Bartlett's Anthias (Pseudanthias bartlettorum)

The Bartlett's Anthias or Pseudanthias bartlettorum is a very colorful fish that originates in the waters off of the Marshall Islands. Also known as the Bartletts Fairy Bass or Christmas Island Anthias, they can grow to about 3-1/2" in maximum length. These fish are made up of purples, oranges and tend to have a yellow on their backs and down into their tales. One crazy fact about this fish is that they can change sexes over their lifetime! If the dominate male dies, the largest female will actually morph into a male!

Bartlett's Anthias fish are kept in an aquarium setting on occasion, although they are not the easiest to care for. They require at least a 80 gallon tank with the following water conditions, 72-78° F, dKH 8-12, pH 8.1-8.4 and sg 1.020-1.025. These saltwater fish are best kept with their own species, but also will work in a reef aquarium. They are normally seen around the middle on an aquarium, but like most other fish they love to have a few spots to go and hide in.

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Dalmatian Molly (Poecilia latipinna)

The Dalmatian Molly or Poecilia latipinna is also known as the Marbled Molly and has the ability to survive in freshwater or saltwater. This species of Molly is a hybrid version of the Sailfin Molly which has the same scientific name. As you can imagine, this hybrid version is black and white, much like a Dalmatian Dog.

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Shy Hamlet (Hypoplectrus guttavarius)

The Shy Hamlet or Hypoplectrus guttavarius is a saltwater fish that is found in the Atlantic Ocean around reefs in waters of up to 30 meters deep. This colorful fish has a yellow head that has iridescent blue lines in it. Its body is normally brown or black with its fins yellow to match its head.

Also known as the Bad Lucks, Golden Hamlet and the Vaca Bicolor these fish are often found in pairs near the bottom. They are not very large, only growing to about 13cm in maximum length. Sky Hamlet fish are kept in an aquarium setting, but it is rare to find them in a pet stores.

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Squareback Anthias (Pseudanthias pleurotaenia)

The Squareback Anthias or Pseudanthias pleurotaenia is a saltwater fish that goes by a few different names including the Purple Blotch Basslet, Squareblock, Mirror Anthias, Square-Spot Fairy Basslet and Squarespot. Females of this species are yellow with a purple underside. Males are mostly pink with a purple underside and a lighter colored rectangle on their sides. They are not particularly large, only growing to about 4" in length.

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Blue Sapphire Damselfish (Chrysiptera springeri)

The Blue Sapphire Damselfish or Chrysiptera springeri is one cool looking saltwater fish. This species of Damselfish has a striking pattern of blue up against a dark body that really makes it stick out from the crowd. When the Blue Sapphire Damselfish is in trouble though, they can actually make their blue disappear to help blend in to their surroundings. These fish originate from the Solomon Islands and only grow to about 3-1/2" in maximum length.

As you can imagine, the Blue Sapphire Damselfish is quite popular in the aquarium trade. They are considered very easy to care for and only require an aquarium of about 25 gallons. The following water conditions are recommended for this fish, 72-78° F, dKH 8-12, pH 8.1-8.4 and sg 1.020-1.025. Like other Damselfish, they should be provided with plenty of hiding space to keep them happy. They also like to have live rock in the aquarium.

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Jackknife Fish (Equetus lanceolatus)

The Jackknife Fish or Equetus lanceolatus is one of the oddest shaped fish in all of the world. These fish originate from the Caribbean and have very long dorsal and caudal fins. As you can see, these fins almost resemble a jackknife, hence the name, the Jackknife Fish.

These saltwater fish are silver with thick black lines running through their bodies. As you can imagine their strange shape and striking colors make this a great fish to house in a saltwater aquarium. Unfortunately, they are not the easiest fish to care for. They require a tank of 80 gallons or more with the following water conditions, 72-78° F, dKH 8-12, pH 8.1-8.4, sg 1.020-1.025. Jackknife Fish are carnivores that should be fed live foods such as black worms and brine shrimp. The occasionally meaty foods will help as well. These fish require a sandy bottom with lots of hiding spots and plenty of live rock. They will often hide in the beginning, but enticing them with meaty foods will normally bring them out of hiding.

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Jardini Arowana (Scleropages jardini)

The Jardini Arowana or Scleropages jardini is one of the few different species of Arowana fish. These freshwater fish are often called Gulf Saratoga Barramundi, or Northern Spotted Barramundi. They have the classic elongated Arowana body with a bony tongue and markings on their tails and fins. Once very hard to find in the wild, these fish have been successfully bred in captivity, and have since become a popular aquarium fish. You can check out the Jardini Arowana in the video below...

Reaching almost 2-1/2' these fish require a large aquarium of well over 100 gallons with the following water conditions, 75-86° F, KH 1-10 and pH 6.9-7.1. They are not the easiest to care for, and will jump right out of the tank if you don't provide it with a tight lid. They shouldn't be kept with more aggressive species included most Cichlids.

Jardini Arowanas are carnivores that should be fed a variety of foods including krill, small fish and insects.

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Goo Obo Gudgeon (Mogurnda nesolepis)

The Goo Obo Gudgeon or Mogurnda nesolepis is a beautiful freshwater fish that gets its name from the Goo Obo Falls in Papua New Guinea, where is was first discovered. These fish are often kept in an aquarium setting and come in a variety of colors. Females of this species will range from yellow to a dark orange with a red underbelly. They tend to be larger than their male counterparts who can be green or orange with red spots on their body.

Goo Obo Gudgeon are very peaceful and considered to be easy to care for as well. The following water conditions in a freshwater aquarium are acceptable, 74-82° F, KH 2-5 and pH 5.5-7.0. The great part about these fish is that you only need about a 15 gallon aquarium to house them in, because they only grow to about 3" in maximum length. One thing to note about these beautiful fish is that they are quite sensitive to high nitrate levels, so changing the water often is a must!

The Goo Obo Gudgeon are omnivores that should be fed pellet foods, flake foods, brine shrimp and daphnia. They prefer to have a few hiding spaces and if you want them to breed you can do so by raising the temperature a couple degrees and providing them with a small cave. After the pair spawns, be sure to remove them from the tank because they are known to eat their own eggs! It only takes a couple days before the Goo Obo Gudgeon eggs hatch.

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Freckled Hawkfish (Paracirrhites forsteri)

The Freckled Hawkfish or Paracirrhites forsteri is just one of the over 30 species of Hawkfish on the planet earth. As you can see in the pictures, this species gets its name from the freckles that cover their faces and heads. These saltwater fish go by a couple different names as well including the Forster's Hawkfish, and the Blackside Hawkfish.

Freckled Hawkfish are often kept in an aquarium and should be purchased when they are young to fully appreciate them. When they are juveniles this fish will often be burgundy with a yellow tail. As they grow older, they can become brown, pink or olive in color. One thing that stays the same though is the red freckles that make this fish easy to identify from other Hawkfish.

These fish can become quite large for an aquarium, growing to about 9" in length, so an aquarium of at least 80 gallons is highly recommended. Freckled Hawkfish must have gotten picked on a lot in their past lives, because this fish will harass almost all other fish, even ones much bigger than it! If you are keeping it with other aggressive fish be sure to introduce it last to the tank. The following water conditions are recommended for this type of Hawkfish, 72-78° F, dKH 8-12, pH 8.1-8.4 and sg 1.020-1.025.

These fish are found in the wild around places like Hawaii and Australia. They are carnivores that feed on small fish and crustaceans. In an aquarium you can feed them marine meats, feeder shrimp and other meaty frozen foods.

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