identifying a mystery fish

[squidlord]

Found Thus little guy off a jetty in Mustang Park in Texas. Having a lot of trouble identifying it please help.

 

[blaxsun]

It would be easier to tell you what it's not, lol. My best guess is either a chromis or damselfish, but I'm still trying to place the color/pattern. Was he an adoptee for your tank?

 

[squidlord]

Yes I caught 4 of them and they aren't schooling like damsels. They paired off and arent acting aggressively to any of the other fish. I think they might be algae eater because they split up the tank as territory as pairs and well as a separate territory for the lawnmower blenny. But they appear to still be very young. I caught some baby night Sargents and baby Sargent magors with them.

 

[squidlord]

They also have spines along the top of his body that are currently laid down flat in the picture, I'll try to get some of those. The tank is at my mother's house.

 

[dennis romano]

Looks like a very young Schoolmaster snapper

 

[ying yang]

I just took screenshot of your fish and used Google lens and came up with this cardinal fish,look up that and see if that's it

 

[ying yang]

My Google lens is on home page what I outlined,press camera then choose picture then it searches for you,it's not 100% but imo it's dang close everytime

 

[Bdeck]

Its a snapper

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Looks like a very young Schoolmaster snapper

I have to agree here - my first thought was some kind of Ostorhinchus sp. cardinal like ying yang, but there's no spot by the tail, and the striping by the eye (both the black and blue) is very distinctive - no cardinal has a stripe quite like that black line through the eye. OP, here's a site with a few photos that you can compare to:

Schoolmaster Snapper - Lutjanus apodus - Caribbean Fish Identification USVI

www.snorkelstj.com

 

[Bdeck]

Perhaps schoolmaster snapper. Hard to tell that small. Dont know your regulations in Texas , but illegal to have that small in Florida.