Elegant Reef - Tropical Fish Studio

12/05/2025

New shipments arrived today!

Come check out our restock today until 7pm.
Saturday 10am-5pm
Sunday 12-4pm.

There are more than 30 recognized species of mudskippers, with a handful—such as the Indian, African, and Periophthalmus species—commonly appearing in the aquarium trade. In captivity, mudskippers are active, curious, and often territorial, especially males, who may defend prime basking or burrow spots. While generally hardy and entertaining to watch, they do best in spacious paludarium setups where each fish has room to claim its own territory, helping keep aggression to a manageable level.

12/04/2025

The gold X-ray tetra (Pristella maxillaris “gold” variant) is a small, peaceful freshwater fish prized for its shimmering golden body and distinctive translucent fins, which give it the classic “X-ray” look. Hardy and adaptable, it thrives in community aquariums, doing best in groups of six or more where its natural schooling behavior shows. These tetras are active, easy to care for, and add bright, eye-catching movement to planted tanks.

12/04/2025

12/02/2025

Shhhh 🤫 no one tell him his camouflage isn’t working 😅

12/01/2025

An updated guide to the enigmatic and often misidentified coral-dwelling gobies of the genus 𝐺𝑜𝑏𝑖𝑜𝑑𝑜𝑛 in the Indo-Pacific. This guide aims to provide a comprehensive description of the main diagnostic features for the majority of 𝐺𝑜𝑏𝑖𝑜𝑑𝑜𝑛 species distributed throughout the Indo-Pacific region, including live colouration descriptions, known coral hosts, reef habitats and geographic ranges for each species.

𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗧𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲
Goby spotting: An updated guide to coral gobies (Genus: 𝐺𝑜𝑏𝑖𝑜𝑑𝑜𝑛) in the Indo-Pacific Region

Paywall - https://mapress.com/zt/article/view/zootaxa.5723.2.1

Lead authors' original thesis - Genus 𝐺𝑜𝑏𝑖𝑜𝑑𝑜𝑛: Taxonomy, Group structure and Relationship with host 𝐴𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑎 coral Habitat Complexity - (direct PDF download) - https://ro.uow.edu.au/ndownloader/files/58443937/1&ved=2ahUKEwiyyb7G4pGRAxUW_wIHHVf6MKUQFnoECBIQAQ&usg=AOvVaw32VGvXBXEf62OjAevSQ0sa

𝗖𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
Hildebrandt, C.A., Froehlich, C.Y.M., Klanten, O.S. & Wong, M.Y.L. (2025) Goby spotting: An updated guide to coral gobies (Genus: 𝐺𝑜𝑏𝑖𝑜𝑑𝑜𝑛) in the Indo-Pacific Region. Zootaxa, 5723 (2), 151–188. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5723.2.1

𝗔𝗯𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁
Genus 𝐺𝑜𝑏𝑖𝑜𝑑𝑜𝑛 are obligate coral-dwelling cryptic fishes. 𝐺𝑜𝑏𝑖𝑜𝑑𝑜𝑛 form a mutualistic relationship with host scleractinian corals, making them integral to coral reef ecosystem functioning. Despite this, they are often omitted from fish assemblage studies, biodiversity surveys and coral reef fish guides due to confusion on species identification.

The guide aims to provide a comprehensive description of the main diagnostic features for the majority of 𝐺𝑜𝑏𝑖𝑜𝑑𝑜𝑛 species distributed throughout the Indo-Pacific region. Species of the genus can be observed occupying host corals of the genera 𝐴𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑎, 𝑆𝑡𝑦𝑙𝑜𝑝ℎ𝑜𝑟𝑎, 𝐻𝑦𝑑𝑛𝑜𝑝ℎ𝑜𝑟𝑎 and 𝐸𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑜𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑎 on coral reefs in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. 𝐺𝑜𝑏𝑖𝑜𝑑𝑜𝑛 species are known for their cryptic behaviours and are distinguishable using body colouration and colour markings. There are 31 described species, 26 of which have undisputed species status and sufficient data to include in this guide.

We provide live colouration descriptions, known coral hosts, reef habitats and geographic ranges for each species. Recent developments in understanding the sociality and genetic relationships of this genus have also been incorporated. Useful field resources such as an identification key, occurrence table with accompanying map, and a colour plate of the encompassed species have been included.

𝗣𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁
Colour plate of coral gobies (Genus: 𝐺𝑜𝑏𝑖𝑜𝑑𝑜𝑛) in the Indo-Pacific Region, from thesis.

Copyright © 2025 the Author(s). Published in the Zootaxa journal.

11/28/2025

TODAY IS THE DAY!

We are starting our Black Friday morning with:

20% OFF ALL Livestock & 30% OFF for STUDIO+ members from 10am - 1pm.

See you at the studio!

11/27/2025

Bichir to stop by Friday for Black Friday livestock deals!

11/26/2025

Gnathophyllum americanum, commonly called the gaudy clown shrimp or striped bumblebee shrimp, is a tiny marine shrimp found throughout the tropical western Atlantic, including the Caribbean. Known for its bold black, blue, and yellow striping, it lives in coral reefs and rocky habitats, often hiding near sea urchins, which it may clean or feed around without being harmed. Despite its vivid appearance, it stays very small—usually under 2 cm—and is secretive, making it hard to spot in the wild.

11/25/2025

Planning your shopping route for Black Friday? Don’t forget to stop by Elegant Reef for livestock specials!

Studio+ members save even more!

11/24/2025

𝑆𝑖𝑛𝑜𝑐𝑦𝑐𝑙𝑜𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑙𝑢𝑠 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑠, a new species of eyeless cavefish is described from the limestone landscapes of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in southwestern China, one of the world's largest karst regions.

“The description of this new species contributes to the understanding of cave-dwelling fish diversity in China and underscores the importance of further exploration of stygomorphic species across this poorly explored karstic landscape.”

𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗧𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲
Description of a New Eyeless Cavefish Species Using Integrative Taxonomic Methods — 𝑆𝑖𝑛𝑜𝑐𝑦𝑐𝑙𝑜𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑙𝑢𝑠 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑠 (Cypriniformes, Cyprinidae), From Guangxi, China

Open-access - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.72370

𝗖𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
Liu, Y., T. Mao, H. Sudasinghe, et al. 2025. “Description of a New Eyeless Cavefish Species Using Integrative Taxonomic Methods — 𝑆𝑖𝑛𝑜𝑐𝑦𝑐𝑙𝑜𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑙𝑢𝑠 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑠 (Cypriniformes, Cyprinidae), From Guangxi, China.” Ecology and Evolution 15, no. 11: e72370. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.72370.

𝗔𝗯𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁
The extensive limestone landscapes of southwestern China form one of the world's largest karst regions, providing ideal conditions for cavefish evolution. Within this region, 𝑆𝑖𝑛𝑜𝑐𝑦𝑐𝑙𝑜𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑙𝑢𝑠, the most speciose cavefish genus globally, comprises 84 species adapted to dark environments. Despite the many species, the region is still poorly explored, with new species currently being added to the total.

Here, using integrative taxonomic methods involving morphological and molecular analyses, we describe 𝑆𝑖𝑛𝑜𝑐𝑦𝑐𝑙𝑜𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑙𝑢𝑠 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑠, a new troglobitic species discovered in a cave in central Guangxi, China. This species is characterized by the absence of eyes, an unpigmented and complete scaled body, and a forked, horn-like structure at the dorsal posterior edge of the head. Morphologically, 𝑆. 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑠 differs from its congeners by having pelvic-fin rays that do not reach the a**s when extended, 42–46 lateral line scales, and a posterior operculum margin reaching the base of the pectoral fin at vertical. Molecular phylogenetic analyses using mitochondrial markers (cytb and ND4), genetic distances, and geometric morphometric analysis further confirmed 𝑆. 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑠 as a distinct species.

The description of this new species contributes to the understanding of cave-dwelling fish diversity in China and underscores the importance of further exploration of stygomorphic species across this poorly explored karstic landscape.

𝗘𝘁𝘆𝗺𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆
The specific epithet, 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑠, is derived from the name of the collection locality, Changle Township, Donglan County. The common name proposed for the new species is “长乐金线鲃” (Changle Golden-line Barb).

𝗣𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁
𝑆𝑖𝑛𝑜𝑐𝑦𝑐𝑙𝑜𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑙𝑢𝑠 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑠, live specimen.

Copyright © 2025 the Author(s). Published in the Ecology and Evolution journal. This paper is released under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC-BY-4.0) licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

11/22/2025

An orange lobster, bold and bright,
Roams his tank with fiery light.
Through tiger lotus leaves he creeps,
In ruby shadows where sunlight sleeps.

He lifts his claws with royal flair,
A tiny monarch ruling there.
In his planted realm of green and red,
He struts with pride where the colors spread.

Calm waters swirl around his throne,
A lotus forest all his own.
And in that world of vibrant bloom,
He glows like dusk in a leafy room.

11/21/2025

“Interrupting your scrolling to tell you: We received a large order of freshwater and saltwater fish today. I hope to see you this weekend”

- Mr. Gumdrop Coral Croucher Goby