Flame Hawk fish Hawk fish are aptly named, perching on a high vantage point and swooping down on their prey. Many of the larger hawk fish, a few exceed 20 inches, enjoy a diet of small fish, while their smaller relations are very fond of shrimps and other crustaceans. Lacking a fully developed swim bladder, hawk fish tend to dash from one location to another, then sit motionless for long periods of time. (The way they swim is really quite funny to watch)   The pectoral fins have long thickened rays, enabling the fish to perch firmly rather than being swept away by the current. In this position, their bodies sway from sided to side in a comical fashion.   Sparky is a fearless fish who often decides my hand looks like a good perch when I am cleaning algae from the side of the tank. He has landed on my hand on more than one occasion and always seems to want to know what is going on in his little world.     Maroon Clownfish Without a doubt, the clownfish is the most popular marine fish in captivity today. The name cojures up an image of a brightly colored fish frolicking among the tentacles of an anemone. This image represents one of the best-known examples of mutual cooperation in the underwater world. For the aquarist, the natural relationship between the anemone and the clownfish has come to symbolize the very essence of the marine fish-keeping hobby.   There are 26 species of clownfish recorded. Of that number, about half are commonly available in the aquatic trade. No clownfish species ever grow excessively large; in the wild 5 inches is usually the maximum; commonly kept aquarium specimens rarely exceed 3.5 inches.   Our Maroon Clownfish is very protective of its' host anemone. It regularly takes bits of food to it, and guards it whenever I clean algae off the tank close to the anemone. At night the clown fish is deeply buried inside the tentacles of the anemone for safety (even though there isn't anything in our tank that would harm the clownfish) which is really VERY cute! Please help me name my clownfish!!! Purple Tang (surgeonfish) Surgeonfish, also commonly known as tangs, are some of the most popular and widely available tropical marine fish around.   They are easily identified by their oval-shaped body with eyes set high up on a steeply rising forehead. The dorsal and anal fins are mirror images of each other. In addition, there is a sharp, scalpel-like spine on each side of the caudal peduncle (near the base of their tail; in this photo it would be about where the purple color changes to yellow) which may be erected and locked, proving an effective weapon in territorial disputes, or even against a careless aquarist. Hence the name Surgeonfish! Like many other coral reef fish, tangs come in a dazzling array of color and patterning. Males and females are indistinguishable in most species. Surgeonfish are omnivorous, eating both meaty foods as well as green algae, or as the case of many home aquariums, leaf lettuce provided by the aquarist. My tangs do not even wait till my hand is gone to start gobbling up the leaf lettuce I regularly feed them. They make quick work of even the largest leaf, eating it in about an hour. The purple tang, such as Indy, is one of the more expensive fish in the tang family. While a yellow tang generally runs about $25, and a regal tang for about $45, a purple tang can easily cost over $100. I have seen some offered for $125. Yellow Tang The Yellow Tang is a very hardy fish able to withstand a lot of mistakes the inexperienced aquarist throws at it. Fifi is one of the first fish we bought. We have had our aquarium since September 1996. Since Fifi has been in the tank so long she is quite territorial. When eating lettuce she frequently swishes her tail in a threatening manner at Indy & Reggie warning them that her "scalpels" might come out if they don't leave her lettuce alone! One odd thing about the yellow tang is at night they lose their yellow color and become almost white. At one time I thought it was just that because the aquarium lights were off that she just looked different, but still really was the same color. I discovered however that indeed they do change color, when one night I had to turn the aquarium lights back on  and she was still quite white... not her usually sunny yellow. These are just a few of the fish we have in our aquarium. Come back again to see new photos! I will be adding a page describing the typical week in caring for a salt water reef aquarium in case you are wondering just how much work does it take to maintain a tank, and do I really want to go to all that trouble. Fish Graphics from: