fish ID please

Val

Val

Member
Frankie said:
Oh boy! Here we go again! :)
This fish just keep changing, LOL!
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I was hoping this last picture would be enough to determine it one way or the other. lol I may try to get a video of it's antics, I've never seen it attempt to clean another fish. It does swim through the rocks alot middle to bottom rarely up high. Tunnels similar to what the watchman goby does but in a faster more frantic way. It also likes to swoop down and grab a mouthful of sand while zooming around the tank. This fish is responsible for frequent sand storms in the tank.
 
Reefmack

Reefmack

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I'll stay with a Labroides cleaner wrasse. The fish shape, and the shape of the snout and small mouth rule out a dottyback IMO. :)
 
Val

Val

Member
Reefmack said:
I'll stay with a Labroides cleaner wrasse. The fish shape, and the shape of the snout and small mouth rule out a dottyback IMO. :)
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I've found some pictures of the cleaner wrasse they do share qualities of this fish. I understand your thoughts. Other things just don't add up for it to be a cleaner wrasse. Some difference in the dorsal fins and mine is more eel like and swims differently.

The older it gets the less time it spends in caves other than to chase other critturs out. Looks like he scrapped with my procelean crab last night as he has one of it's pinchers in his mouth today.

Heck I may never know what it is.
 
seafansar

seafansar

Well-Known Member
I think we have a winner! I hate being stumped on ID's, so I picked people's brains on a different forum, and.....

"Nope not a wrasse its a striped Blanquillo Malacanthus latovittatus. Its in the tilefish family gets to around 13 inches"
 
Reefmack

Reefmack

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That does look very close Sara! The body, fins, coloration etc. look very close, but I'm still concerned about the mouth. It looks much smaller in Val's pictures than the Malacanthus latovittatus. Val can see the fish better and should be able to confirm if that's it or if it's a mimic. Val - what do you think?

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I do think you may have nailed it Sara - good searching!
 
Val

Val

Member
I don't know, the shape of the head and the mouth looks off, but I don't know the size of the one in the picture. I'm trying to get a video of mine maybe that will help. I'll research that fish to see if another picture looks more like mine.
 
Reefmack

Reefmack

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They sure look close to the same. Maybe it's the angle of the two photos that's the difference in the heads. I think at this point you'd have to start counting fin rays and other characteristics to make a positive ID, but I think Sara's ID may be as close as we'll ever get.
 
Val

Val

Member
I agree, Sara's ID is as close as anyone's elses. It'll definitely be on my list as possible ID. Thanks Sara and everyone else who has taken the time to research this. : )

I'll try to get a video up it may be next week, we have a ton of family coming thursday and I have to get ready for that. After that I'll give it a few months and see what changes occur. If it continues to grow and has a noticable change I'll post a new pic.

I will researching Sara's ID.


Maybe my fish is just fat... lol and the other in need of a few meals and that's throwing me off.
 
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