Animal of the Day - Splendid Leopard Wrasse

Photograph	http://www.flickr.com/photos/jonhanson/492857151/
Common Name	Splendid Leopard Wrasse, Blue Star Leopard Wrasse, Peacock Splendid Wrasse
Scientific Name	Macropharyngodon bipartitus
Maximum Size	4 inches
Range	Indo Pacific
Difficulty of care	Difficult
Minimum aquarium size	50 gallons
Reef safe?	Yes (watch crustaceans and snails.
General Info	Can be kept as groups with one mail and many females unlike many wrasses, though even 1 is hard to come by in the trade. They need a well established reef tank in order to have enough to eat.
Diet/Feeding	They are carnivores and should be fed meaty foots, but copepods and amphipods from a reef tank are best. Without them your fish will likely perish.
References	wetwebmedia animalworld
Personal Experience?	Do you have personal experience with this fish? If so leave a voicemail (+1-908-998-2549) or email (feedback@120gallons.com) with what you have learned and share your knowledge with others.

Animal of the Day - Purple Tang

Photograph	http://www.flickr.com/photos/heather0714/212640886/
Common Name	Purple Tang, Yellow tail tang
Scientific Name	Zebrasoma xanthurus
Maximum Size	10 inches
Range	Red Sea
Difficulty of care	Moderate
Minimum aquarium size	100 gallon
Reef safe?	Yes
General Info	Aggressive algae grazing tang. Watch other tangs of similar shape. Feed lots of vegetable matter.
Diet/Feeding	Herbivore
References	peteducation wetwebmedia
Personal Experience?	Do you have personal experience with this fish? If so leave a voicemail (+1-908-998-2549) or email (feedback@120gallons.com) with what you have learned and share your knowledge with others.

Animal of the Day - Blue Ringed Octopus

Photograph	http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Hapalochlaena_lunulata2.JPG
Common Name	Blue Ringed Octopus
Scientific Name	Hapalochlaena lunulata
Maximum Size	Golf Ball Size
Range	Indo-Pacific
Difficulty of care	Deadly, not for aquarists
Minimum aquarium size	NA
Reef safe?	Like all octopus, not a great home aquarium guest.
General Info	One of the most poisonous animals in the world, kills some divers every year, and occasionally you actually see them at a pet store.  With the potato head playing octopus, I'd figure I'd share the other deadly side of some octopus.
Diet/Feeding	Crabs and Mollusks
References	wikipedia
Personal Experience?	Do you have personal experience with this fish? If so leave a voicemail (+1-908-998-2549) or email (feedback@120gallons.com) with what you have learned and share your knowledge with others.

Animal of the Day - Find it in the picture

Tomorrow I will post the info about the animal. Find it in this picture and comment with your guess.

 

 

Photograph	http://www.flickr.com/photos/moonjazz/1173676082/
Common Name	Leafy Sea Dragon
Scientific Name	Phycodurus eques
Maximum Size	18
Range	Australian Waters
Difficulty of care	?? - They are kept in some public aquariums
Minimum aquarium size	Not seen in trade much
Reef safe?	Yes
General Info	Not available much, and very very expensive ($1000's of dollars).  Should be left to public aquariums and those trying to breed them.  They are endangered.
Diet/Feeding	Mysis, meaty foods, like seahorses.
References	wikipedia
Personal Experience?	Do you have personal experience with this fish? If so leave a voicemail (+1-908-998-2549) or email (feedback@120gallons.com) with what you have learned and share your knowledge with others.

Animal of the Day

Photograph	http://www.flickr.com/photos/leonardlow/340744868/
Common Name	Clark's Clownfish
Scientific Name	Amphiprion clarkii
Maximum Size	6 inches
Range	Indo-Pacific
Difficulty of care	Easy
Minimum aquarium size	50 gallon
Reef safe?	Yes
General Info	Typical demenor of all clownfish. Keep as a pair or singly and separate from other clowns. Doesn't need an anemone in captivity.
Diet/Feeding	Omnivore. Most clowns are good eaters. Feed a variety of frozen foods like mysis, krill, etc.
References	peteducation
Personal Experience?	Do you have personal experience with this fish? If so leave a voicemail (+1-908-998-2549) or email (feedback@120gallons.com) with what you have learned and share your knowledge with others.

Animal of the Day - Blue Linckia Starfish

Photograph	http://www.flickr.com/photos/tchola/71623180/
Common Name	Blue Linckia Starfish
Scientific Name	Linckia laevigata
Maximum Size	12 inches
Range	Indo-Pacific
Difficulty of care	Difficult
Minimum aquarium size	At least a 50 gallon well established aquarium with live rock
Reef safe?	Yes
General Info	See the advanced aquarist article for good info about it. Needs a well established aquarium for food sources.
Diet/Feeding	Eats slime and gunk off the rocks
References	Advanced Aquarist Peteducation
Personal Experience?	Do you have personal experience with this fish? If so leave a voicemail (+1-908-998-2549) or email (feedback@120gallons.com) with what you have learned and share your knowledge with others.

Animal of the Day - Bangaii Cardinal

Photograph	http://www.flickr.com/photos/eschipul/1417639167/
Common Name	Bangaii Cardinal
Scientific Name	Pterapogon kauderni
Maximum Size	3 Inches
Range	Very Limited (Bangaii hence the name)
Difficulty of care	Easy
Minimum aquarium size	20 Gallon
Reef safe?	Yes
General Info	Do not buy wild caught ones. They are endangered. Buy captive bred ones. This is one of the fish I will be attempting to breed and chronicling. It's one of the easier fish to breed, though being a mouth brooder doesn't produce a lot of offspring quickly. So save the environment and pay $5-10 more and don't contribute to the extinction of a species.
Diet/Feeding	Meaty foods. Use brine if they are finicky to get them to start to eat.
References	peteducation
Personal Experience?	Do you have personal experience with this fish? If so leave a voicemail (+1-908-998-2549) or email (feedback@120gallons.com) with what you have learned and share your knowledge with others.

Animal of the Day - Gift for the Holidays for someone very special

Photograph	Goldenback Triggerfish
Common Name	Goldenback Triggerfish
Scientific Name	Xanthichthys caeruleolineatus
Maximum Size	1 FOOT +
Range	Indo Pacific
Difficulty of care	Moderate
Minimum aquarium size	Huge
Reef safe?	Nope
General Info	A rare centerpiece for the person you don't mind spending about a grand for a fish on.
Diet/Feeding	Carnivore.  This particular specimen which is available at liveaquaria for a bargain basement price $729 is eating silversides from their hands.
References	Not a lot of info on them.
Personal Experience?	Do you have personal experience with this fish? If so leave a voicemail (+1-908-998-2549) or email (feedback@120gallons.com) with what you have learned and share your knowledge with others.

Animal of the Day - Ricordia

Photograph	http://www.flickr.com/photos/ericvv/34254312/
Common Name	Riccordia
Scientific Name	Ricordeidae sp.
Range	Indo-pacific
Difficulty of care	Moderate
Aggressive	Medium
Flow & Lighting	Low flow, medium to high light
General Info	A very attractive disc anemone coral.
References	peteducation
Personal Experience?	Do you have personal experience with this fish? If so leave a voicemail (+1-908-998-2549) or email (feedback@120gallons.com) with what you have learned and share your knowledge with others.

Animal of the Day - Mantis Shrimp

Photograph	http://www.flickr.com/photos/leafbug/89157975/
Common Name	Mantis Shrimp
Scientific Name	Stomatopoda sp.
Maximum Size	12 inches
Range	Indo-Pacific
Difficulty of care	Easy
Minimum aquarium size	55 gallon
Reef safe?	No
General Info	Thought of as pests by reefkeepers, but really cool animals in an aquarium of their own. They can break fingers and glass with their claw.
Diet/Feeding	Carnivores, scavengers.
References	wetwebmedia wikipedia
Personal Experience?	Do you have personal experience with this fish? If so leave a voicemail (+1-908-998-2549) or email (feedback@120gallons.com) with what you have learned and share your knowledge with others.

Animal of the Day - Fairy Wrasse

Photograph	http://www.flickr.com/photos/dislocations/222094443/
Common Name	Fairy Wrasse, Redheaded Fairy Wrasse, Tricolor Fairy Wrasse
Scientific Name	Cirrhilabrus solorensis
Maximum Size	6 inches
Range	Indonesia
Difficulty of care	Easy
Minimum aquarium size	55 gallon
Reef safe?	Yes
General Info	Easy to keep colorful wrasse.
Diet/Feeding	Carnivore.  Feed a variety of meaty foods.
References	wetwebmedia peteducation
Personal Experience?	Do you have personal experience with this fish? If so leave a voicemail (+1-908-998-2549) or email (feedback@120gallons.com) with what you have learned and share your knowledge with others.

Animal of the Day - Carnation Coral

Photograph	http://www.flickr.com/photos/ctenophore/7013878/
Common Name	Carnation Coral, Christmas Tree, Cotton, Soft Tree, Cauliflower Soft
Scientific Name	Dendronephthya sp.
Range	Indo-Pacific
Difficulty of care	Extremely Difficult
Aggressive	No
Flow & Lighting	?
General Info	Near impossible to keep soft coral. Non-photosynthetic.
References	wetwebmedia reefs.org
Personal Experience?	Do you have personal experience with this fish? If so leave a voicemail (+1-908-998-2549) or email (feedback@120gallons.com) with what you have learned and share your knowledge with others.

Animal of the Day - Coral Hawkfish

Photograph	http://www.flickr.com/photos/rling/438046288/
Common Name	Coral Hawkfish, Dwarf Hawkfish
Scientific Name	Cirrhitichthys falco
Maximum Size	3 inches
Range	Indo-Pacific
Difficulty of care	Easy
Minimum aquarium size	20 gallons
Reef safe?	Watch inverts
General Info	Small easy to care for fish.
Diet/Feeding	Carnivore. Feed meaty foods.
References	fishbase animal-world
Personal Experience?	Do you have personal experience with this fish? If so leave a voicemail (+1-908-998-2549) or email (feedback@120gallons.com) with what you have learned and share your knowledge with others.

Animal of the Day - Purple Nudibranch

Photograph	http://www.flickr.com/photos/cybersam/1005662910/
Common Name	Purple Nudibranch
Scientific Name	Hypselodoris bullocki
Maximum Size	3 inches
Range	Indo-Pacific
Difficulty of care	Difficult
Minimum aquarium size	NA
Reef safe?	Yes
General Info	Dietary requirements unknown. Most nudibranches have specific diets and do not accept substitutes.
Diet/Feeding	Carnivore.
References	peteducation
Personal Experience?	Do you have personal experience with this fish? If so leave a voicemail (+1-908-998-2549) or email (feedback@120gallons.com) with what you have learned and share your knowledge with others.

Animal of the Day - Corris Wrasse

Photograph	Chuck's Addiction - used with permission
Common Name	Corris Wrasse, Clown Wrasse
Scientific Name	Coris gaimard
Maximum Size	14 inches
Range	Indo-Pacific
Difficulty of care	Difficult
Minimum aquarium size	100 gallon
Reef safe?	No
General Info	Red with white stripes as a juvenille, blue with spots and other colors as an adult.  Need sand bed to burrow.  Destructive as they get larger.
Diet/Feeding	Carnivore.  Need meaty foods.
References	peteducation
Personal Experience?	Do you have personal experience with this fish? If so leave a voicemail (+1-908-998-2549) or email (feedback@120gallons.com) with what you have learned and share your knowledge with others.

Animal of the Day - Acropora granulosa

Photograph	mekaell from marineaquariumsa.com
Common Name	Acropora
Scientific Name	Acropora granuloso
Range	Indo-Pacfic
Difficulty of care	Difficult
Aggressive	No
Flow & Lighting	High
General Info	Branching acropora coral.
References	aims
Personal Experience?	Do you have personal experience with this fish? If so leave a voicemail (+1-908-998-2549) or email (feedback@120gallons.com) with what you have learned and share your knowledge with others.

Animal of the Day - Mustard Tang

Photograph	Thanks to marinedepotlive.com for letting us use some photos.
Common Name	Mustard Tang
Scientific Name	Acanthurus guttatus
Maximum Size	12 inches
Range	Mexico
Difficulty of care	Medium
Minimum aquarium size	100 gallons
Reef safe?	Yes
General Info	Beautiful striped and spotted tang.  Schools in the wild.
Diet/Feeding	Herbivore.  Feed varied diet including dried seaweed, marine algae, lettuce.
References	wetwebmedia
Personal Experience?	Do you have personal experience with this fish? If so leave a voicemail (+1-908-998-2549) or email (feedback@120gallons.com) with what you have learned and share your knowledge with others.

Animal of the Day - Seahorse

Photograph	Seahorsewhisperer at reefs.org
Common Name	Lined Seahorse
Scientific Name	Hippocampus erectus
Maximum Size	7 inches
Range	Western Atlantic
Difficulty of care	Wild caught are difficult, captive bred moderate
Minimum aquarium size	20 gallon
Reef safe?	Yes
General Info	Get captive bred ones.  Wild caught are hard to get to eat.
References	fishbase
Personal Experience?	Do you have personal experience with this fish? If so leave a voicemail (+1-908-998-2549) or email (feedback@120gallons.com) with what you have learned and share your knowledge with others.

Animal of the Day - Tiger Tail Cowrie

Photograph	Seahorsewhisperer at reefs.org
Common Name	Tiger Tail Cowrie
Scientific Name	Cypraea tigris
Maximum Size	4 inches
Range	Wide
Difficulty of care	Easy
Minimum aquarium size	NA
Reef safe?	Yes
General Info	Not much is known, but these are good grazers.
References	gastropods.com reefkeeping.com
Personal Experience?	Do you have personal experience with this fish? If so leave a voicemail (+1-908-998-2549) or email (feedback@120gallons.com) with what you have learned and share your knowledge with others.

Animal of the Day - Cat's Hand

Photograph	mekaeel from marineaquariumsa.com
Common Name	Cat's Hand, Club Finger
Scientific Name	Stylophora sp.
Range	Indo-Pacific
Difficulty of care	Difficult
Aggressive	Nope
Flow & Lighting	High flow and lighting
General Info	Colors range from brown to blue to pink. Should be fed occasionally.
References	peteducation.com
Personal Experience?	Do you have personal experience with this fish? If so leave a voicemail (+1-908-998-2549) or email (feedback@120gallons.com) with what you have learned and share your knowledge with others.