What is this?

Afterburner · Jul 10, 2020

I was diving off Tampa bay in about 40 feet and there was a huge school of these little fishes hanging on a ledge. I caught a bunch for my DT and have them in my QT tank now. I just can't figure out what they are and how big they will get. The entire school was about this size, and they eat like crazy. Does anyone know for sure what these are?

ichthyogeek · Jul 10, 2020

Cardinalfish of some sort, maybe these?

LiveAquaria® - Apogon affinis

m.liveaquaria.com

Afterburner · Jul 10, 2020

Mine all have a spot on their tails and the body seems longer and slenderer.

SenatorPOPS · Jul 10, 2020

Five lined cardinal fish maybe?

slojim · Jul 10, 2020

wait - that's your quarantine tank in the photo? looks nicer than my DT

Afterburner · Jul 10, 2020

SenatorPOPS said:
Five lined cardinal fish maybe?

Maybe they are, but mine only has three lines and no yellow near the tail. They do have a very similar body shape. This is probably just the dirty tampa bay version. There were literally 10's of thousands of them in a school. Thanks for the ID.

SenatorPOPS · Jul 10, 2020

Afterburner said:
Maybe they are, but mine only has three lines and no yellow near the tail. They do have a very similar body shape. This is probably just the dirty tampa bay version. There were literally 10's of thousands of them in a school. Thanks for the ID.

Yea, looks like no stripes on the ventral side of the body. Could be a Tampa version haha. Looks to be something in the Cheilodipterus genus. Maybe someone with a lot better knowledge could help identify it further.

Afterburner · Jul 10, 2020

slojim said:
wait - that's your quarantine tank in the photo? looks nicer than my DT

It is pretty small and I hardly ever clean the glass, but it is a good place to put frags and QT fish I catch in the wild. The weird thing is that I can load it like crazy and nitrates don't move. probably all the algae and softies, but it seems to work.

Zionas · Jul 10, 2020

Nice job catching the fish! I actually live about 2 hours away from the South China Sea but I don’t feel confident enough to catch my own fish! Not yet.

Yes they’re definitely Cardinals, a hardy group of fish. Good luck with them!

nereefpat · Jul 10, 2020

@eatbreakfast any idea here?

Softhammer · Jul 10, 2020

They’re not cardinals. They’re juvenile Tomtates. A variety of grunt, they’ll get to almost a foot long. I catch them on sabiki rigs for bait as well as larger ones when snapper fishing. FYI I own a boat in Tampa and regularly fish the gulf. Any fisherman can verify their identity. Having said that, they’re perfect aquarium fish! Great catch. I’m at the moment fattening up 4 filefish I caught on my last run out. They’re a whopping 1/2” each! Hoping I can get them to eat pest zoanthids.

Softhammer · Jul 10, 2020

Here.

nereefpat · Jul 10, 2020

Thanks, I was nervous they were something big.

Afterburner · Jul 11, 2020

These do not have the body shape of a grunt or the red inside the mouth. I also fish regularly out of tampa bay and get my share of grunts. maybe they will change as they grow (I will have to look into that). If they do, then my DT would be more like a live well for my next fishing trip. The issue is catching them once they are in my DT due to the fragile corals. I might just let them go in the canal.

Afterburner · Jul 11, 2020

Softhammer said:
They’re not cardinals. They’re juvenile Tomtates. A variety of grunt, they’ll get to almost a foot long. I catch them on sabiki rigs for bait as well as larger ones when snapper fishing. FYI I own a boat in Tampa and regularly fish the gulf. Any fisherman can verify their identity. Having said that, they’re perfect aquarium fish! Great catch. I’m at the moment fattening up 4 filefish I caught on my last run out. They’re a whopping 1/2” each! Hoping I can get them to eat pest zoanthids.

I just looked it up.... you are right, they are juvenile tomatates..... off to the canal they go. I am headed to the Keys in a couple of weeks, so I am sure I can find a better replacement for them.
THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HELP SOFTHAMMER!
If you ever feel like a fishing trip, message me.... John

Softhammer · Jul 11, 2020

Same here! Been killin the red snapper but this weather is holding me back! You’ll definitely find some more aquarium-worthy specimens in the keys.

Afterburner · Jul 11, 2020

I hear you about the weather, and with the bigger ARS having moved out to 150', it's a long run when the wind is howling and afternoon thunderstorms come up. When I was collecting, I noticed a lot of Hogfish on the ledges around 40' and a few were legal size. A much shorter run.

Softhammer · Jul 11, 2020

Good to know! That’s why I alway try to carry shrimp no matter the plan

User1 · Jul 11, 2020

Side note - you shouldn't release them back into the ocean or canal as you suggested. Instead take them to the LFS and use them for feeder fish in predator tanks. In case you ask why it is because your tank may have something that can then be carried to the ocean.

Small enough size they look so should be a no brainer for fish food.

Afterburner · Jul 11, 2020

T

saf1 said:
Side note - you shouldn't release them back into the ocean or canal as you suggested. Instead take them to the LFS and use them for feeder fish in predator tanks. In case you ask why it is because your tank may have something that can then be carried to the ocean.

Small enough size they look so should be a no brainer for fish food.

Thanks for the advice.