef aquarists tend to think of corals first, but many of the tropical reef fish in your tanks right…
There’s something special about Copperband butterflyfish from Raja Ampat
The copperband butterflyfish, Chelmon rostratus, is one of those iconic reef fish that is incredibly popular with divers and aquarists alike. This species of reef fish shows very little variation across its wide natural distribution, with the only deviations from the…