Butterfly Perch
Caesioperca lepidoptera,
Difficulty:
Medium: Mature tank
Description:
A pinkish coloured fish with a speckling of small black spots a large black spot on sides, bluish hints around the head. Max length : 30.0 cm
Habitat:
Found inshore, near rocky reefs to 100m. Splendid perch found in more northern waters and Allports in southern waters
Temperament:
A peaceful fish in a mixed tank.
Minimun Tank Size:
400 litres up to 1,000 litres for mature fish.
Tank Age / Maturity:
At least 6 months
Diet:
Newly caught fish need live food but after settling in tank eats everything from flake food to mysid, partial to prawns.
Special Requirements:
A very timid fish when newly caught, can easily be pushed off food.
Incompatibilities:
No noted issues.
Splendid Perch and Allports Perch
Callanthias australis and Callanthias allporti
Difficulty:
Medium: Mature tank
Description:
A brilliantly coloured fish of pink, golden, yellow, orange and red. The caudal fin is red and all other fins are orange. Max length : 30.0 cm , The Allports perch has slightly more subdued colouration.
Habitat:
Found inshore, near rocky reefs to 100m. Splendid perch found in more northern waters and Allports in southern waters
Temperament:
A peaceful fish in a mixed tank.
Minimun Tank Size:
400 litres
Tank Age / Maturity:
At least 6 months
Diet:
Newly caught fish need live food but after settling in tank eats everything from flake food to mysid, partial to prawns.
Special Requirements:
A very timid fish when newly caught, can easily be pushed off food
Incompatibilities:
No noted issues.
Black Angel
Parma alboscapularis
Pic by Puttputt
Difficulty:
medium to difficult, Needs mature aquariums
Description:
New Zealands true angel, starts life vibrantly coloured like tropical Parma species, they are a neon blue and yellow and which slowly changes to jet black with a white ear patch. Grows to approximately 28cm
Habitat:
Found around coastal headlands and offshore islands in the north.
Temperament:
Normal damsel angel type personally, timid when small, would be aggressive with same species and tends to harass new fish in the tank.
Minimun Tank Size:
400 litres preferably larger.
Tank Age / Maturity:
At least 12 months
Diet:
Eats most things eventually, mine love flake, bloodworm, tuatua, mysid etc
Special Requirements:
Mature large tank, easy to feed, large tank requires as grows to a reasonable size.
Incompatibilities:
None known at this stage, but as it matures only one per tank.
Long snout pipefish
Stigmatophora macropterygia
Difficulty:
Easy to keep in a mature system if you can supply live foods.
Description:
Long thin fish with a Long dorsal fin used for propulsion and a slender long tail that lacks a fin. Grows to 22cm.
Habitat:
Usually found inhabiting harbours and sheltered coastlines amongst seaweeds around rocky areas in fairly shallow water, can be found in deeper waters as well. They are more active at dusk and night than in the daytime spending most of the day anchored by their tail to rocks or weed.
Temperament:
A peaceful fish
Minimun Tank Size:
100 litres preferably larger.
Tank Age / Maturity:
At least 6 months
Diet:
Pipefish feed on small crustaceans, such as amphipods and shrimp, which are sucked into their tube-like snouts and ingested whole, in the aquarium they can be fed on live mysid Shrimp, mosquito wrigglers, daphnia and whiteworms (very fatty) also frozen foods such as mysid and brineshrimp
Special Requirements:
Pipefish should only be kept in a mature, cycled marine aquarium. Their tank must have gentle to moderate currents for them as they are not strong swimmers and to enable them to be able to feed properly. Very hard to get to accept frozen foods
Incompatibilities:
Easily out competed for food by faster fish, does well with Weed fish and seahorses.
Wide-bodied pipefish
Stigmatophora nigra
Difficulty:
Easy to keep in a mature system if you can supply live foods.
Description:
Body slender and snout elongate a slender tail without a fin. The body widens out and looks flattened in females, males are more slender with a brood pouch on the underside of the tail immediately behind the anal fin. No tail fin. Grows to 16.2 cm.
Habitat:
Usually found inhabiting harbours and sheltered coastlines amongst seaweeds around rocky areas in fairly shallow water, can be found in deeper waters as well. They are more active at dusk and night than in the daytime spending most of the day anchored by their tail to rocks or weed.
Temperament:
A peaceful fish
Minimun Tank Size:
100 litres preferably larger.
Tank Age / Maturity:
At least 6 months
Diet:
Pipefish feed on small crustaceans, such as amphipods and shrimp, which are sucked into their tube-like snouts and ingested whole, in the aquarium they can be fed on live mysid Shrimp, mosquito wrigglers, daphnia and whiteworms (very fatty) also frozen foods such as mysid and brineshrimp
Special Requirements:
Pipefish should only be kept in a mature, cycled marine aquarium. Their tank must have gentle to moderate currents for them as they are not strong swimmers and to enable them to be able to feed properly. Very hard to get to accept frozen foods
Incompatibilities:
Easily out competed for food by faster fish, does well with Weed fish and seahorses.
Golden Crested Weedfish
Cristiceps aurantiacus
Difficulty:
Hard to keep if you can’t provide live food for it, Pods or brine shrimp
Description:
A golden yellow coloured fish that resembles a piece of seaweed, large crest on its forehead, can grow up to 25cm. Its behaviour and colouration make it hard to spot as they walk rather than swim by using their long pelvic and pectoral fins and t move any distance they mimic a piece of weed and roll along the bottom.
Habitat:
Found around New Zealand in rock pools and to depths of 10 metres, usually amongst rock and areas of seaweed.
Temperament:
A peaceful fish
Minimun Tank Size:
100 litres preferably larger.
Tank Age / Maturity:
At least 6 months
Diet:
Their food is small crustaceans and larval fish, so live foods are a must in the tank if you want to keep this fish alive
Special Requirements:
Need live foods, hard to wean onto frozens, Daphnia and mosquito larvae will be eaten
Incompatibilities:
Easily out competed for food by faster fish, does well with seahorses and pipefish.
Orange clinid
Ericentrus rubrus
Difficulty:
Medium, need constant live food.
Description:
Body orangey brown with variegated markings, white stripe on forehead. The body is flattened to resemble a piece of seaweed. Grows to 10.5 cm.
Habitat:
Usually found inhabiting harbours and sheltered coastlines amongst seaweeds around rocky areas in fairly shallow water, Occurs in rock pools and subtidal area down to 30 m. Usually found living on brown algae (Carpophyllumand Cystophora).
Temperament:
A peaceful fish
Minimun Tank Size:
100 litres preferably larger.
Tank Age / Maturity:
At least 6 months
Diet:
They need live food as they feed on small crustaceans, such as amphipods, in the aquarium they can be fed on live mysid Shrimp, mosquito wrigglers, daphnia and whiteworms (very fatty) and hatched brineshrimp.
Special Requirements:
Weedfish should only be kept in a mature, cycled marine aquarium. Their tank must have gentle to moderate currents for them as they are not strong swimmers and to enable them to be able to feed properly. Very hard to get to accept frozen foods
Incompatibilities:
Easily out competed for food by faster fish, does well with other Weed fish, pipefish and seahorses.
Hiwihiwi
Chironemus marmoratus
Pic by Puttputt
Difficulty:
Easy to keep in a mature system
Description:
Lovely patterned native fish, small beak like mouth. Bown and white patterns. Grows to 25-30cm.
Habitat:
Found around coastal reefs and rocky coast, lives amongst kelp type weed.
Temperament:
A peaceful but boisterous fish
Minimun Tank Size:
400 litres preferably larger.
Tank Age / Maturity:
At least 6 months
Diet:
A easy to care for fish, eats just about anything
Special Requirements:
No special requirements, easy to feed, large tank requires as grows to a reasonable size.
Incompatibilities:
can hassle timid fish away from their food.
Red Moki
Goniistius spectabilis
Difficulty:
Easy.
Description:
white fish with several black vertical stripes on body, rubbery lips and large pectoral fins. Grows up to 60cm, 3kgs
Habitat:
Usually found offshore around the North Island of N.Z. over reefs and sandy bottoms to 50m.
Juvenile fish can be caught in shallow water amongst rocks and weed, from December to March.
Temperament:
Peaceful.
Minimun Tank Size:
1000 litres preferably larger.
Tank Age / Maturity:
At least 6 months
Diet:
Feeds on molluscs, crustaceans etc, so readily accept all meaty foods.
Special Requirements:
Good clean water, swimming space, as they are a quota fish they have a minimum legal size so need a large tank.
Incompatibilities:
Territorial with own species even as a juvenile.
Tarakihi
Nemadactylus macropterus
Difficulty:
Medium.
Description:
Silvery fish with black saddle mark behind head, rubbery lips and large pectoral fins. Grows up to 60cm, 3kgs
Habitat:
Usually found offshore around N.Z. over reefs and sandy bottoms to 50m.
Temperament:
A peaceful fish
Minimun Tank Size:
1000 litres preferably larger.
Tank Age / Maturity:
At least 6 months
Diet:
Feeds on molluscs, crustaceans etc, so readily accept all meaty foods.
Special Requirements:
Good clean water, swimming space, as they are a quota fish they have a minimum legal size so need a large tank.
Incompatibilities:
Porcupine Fish
Allomycterus jaculiferus
Difficulty:
Easy.
Description:
The body colour is grey-brown with a white stomach and irregular blackish patches on the back and sides and the head is large and bony and the body is long, tapered and covered in spines. When excited it inflates with water to the size of a small football. Grows up to 60cm.
This fish is poisonous to eat as it contains the powerful nerve toxin tetrodotoxin (TTX) in its skin and intestines.
Habitat:
Usually found offshore around the North Island of N.Z. over reefs and sandy bottoms to 50m. less common in the South Island
Temperament:
Peaceful.
Minimun Tank Size:
1000 litres preferably larger.
Tank Age / Maturity:
At least 6 months
Diet:
Feeds on molluscs, crustaceans and echinoderms, so readily accept all meaty foods.
Special Requirements:
Good clean water, swimming space.
Incompatibilities:
Banded Wrasse
Pseudolabrus fucicola
Difficulty:
Easy.
Description:
It is a typical elongate wrasse shape with the body coloured in alternate green and yellow-brown bars running in wide vertical bands along its length. Young fish start are a redish brown colour and get more green-brown with yellow bars on their flanks. Adult Males are very similar in appearance but the bands are a darker purplish colour. Up to 60 cm.
Habitat:
Found off the east coast of Northland in New Zealand, in weedy reef areas at depths of between 10 and 30 m.
Temperament:
A peaceful fish in a mixed tank. Can be aggressive towards its own species as they grow.
Minimun Tank Size:
1000 litres preferably larger.
Tank Age / Maturity:
At least 6 months
Diet:
feed on a variety of invertebrates, hermit and other crabs, molluscs, andechinoderms the rocks in the tank.
Special Requirements:
Need room to swim,
Incompatibilities:
further notes
Beautiful bright green wrasse, very similar to the comman spotty without the attitude. East to keep, feeds on a variety of foods readily.
This is an energetic fish that loves to show off, friendly with all other tankmates, note these will eat and attack any shrimp or crabs.
Reccommended but only to a larger aqaurium with a lot of swimming space, great personality fish.
Easily caught around central north islands in and around kelp beds close in to rocks.
Scarlet Wrasse
Pseudolabrus miles
Difficulty:
Easy.
Description:
The scarlet wrasse is an elongate fish of typical wrasse shape. Yong fish have a red head and horizontal reddish and white lines on the sides with three pale orangish spots at the base of the dorsal fin. The tail is orange with a black vertical bar at its base. Older males have bright red body, yellow flanks and belly and a prominent white patch behind the head. Grows to between 20 and 40 cms.
Habitat:
Found around New Zealand in deeper offshore reefs areas at depths of between 5 and 100 metres
Temperament:
Can be aggressive.
Minimun Tank Size:
1000 litres preferably larger.
Tank Age / Maturity:
At least 6 months
Diet:
Scarlet wrasses feed on a variety of invertebrates, hermit and other crabs, molluscs, and echinoderms Will eat anything you feed it
Special Requirements:
Need room to swim,
Incompatibilities:
Not recommended, beautiful but very aggressive fish, very easy to keep but only suited to a very large tank with other large fish not of the wrasse family.
Would attack and nip fins of all fish, very territorial but friendly not shy.
Eastern Red Scorpionfish Scorpaena cardinalis.
Southern Red Scorpionfish, Scorpaena. Papillosa.
Pic by Oceandose
Difficulty:
Easy.
Description:
Two species of Scorpion fish occur in N.Z. waters; both have bodies that are short and compressed with filaments on fins and skin flaps on the body to disguise their shape. The main differences between them are colouration and size, The Eastern Red Scorpionfish is usually bright red. Although its body coloration can be quite variable, it grows to over 40 cm long, whereas the Southern Red Scorpionfish is not bright red but is usually darker from brown or black to sometimes reddish-brown, it grows to less than 20 cm.
Habitat:
Most commonly found around the coast of New Zealand on rocky reefs from 5 to 100 meters.
Temperament:
Predatory.
Minimun Tank Size:
300 litres preferably larger.
Tank Age / Maturity:
At least 6 months
Diet:
Scorpionfish are predatory fish with a big mouth so it will eat any small fishes and invertebrates that will fit in it. It can be hard to wean onto frozen or dead food as its hunting tactic is to lie motionless on the bottom and wait for food to pass by.
Special Requirements:
Live foods until acclimatised,
Incompatibilities:
Be very careful when handling as these fish have toxins in there fin spines which can be very painful for hours if you are spiked.
From Oceandose
Scorpian Fish/ grandaddy hapuka
Another fantastic fish to keep when at a smaller size. But they will eat anything that fits into there mouth, which means fish half there size will be eaten. They are generally night hunters, so its not recommended to have these with smaller fish like triplefins ect.
Amazing fish that can change colour to hide in its environment, can be fun trying to find them sometimes, easily kept eats any food that falls in front of it.
Caught normally out on offshore reefs, but young can be netted in rockpools if your lucky enough to find one
Moon or Lunar wrasse
Thalassoma lunare
Difficulty:
Easy.
Description:
Typical elongate wrasse shape with the body dark green to blue with Head green to blue with irregular pink to violet ban Adults are identified by the yellow crescent tail, and blue pectoral fins with a large elongate pink area distally. Grows to 25.0 cm to 35cm.
Habitat:
Found around coastal reefs, and in protected seaward reefs around northern New Zealand at depths of from 1 - 20 m Reported to have formed a hybrid with Thalassoma rueppellii , a rare find in N.Z.
Temperament:
Fairly peaceful.
Minimun Tank Size:
100 litres preferably larger.
Tank Age / Maturity:
At least 6 months
Diet:
Feeds mainly on small benthic invertebrates and fish eggs, Can be adjusted easily to frozen foods but will benefit from live food in the tank.
Special Requirements:
Need room to swim,
Incompatibilities:
Can be harassed by larger wrasses.
Crimson cleaner fish
Suezichthys aylingi
Difficulty:
Medium.
Description:
The Crimson Cleaner has a two colour phases as it grows, the juvenile phase colour is a red-orange body above and paler below with a white-bordered black ocellus at the base of the dorsal fin. The adult phase colour turns to a deep crimson body, slightly paler below and a white stripe running from the head to the tail, the head has blue lines on it. Grows to between 10 and 12 cm.
Habitat:
Found around North Eastern New Zealand, usually over reef areas from 6 - 100 m.
Temperament:
Peaceful.
Minimun Tank Size:
100 litres preferably larger.
Tank Age / Maturity:
At least 6 months
Diet:
This species removes parasites and damaged scales and skin from other fishes it also feeds on small crustaceans so Needs live foods until acclimatised.
Special Requirements:
Need room to swim,
Incompatibilities:
Very hard to maintain in the aquarium and can start nipping other fish.
Orange wrasse
Pseudolabrus luculentus
Difficulty:
Easy.
Description:
like many species of wrasses, the Orange wrasse goes through different colour phases depending on their age and sex, It’s colours are highly variable from grey to brown to bright orange and red-brown. Males have black and white splotching on their backs, females have several white lines under their eyes, but lack the blotches seen in males. Grows to between 40 and 60 cm
Habitat:
Found around New Zealand including the Kermadec Islands over rocky reefs at depths up to 50m.,
Temperament:
Can be aggressive.
Minimun Tank Size:
100 litres preferably larger.
Tank Age / Maturity:
At least 6 months
Diet:
Feeds mainly on small benthic invertebrates like ophiuroids, chitons, amphipods, and small gastropods. Will eat anything you feed it once acclimatised
Special Requirements:
Need room to swim,
From Bluether
Grey Mullet
Mugil cephalus
Difficulty: Medium
Description: Silver body tending to grey/green on back. Four rays in fist dorsal fin. Pectoral fins very high on body and held out from body
Temperament: Placid
Minimun Tank Size: 400+ litres at a guess, can grow large in the wild
Tank Age / Maturity: well established
Special Requirements: Diatomes etc to feed on as fry. Will sift sand for food, will eventually take commercial foods.
These fish will spend large amounts of time in fresh water over summer, and have been recorded over 160 km inland.
Incompatibilities: ???
Size: upto 50cm in the wild
I have 2 left (of about 8) of these fish that were caught as about 25mm fry in fresh water. They have been in FW since capture and took a long time to except commercial foods. 1 died within a day of capture and then slowly over the next months the others got thinner untill passing on. the last 4 all were eating commercial foods but I think that two of them had gone too far backwards.
