Posted by gerard on February 25, 2009 under Saltwater Fish | 
The saddleback clownfish can be found in the eastern parts of the Indian and the Western parts of the Pacific oceans. Like most clownfish, they are most often observed living in a symbiotic relationship with a host anemone for protection and in the wild are most often seen in association with Stichodactyla haddoni (Saddle carpet anemone) or Heteractis crispa (Sebae anemone).
Appearance
Color ranges from dark brown to yellow orange with a thick white bar located just behind the eyes. A large white abbreviated saddle shape or slanted white bar across the middle of the fish’s body makes it quite obvious to see how it got the name Saddleback [1]. In some varieties, typically those specimens initially associated with H. crispa anemone[1], the saddle shape may extend up onto the fish’s Dorsal fin with a third white bar or margin located across the caudal peduncle (pictured in taxobox).
Melanistic variation has also been partially correlated with the fish’s host anemone. Specimens associated with H. crispa tend to be darker than those associated with S. haddoni. Aquarium specimens have been observed becoming lighter or darker after accepting a new host anemone species, sometimes within a few hours. read more....
Tags: aquarium, clown fish, clownfish, dorsal fin, fish tank, flake food, marine fish, mysis shrimp, Nano Reef, pacific oceans, saddleback clownfish, Saltwater Fish
Posted by gerard on December 2, 2008 under Saltwater Fish |
The Teardrop Butterflyfish, Chaetodon unimaculatus, is a species of butterflyfish (family Chaetodontidae). It is found in the Indo-Pacific oceans from Indonesia) to the Hawaiian, Marquesan and Ducie islands, north to southern Japan, south to Lord Howe and Rapa islands, and throughout Micronesia.
In the Indian Ocean it is replaced by the Yellow Teardrop Butterflyfish (C. interruptus), now considered to be a separate species but previously included in C. unimaculatus as a subspecies. In its subgenus Lepidochaetodon – sometimes considered a separate genus – it is only distantly related to species such as the Sunburst Butterflyfish (C. kleinii) and the Tahiti Butterflyfish (C. trichrous).
Description and ecology
Its length is up to 20 cm (8 in). The Teardrop Butterflyfish is easily identified by the colour pattern of yellow, white towards the belly, and with a black spot below the dorsal fin and a black vertical band through the eye. The caudal fin is transparent. Juveniles are virtually identical to adults in coloration.
They occur in small groups on reef flats, clear lagoon and seaward reefs, and feed on soft and hard corals, polychaetes, small crustaceans, and filamentous algae. In Indonesia, they are usually seen at moderate depths, usually swimming in small groups. Adults mainly occur at depths of 20 to 60 m. Reproduction is oviparous, with monogamous pairs forming during breeding season.
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