Picture of the Week, Pakistan Butterflyfish

Gracing the AquaNerd Picture of the Week this time around is the beautiful, yet not so reef friendly, Pakistan butterflyfish (Chaetodon collare). While we don’t have any personal experience with this fish, we have crossed its path several times at public aquariums all over the globe. It is a beautiful fish, no doubt, but its diet of SPS polyps and notoriously finicky nature make it a surprising choice for most public exhibits. In all of the displays we’ve seen the fish, none were in Acropora-ridden tanks, which means the caretakers must be providing them with superb attention and the perfect diet. The butterfly is known for its dark body that is highlighted with lighter colored scales. It’s boldly colored red tail and stand out sharply against the darker background, as does the fish’s vertical white stripes on its face.

Picture of the Week, Leafy Sea Dragon

There is something that is just so alluring about sea dragons. Although they aren’t too different from seahorses, usually moving in the same slow and methodical fashion while they cruise around the aquarium, they are far more elaborate in their appearance. Looking like an ultra modified versions of their close seahorse relatives, sea dragons are often adorned with elaborate fins that resemble marine vegetation like Sargassum, kelp, and whatever else is readily available in their habitat. And like seahorses, the sea dragons are just so cute and are super easy to photograph. They can get quite camera shy, but after warming up to us, we are usually able to get good pictures of them, such as the one shown above. The image was taken at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, California.

Picture of the Week, Acropora granulosa

For the latest AquaNerd Picture of the Week, we’re digging up an oldie but goodie. This image of an Acropora granulosa is one that we took a few years ago at a local fish store, T&T Fish and Reef. We originally posted the photo back in 2010, but since we were still a fledgeling little blog at the time, we felt that it didn’t get near enough love. So, we are shamelessly sharing it once again. The colony has was quite large, with the gorgeous branches and stems growing tightly together. The coral’s body sported an almost greenish hue, with the color quickly morphing into purple as you move toward each corallite. The actual polyp is sharp white, contrasting nicely with the purple background

Picture of the Week, Banggai Cardinalfish Egg

Photo Credit: Chad Vossen, Vossen Aquatics LLC The Banggai cardinalfish has been a staple in the marine aquarium hobby for many years, despite its high mortality in captivity and the intense pressure on wild populations. Because of the impact the trade has had on this species, hobbyists have gone above and beyond in their attempts to breed the species in captivity. One such individual who is breeding Banggais is Chad Vossen, of Vossen Aquatics, LLC. Chad has been breeding tons of fish this year, and this cardinalfish is just another one of his many success stories. And of course, he’s been sharing his successes with the rest of the aquarium community via social media, with this picture of a 10-day old Banggai egg really catching our eye. Standing out most to us in this egg is the detail of the fish’s eyes.