The Marine Goldfish (Anthias anthias) is a marine (saltwater) fish in the Serranidae family of groupers and sea bass. It is also known as the Swallowtail Sea Perch.
The Marine Goldfish looks like a freshwater goldfish. Its solid colour varies from pink to red, and does not have blotches or markings. It has long fins and an asymmetrical ray-finned tail. Its pelvic fins are yellow but turn red in the breeding season.
It grows to 27 centimetres (11 inches) in length.
It is native to the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. It prefers reefs and lagoons, among rocks and coral.
It is nocturnal. It hides in caves during the day, and comes out at night to feed. It eats zooplankton, crabs, shrimp, and small fish.
The Marine Goldfish is a protogynous hermaphrodite. The female lays eggs that all hatch as female young, called fry. A few young fish become male as they grow, but most of them remain female. When a male Marine Goldfish dies, one of the larger females changes her sex, colour, size, and shape, and becomes male. It takes about 14 days for the female to become a male.
Location of photographs: Aquarium de Paris-Cinéaqua, France
Photographer: Martina Nicolls
Martina Nicolls: SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM