Woohoo new fish finally!

All the new fish that have now finished quarantine and are good to go. Some unusual beauties this week too (see below).

Common clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris).

Most clownfish you see for sale tend to be tank bred, and are usually hybrids between Common clowns (A. ocellaris) and Percula clowns (A. percula). These wild pure breed Common clowns are a thing of beauty and far better colours etc than most tank bred clownfish. The pure deep orange and sparkling white, with only narrow black bars (Percula clowns and hybrids have wider black bars), are truly stunning. Percula clowns rarely exceed much over 2” especially if tank bred ones, and many hybrid ones are similar. Female wild Common clowns can hit well over 4” long at full size though, and around 1” thick. The ones in stock are currently just under 2” and they do grow slowly so i8t will take a while to get them big, but, when you do they are a real showstopper. Only a few of these available.

Black-axil Chromis (Chromis atripectoralis).

Although these are listed on the website as the standard Chromis (Chromis viridis), these are actually the much rarer Black-axil Chromis (Chromis atripectoralis). The two species look very similar when juveniles, and will shoal together quite happily too. Black-axil Chromis are much nicer when adult though, with extra lines and colours compared to normal ones. They also don’t get quite as big as the common Chromis either. Normally Black-axil Chromis are much more expensive than standard ones, sometimes as much as £20 a fish! So these are quite a bargain at just £8 each, and if you buy them in groups of 8+ (which is recommended, you get all 8 for £48, just £6 each. For Black-axil’s that’s an amazing price!

Coral beauty (Centropyge bispinosa).

Our biggest selling dwarf angelfish by far, and one of our top 5 most popular selling fish. They are a key iconic fish of most reef aquariums. The deep purple colour is fantastic, they’re pretty reef safe, get on well with most other dwarf angelfish, and being happy in tanks of 100-200 litres or more are an excellent centrepiece fish for the home hobbyist tank.

Strawberry dottyback (Pictichromis porphyrea).

Another one of our most popular marine fish. Ideal for tanks of 50 litres or more. Brightly coloured, and not short on personality. A lid is essential though.

Cloudy damsels (Dascyllus carneus).

One of my most favourite fish and slowly becoming more and more popular. Whereas many damselfish species are grazers as adults and defend territories to guarantee a food supply, these Cloudy damsels are plankton eaters, just like Chromis. But they stay really small with males often barely scraping 50p size and females often only growing to 10p size. Being plankton eaters they are very peaceful, and watching them zoom around in a group in and out of the rockwork adds loads of movement and action to even small tanks. Being out and about, often right at the front of the tank encourages the other fish out too, as they know if the damsels are happily zooming around then there are no predators about. An excellent fish for a reef aquarium. Keep in a group as they are a shoaling fish. Groups can be of any size from just 3 upwards really. Highly recommended.

Purple queen anthias, yellow stripe variant (Pseudanthias tuka).

Pseudanthias tuka yellow stripe colour variant (Pseudanthias tuka). Stunning, but expert only.

One for the experts or truly dedicated fishkeeper. These fish require lots of feeds each day with frozen copepods or other small foods. Whilst they are easier to keep in large mature systems, they can be kept in large numbers in even small tanks of 100 litres or so as long as you keep up the feeding and maintenance. An absolutely stunning fish, but, one best left for the experts.

NEW SPECIES: Splendid pencil wrasse (Pseudojuloides splendens), only discovered in 2017!

A stunning reef safe wrasse that only gets to 4” or so. Perfect for reef tanks of 200 litres or more. As with all wrasses a lid is essential. There aren’t many green marine fish, and most that are tend to be large parrotfish species. A fantastic splash of unusual colour.

Leucurus wrasse (Halichoeres leucurus).

Discovered all the way back in 1792, but, very rarely available in the UK. We import several thousand wrasses a year and despite our best efforts we only get a handful of these stunning Halichoeres Leucurus. They usually get snapped up pretty fast by wrasse coillectors, being one of the Holy Grail species of Halichoeres. Very easy to keep, and they do a useful job too, happily ridding the tank of any flatworms, nudibranchs, and many other small coral pests too. An excellent fish. If you’re quick enough to get it then do so, you won’t regret it!

Clown triggerfish (Balistoides conspicullum).

Although people are often wary of putting triggerfish in reef tanks, Clown triggers can be a good choice in larger tanks. Whilst they will eat most shrimps and crabs, and may occasionally move frags around if they are not fixed down, they are actually safe with all types of coral. Having a triggerfish as boss of the tank soon stops any trouble from bossy tangs that thought they were in charge too. Whilst fairly peaceful themselves, they will soon chase any trouble makers, acting like a policeman and keeping everyone well behaved. They do need space though 500 litres is the minimum for one of these. These Luzon ones have more white spots than most Clown triggers, and the black stays absolutely pitch black even when adult, whereas as the more commonly seen Sri Lanka ones often turn grey or look washed out as they grow. We have a 3” female in stock, and with females being more docile than males, she is quite the little catch for someone. Only one of these beauties in stock.

Quoy’s parrotfish (Scarus quoyi).

Being relatively small for a parrotfish, growing to just 10” and being a peaceful and reef safe algae grazer, these rainbow coloured fish are for most owners their favourite fish in the tank. They are quite clever too, hitting round 60 IQ, about the same as small puppy or cat. They can recognise different people and behave differently to each. Stunning colouration, especially the unusual turquoise colour in the tail, lots of personality, and a reef safe grazer it almost sounds too good to be true. There is only one downside really. That is the price. There are quite a lot of people that have noticed how superb these fish are, and very few are caught, so they demand top dollar pricing. If you can afford it, and have 500 litres or more, then get yourself one of these. Chances are it’ll soon be the favourite thing in your tank! Highly recommended.

Alligator pipefish / Crocodile pipefish (Syngnathoides biaculeatus).

One for the Pipefish enthusiast. These giants can top 12”. we have one 6”-8” male in stock. Harder to keep than the more commonly seen species, and due to their larger size they really need their own tank with plenty of swimming space. If Pipefish are your thing though this is a rare find. I think it’s the first one we have had for 4 years. Only very rarely available. Only one male in stock.