Marine Fish ID

[legomaniac89]

Alright, so I work at a pet store and the other day I noticed this fish in the saltwater system, and I don't have a clue what it is or where it came from. Sad thing is, I'm the one who does the fish orders, and I don't remember ordering anything like this . Anyone know what this guy is?





I apologize for the picture quality. I only got these two pics before he went into hiding again.

He reminds me of a juvy Dragon Wrasse (without the antennae), but he perches like a blenny. I've never seen him out swimming around, he jumps hops from rock to rock.

Thanks!

[funkyfish]

He does look like a wrasse but when you say he hops from rock to rock it sounds like a rockskipper but his face doesn't look like it....

I checked my encyclopedia but I don't see one that matches the picture then again picture is not great for ID

[koop]

Mandarin Goby?

[funkyfish]

Originally Posted by koop

Mandarin Goby?

I was thinking that he some kind of goby but his color and face throws me off ...

[legomaniac89]

Nah, he's not a Mandarin. He's laterally compressed, not vertically like some gobies and dragonets. It's hard to tell from the picture, but he's got a big dorsal fin (like a dragonet), and the fins behind the dorsal go all the way to the tail. The anal fin does the same thing. And he eats brine shrimp and mysis.

It's really driving me crazy

[legomaniac89]

Got some better pictures of him earlier





Anyone got a guess?

[lauraleellbp]

No clue, but it sure is a cool little fish!

Must have hitchhiked in with the live rock.

[legomaniac89]

That's the thing, we haven't had a shipment of live rock for probably 3 months, and I just noticed him less than a week ago.

C'mon, I know there's some reef guys on this forum!

[Ariel301]

Originally Posted by legomaniac89

That's the thing, we haven't had a shipment of live rock for probably 3 months, and I just noticed him less than a week ago.

C'mon, I know there's some reef guys on this forum!

He looks like some sort of blenny to me, but I don't know what kind. I've never seen one like that. I'd agree he may be a hitch-hiker...they can be good at hiding. The LFS I used to work at had a Moray eel in a bit 250 gallon display, and I only saw him about twice a month. If he was in with a ton of live rock, he's probably just been hanging out in some dark corner. If he got ordered with other livestock, someone in the store ought to remember ordering him!

[hydrophyte]

It might be some kind of juvenile wrasse. There are a number of wrasses that have really cool and attractive juvenile forms, but grow up into difficult to keep tankbusters.

[legomaniac89]

It may be a wrasse. He reminds me more of a hawkfish with the way he perches, and I've never seen him swimming in open water. He just hops from rock to rock like a blenny does.

To me, it looks like a blenny with the head of a hawkfish and the dorsal fin of a dragonet.

[lauraleellbp]

Originally Posted by legomaniac89

To me, it looks like a blenny with the head of a hawkfish and the dorsal fin of a dragonet.

LOL

You could always sell it as "Rare Hybrid!" for $3000. Someone would probably buy it, too....

[Burks]

First thought was a Blotched Hawkfish but that isn't right. I have no idea!

[legomaniac89]

Laura - LOL, that would be awesome but the Michiana area is not a great aquarium community. We sometimes have problems selling a $40 angelfish, much less something in the 4-digit range

Burks - A guess is better than nothing! Your guess is as good as mine at this point. I've been through 3 marine fish books and about 4 websites and still nothing matches.

[hydrophyte]

I see in that last picture that he has two eyespots too. There is that goby that mimics a menacing crab and looks sort of similar, but I think it's eyespots are up near the front of the dorsal fin.