Beautiful and strange fish while visiting Florida

[outofwater]

Visiting family, went to this place in West Palm Beach called the cox science center.

Saw the strangest fish I've seen (not that I've seen too much anyway) but that white thing that looks like a cross between a small albino alligator and some fish is just nuts. Couldn't find a plaque identifying it.

Thought I'd share, and maybe someone can ID it.

Enjoy, and thank you

 

[Deleted member 149562]

Might be wrong but that looks like a Triggerfish, possibly a Picasso

If it is a Picasso, then I believe it might be the official fish of Hawaii, and can also be found in Polynesian and Philippino waters

 

[Colin_T]

starting at top row and going from left to right.
row 1 some sort of pufferfish.
picasso triggerfish

row 2 blenny (there are hundreds of species of blenny.
A gurnard or something along those lines. If you can find out where the fish came from, then get a book called "the field guide to marine fishes of (wherever it came from)", and the fish should be in that. Same with the puffer

row 3 volitans lionfish
trigger and puffer from row 1

row 4 bicolor blenny

 

[itiwhetu]

starting at top row and going from left to right.
row 1 some sort of pufferfish.
picasso triggerfish

row 2 blenny (there are hundreds of species of blenny.
A gurnard or something along those lines. If you can find out where the fish came from, then get a book called "the field guide to marine fishes of (wherever it came from)", and the fish should be in that. Same with the puffer

row 3 volitans lionfish
trigger and puffer from row 1

row 4 bicolor blenny

Thank you for that, it saved my old brain trying to remember them!

 

[outofwater]

starting at top row and going from left to right.
row 1 some sort of pufferfish.
picasso triggerfish

row 2 blenny (there are hundreds of species of blenny.
A gurnard or something along those lines. If you can find out where the fish came from, then get a book called "the field guide to marine fishes of (wherever it came from)", and the fish should be in that. Same with the puffer

row 3 volitans lionfish
trigger and puffer from row 1

row 4 bicolor blenny

Thanks!! My son was immediately asking for us to setup a salt water tank after visiting this place. Lol. One day, maybe. He loved the Picasso and we both always liked puffers and lionfish. That gurnard thing is nuts, just crazy. Looks like a creature from a video game. I'd keep that!

Anywho, thanks for taking the time to look at the pics and naming these critters, much appreciated

 

[Colin_T]

You can get freshwater pufferfish. All pufferfish are predators and should be kept in their own tank without other fish. They will eat snails, shrimp and fish.

There are pea puffers that are tiny and can be kept in groups in smallish freshwater tanks (2 foot or bigger).

Most pufferfish have attitudes and personalities.

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Saltwater aquariums aren't that hard to keep. You use the same stuff for fresh or salt water tanks. The only real difference is the salt and a few more test kit items (hydrometer for salt).

There are dwarf lionfish and small species of triggerfish/ leatherjackets. Triggerfish are best kept on their own because they can become territorial, but most people that keep them say they have huge characters.