12) Anemonefish

A.percula

 Of course, the other famous fish in the latest animated movie this year is the anemonefish or clownfish. There are at least 30 species of these in the world’s oceans, all but one of them in the genus Amphiprion. The species currently on show are a pair of Percula Clownfish, A.percula.

11) Epaulette Shark

Epaulette Shark

 The last species in the big tank is unfortunately rather secretive at present, but hopefully as they mature will become more visible. The Epaulette Shark, sometimes called a Walking Shark, Hemiscyllium ocellatum lives in shallow waters around Australia and New Guinea.

9) Foxface rabbitfish

S.vulpinus - day

One of the great mysteries of this fish is its name. It has a strong head pattern, but it is vastly more like that of a badger than a fox or rabbit. If anyone can give a reason for this, please leave a note in the comments. The face pattern may be aposematic – it has powerful venom glands associated with the dorsal fin spines and can give a painful sting.Another feature of this species is that it changes colour at night, which helps it blend in with the background and avoid predation.

8) A variety of tangs

P.hepatus

 Currently one of the most popular animated films is Finding Dory, and as might be expected the actual fish is invariably greeted by that name by children visiting the aquarium. As well as Dory (technically a Pacific Blue Tang Paracanthurus hepatus), there are four other tang species to be seen in the large marine tank.

7) Shotsilk Goby

P.zebra

Despite its name, the Shotsilk Goby Ptereleotris zebra is not a true goby at all, but rather a dartfish in the family Microdesmidae. There are around 20 species in all in the genus, with numerous other genera, mostly in the tropical Pacific and Indian oceans. They are all elongated fish with often eel-like bodies, and most live in burrows or other concealed locations. Some enter brackish water, and at least one, Pterocerdale from Queensland, Australia, appears to be a freshwater species. The English name refers to the iridescent fabric called shot silk, which refers to their shimmering colours. Several other species of dartfish are also seen in the aquarium trade, but at present all are wild caught – there is no commercial propagation of these fish.

Aquarium 6: Batfish

P.orbicularis adult

 Among the reef fish in the big tank are a small shoal of juvenile Orbiculate Batfish, Platax orbicularis. Superficially similar to the well known freshwater aquarium angelfish (which was originally described as a Platax), they belong to a group of mostly monochrome, large tropical marine fish commonly referred to as spadefishes. As juveniles they have very tall dorsal and anal fins, which combined with a circular, compressed body gives a triangular body shape. As they mature their fins become proportionally smaller, with a more rectangular body shape. They are all fairly large fish, with some species growing to over 70cm

Aquarium 5: Yellow Faced Angelfish

One of the most vividly coloured fish in the aquarium is a Yellow Faced (also called a Blue-Faced) Angelfish, Pomacanthus xanthometopon. Originating from waters around Australia north to Malaysia, they grow to be quite large, with a maximum length of 38cm. It is currently listed as Least Concern by the IUCN as a result of its large range, but threats to coral reefs from pollution, ocean acidification and other ecological changes may change this designation in the near future.

Aquarium 4: Flame Angelfish

C.loricula

  There are two species of marine angelfish currently on show in the aquarium. The smallest, and the most vividly coloured fish in the tank, is a Flame Angelfish, Centropyge loricula.

C.bispinosa

Currently there are over 30 species of Centropyge, commonly referred to as Dwarf Angelfish, found in warmer waters and reefs all over the world. Most live in fairly shallow water, but some deep water species are known.  They are all fairly small species, with C. loricula at over 10 cm being one of the larger species. It has a wide range in the Pacific, from the Australian Great Barrier Reef to Hawai’i. It tends to live in the deeper parts of the outer reef, where it shelters in crevices in the rubble.

Aquarium 2: The Porcupinefish

One of the most popular inhabitants of the aquarium (regular visitors got worried when she was temporarily taken off show recently) is Mini the One-Eyed Porcupinefish. Technically a Blotched Porcupine fish, Diodon holocanthus, Mini got her nick name a couple of years ago when she developed a life threatening infection after a minor injury, and had to have an eye removed. As you might imagine, this was a complicated procedure, involving a tube carrying oxygenated water and anaesthetic over her gills for several hours while the operation was carried out, and a post-op recovery in an isolation tank with antibiotics and painkillers. She is now in the last large tank in the Aquarium, now refitted to hold larger marine fish.