Wich sweetlips is this

[ivan_dalmatia]

Hey people's, I saw this on liveaquaria under grunts & sweetlips??? He don't pop up when I click on the pic?? Does anyone know the species?

 

[ivan_dalmatia]

Hey people's, I saw this on liveaquaria under grunts & sweetlips??? He don't pop up when I click on the pic?? Does anyone know the species?

This is the best picture I could get

 

[Bazza7]

Think this is a jack-knife fish.

 

[Bazza7]

Just checked. Definitely a jack-knife.

 

[ivan_dalmatia]

Thanks a lot bro!!! To bad they aren't reef safe, according to liveaquaria! I still want one

 

[Tony Gill]

As the others have pointed out, a jack-knife fish (Equetus lanceolatus). Despite its appearance, it's a member of the croaker family (Sciaenidae) rather than the grunt/sweetlip family (Haemulidae). There are several similar, small, brightly coloured croakers in the western Atlantic and eastern Pacific in Equetus and Pareques.

Tony

 

[ivan_dalmatia]

Ok? Are any of those reef safe??

 

[ivan_dalmatia]

And just read up on it, it's not in the croaker family it Equetus lanceolatus

 

[Tony Gill]

Ivanthegood: I'm not that familiar with keeping Equetus or Pareques species, but I'm sure some of the other forum members can weigh in on this. I'm not sure what you meant by "it's not in the croaker family". I'm not aware of any research that puts Equetus in any family other than the Sciaenidae (croaker family) - though that is not to say that you may have stumbled on misinformation on the classification of this fish on the web.

Tony

 

[ivan_dalmatia]

Sorry, your a good man that knows his stuff!!!

 

[Andy Sager]

And just read up on it, it's not in the croaker family it Equetus lanceolatus

I'd strongly suggest you stop reading whatever site told you that Jacknives are not croakers. They are in the drum/croaker family along with their cousins the Highhat and Spotted Drum here in Florida and other species further up the shore.
As for reef safe, they are usually found in schools along the grassbeds digging for shrimps, crabs and other crusties as well as opened clams, oysters and scallops.
I have also found that they tend not to do well as solitary fish so if you do get one, get more than one

Hope this helps