Dr. Glen Whisson, Aqua Research and Monitoring Services, Australien
Info
We like to thank Dr. Glen Whisson very much for his photos of Siphamia cuneiceps
Siphamia cuneiceps is a mouthbrooding cardinalfish native to seagrass beds and kelp reefs.
The perch is silvery brown, copper colored, often with reddish broad stripes mid-laterally and white down the abdomen, with a blackish basicaudal spot clearly visible on their underside.
The body of the fish is dotted with small brownish spots, and the perch has a distinctly elongated body and pointed snout, with the lower jaw projecting beyond the upper jaw.
The species also lacks distinct gill ray spines at the upper end of the first gill arch.
Mouth brooding is performed exclusively by males.
Synonym: Siphamia cuniceps Whitley, 1941
The term "reef safe" is often used in marine aquaristics, especially when buying a new species people often ask if the new animal is "reef safe".
What exactly does reef safe mean?
To answer this question, you can ask target-oriented questions and inquire in forums, clubs, dealers and with aquarist friends:
- Are there already experiences and keeping reports that assure that the new animal can live in other suitably equipped aquariums without ever having caused problems?
- Is there any experience of invertebrates (crustaceans, hermits, mussels, snails) or corals being attacked by other inhabitants such as fish of the same or a different species?
- Is any information known or expected about a possible change in dietary habits, e.g., from a plant-based diet to a meat-based diet?
- Do the desired animals leave the reef structure "alone", do they constantly change it (boring starfish, digger gobies, parrotfish, triggerfish) and thus disturb or displace other co-inhabitants?
- do new animals tend to get diseases repeatedly and very quickly and can they be treated?
- Do known peaceful animals change their character in the course of their life and become aggressive?
- Can the death of a new animal possibly even lead to the death of the rest of the stock through poisoning (possible with some species of sea cucumbers)?
- Last but not least the keeper of the animals has to be included in the "reef safety", there are actively poisonous, passively poisonous animals, animals that have dangerous biting or stinging weapons, animals with extremely strong nettle poisons, these have to be (er)known and a plan of action should have been made in advance in case of an attack on the aquarist (e.g. telephone numbers of the poison control center, the treating doctor, the tropical institute etc.).
If all questions are evaluated positively in the sense of the animal(s) and the keeper, then one can assume a "reef safety".
Siphamia cuneiceps is a mouthbrooding cardinalfish native to seagrass beds and kelp reefs.
The perch is silvery brown, copper colored, often with reddish broad stripes mid-laterally and white down the abdomen, with a blackish basicaudal spot clearly visible on their underside.
The body of the fish is dotted with small brownish spots, and the perch has a distinctly elongated body and pointed snout, with the lower jaw projecting beyond the upper jaw.
The species also lacks distinct gill ray spines at the upper end of the first gill arch.
Mouth brooding is performed exclusively by males.
Synonym: Siphamia cuniceps Whitley, 1941
The term "reef safe" is often used in marine aquaristics, especially when buying a new species people often ask if the new animal is "reef safe".
What exactly does reef safe mean?
To answer this question, you can ask target-oriented questions and inquire in forums, clubs, dealers and with aquarist friends:
- Are there already experiences and keeping reports that assure that the new animal can live in other suitably equipped aquariums without ever having caused problems?
- Is there any experience of invertebrates (crustaceans, hermits, mussels, snails) or corals being attacked by other inhabitants such as fish of the same or a different species?
- Is any information known or expected about a possible change in dietary habits, e.g., from a plant-based diet to a meat-based diet?
- Do the desired animals leave the reef structure "alone", do they constantly change it (boring starfish, digger gobies, parrotfish, triggerfish) and thus disturb or displace other co-inhabitants?
- do new animals tend to get diseases repeatedly and very quickly and can they be treated?
- Do known peaceful animals change their character in the course of their life and become aggressive?
- Can the death of a new animal possibly even lead to the death of the rest of the stock through poisoning (possible with some species of sea cucumbers)?
- Last but not least the keeper of the animals has to be included in the "reef safety", there are actively poisonous, passively poisonous animals, animals that have dangerous biting or stinging weapons, animals with extremely strong nettle poisons, these have to be (er)known and a plan of action should have been made in advance in case of an attack on the aquarist (e.g. telephone numbers of the poison control center, the treating doctor, the tropical institute etc.).
If all questions are evaluated positively in the sense of the animal(s) and the keeper, then one can assume a "reef safety".
