What is he??

Firepony · Apr 20, 2022

I got this guy as a tiny baby in my ghost shrimp bag. He is now almost the size of my hand. Anyone know what he is??

albano · Apr 20, 2022

Not sure what it is, but hope you’re kidding about releasing it into ocean

afrokobe · Apr 20, 2022

definitely do not release into the ocean thats how we get invasive species

DeniseAndy · Apr 20, 2022

You can talk to a local public aquarium and see what it is and what to do with it. If it is that big, eat it!

Eagle_Steve · Apr 20, 2022

Firepony said:
I got this guy as a tiny baby in my ghost shrimp bag. He is now almost the size of my hand. Anyone know what he is?? Can I release him in the ocean (45 min away in FL) ??

Looks very similar to a pinfish.

I have 3 of these in my mangrove lagoon. They are reef safe, except for shrimps. When smaller they are most carnivores (mysis, brine shrimp, etc.). When about 3-4" in size, they move mostly to herbivore and are great algae eaters. They do not eat much macro algae, but love some GHA and will decimate bryopsis.

If all else fails, they make great bait for snook, tarpon or redfish. This is how I ended up with mine. They lived in the livewell all day and were not used, added to the stuff I collected and then went into mangrove lagoon tank.

Here is a pic of my 3. Not the greatest, as they zoom around.

Anemone_Fanatic · Apr 20, 2022

I'm not sure what it is, but it looks like it could be some sort of grunt. Do not release it into the ocean, it could become a problem to the local ecosystem. It doesn't look like a coral eater, so keep it in your tank. It might eat small fish and motile invertebrates, though. If it causes a problem, talk to a local public aquarium or FOWLR keeper and ask if they want it.

Firepony · Apr 20, 2022

albano said:
Not sure what it is, but hope you’re kidding about releasing it into ocean

Lol of course I won't

Eagle_Steve · Apr 20, 2022

If it is not a pinfish (by looking at pics from google), look here to see if it is a type of grunt. Both have similar shapes. YOu can even pop around the different fish types to try and get an ID if neither of those 2.

South Florida Reefs - Grunts - Snappers

Florent's Guide To The South Florida Reefs Fish, Corals and Creatures - Grunts - Snappers

reefguide.org

LiamPM · Apr 20, 2022

Id hazard a guess at that being a juvenile Haemulon sciurus and if so, its usually considered a public aquarium filler fish rather than one for the trade. Guessing due to its eventual size.

Bucs20fan · Apr 20, 2022

100 percent a pin fish, Catch them all the time.

Bucs20fan · Apr 20, 2022

I could never recommend releasing a fish back into the ocean, but if you were gonna do it, this one is about as safe and environmentally friendly as it gets. It is a native species to the atlantic and gulf coasts.