Anyone expereince Cherubfish Angel Sightings

[clsanchez77]

I know this is more of a reef fish information thread than it is SCUBA/snorkeling but I some diver experience/insight to help setup a biotope tank and I want the cherub angel fish to be my feature inhabitant, aquascaping and other fish/inverts/corals to be suited to this particular fish's environment. I was wondering if anyone has encountered these fish on their trips and could possibly share photos or describe what live beings were cohabitants in the niche of the reef.

I know they are found at depts of about 30'-300', most commonly around 80'-100', live in harems in coral rubble zones and lower reef walls. At 100' deep, I would imagine there is still coral life, but I do not know how much. I have a book on Caribbean corals and another on fish and there is quite a bit that 'exists' at these levels, but are there any that this fish particullary is in association with?

Thanks for your help,
Chris

[clsanchez77]

one more time?

[maractwin]

I've seen them while diving in Cozumel. They are pretty shy and difficult to photograph. I've attached a few attempts where you can see their habitat. Lots of damsels and wrasses around them. Low reef structures with lots of hiding places.

<img src="http://www.markrosenstein.com/Cherubfish1.jpg"><p>
<img src="http://www.markrosenstein.com/Cherubfish2.jpg"><p>
<img src="http://www.markrosenstein.com/Cherubfish3.jpg"><p>

-Mark

[clsanchez77]

Thanks Mark, those are really nice shots for something hard to photograph ;)

Any particullar damsel or pretty much all of them? I see blue chromis in the third picture, did you notice any purple chromis?

The top picture, I am seeing (2) cherubs and a yellow fish...do you know what it is? Also, is that gorgonia in a blueish grey color?

The second and third picture seem to have a good bit of lettuce coral and porites...correct. Also halimedia?

If so, this is the direction I am planning on going with my tank setup, so it actually would put me pretty close to what I am seeing.

Thanks...
Anyone else...

[maractwin]

The yellow fish in the first picture is an IP bluehead wrasse. The most common damsels in the area were blue chromis, bicolor damsels, and brown chromis. I think there were some sunshine fish about. These areas always have roaming parrotfish and large numbers of gunts as well (neither one of which are appropriate for home aquaria).

-Mark

[clsanchez77]

Thanks Marc, I was suspecting bluehead wrasse, it is a beautiful fish, one that I hope to have an aquarium large enough for in the future...in the mean time...

[maractwin]

Just looked up my notes for the dive those pictures were taken on. I was at Paso de Cedral, mostly between 40 - 50 feet deep. There was a nice variety of fishes in the area (4 different wrasses, 2 surgeons, 3 butterfly, 3 parrot, 3 angel species all noted). I don't usually write down what damsels I see on dives. The only ones I could spot in my photos are the 3 I mentioned above. There were sharpnose puffers and masked gobies which could be kept in an aquarium.

-Mark

[clsanchez77]

I would not think a sharpnose puffer would be reef safe...with inverts. Only problem with gobies is decimating the sandbed...I would only feel confortable with the cleaning gobies, but then they may not fit in this niche.

[fishome25]

masked gobies don't go in the sand. they are very small, rarely see them for sale.

[fishome25]

a few chalk bass would go well

[gitsumpottery]

I've seen two cherub angels in my dives down in Cozumel. One at the end of my trip in January this year, and the other at the end of my trip in February this year!

The first was at about 80 ft, and the second was at about 60 ft.
They seemed to be pretty solitary as far as I saw them, but who knows if they had buddies that were hiding.

Blue Chromis would be an excellent choice, little sand gobies would be another (can't remember specific species, but they were tan/white camouflaged).

I haven't seen Chalk Bass with them down there, and believe me I look since I have them in my own tank! Chalk Bass ARE carribbean fish though.

Zac

[clsanchez77]

Thanks for the tips on the gobies, I assumed they were the sand sifting...bad assumption on my part, I should have looked that up; I will look to see what I can find on them. Blue Chromis seem to be a popular companion. Chalk Bass are Caribbean, probably why you could not find them in the Carribbean ;)

Chris

[clsanchez77]

Masked/Glass Goby:
Coryphopterus personatus/hyalinus
Size: 1 1/2" max, Depth 10'-100'
Hover in small to large aggregations just inside of near recesses in the reef. Generally the Masked Goby inhabits waters between 10' and 35' while the Glass Goby is 40' and deepter, however, the two occasionally mix...

Fishbase:
Occurs in schools near large coral columns and heads. Hovers above bottom in caves and shaded areas in reefs.

http://fishbase.sinica.edu.tw/images/species/Coper_u1.jpg

[clsanchez77]

Bridled Goby:
Coryphopterus glaucofraenum
Size 3" max, Depth 5'-130'

Perch on sand near reefs, where they are usually transparent and unmarked; in grassy or rock areas, they usually show markings.

Fishbase:
Inhabits clear white sandy areas near deep reefs and grassy and rocky areas. Burrows in the sand and the male guards the eggs. The Bridled goby, which has X-shaped marks and spots, occurs in both clear and more murky inshore waters, while the paler, very similar Sand goby, Coryphopterus tortugae [= Coryphopterus glaucofraenum], occurs over white sand.

http://fishbase.sinica.edu.tw/images/species/Cogla_u0.jpg

[JHemdal]

The only time I've seen cherubfish in the wild was in the Bahamas about 20 years ago. I saw a small group in coral rubble at around 20 feet of water off Bimini. The area was south of the Alice Town / Bimini channel, I think it was called green rocks. The substrate was dead Acropora cervicornis rubble. There was not any living coral within 30 feet or so of this area. I did not see them anywhere else around, and I was there for a week or so. The only other fish I remember seeing near them was a gold phase coney grouper that was trying to eat them as I was trying to collect them<grin>. I caught the coney (we had Bahamian collecting permits), but it did what they always do, changed to the drab brown/white phase a few weeks later.

Jay Hemdal

[clsanchez77]

Thanks Jay, I am going to use the Haitain rock, which is dead Lettuce Coral to create the 'Rubble'.

Any particullar Algae, Sponge, Other Inverts?

Chris

[fishome25]

love those gold coneys
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y102/fishome25/goldconeygrouper.jpg

[fishome25]

just got back from bonaire. i saw 4. 2 lived alone in fire coral and a pair lived together in rubble but they were all camera shy.

[CamBarr]

has anyone ever seen masked glass gobies for sale???

[clsanchez77]

not in an LFS or online vendor, but I have found them on some diver web pages. Try searching Diver Tom Caribbean.

Also, I think I may have seen it on some of the Live Rock Aquaculture site price lists.

Chris

[fishome25]

reeftopia sells them

[cly]

Chris,

I just returned from a diving trip to Bonaire as well. I saw Cherubfish on at least two seperate dives, only in the shallows. I'll try to recall as much as I can about the second sighting.

Dive site: Windsock

15 to 20 feet of water

3 or 4 Cherubfish darting in and out of cover provided by round branch like pieces of coral rubble on the sand. Extremely shy and active little fish.

Not far from there an octopus had hidden in similar rubble. You could only see his eye and maybe a tentacle or two.

This and other rubble zones had an abundance of what may have been Bridled Goby (Coryphopterus glaucofraenum) [p 279, Reef Fish Identification Florida Caribbean Bahamas, Paul Humann & Ned Deloach, Enlarged 3rd Edition] Basically small sand colored gobies that were constantly darting around on the sand and low rubble.

Not far from the Cherubfish was a brain coral about the size of a large cantaloupe. Situated on the coral were two yellow cleaner gobies (probably Sharknose Goby, Gobiosoma evelynae, p 267, Ibid; but could have been some other cleaning goby with two yellow stripes.

The area was also crawling with nudibranchs (lettuce?). Not sure what kind, but once you saw one, you saw twenty in a square yard.

There were other fish in the same area as the Cherubfish, but I can't recall what they were. So much to see, it's hard to remember it all.

All of this was at roughly the same depth, and no more that 20 feet apart.

Just noticed your post above about the Bridled Goby. My reference doen't have a entry on the Sand Goby, so I can't say if that was a better match to what I saw. It does however say that the Bridled Goby appears tranparent and unmarked in sandy areas, but marked in grassy and rocky areas.

Good luck with you biotope. One thing this trip taught me is that even a small piece of the ocean is a big piece.

Cheers,
Chad

[clsanchez77]

Thanks Chad

One thing this trip taught me is that even a small piece of the ocean is a big piece.

This is what I am trying to showcase by limiting number of species Did you notice any zoanthids or gorgonias?

The tank-biotope is well on its way. I have it well aquascaped as a rocky rubble zone. 50lbs, aquacultured rock, 75lbs lettuce coral rock, 8lbs crushed aquacultured rock rubble, 18lbs aruba puka shell rubble and 150lbs aragonite sand.

Tank was seeded with Halimeda Tuesday. Encrusting sponge, corraline and marco algaes are all starting to grow. Worm life is pretty minimal but I am seeing some assorted.

[cly]

No zoanthids that I can recall. There were'nt any gorgonians in the immediated vicinity at this site, but large sea fans were not uncommon in similar rubble zones and depths, at other dive sites. Some fans were 4 to 5 feet wide, swaying back and forth with the surge.

At one site, I was using a large sea fan as a reference for natural navigation. On the way back in I thought I had spotted the sea fan, but it turned out to be a spotted eagle ray!

It will be interesting to hear how the Cherubfish settles into the tank. Hopefully he won't be as skitish as in the open ocean.

Back when I was considering setting up my own tank, I was looking into a Cherubfish as well. I never quite got around to the tank, and then decided to take up SCUBA. Kind of hard to mix a new hobby that requires travel with a new reef tank. Oh well, someday. It turns out that just the planning for setting up a tank went a long ways towards my understanding and appreciation of the fish and corals that I did see on this trip. The two hobbies do mesh well together. Now if I could just find some long lost pirate treasure to fund both endevours ....

Cheers,
Chad

[clsanchez77]

cly - do recall any details on the brain coral?