Fish I.D. Really needed please.

[Scott-CapeCoral]

Hello everyone, I caught these guys today at the beach. I used a long handled dip net and was dragging it through the grass-beds. I have never seen these before and I've lived here all of my life. So I have no idea what they are. I kept them because they remind me alot of a wrasse. If they are reef safe, I'll keep them. If they aren't I'll return them to the beach they came from (I'll acclimate them back to their waters). I caught them at the exact same time, same swoop with the net through the grass, which makes me think they are possibly a mated pair being side by side like that. The little one is about 1.5 inch, the larger one is about 2 inches. They swim alot like a wrasse, and have about the same body shape as a wrasse, but they perch and pose like a hawkfish. They propel themselves with only their side fins, but steer with their tail fin. Their eyes rotate exactly like a six-line wrasse. Please help me out here RC fish guru's. I don't want to keep these guys in quarantine too long. Thanks a million!

Scott W.

 

[20reefer]

Juvenile parrotfish, search species at fishbase.org.

 

[Scott-CapeCoral]

I don't see anything like that, do you have a link by chance? I usually do all of my own coral i.d.'s but fish drive me off the wall.. I know it sounds lazy asking for help but I'm usually not one who asks. Great site also, thx for sharing it.

 

[SushiGirl]

I found parrotfish right off using the search.
2 kinds for the US.

http://fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.php?ID=1152
http://fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.php?ID=1161

 

[20reefer]

There are a few species of parrotfishes in Atlantic/Caribbean waters, remember is a juvenile so is a little difficult know what species it is because they change coloration.

Chekout this site, http://www.saltcorner.com/AquariumLibrary/browsegroupspecies.php?GroupID=55.

 

[tcmfish]

Bucktooth parrotfish Sparisoma radians, most likely, or redband parrotfish Sparisoma aurofrenatum. If it is the bucktooth they stay small and probably won't get over 5 inches. If it is the redband they get a little bigger and could get up to about 10 inches. I have no experience with their reef safeness, but if I were you I'd be willing to try it. They were caught in the grass beds. Most parrots that live on the reef eat coral, but I think its the bucktooth, and I'd like you to try it and report your experience.

The behavior you describe matches up with the bucktooth, and the location they were found, and my Reef Fish Identification book by Paul Humann says they are rarely on reefs, so I'd be willing to bet it wouldn't bother corals, but there is only one way to find out. Like I said I'd like you try.

One word of advice though, if you introduce it into a tank that has had anything from the Pacific or non-native Florida waters, I would bring it to a LFS for credit or something. You don't want to introduce anything.

 

[Scott-CapeCoral]

Wow, you guys are more help than I ever expected. Very much appreciated!! I looked at a couple pages on the bucktooth parrotfish, and it looks like that is what these are! One page says they are safe to keep with soft corals, but not sps. That's an issue in my tank.

Tim your also right about not releasing them back. I wasn't thinking about that..

Thanks very much everyone.

 

[Scott-CapeCoral]

Well.... I woke up this morning to an upside down quarantine box.. I have no clue how that happened. So I have no choice but to watch them now and see how they behave. So far I see no picking at corals, some great news is they ate nori like they knew what it was.. So hopefully they don't touch the corals The other fish in the tank could care less about them, but the Yellow Coriss Wrasse is following them left and right. He's not being aggressive with them though. So far so good. Thanks again for helping with the I.D. folks.

 

[Scott-CapeCoral]

They still haven't shown any interest in corals. They both have started eating everything I feed the other fish. They have also already learned to come to the tanks surface when I'm about to feed the tank. They still stick around each other as-if they are tied together. They have made a "Home" next to a patch of blue cloves and Ricordea yuma on the sand bed. The other fish don't even acknowledge them, and when a fish swims near them (Except for feeding time) they cower down and hide. So I have no worries with them and the other fish. Still not letting my guard down with them and the corals though.

So anyone else have parrot fish in their reef tank?

 

[tcmfish]

Any update on these parrots?

 

[Deberber]

Yes, it would be great to hear how they are.