The fish life of Madagascar is very poorly known when it comes to the aquarium hobby. Certain illustrious species like the Madagascar flasher wrasse beckon to us from behind the third world curtain, but a new discovery in this part…
Saltwater Fish
Awesome Fish Spotlight: Paracheilinus attenuatus, the diamond tail flasher wrasse
The Diamond Tail Flasher wrasse, Paracheilinus attenuatus, is one of the most attractive yet lesser known species of wrasses from the Indian Ocean. We’ve given a lot of attention to Fairy Wrasses of the Cirrhilabrus genus this year, but we still have…
Cleaner wrasses are vitally important to the health of reef fish
The five species of cleaner wrasses of the genus Labroides are truly an interesting group of fish. While not a unique behavior in the underwater world, their pathogenic cleaning service is quite remarkable. These small, busy fish set up ‘stations’…
Yellow tangs finally captive bred by the Oceanic Institute
The yellow tang is arguably one of the most popular reef and aquarium fish in the world, and now it has finally been bred in captivity. Just last week we updated you on the most recent successes of the Oceanic…
Awesome Fish Spotlight: Cirrhilabrus roseafascia from the Coral Sea
Among the two dozen or so most commonly encountered fairy wrasses, the elusive rose banded fairy wrasse, Cirrhilabrus roseafascia is not among them. This species is a relative newcomer to the documented fairy wrasse group, having only been described in 1982.…
Captive bred yellow tangs inching closer to reality
Captive bred yellow tangs seems to always be just one or two years away, even though the Oceanic Institute has been hard at work to crack the code for about ten years now. Spawning surgeonfish in captivity is relatively simple but…
Cryptocentrus epakros & Tomiyamichthys zonatus, two new goby species
It’s been a short while since we’ve had some new species of gobies being described and Cryptocentrus epakros and Tomiyamichthys zonatus are here to fill that gap. The two new species of sand dwelling gobies are both associated with Alpheid shrimp partners and…
The Harlequin Bass: An Exceptionally Hardy, Beginner-Friendly Marine Fish
Prized for its striking patterning, modest adult size, exceptional hardiness, and overall adaptability, the harlequin bass (Serranus tigrinus), denizen of the tropical western Atlantic and Caribbean, makes an excellent choice for the novice marine aquarist and experienced hobbyist alike. (In…
Awesome Fish Spotlight: Roa excelsa
Roa excelsa is a unique deepwater butterflyfish that is part of a very interesting genus of reef fish. The Excelsa butterflyfish has three sibling species including Roa modesta, Roa jayakari and the fairly new Roa australis. We’ve featured the modest butterflyfish,…
Nature likes to design wild clownfish too!
Nearly all Picasso and designer breeds of clownfish in captivity today are influenced by genes from just a handful of exceptional wild clownfish. The Joker clownfish pictured here is one such example of a “natural” Picasso clownfish that was collected…