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Aquarium Fish: The Blue And The Queen Angelfish

Aquarium Fish: The Blue And The Queen Angelfish

Everybody loves an angel! They are some of the most spectacularly colored fishes on the coral reef. In captivity, they can become as personable as the family dog once they have adjusted. Occasionally, a “new” angelfish will show- up in North American aquarium stores.…

Aquarium Fish: Behold the Dragon!

Aquarium Fish: Behold the Dragon!

dragon01.jpgIn my mind, the dragon moray ( Enchelycore pardalis ) is the most beautiful and fearsome of all the muraenids. With its crooked jaws, its always visible, needle-sharp teeth, the “horn” over each eye, and the tubular nostrils, it is truly as frightening to look at as its mythical namesake!…

Aquarium Fish: The Cheeklined Maori Wrasse, Cheilinus diagrammus

Aquarium Fish: The Cheeklined Maori Wrasse, Cheilinus diagrammus

The first time I met a cheeklined Maori wrasse ( Cheilinus diagrammus ) I was not in my local aquarium store, but on a coral reef in Fiji. I recognized the fish, having had seen its photo in books before, but I was not aware that it was a fish with such “personality!”…

Aquarium Fish: Two Odd Soapfishes From The Tribe Diplioprionini

Aquarium Fish: Two Odd Soapfishes From The Tribe Diplioprionini

Many reef fish groups have been ascribed with “colorful” common names, that are in many cases quite descriptive. For example, there are the hawkfishes, which perch on reef substrates, their are the cowfishes, which have horns and big sad eyes, there are the hogfishes, which have swine-like appetites, there are lionfish, which have elongate fin filaments reminiscent of the mane of their feline namesakes, and there are stonefish, which simply look like a stone.…

Aquarium Fish: Bluestripe Angelfish, Chaetodontoplus septentrionalis

Aquarium Fish: Bluestripe Angelfish, Chaetodontoplus septentrionalis

As a youngster I remember seeing a photo of the bluestripe angelfish ( Chaetodontoplus septentrionalis ) and falling in love with this fish. When I first started working in the aquarium trade, I insisted that the store owner order one these lovelies – it was even more beautiful than the photos I had seen!…

Aquarium Fish: The Whiteray Shrimpgoby (Stonogobiops sp.)

Aquarium Fish: The Whiteray Shrimpgoby (Stonogobiops sp.)

The marine aquarium opens up an amazing world to the amateur naturalist. Not only does the aquarist have an opportunity to observe a wide array of interesting invertebrates and fishes, they can also witness some of the fascinating symbiotic relationships that occur between these animals on the coral reef.…

Short Take: Comet Quandry!

Short Take: Comet Quandry!

Cargus01.jpgA juvenile Calloplesiops argus, the finespotted comet. This individual is approximately 8 cm (3.5 inches) in length. Photo: Scott Michael

In Volume 1, issue 9 of Advanced Aquarist I wrote an article on the husbandry of the comet ( Calloplesiops altivelis ).…