Got another fish that needs to be ID'd

guitarest · Post by **guitarest** » Wed Aug 31, 2011 5:24 pm

Hey Gang:

I have a new fish that just ended up in my 55gal and I have had them before but let them go due to their nasty habits of biting my other fish. These guys range in sizes from really small to about 3/4 of a inch. They are silver in color and have a rather large mouth that it uses to attack other fish biting their fins and scales. When the little fish is in a resting position it usually hangs upside down and kinda bobs like a cork. This little guy has two speeds rest and quick spurts of blazing speed. He loves to nip the glass minnows and has a he11 of a appetite. The fish is over all silver with yellow accents on the dorsal, tail and anal fins. The pelvic fins are of a fluorescent blue or real bright reflective color and this fish uses the pelvic fins as a speed brake. I would love to get a photo of this little fish except all pictures are very blurry and out of focus since this guy is so fast and such a small target.

Wes?

Post by **Gerwin** » Wed Aug 31, 2011 7:45 pm

bluwtr · Post by **bluwtr** » Wed Aug 31, 2011 9:19 pm

Throw a pic out anyway Jocko even if it is a bit blurry. Try changing the ISO setting on your camera to the highest setting and follow the fish when you take the pic. It will be like a sports pic--player in focus; background blurry. I may have an idea from the description, but I'm not going to guess.

guitarest · Post by **guitarest** » Thu Sep 01, 2011 10:06 am

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqQTnF-dOmQ

This is the main fish in this video, and the first fish. Also making a appearance in the video is a needle fish...

guitarest · Post by **guitarest** » Thu Sep 01, 2011 12:12 pm

Just a reminder the video is facing the filter from across the tank so thats air bubbles not debris floating in the tank. A short appearance in the video are a few glass minnows (clear with green stripe). This offender in the video is still in the tank yet his buddies (5 others same species) were released back where they were caught (Long Beach Harbor). Last night was a ruff night to catch anything with the wind pushing jellies towards the shore line. Every scoop included a few jellies and loads of dead leaves and other debris at every location I was at.

sharkbiologist · Post by **sharkbiologist** » Thu Sep 01, 2011 4:18 pm

It looks like a juvenile bluefish, pomatomus saltatrix, they will eat everything in your tank if this is what it is. They also get rather large pretty quickly. I could be mistaken, would need a good closeup of its side to be sure.

bluwtr · Post by **bluwtr** » Thu Sep 01, 2011 4:21 pm

Good description Jocko--it is what I thought. What you caught is called a Leatherjacket. Is is a jack--cousin of amber jacks and pompanos. Very cool fish and as you've found out, aggressive eaters. Be careful when handling them because they venomous spines for anal spines. While not dangerous, they sure hurt like hell. Very similar to a wasp sting.

Just to make Tyler squirm the scientific name is Oligoplites saurus!!!!

guitarest · Post by **guitarest** » Thu Sep 01, 2011 6:13 pm

Thanks again Wes, your like a walking talking encyclopedia when it comes to local fish. I do understand thats your job but there are others (to include a PHD I know) who is not as accurate as you are on your fish knowledge.

Aggressive is a understatement about this guy (I have only one left) and since his arrival I have 4 dead glass minnows; and countless shrimp gone. I treat my fish at night with frozen treats (Krill and blood worms) some times and the Leather jacket just keeps on eating and eating. I have never seen a fish consume so much food. This fish even puts large mouth bass to shame (yup had one of those years ago). This fish takes feeding to a entirely new level of food consumed.

Either tonight or tomorrow he is going back to the gulf; way too many deaths in the tank that started when this fish and the others who have been already released. Thanks for the warning about the sting, I had no idea.

guitarest · Post by **guitarest** » Thu Sep 01, 2011 6:17 pm

sharkbiologist wrote:It looks like a juvenile bluefish, pomatomus saltatrix, they will eat everything in your tank if this is what it is. They also get rather large pretty quickly. I could be mistaken, would need a good closeup of its side to be sure.

Thank you for your help

bluwtr · Post by **bluwtr** » Thu Sep 01, 2011 10:45 pm

LOL! Thanks for the compliment Jocko! Yeah, since they are jacks they do like to eat. Really are beautiful fish though. The yellow on the fins is really pretty.

guitarest · Post by **guitarest** » Fri Sep 02, 2011 4:03 am

Wes;

I had two Amber Jacks in the tank before I moved, they died in the move. I was really upset because both of the Amber Jacks, schooled around with the Hard head Catfish. They were very beautiful and I caught them in a sane net and they lived in my 100gal for almost a year. The Leather jacket just continues to amuse me with the amount of food he eats. Tonight it was endless blood worms and a few chunks of smashed shrimp. I love how he uses his fins as speed brakes, he flies in the tank gets cranking and like a jet opens the speed brake and stops instantly. I can see why he has a huge food requirement if there was ever a fish that should take Ritalin; this is it.

I just noticed another fish in the tank that looks to be a juvenile ground mullet or possible a speckled trout. He hides in the plant and ony comes out when its time to feed. I will try to grab a photo.

FishyStuff.net

Got another fish that needs to be ID'd

Got another fish that needs to be ID'd

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Re: Got another fish that needs to be ID'd

Re: Got another fish that needs to be ID'd

Re: Got another fish that needs to be ID'd

Re: Got another fish that needs to be ID'd

Re: Got another fish that needs to be ID'd

Re: Got another fish that needs to be ID'd

Re: Got another fish that needs to be ID'd