Fish I.D.

[beglely]

Was at the lfs awhile ago and saw a fish that was identified as a "tiger tetra". It looked pretty cool so I came home and began searching for information on a tiger tetra. My search was fruitless, except when I found that "tiger tetra" was a nickname for another species of fish: Hoplias malabaricus, also known as a wolf fish. Heres a picture of the one in the tank at the lfs. Any ideas on if this is a mislabel or rather they are really selling the fry of a very large and aggressive fish?

 

[severum mama]

Looks like a Chinese Algae Eater to me. I'd skip it if you're going for a community setup- they eat less algae as the mature, and become aggressive as well. Common names are so silly sometimes! LOL

 

[beglely]

I thought that too at first, but the fish does lack the sucker-like mouth of a chinese algae eater. Ill look at it again next time I go in case im remembering wrong. The thing is the store does sell chinese algae eaters in a different tank as well. Markings on the side do match pretty closely however. I also observed the fish a bit and it does not hang on sides of glass or the bottom substrate of the tank. This fish like to hover in the middle to upper levels. Not sure if that helps or not

 

[Tony Gill]

It's really hard to see details on your photo, but try comparing your fish with images of Characidium fasciatum. There are some reasonable ones at: Characidium fasciatum

Tony

 

[beglely]

Ill check it out. Yeah the photo was a quick shot with the cell-i figured it might be wierd to walk in with a full-blown camera setup to photograph one fish LOL

 

[severum mama]

I thought that too at first, but the fish does lack the sucker-like mouth of a chinese algae eater. Ill look at it again next time I go in case im remembering wrong. The thing is the store does sell chinese algae eaters in a different tank as well. Markings on the side do match pretty closely however. I also observed the fish a bit and it does not hang on sides of glass or the bottom substrate of the tank. This fish like to hover in the middle to upper levels. Not sure if that helps or not

I see. I can't make out the mouth in the pic so I was going solely by the pattern on the body. I'd say there's a pretty good chance I'm wrong then! LOL

 

[bmg07]

well i searched google and it looks like its a wolf fish. if it is u deffinately cant have 1 in a community tank .they r very aggresive and get very big .they eat any thing that fits into their mouth also

 

[beglely]

LOL no big deal. Im the one with the bad picture lol. Given the striped pattern on the side I probably would have guessed the same thing. I think Tony Gill did get the correct I.D. on this one. Looks to be a Characidium fasciatum.

 

[beglely]

well i searched google and it looks like its a wolf fish. if it is u deffinately cant have 1 in a community tank .they r very aggresive and get very big .they eat any thing that fits into their mouth also

This is what I thought at first, given how the only results for tiger tetra were a wolf fish and the striped side pattern. However this fish does not have the jawline that a wolf fish has, although it is quite small and I could be mistaken. This is exactly why I never buy on impulse--a wolf fish would have decimated my tank. I know there is a forum member that has one but I cant remember who it is. Like severum mama said, common names are very silly at times

 

[Tony Gill]

I'm sorry, but there is no way the fish in that photo is a Hoplias! The problem arises from the use of meaningless common names. Unfortunately, you can't simply google a common name and expect it to turn up the right species, as common names are not standardized. I wish scientific names were used more frequently (both by stores and hobbyists), as this at least would allow people to track down correct information on each species, but I doubt this will ever happen.

Sorry to go on about this!

Tony

 

[beglely]

No problem. I completely agree. I have a nightmare of a time getting information on mislabeled species. Scientific names would be a lifesaver if they gave them.

 

[FishEggs]

i agree too but those scientific names are so boring and hard to pronounce. some of them are so similar that i usually get them mixed up too. but they should at least give you the species names in the store. i also believe that when they can give you or know what the species names are then it's a sign of a better quality fish store.

 

[Tony Gill]

Boring?! Hey, I'm one of the guys that makes up those names! I know what you mean though with pronunciation and similar names. I have trouble communicating with my research colleagues because we pronounce names a little differently (and my Aussie accent doesn't help). And I also sometimes (okay often) get very similar names mixed up - mind you, I have a few more to remember than most aquarists. It would be ideal if sensible common names were also included.

One problem though is that the stores are only using the names provided by their suppliers. Sometimes stores will attempt to update names if they see errors (I try to help out the stores in my area if ever I see problems), but usually they just take whatever name is given. I have seen some real screwups where names have been even from the wrong family. Worse for the customer, I have frequently seen names that apply to different species with entirely different requirements. (An example just from this week was the name of brackish water species applied to a fish that requires soft, acidic water.)

My boss has been encouraging me to set up an online course in fish identification that could help train (and certify) LFS staff and other interested people in identification of aquarium fishes. I'm not sure quite how to tackle this, given the huge diversity of fish kept in the hobby (often including new species), but I guess this could be handled by offering different modules (e.g., basic to advanced; emphasis on different families). I would be interested to see how much interest there might be in this.

Tony

 

[Mudfrog]

Definitely does not look like a wolf fish to me.

 

[mgamer20o0]

i agree too but those scientific names are so boring and hard to pronounce. some of them are so similar that i usually get them mixed up too. but they should at least give you the species names in the store. i also believe that when they can give you or know what the species names are then it's a sign of a better quality fish store.

rather have boring then some random name that means nothing....

Boring?! Hey, I'm one of the guys that makes up those names! I know what you mean though with pronunciation and similar names. I have trouble communicating with my research colleagues because we pronounce names a little differently (and my Aussie accent doesn't help). And I also sometimes (okay often) get very similar names mixed up - mind you, I have a few more to remember than most aquarists. It would be ideal if sensible common names were also included.

One problem though is that the stores are only using the names provided by their suppliers. Sometimes stores will attempt to update names if they see errors (I try to help out the stores in my area if ever I see problems), but usually they just take whatever name is given. I have seen some real screwups where names have been even from the wrong family. Worse for the customer, I have frequently seen names that apply to different species with entirely different requirements. (An example just from this week was the name of brackish water species applied to a fish that requires soft, acidic water.)

My boss has been encouraging me to set up an online course in fish identification that could help train (and certify) LFS staff and other interested people in identification of aquarium fishes. I'm not sure quite how to tackle this, given the huge diversity of fish kept in the hobby (often including new species), but I guess this could be handled by offering different modules (e.g., basic to advanced; emphasis on different families). I would be interested to see how much interest there might be in this.

Tony

what store do you work at?

 

[Tony Gill]

I'm Assistant Director of the International Institute for Species Exploration at Arizona State University, and also curator of the animal collections in the School of Life Sciences. My research is mainly on the classification and taxonomy of dottybacks, gobies and various other spiny finned fishes. The two main local stores I help out with identifications are Pets Inc. in Tempe, and About the Reef in Scottsdale. In return, both stores contribute their dead fish to the research collection.