Florida Coast Fish ID

[Kitkat717]

Hello! This is sort of a wild shot here! (And I’m so sorry if posted in the wrong spot) I haven’t been here in ages as I don’t have a reef tank right now, but I have a fish ID question! After searching the web for hours I thought I might try the knowledgable folks here.

This morning we were at Clearwater beach in Florida and saw a fish I’ve never seen before. I WISH I would have gotten a picture and this would be much easier.

It was about the size of a silver dollar, disc-shaped like an angelfish, with dorsal fin TASSELS—I don’t know what else to call them. They were long, multiple long sea grass like tassels from the dorsal fin like a moorish idol. But irregular like really long tassels from a Sargassum angler or tasseled filefish—just so much longer.

To be honest it looked a lot like an upside down freshwater angelfish (but this was saltwater).

Kinda like this with those long stringy-fins but off the dorsal fin.

There were three of them schooling together in a sea grass area beside a rocky area. Clearly its natural habitat, based on its appearance, is seagrasses or in/around macro algae.

I realize this is a long shot without a picture. Thank you so much!

 

[PeterErc]

Palometa?

 

[Kitkat717]

Palometa?

Thank you! But sadly no. The dorsal fin was much longer and flowed around the water like a moorish idol’s does. It was grey-ish brown in color, blended in great with the shadows around the rocks and sand and sea grass. Thank you so much for the suggestion though!

 

[PeterErc]

Strike one,
How about a jack knife

 

[Kitkat717]

Strike one,
How about a jack knife

Really close in the shape of the dorsal fin, but the body was discoid. And the dorsal fin wasn’t rigid and long but sort of irregular? Like a Jack knife and a moorish idol and a tasseled filefish had a baby. It was SO distinct I thought for sure I’d be able to hit a couple key words and it’d pop right up. Which makes me suspicious it might be the juvenile form?

Thank you so much!

 

[Kitkat717]

And if I’m remembering right (at this point I’m losing my mind questioning this) I swore it had 3 long moorish-idol-like dorsal fins swishing around the water

 

[The_Paradox]

Was it a juvenile hogfish?

 

[Mr_Knightley]

That almost sounds like a juvenile batfish, but they usually have one long dorsal fin in a leaf-like shape as opposed to multiple tassels.

 

[Kitkat717]

Was it a juvenile hogfish?

Similar with the dorsal bit, but much smaller, max 2” in length and discoid. Thank you!!

 

[Nano_Man]

This is good

 

[PeterErc]

I am trying to think of what I see around, I have never seen a juvenile African Pompano but that has long streamers. pompano/permit don’t have long dorsal.
Think I got it this time, juvenile lookdown

 

[Kitkat717]

That almost sounds like a juvenile batfish, but they usually have one long dorsal fin in a leaf-like shape as opposed to multiple tassels.

OK!!! This is really close! Very very similar to a zebra baitfish but no stripes. Definitely not orange and black like the pinnatus ones. But like this if the dorsal fins were less dense, a little longer, and more spindly.

 

[Kitkat717]

I am trying to think of what I see around, I have never seen a juvenile African Pompano but that has long streamers. pompano/permit don’t have long dorsal.
Think I got it this time, juvenile lookdown

YES!!!’ This is it!!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH. It looked exactly like this:

Ahhh thank you so so much everyone! I knew one of you would know! Thank you thank you!

 

[The_Paradox]

Similar with the dorsal bit, but much smaller, max 2” in length and discoid. Thank you!!

They are much more discoid as juvenile. Smallest I think I have seen one was probably 6” but at that size they still look like this.

 

[PeterErc]

Whew, this was my next guess lol
Glad you got the answer, now you have to set up a tank and get some lol

 

[Kitkat717]

They are much more discoid as juvenile. Smallest I think I have seen one was probably 6” but at that size they still look like this.

Solved it. Juvenile Lookdown. Thank you so much!!

 

[Kitkat717]

Whew, this was my next guess lol
Glad you got the answer, now you have to set up a tank and get some lol

Hahaha I’ll get right on that 900 gal tank! Maybe one day Thank you so much for your help!

Fun tidbit, a few weeks ago we had a small remora latch onto our legs at the beach at honeymoon island. One of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. The ocean is incredible. One day when my kids are a little less small and hands on I’ll start reefing again