Tropical Fish

Kelly Tarlton's is home to tropical fish including Piranha, Lionfish and Clown triggerfish. 

Piranha

Piranha bodies are covered in so many tastebuds that when something floats pass, they can tell if a creature is worth eating or not. Piranhas have razor sharp teeth which are protected by a thick layer of gum.

 

Scientific Name:           Serrasalmus natterie

Maximum Length:       30 - 32 centimeters

Colour:                          Shimmery gold and dark olive green, with red under-belly

Family:                           Characidae

Diet at Kelly's:               Herring, Ox Heart and Liver

 

Fishy Facts about Pirahna

• Piranhas have a fast metabolism, which means they digest their food very quickly.
• Piranhas are carnivores which, means that they need to eat protein (meat or fish).
• Piranhas' natural habitat is the freshwater rivers of the Amazon in South America.

Lion Fish

This is a decoratively ornate fish, however don’t be fooled by its beauty – this species has 13 extremely venomous dorsal fin spines. When threatened or scared by a predator, Lionfish will use their venomous needle-like dorsal fin to defend themselves.

Scientific Name:       Pterois volitans

Maximum length:    40cm

Family:                       Scorpaenidae

Diet at Kelly's:          live glass shrimp, small crabs and pieces of fish.

Habitat:                      Found throughout the pacific and parts of east Africa.

 

Interesting Facts:

• Lionfish are predators that like to hide in caves and crevices during the day and come out to feed at night.
• In the wild, Lionfish catch their food by using their decorative pectoral fin to corner their prey, and extremely fast reflexes to engulf them up whole.

Clown Triggerfish

The Clown triggerfish at Kelly Tarltons is very aggressive and will eat almost anything we put into the tank, including our fingers!

Scientific Name:      Balistoides conspicillum

Maximum length:   up to about 50cm in length.

Family:                      Balistidae

Habitat:                     Commonly found around northern Australia and throughout the pacific in the clear waters of tropical coral reefs, down to 75m.

 

Interesting Facts:

• Often seen when swimming around pacific islands, this aggressive fish has a bad reputation for biting the fingers and toes of divers and snorkelers!
• This fish has a beautiful and unique coloration. The ventral surface has large, white spots on a dark background, and its dorsal surface has black spots on yellow. Like a circus clowns painted red lips, the clown triggerfish has bright yellow coloured lips, hence how its name was chosen.