Hey there guys! No pictures but I will try my best with a description of the fish. This fish looks like a grouper with a goatee on its bottom jaw on the lip. The fish is tightly spotted(spotted like a marine betta but packed tight) with 4 or 5 rattle snake like diamond shape along its back. Those diamond are solid pitch black. Asked an employee and they said they have no idea what it was and it just came free with the shipment they ordered. The fish is very active and around 3-4" - maybe its a baby? I would like to know the name of these guys so I can research about them and set up a proper tank for it. Thanks!!!
Saw a awesome looking fish today - need help identifying!
- Thread starter BIG_ONE
- Start date
This is a spotted soapfish. Pogonoperca punctata grows to about 14". soapfish exude a milky slime that is toxic to other fish. It's used as a defense mechanism. However, in the small confines of an aquarium, this toxin can kill the entire tank, ...including the soapfish.
juvenile
adult
juvenile
adult
Weird...so that's why its call a soap fish. And yes that is the fish - but then it is more tan/white and black than yellow and black. Are there more than one species of these soap fish?
Hmm; the one I saw is around 3-4"...no bigger but tan/white. Almost like an adult coloration but small goatee with a cute face. These fish are interesting but I don't think I want to deal with them knowing they release toxin and can kill other fishes. LOL.