That Fish Blog – Aquarium Advice and Information

Eileen here.

One of the most iconic images of a jellyfish, the one most people think of, is that of a dome-shaped animal with long flowing tentacles drifting through the water. For the aquarium community however, this is not the one that we usually see in our tanks. A far more common aquarium jellyfish is the Upside-down Jellyfish.

There are about five different species of Upside-down Jellyfish, found mostly in the Caribbean and tropical western Atlantic Ocean. One of these species in particular, Cassiopea andromeda, has made its way to the Hawaiian Islands and seems to have established itself as a nuisance in waters around the state. It is another species, Cassiopea frondosa, that is usually found in the aquarium trade.

All jellyfish are planktonic by nature, meaning they move with the flow of the water instead of swimming against it. The Upside-down Jellyfish does not actually live in the water column like most other jellyfish. Instead, they use their bell much like an anemone uses its foot to attach to the bottom of a shallow environment like a lagoon, mangrove swamp or sand flat. While this attachment isn’t nearly as strong as an anemone, it helps the jellyfish to remain relatively stationary with its tentacles pointed up towards the surface.  The bell will often pulsate slightly to create a weak water flow over its tentacles which the jellyfish uses to filter-feed small food particles from the water. Upside-down jellyfish also have stinging cells known as nematocysts on its tentacles which it can use to stun larger prey. This feeding helps supplement its diet, but most of the jellyfish’s nutrition comes from the symbiotic algae in its tissue. The sunlight filtering through the water feeds the algae, which in turn produces food for the jellyfish while the jellyfish provides protection for the algae by keeping it alive in its tissue.

Upside-down Jellyfish are one of the easiest types of jellyfish to keep in home aquariums but still require special care and attention. As these animals can reach a diameter of almost a foot across, they should have plenty of flat, open sandy area to spread out. They also need very bright light to feed the algae in its tissue as well as periodic target feeding with foods like brine shrimp, baby brine shrimp, cyclops, zooplankton, phytoplankton and dissolved organic foods. The flow in the tank should be moderately low and any filter intakes should have some sort of covering to make sure the jellyfish doesn’t get sucked up by the current. The stinging cells on their tentacles can also harm other tankmates; do not keep with any shrimp, gobies or other invertebrate or small fish that can become food! These nematocysts can also sting aquarists so take care not to come into contact with the tentacles.

The flower-like appearance, unusual behavior and relatively easy care are making this jellyfish gain in popularity among home aquarists. With some extra TLC and research, Upside-down Jellyfish can truly be a unique addition to a home aquarium!

Eileen here. Below is a glossary of some general aquarium hobby terms. Once complete, we’ll try and publish the Aquarist’s Glossary of Term’s somewhere online, but in the meantime, hopefully it helps in pieces. Check out part 1 and part 2 here.

General Aquarium Hobby Terms:

• Compatibility: This refers to how well tankmates are likely to get along. For example, Neon Tetras are compatible with Zebra Danios – they would be fine together in a tank. A ten inch Peacock Grouper however, would NOT be compatible with a one inch Skunk Cleaner Shrimp – the shrimp would likely end up a meal pretty fast.
• Coral “Frag”: A “frag” is a small piece or colony of coral, often mounted on a small artificial plug. Frags have become very popular in recent years as an inexpensive and environmental way of trading and acquiring smaller pieces of the large and sometimes rare or expensive coral colonies available in the hobby.
• Filtration: There are three main types of filtration used in the aquarium trade – chemical, mechanical and biological. Chemical filtration uses materials like carbon or resins to remove or neutralize chemical compounds on the water. Mechanical filtration physically removes debris and waste using mesh, sponges or other materials. Biological filtration uses bacteria, plants or other living materials to remove waste from the water. A complete filtration system will use all three of these methods in a system. Different types of filters that use some or all three of these methods include power/hang-on filters, wet/dry filters, undergravel filters, canister filters, fluidized beds and others.
• Hardiness/ Difficulty: Both of these terms are used to describe how easy something is to care for. Their meanings tend to be relative opposites of each other and most places only use one, but they are in fact seperate terms. An item that is “hardy” is generally easy to care for (or hard to kill, dependong on how you look at it). A “difficult” item often has specific needs, a tricky diet or is very delicate. Beginning aquarists should look for a hardy fish with low difficulty. Keep in mind however that hardiness does not always equal easy; research your choices carefully!
• Kelvin Rating: The “degrees Kelvin” are a way of measuring the temperature of the light, not to be confused with normal temperature of heat as measures in Celcius and Fahrenheit. While the technical terms and measurements of the Kelvin scale can be found in detail marine aquarium publications and on the Internet, the important thing for the average aquarist to know is the higher the number, the more blue the light. (On the good old “ROY G. BIV” rainbow scale, low Kelvin temperatures are on the R side while high temperatures are at the V). Most saltwater and reef aquariums use higher Kelvin lighting than freshwater aquariums.
• Lighting: The most common types of lighting for aquariums, in order of intensity, are fluorescent, compact fluorescent (also known as power compact), and metal halides with different classifications within each of those types. Actinic is also a type of bulb used and refers to blue lighting with a wavelength of around 420-460nm and is used in saltwater and reef tanks. Always research what lighting would be appropriate for your tank as well as what livestock is appropriate for use with your lighting.
• Live Rock: Live rock is used in saltwater aquariums as a natural decoration and foundation as well as for the benefits of the organisms growing in an on the rock. It is essentially rock that has been in the oceans for months or even years so that bacteria, algaes, plants, crustaceans, corals and other organisms populate and live on the rock. “Cultured live rock” refers to rock that is either manmade from concrete-like mixtures or is terrestrial rock and is placed in the ocean for a period of time to turn “live”. Live rock is also refered to as “cured” or “uncured”. “Uncured” rock is newly harvested rock that may not be fully cleaned of organisms that do not survive harvesting. “Cured” rock is usually much cleaner and stable and is safer for more established aquariums. Different types of rock are available from different regions, but the main difference between these varieties is simply the region it is harvested from and the shape or density of the rock. Tonga, Fiji, the Solomon Islands and the Caribbean are popular origin regions for live rock.
• “Reef Safe”/ “Invert Safe”: These two terms can refer to plants and animals or to products like medications. “Reef Safe” items are safe for tanks with polyps and corals while “Invert Safe” is a broader term that includes other animals like crabs, shrimp, anemones, snails and others. While some references use these terms interchangeably, they do not always mean the same thing. For example, hawkfish are generally considered “reef safe” in that they don’t actively eat or damage corals, but they are not “invert safe” since they prey on crustaceans.
• Starter fish: While these fish are usually very good for beginner aquariusts, the term “starter fish” usually refers to those fish which are considered hardy enough to use to start and cycle an aquarium. The spikes in ammonia, nitrite and nitrate during this cycling process can be dangerous to any livestock, but those typically used as starter fish are more likely to survive this process than others.
• Tank-raised/ Captive-bred/ Aquacultured: These three terms generally mean the same thing, although “aquacultured” is used more for corals, plants and invertebrates and “tank-raised” and “captive-bred” usually refer more to fish. “Aquaculture” by definition is the growing of freshwater and saltwater organisms under controlled conditions, much like agriculture is the growing of crops on the land. This can range from farms used to grow fish like catfish and tilapia for food production to breeding ornamental fish for the aquarium industry. Tank-raised and captive-bred fish are typically bred on a smaller scale than farms created for the food industry. Some tank-raised fish that are commonly available are fish like clownfish, dottybacks, gobies and some cardinalfish as well as a few freshwater fish like angelfish and discus. Tank-raised fish are often more resistant to aquarium-related diseases than wild-caught fish but can be vulnerable to diseases introduced by their wild-caught counterparts. Strict regulations and pressure on wild fish populations are making captive breeding of fish more common and tank-raised fish more sought-after in the aquarium trade.
• Territorial/ Aggressive: Some aquarists use these terms interchangeably but they have quite different meanings. “Territorial” fish or invertebrates establish and often actively (and potentially aggressively) defend a particular territory but do not necessarily harm other organisms that do not invade this territory. “Aggressive” fish may show some of the same behavior but do not do so to defend a certain area, but will instead attack and potentially harm any other organisms they may find threatening in a tank. A territorial fish (damsels, cichlids, dottybacks, etc.) can often be safely kept with other tankmates as long as they have enough territory to defend and other fish do not share this area, while tankmates for an aggressive animal (triggers, some cichlids, predators, mantis shrimp) must be chosen very carefully, if kept with any other tankmates at all.
• Tropical: Almost all plants and animals kept in the aquarium trade are tropical, both freshwater and saltwater. This term refers to their temperature, not their water conditions or where they come from. The tropics are geographically the are between the Tropic of Cancer (23.4º N latitude) and the Tropic of Capricorn (23.4º S latitude). In terms of climate, this usually refers to water temperatures of around 74-82º F, depending on the region. Some notable exceptions are goldfish, koi and a few saltwater fish from temperate regions (the area between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn and the Arctic and Antarctic Circles, including the moderate subtropic region). The aquarium fish from these regions have average water temperatures of around 65-72ºF.
• Water change: A water change as refered to within in the aquarium hobby is when an aquarist removes a portion of their tank water (usually 10-20%, once or twice a month) and replaces it with fresh, clean water. This is done to remove fish waste and to keep water levels appropriate, especially levels like nitrate and phosphate or even to promote breeding in some fish. A water change is not when an aquarist merely tops off a tank to replace water lost through evaporation – only pure water evaporates and salts, waste and other compounds are not removed when the water they are dissolved in evaporates.

Hi, Eileen here. There are a lot of different terms and phrases, used in reference to saltwater and freshwater aquariums alike, that may be unfamiliar to some aquarists or that you might come across in books, magazines or your local fish store like That Fish Place/ That Pet Place. I thought it might be beneficial to place a glossary of common terms as a reference. Here are some of the most common terms used in the aquarium trade that may be confusing to someone just starting out or beginning to explore the hobby. Keep in mind that they may have different meanings or may be used differently depending on the region or the aquarist you may be speaking to.

Biological terms:

• Barbel: the “whiskers” or whisker-like appendages around the face and mouth of some fish.
• Benthic: Benthic organisms live on, in, or attached to the bottom. These organisms include corals, crabs, starfish, cucumbers and worms.
• Breeding styles: There are several different breeding styles common in aquarium fish and invertebrates.
  • Livebearer: Livebearers give birth to live young that are fully or nearly fully formed and often resemble miniature adults. Guppies, swordtails and seahorses are a few well-known livebearers.
  • Mouthbrooder: Mouthbrooders hold their eggs and eventually their young in their mouths until the young are ready to live on their own. The parent holding the young often does not eat during this time. Some cichlids and saltwater cardinalfish are mouthbrooders.
  • Egg–layer: This is the breeding style that most people are familiar with. The female fish will lay a clutch of eggs and the male will fertilize the eggs after they are released. Most parents will guard their eggs during this time. Freshwater angelfish and saltwater clownfish are common egg-layers.
  • Egg–scatterer: Egg-scatterers show little to no parental care for their young and will randomly scatterer the eggs across the substrate or vegetation. They often may eat their eggs and fry if not removed from the site. Tetras, danios, and rasboras are all egg-scatterers.
  • Bubble–nesting: Gouramis and bettas are well-known bubble-nesters. The male will build a ring or nest of bubbles at the surface of the tank or plants and will defend other fish, including the female who laid the eggs, from getting close to the next.
  • Egg–burying: Annual fish like killifish will bury their eggs in muddy substrate in the wild where they remain dormant throughout the dry season and until the next rainy season. These fish are typically short-lived and only have a lifespan of one or two seasons.
• Cichlid: Cichlids (pronounced SICK-lids) are a group of fish known for being some of the most aggressive and territorial. They are native to distinct regions and many species have limited range. Cichlids are generally divided into “Old World” and “New World” groups.
  • Old World Cichlids: These cichlids are those found generally in the eastern hemisphere, most notably the African Cichlids found in the African Rift Lakes Lake Malawi, Lake Tanganyika and Lake Victoria basin. This group also includes West African, Madagascar and Asian cichlids. These are typically found in very specific water conditions and should not usually be mixed with other more docile tropical fish.
  • New World Cichlids: These are also collectively referred to as South and Central American cichlids but may also include some found in southern North America. Many are large and aggressive, but there are also dwarf species and some that are rather docile.
• Coral: Coral refers to a very large group of invertebrates in the family Cnidaria. They are very widespread in appearance, habitat, requirements and lifestyle, but are only found in saltwater environments. This group can further be dividing into LPS, SPS, and Soft Corals.
  • Large Polyp Stony Corals (LPS): These corals have hard skeletons covered with fleshy tissue that often can make the coral look like a plant or anemone. These corals are found in a variety of environments and are often not as sensitive as their SPS cousins. They feed through a combination of photosynthesis from algae in their tissue and filter feeding from the water column. This is not technically a scientific classification, but is used by hobbyists as a convenient way of dividing corals.
  • Small Polyp Stony Corals (SPS): These corals have a more rigid appearance with very small polyps or thin tissue covering their skeletons. They live primarily on reefs and most get the majority of their nutrition from the algae in their tissue. These corals are very popular amongst hobbyists for propogation and “fragging”. Again, like LPS corals, this is not an official scientific classification.
  • Soft Corals: Also known as leather corals, the vast majority of these do not have a rigid skeleton, though there are a few exceptions, like Heliopora. They filter-feed or absorb most of their nutrition from the water and can live in a wide range of water conditions.
• Crustaceans: Crustaceans are a group of invertebrates characterized by their insect-like appearance, hard exoskeleton that they must “molt” or shed to grow, and segmented bodies. Common aquarium crustaceans are shrimp, crabs and lobsters.
• Cyanobacteria: Cyanobacteria (“cyano” or “slime algae”) is a bacteria commonly mistaken for algae and can be green, brown, red, black or blue. It is considered an aquarium nuisance and usually will bloom when water quality or lighting is poor. It is most common in saltwater aquariums, but can also be found in freshwater aquariums at times.
• Diet: Diet refers to what an animal will normally eat in the wild. Five main diet or feeding types are common in aquarium:
  • Herbivore: Herbivores eat plants and plant matter almost exclusively.
  • Carnivore: Carnivores are meat-eaters and feed on very little plant matter.
  • Omnivore: Omnivores eat both plants and animals in their nature diet. Some may eat more plants than meat or vice versa.
  • Planktivore: Plantkivores feed on very small plants and animals in the water column. They may actively search out this food or may filter feed by sifting through the water column and feeding on whatever they find there.
• Photosynthesis: Some invertebrates have algae known as zooxanthallae living in their tissue which produces proteins through photosynthesis. The animal then feeds off of the by-product of these symbiotic algae.
  • Diurnal: Diurnal organisms are active primarily during the day or in daylight.
• Fin types: Each fin and body region on a fish is named and the common or scientific name of the fish may refer to markings on or around these fins. Knowing the names of the fins can also help in identifying fish or diseases. Not all of these fins are found on every fish and there are several other minor fins found in some groups.
  • Dorsal: The dorsal fin runs along the back and spine of the fish. The dorsal side of the fish also refers to this top half or the region around its back. This fin is used to help stabilize the fish while swimming.
  • Pectoral: Pectoral refers to the chest of the fish or the fins on either side of the body just behind the gills. These fins are used mostly in steering the fish, but also help to propel it through the water.
  • Peduncal: The peduncal or caudal peduncle is the narrow area between the main body of the fish and the tail.
  • Pelvic: Pelvic fins are paired and are found under the pectoral fins on the lower part or “belly” of the fish. They are used to help stop or turn the fish and to move vertically through the water column. Some fish like gobies have fused pelvic fins that act like a suction cup and help fix the fish onto a surface.
  • Anal: This fin is located on the bottom of the fish just in front of the tail. It is also used to help stabilize the fish. In male livebearers, this fin is modified into the pointed gonopodium and is used to fertilize the female.
• Invertebrate: An invertebrate is any animal without a backbone. This group includes snails, shrimp, crabs, corals, octopuses, clams, starfish, urchins and many more animals.
• Lateral Line: The Lateral Line is a sensory organ found primarily in fish. The Lateral Line can be seen as a groove running the length of the body on most fish and is used to detect movement in the water, even from great distances. Schooling behaviors and the quick movement and reflexes seen in some fish are thought to be related to this organ. Some fish can be identified by markings around the Lateral Line and some diseases like Head and Lateral Line Erosion (HLLE) are associated with it as well.
• Nematocyst: Nematocysts are stinging cells found in the invertebrate phylum Cnidaria (anemones, jellyfish, corals and other invertebrates). The cell is “spring-loaded” – when the trigger is activated, the cell springs open and injects a harpoon-like projection into the target. This is a defense in most animals but some fish like jellyfish use this as a passive way to catch and disable their prey.
• Nocturnal: Nocturnal organisms are active primarily at night.
• Operculum: Operculum is Latin for “little lid”. In fish, this is the bony plate that covers the gills. In snails, this is the hard trapdoor that protects that snail when it retracts into its shell.
• Plankton: Plankton and planktonic organisms do not swim against the flow of the water but rather travel with the flow. Most plankton is very tiny and is a primary food of filter-feeding organisms like corals and feather dusters, but other planktonic organisms like jellyfish and even the very large Ocean Sunfish can be much larger in size.
• Photoperiod: The photoperiod is the length of day and night an organisms is exposed to and their reaction to it. An improper photoperiod can affect the health and activity of aquarium fish, invertebrates and plants.
• Photosynthesis: Photosynthesis is the process by which a plant (including algae) uses carbon dioxide and sunlight to produce organics like sugars and gives off oxygen as a by-product. Some bacteria like cyanobacteria also use photosynthesis.
• Scales: Most fish are covered with rigid scales for protection. These scales vary with the type of fish. Fish like sharks have scales also known as “dermal denticles” for their tooth-like structure. Other fish have scales with either a smooth outer edge (cycloid), or scales with a serrated edge (ctenoid).
• Scientific name: The scientific name of an organism is the name assigned to it by scientists and taxonomists to be used as the “official” and universal name for that organism. In contrast, the common name can vary between countries, languages, regions and from aquarist to aquarists. Scientific names are typically written in italics while common names are often written with quotation marks.
• Sexual Dimorphism: Sexually dimorphic animals have physical characteristics that differentiate between males and females of the same species. The difference can be subtle (a specific marking or size difference) or very obvious (completely different coloration).
• Venomous: A venomous organism injects a toxin into its prey, either as a defense or as a way to disable their prey. This differs from poisonous organisms whose toxin must be ingested or absorbed.
• Zooxanthallae: These tiny algae cells live within the tissue of other organisms like corals and anemones. The larger animals or colony provides the zooxanthallae with a host and the zooxanthallae provides the host animal with energy from photosynthesis. A coral may “bleach” or eject all of the zooxanthallae from its tissue if stressed, often resulting in the death of the coral.

I’ll be back with some other terms that may be useful for those who are new to the hobby in future posts!

Eileen here. A lot of people who come into our store see fish like our lionfish and scorpionfish and ask if they are poisonous. The answer? Technically, no. They’re venomous.

People also see warnings on some cucumbers, Sea Apples and Boxfish that they are poisonous and wonder if they might get a painful bite or sting. The answer? Probably not.  They’re poisonous.

So, what’s the difference that makes the lionfish venomous but the boxfish poisonous? The key is all in how the toxin is delivered. The term “toxin” simply means a harmful substance produced naturally by an organisms and is used for both venomous and poisonous animals. Venomous animals inject their toxin into their target using spines (lionfish, stonefish, rabbitfish), teeth (sea snakes, Blue Ring Octopus), or specialized stinging cells known as nematocysts (jellyfish, anemones, some corals). Some of these animals use their venom to hunt; jellyfish and anemones paralize whatever prey is unfortunate enough to end up in their tentacles before they draw the prey to their mouth. Others like the lionfish and rabbitfish only rely on their venomous spines as defense against being preyed upon themselves. This venom can range from very mild as in the case of anemones to fatal. The Blue Ring Octopus is one of the most toxic animals on the planet and has no known antivenom. People who are sensitive to bee stings are much more likely to have a severe reaction to common venomous animals in the aquarium trade like lionfish and anemones.

Poisonous animals like boxfish, puffers or sea cucumbers, on the other hand, rely on their target absorbing the toxin. This can happen across any membrane – through the skin or gills, in the stomach or digestive tract, even in the lungs. Poison is used almost exclusively as a defense mechanism. Puffers and boxfish have special toxin in their bodies – usually the liver, ovaries and skin – that they can release when they are stressed to hopefully deter any possible predators. Unfortunately, in a closed system like an aquarium, this toxin can eliminate an entire tank – including the puffer or boxfish itself. Some groupers like the Clown Grouper also have a similar toxin in their slime coat. Cucumbers, especially the large Sea Apples, can also poison a tank if they are stressed, picked on or dying. These animals can be deadly in an aquarium but aren’t much of a threat to aquarists; if in doubt, use gloves when handling any of these animals, especially with any open wounds or cuts.

Whether venomous or poisonous, harmful or peaceful, the keywhen dealing with any animals is knowing what they are capable of and how to handle them properly. Being able recognise when an animal is stressed or how it defends itself is important in knowing how to keep that animal, its tankmates and yourself safe and happy.

Click here to view the first part of this article: Latin 101: The Aquarium Fish and Invertebrates Scientific Naming Game – Part 1

The next part of the scientific name, the species name, is often the most descriptive and specific part of the name. While a genus can still contain hundreds of organisms, the species name for each of these organisms must be unique. It can describe where the fish comes from (orientalis, americanus, chilensis), a person (axelrodi, scottorum, springeri), a color or coloration (caeruleus, albus, puncatus), or a combination of these. Sometimes you may see “spp.” or “ssp.” listed instead of a species name. These abbreviations denote a subspecies (ssp.) or multiple species (spp.). A subspecies may be a variant of specific species that is different enough from the “standard” species to be distinguished, but not different enough to be considered a completely different species altogether. This abbreviation is used mainly with plants, but it occassionally comes up with fish and invertebrates as well. The multiple species abbreviation is used when more than one species is being referred to. For example, in our store you may see sections of assorted Acropora corals labelled as “Acropora spp.” since it may include Acropora tenius, Acropora formosa, Acropora valida and others. Knowing the species name can help aquarists when referring to fish that are very close in appearance

but are different species (like the Sailfin Tang, Zebrasoma veliferum, and the Desjardin’s Tang, Zebrasoma desjardini) or fish with the same common name (like Amblygobius phalaena and Gobioides broussonette, a saltwater fish and a brackish water fish both known as the “Dragon Goby”).

Common Prefixes and Suffixes

There are some basic prefixes and suffixes that show up in a lot of scientific names, especially in the genus name. Some are more obvious than others, but having a working knowledge of what some of these mean makes remembering the scientific name and connecting it with the fish it describes a lot easier. The prefixes generally fall into the following categories:

Shape/Size – These normally act as suffixes in the genus or species name to describe the size and shape of an organism or the size of an organism:

brachy	short
brevis, brevy	short
grandis	large
macro	big, large
micro	small
platy	flat

Some examples: Brachygobius xanthozona (Bumblebee Goby), Macrodactyla doreensis (Long-tentacle Anemone), Platydoras costatus (Striped Raphael Catfish)

Color: The color descriptive is normally in the species name of an organism. It can be used to describe the organism as a whole or a feature on the organism like a stripe or spots.

aureus	gold	fuscus	dark brown
albus	white	glauc, glauco	grey, bluish-grey
auranti	orange	leucos	white
caeruleus	blue	melano, melas	black, dark
chloros, chloro	green	nigra, niger, nigrum	black
chromis	color, colorful	porphyr, purpur	purple
chryseus, chrys	golden yellow	rubens, ruber	red
cyano	blue-green	viridis	green
erythro	red	xanthos	yellow
flavi, flavus	light yellow

Some examples: Pomacanthus chrysurus (Goldtail Angel), Cirrhilabrus cyanopleura (Bluesided Fairy Wrasse), Amblyglyphidodon aureus (Golden Damsel)

Patterns/Markings: These are typically species descriptives as well and can often be used with color descriptives.

astro, astero	star
fasciata	banded
fimbri, fimbria	edge, border
guttatus	spotted, speckles
lineatus	striped, lined
maculatus	spotted, blotched
notat	marked
ornatus	ornate, fancy
punctata	spotted, spots
striata, stratus	striped
taenia	band, ribbon
variegat	striped, variegated

Some examples: Amblyeleotris guttata (Orange Spot Prawn Goby), Chaetodon unimaculatus (Teardrop Butterfly), Corydoras punctatus (Spotfin Cory)

Parts of the Body: These are hardly ever used alone. They typically follow or are followed by other descriptives to specify a feature of that body part, like a long nose or white stomach.

caudatailodon, odustooth

cephale, cepsheadopsface

cheillippectorchest

dermaskinpinniwing, fin

dorsal, dorsalisbackpod, pedfoot

gasterbellyrhyncho, rhynchusnose, snout

gnath, gnathusjawrostrasnout, beak

nasinoseventralbelly, stomach

Some examples: Opistognathus aurifrons (Yellowhead Jawfish), Centropyge flavicauda (Whitetail Pygmy Angel), Centropyge flavipectoralis (Yellowfin Pygmy Angel)

Numbers: These are usually used to refer to the number of a feature of a fish (spots, stripes, etc.)

mono, unione, single

diplo, di, bitwo, double

tres, tris, trithree, triple

tetra, quadfour

pentafive

hexa, hexsix

heptaseven

octo, octaeight

ennea, nonanine

decaten

polymany

Some examples: Pseudocheilinus hexataenia (Sixline Wrasse), Centropyge bicolor (Bicolor Pygmy Angel), Octopus vulgaris (Common Octopus)

Other Common Descriptors: It is impossible to list all the words and roots you may come across, but here are a few more common roots, prefixes and suffixes that tend to appear in common aquarium organisms.

echino	spiny	ichthys	fish
acanth	spine, thorny	neo	new, recent
crypt	hidden	opsis	appearance
geo	earth	para	near, close to
haplo	simple	phago	eating
hyper	over	pseudo	fake, false
hypo	under	-ensis	originating from

Some examples: Geophagus brasiliensis (Pearlscale Eartheater), Neocirrhitus armatus (Flame Hawkfish), Pseudochromis flavivertex (Sunrise Dottyback), Parachromis dovii (Wolf Cichlid), Tanichthys albonubes (White Cloud Mountain Minnow), Echinoderms (all sea urchins and sea stars, meaning “spiny spined”)

Just for Fun

Now that you know the basics, these names are just for fun. Some have fun meanings, others are puns and some we just like to say. The names listed here are just from the aquatic world – there are countless others from the animal and plant worlds that you can discover on your own. Impress your friends with your new little bits of trivia and mastery of the Latin language…

Abra cadabra
This is actually a clam that has been moved to a new genus, but we all know the scientists who originally named it had a sense of humor. Or he just liked magic.

Bidenichthys beeblebroxi and Fiordichthys slartibartfasti
Both are small triplefin blennies and yes, they are both named after characters in A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

Bufonaria borisbeckeri
This is actually a species of sea snail. Yes, it is named after the tennis star.

Busycon canaliculatus
The Channeled Whelk. Another one that’s just fun to say.

Callinectes sapidus
Otherwise known as the Blue Crab, the favorite food along the Chesapeake Bay area. The name in Latin actually means “Beautiful swimmer that is tasty”. Obviously, they were seafood fans.

Gammaracanthuskytodermogammarus lorictobaecalensis
This was the longest scientific name on record, but was banned from official use internationally. It was for an amphipod – a microscopic crustacean.

Ittibittium
This genus of snails is, surprisingly enough, smaller than those from the genus Bittium.

Trilobites
Trilobites were a class of crustaceans that went extinct about 250 million years ago but are very popular fossils. There are currently trilobites named after the bands the Sex Pistols (Arcticalymene viciousi, A. rotteni, A. jonesi, A cooki, and A. matlocki), the Rolling Stones (Aegrotocatellus jaggeri and Perirehaedulus richardsi), the Ramones (Mackenziurus johnnyi, M. joeyi, M. deedeei, M. ceejayi) and the Beatles (Avalanchurus lennoni, A. starri, and Struszia mccartneyi). The genus in one of these names, Aegrotocatellus, also literally means “sick puppy”.

Uca pugnax
The common Fiddler Crab. No fun meaning behind it, it just happens to be one of our favorites to say.

Vampyroteuthis infernalis
The scientific name for a species of deep-sea squid. Literally, it means “vampire squid from Hell.” It is harmless to humans, but its appearances makes the name seem fitting.

Thanks Eileen,

Until Next time,

Dave