Can you ID This Fish Hitchhiker?

[jayelblock]

This little guy came in with some saltwater feeder shrimp at my LFS. I offered to take him home and grow him out. Any idea what he is? This pic is fairly accurate. He's about 1/2" long, with a silvery reflective visceral area and a transparent body with faint vertical convict stripes. His dorsal fin is etched in red. He stays in the lower third of the water column, sometimes in a head down position, and has thus far only eaten pods.

I doubt he will be very flashy, but I'm interested in identifying him if possible so that I can at least get him the right food and environment. Right now he's in a 10g with sexy shrimp and one red headed goby. He's also dangerously thin.

 

[Sao870]

WoW i have no clue but ill be waiting around for a answer

 

[small alien]

huh. let's keep this thread alive until someone knows.

 

[LobsterOfJustice]

Where does your LFS get their feeder shrimp from? Thats the first clue.

 

[jayelblock]

I'm not sure where the shrimp came from originally, but he buys through the typical large wholesalers. They're those clear grass shrimp that live in the shallows world-wide.

I imagine this is a fish which is too dull for the aquarium trade, but I'm enjoying him. So far, he's a model citizen, although I have this worrisome fantasy that he will one day unhinge his jaw and consume all my pretty little shrimp.

 

[Matt_Wandell]

Looks like a juvenile chub (Kyphosus sp.).

If the shrimp are collected in Florida (ours are), they are common contaminants along with pipefish, juvenile crabs, etc.

 

[jayelblock]

Thanks Matt.
well, then it really could get huge. I'll have to figure out what to do with him, as I am landlocked here in Tulsa...

 

[Matt_Wandell]

Thanks Matt.
well, then it really could get huge. I'll have to figure out what to do with him, as I am landlocked here in Tulsa...

Oklahoma Aquarium?

 

[chimmike]

baby pinfish?

maybe (but doubtful based on the shape) striped cardinal?

 

[jayelblock]

Pinfish is a good suggestion. He is rather perch shaped--surf perch, perhaps?

 

[wbdevers]

Not a pinfish. It's either an Atlantic Croaker or a Spot but hard to tell. It is definitely a Sciaenid.

 

[jayelblock]

Yummy...

 

[sslak]

Grow him till he gets too big..then have a fish fry! LoL

I'm from wisconsin, we love our beer batter...my aquarium would be in serious danger if my fish weren't so small. All my friends have decided my clowns would be too hard to fillet and are not worth the effort...although several have wondered out loud if they taste good!

Whew!

 

[jayelblock]

Grow him till he gets too big..then have a fish fry! LoL

I don't quite have the heart for that, but I was going to take him back to the LFS and let them do the heavy moral lifting...and then I noticed that all the flatworms in my tank were gone (along with all my pods).

Just look at the huge gut this guy has put on in 4 days...

Before:

After:

 

[peasofme]

looks like a baby perch

 

[jayelblock]

I'm still trying to figure it out. The dorsal fin isn't quite right for a croaker--it doesn't have the divided sharp point at the front. However, everything else looks right.

image courtesy of chartingnaturedotcom

 

[wbdevers]

It's a juvenile and you are looking at an adult picture. Only three Sciaenids from the GoM have 12 anal rays--croaker, Spot; Leiostomus xanthurus and the silver perch; Bairdiella chrysoura. I consulted with one of my coworkers and we both feel it's a Spot, however without having it on hand to key it out we are only making educated guesses. One point of concern for us is the red coloration on the tips of the dorsal fin. Granted, that could just be a local coloration characteristic from where it was caught but it still makes us wonder. Without it in hand that's the best I can do.

 

[jayelblock]

Wes,
thanks for the information. I certainly trust your expertise, and I'm appreciative that you and your coworkers spent so much time trying to solve my little mystery. Spot it is...and I may as well call him by that name.

Now I'm attached to the little guy, and I've got to figure out what to do with him.

 

[peasofme]

raise him till he's big then give him to someone with a big tank. he'll probably get flushed if you don't care for him.

 

[jayelblock]

Well, that's the conundrum, isn't it?
No one is going to want a dull, 6 pound fish who survives by eating all their ornamental crustaceans. I would think our tanks would be too warm, as well.

On the other hand, he was described as "fine table fare."