Help with fish identity

cj in sac ca · Mar 7, 2016

Hello all, I live in Pensacola Florida and while fishing a local spot I caught several of these fish and decided to take one home and put it in my 90 gallon fish only tank. Any help is greatly appreciated.
Chip

Kershaw · Mar 7, 2016

Kinda looks like a wrasse of sort

Diesel · Mar 7, 2016

Yes wrasse and not reef safe, looks from the Fam Novaculichthys.

[HASHTAG]#reefsquad[/HASHTAG]

cj in sac ca · Mar 7, 2016

Cool I have my few corals in my 30 and this guy is in my 90. Also caught a different one if I can get a pic I will post it. I've never seen them in lfs before thanks for the help.

Diesel · Mar 7, 2016

Local fish are hard to keep due to the fact of not eating.
Most of the time the eat clams or corals.
They are territorial and can grow to large fish sometimes over 18".

4FordFamily · Mar 7, 2016

I have never seen anything like that!

@eatbreakfast @evolved

cj in sac ca · Mar 7, 2016

Diesel said:
Local fish are hard to keep due to the fact of not eating.
Most of the time the eat clams or corals.
They are territorial and can grow to large fish sometimes over 18".

The other one I have different type is eating great this one has been no belong on krill some what he is about 6 inches right now looks to be doing ok if I see signs of distress then I'll take it back out to the spot I got it from.

Kershaw · Mar 7, 2016

It's pretty awesome. I wish I could catch things like that I ca

cj in sac ca · Mar 7, 2016

I fi had a way to ship and guarantee it if send one

Kershaw · Mar 7, 2016

Let's see the other one. Is it a wrasse too? I love me some wrasse

cj in sac ca · Mar 7, 2016

I'll try to get a pic of it it's been hiding since I put this one In there.

Kershaw · Mar 7, 2016

Oh ok don't stress it for us.

redfishbluefish · Mar 7, 2016

With that blunt forehead, it's a type of razorfish.....a wrasse. The lighting might be throwing me off, but I'm going to guess, with the stripping on the head, that it's a pearly razorfish.

EDIT TO ADD:

Humblefish · Mar 7, 2016

Following.. would like to know exactly what that is. Never seen anything like it when I had my "Florida tank". I mostly caught Halichoeres bivittatus.

cj in sac ca · Mar 7, 2016

redfishbluefish said:
With that blunt forehead, it's a type of razorfish.....a wrasse. The lighting might be throwing me off, but I'm going to guess, with the stripping on the head, that it's a pearly razorfish.

EDIT TO ADD:

Looks very similar but this one is more blue green and blue then red.

cj in sac ca · Mar 7, 2016

Humblefish said:
Following.. would like to know exactly what that is. Never seen anything like it when I had my "Florida tank". I mostly caught Halichoeres bivittatus.

We where fishing for sheepshead to fry up and kept only getting these another warrse type fish and pin fish huge ones like 6 plus inches! I'll try to get a pic when I feed that's the only time they seem to wanna come out

redfishbluefish · Mar 7, 2016

cj in sac ca said:
Looks very similar but this one is more blue green and blue then red.

I'm still putting my money on Pearly Razorfish. Google that and look at the color variations that are out there. I'm sure you'll find your fish in one of the pictures. That blunt forehead and lines on the face are distinctive.

cj in sac ca · Mar 7, 2016

Just googled pearly razor fish and yes this is it. It's in the warse family found in tropical waters and Mediterranean Sea. Says they are found in sandy and muddy areas and are also used to catch greater amber jacks aka the reef donkeys!

eatbreakfast · Mar 8, 2016

Some sources list Xyrichtys psittacus as a valid species, others list it as a junior synonym of X. novacula. For those that count X. psittacus as valid, it is only found on the Western Atlantic, along the Americas, whereas X. novacula would only be found on the Eastern Atlantic, along Southern Europe and Africa. For those that count it as invalid X. novacula covers the entire range.

Razor wrasses like open sand and can even 'swim' under sand to escape predators. They will eat motile inverts and small fish, and will knock over unattached corals and small rock. In the morning when they are waking up, it is not unusual to see their head just above the sand checking out their surroundings for a few minutes.