Can you ID This Fish Hitchhiker?

[wbdevers]

Well the problem with Spots are that they are detrital interface eaters--the suck the junk from the very top layer of the bottom. The eat different types of worms and pods and such. Unfortunately, it won't survive long in a tank. Plus you being in Tulsa releasing isn't an option. Good news though is that it would be fine in our tanks. We often hit the mid 80's in summer and I've even seen the upper 80's in really hot months. They are good to eat fresh though.

 

[jayelblock]

You ain't kidding about the diet. He has eaten EVERY pod, flatworm and mysid shrimp in my tank. I've never seen the glass and rocks so absent of life. On the bright side, he's scarfing down baby brine shrimp, and picking at chopped frozen mysis, so I can probably keep him alive.

Maybe he can make the rounds of my club members who have flatworm problems...

 

[wbdevers]

There you go! Maybe charge a small "tank cleaning fee"; you know, "Ah yes that will cost one Acro frag please..." May be a new business venture waiting to happen!

 

[Tahoe Reefer]

There you go! Maybe charge a small "tank cleaning fee"; you know, "Ah yes that will cost one Acro frag please..." May be a new business venture waiting to happen!

Now thats a great idea!
That belly really did fatten up fast, a 10g wont hold him for long.

 

[jayelblock]

So, after 9 days in my tank, I sent little Spot off to work today. His new home is a flatworm-infested 30g. That should be just the right size to let him grow up safely for a few months.

He was looking lovely today, with bold stripes. Bye bye, Spot...I miss you already.

 

[Matt_Wandell]

Wow, growing fast!

 

[wbdevers]

I'm going to have to revisit this little guy. Now that it's fat, happy and growing it's looking less like a Spot. Go figure! Give me a day or so and we'll see if we can get a better id on it. I'll be back!

 

[jayelblock]

Thanks, Wes. I'm looking forward to a definitive i.d. He looks different with each passing day. I'm going to ask the club member who has him to take a pic every week so I can keep up with his growth.

 

[pfan151]

Now that it is colored up it definitely looks like a pinfish. I used to catch these all the time when I lived on the coast. I found a pic about halfway down the linked page. I think they would be a cool addition to a large FOWL tank when it gets bigger.

http://www.shrimpin.com/bait_fish_identification.htm

 

[wbdevers]

I remembered to bring the thread up at work today and myself and a couple other biologist looked at the most recent pic. Given the coloration and the distinct barring we feel it is indeed a pinfish, Lagodon rhomboides. Sorry for the earlier mis-id. Chimmike and pfan151 are correct. Granted, without the little guy in hand and being able to count rays, spines and gill rakers and such we could still be wrong, but given the coloration and general body form we say pinfish. This now puts it in the family Sparidae--the Porgys. Keep the pics coming and hope that helps.

 

[Matt_Wandell]

Hey Wes, what do you do for a living?

 

[wbdevers]

Marine Fisheries Scientist. I work for my states Dept of Marine Resources. We do all of the regulation and resource management from fish,shrimp and oysters to wetlands and law enforcement.

 

[jayelblock]

Very fine. After doing a quick bit of research, I see that they are quite tolerant of warm waters, and that their mature size is only 4-5 inches. The only issue of concern is parasites. Any reason to worry about Spot or the fish he comes in contact with in our tanks? Since I just gave him to someone to eat flatworms, I would feel bad if he wiped out their fish population as well...

My thanks to Chimmike and pfan151 as well for their fine detective work.

 

[wbdevers]

I wouldn't worry about Spot having anything but I sure couldn't guarantee it. They are VERY tough little fish--one of the reasons they make such good bait (repeated casting etc) so that helps. They will eat shrimp and squid as well so that can be used as supplemental feeding. Good luck with him and keep us post on his progress.