Help identifying this strange fish

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bronco7777

Member
I just cam back from getting my open water diving certification in Destin Florida. While I was relaxing at the shoreline of the beach I came across this fish that was swimming at the very edge of the shoreline. It looks like a cross between a angel and a butterfly. However the face is too rounded to be a butterfly and the dorsal fins to pointed to be a angel.
Could this be some type of batfish???? I know its a wild guess, but I've looked all over for indentification and I can't find anything.

This guy is so docile I picked him up with my bare hands and he's already taking frozen mysis shrimp.

Can someone please indentify what I have. Perhaps some local residents in the Panhandle???
 
LuckyInk

LuckyInk

Reef Painter
By the way, he looks very sick. Those spots are a bad sign... Could be why he was so lethargic when you caught him.
 
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bronco7777

Member
Luckyink,

Thanks for the ID on the fish.

Looking at the fish closeup he seems okay. He's swimming normally, and quite attentive. I put 1/4 of a mysis cube and he just sucked it all down in a matter of seconds.

He's really small....about 2 to 2 1/2 inches in length. Could those spots be juvenile markings?

I know that in the shoreline he looked as if he was pitch black in color. However, once I had him in the hospital tank, the stripes showed up along with the spots.
 
LuckyInk

LuckyInk

Reef Painter
Pitch black in color? Definitely a spadefish. As for the spots, I googled a for a few pics and did find another small spadefish with those same spots. Good thing you stuck him in a Q tank though... Just in case...
 
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bronco7777

Member
Well its all making sense now. Thanks for the help!

I'm guessing this will have to be a fish only candidate. I'm gonna get him up to tip top health before I move him.

He seems to be incredibly friendly for a fish that has just been caught in the wild.
 
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