Black Spot Sergeant Fish

[Ty.S44]

I went on a trip to Hawaii last summer, and the last morning there I went to some tide pools and managed to get some pictures of them. In one of the pictures was a convict tang, scroll algae, and what I've identified as a black spot sergeant fish. Now, I'm looking to stock a 175 gallon reef tank and I thought it would be really cool to be able to recreate that scene. The convict tang shouldn't be too hard to find. Scroll algae would be a bit of a challenge. The sergeant fish, however, I have not found much information on at all. I know it is a type of damselfish and reaches around 9 inches in length, but that's about all I've found. With that, I'm wondering is this fish reef safe, how to properly care for it, and where on Earth can I find this fish short of making another trip back to Hawaii and flying it back to the states. Any and all information would be very helpful.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

I went on a trip to Hawaii last summer, and the last morning there I went to some tide pools and managed to get some pictures of them. In one of the pictures was a convict tang, scroll algae, and what I've identified as a black spot sergeant fish. Now, I'm looking to stock a 175 gallon reef tank and I thought it would be really cool to be able to recreate that scene. The convict tang shouldn't be too hard to find. Scroll algae would be a bit of a challenge. The sergeant fish, however, I have not found much information on at all. I know it is a type of damselfish and reaches around 9 inches in length, but that's about all I've found. With that, I'm wondering is this fish reef safe, how to properly care for it, and where on Earth can I find this fish short of making another trip back to Hawaii and flying it back to the states. Any and all information would be very helpful.

The juveniles typically live in tidepools, the adults typically live solitarily (I'm not sure if they live alone or in breeding pairs year round, but at least during breeding season they live in breeding pairs) by coral reefs or rocky outcrops.

They're omnivores, eating both algae and meaty foods such as small crustaceans (probably don't want to keep them with small shrimp) and invertebrates (I'd guess they might eat things like feather duster worms and/or sponges), so some foods like LRS Reef Frenzy or LRS Fertility Frenzy would likely be ideal.

They pair up to mate, they are demersal egg-layers, both parents guard the eggs, and the male tends to the eggs. The courtship displays involve the males changing colors, swimming exaggeratedly, and making specific sounds. After the eggs are hatched, the breeding ground (where the eggs are laid) is abandoned, then reestablished approximately every two weeks (typically by the same male that established it in the first place). These fish are noted as being extremely territorial and aggressive - though they are also noted in the wild as only being territorial while spawning. Recommended tank mates according to Salt Corner are dottybacks, tangs, triggers, and large angels. They sometime school in the wild, but it would probably be very unwise to try and have them school in your aquarium.

As best as I can tell, they're likely reef safe, but they may damage some coral while preparing a spawning ground if you keep a pair, as they're noted to clear any encrusting material growing on their preferred patch of ground so that they can lay their eggs and allow the growing out of filamentous algae (think Green Hair Algae) in that patch. The good news is, it seems they have strong preferences on where they put their spawning grounds, and they are very likely to re-use it, so they likely wouldn't harm the other corals. They also have a very strong preference for nesting on human debris in their environment (plastic, wood, cement, metal, etc.), so you may be able to offer them something like a piece of PVC pipe for them to spawn on, and they might actually go for it.

They are not sexually dimorphic except when the male is in breeding colors, but they can be told apart by their breeding and breeding preparation behaviors (i.e. things like the male clearing a nesting site can indicate which fish is male vs. which is female). They spawn up to five times in the same spawning cycle, laying one clutch each time they spawn, and typically the spawns are separated by one or two days. The eggs hatch on the fifth or sixth night after they were laid. It's basically two weeks spawning, two weeks not, then back to spawning, as I understand it.

I don't know any place that carries these guys, so (unless someone else knows where to get them) you may have to special order it - it'd be expensive, but it would avoid you personally needing airline tickets to go find and collect it yourself. I've heard that both Marine Collectors and KP Aquatics both take special orders, so those would be the places I would look at to start.

TLDR; Most likely reef safe - an omnivore. Territorial and aggressive while spawning, may be territorial while not spawning too. You may have to special order it or figure out how to collect it yourself.

 

[Ty.S44]

The juveniles typically live in tidepools, the adults typically live solitarily (I'm not sure if they live alone or in breeding pairs year round, but at least during breeding season they live in breeding pairs) by coral reefs or rocky outcrops.

They're omnivores, eating both algae and meaty foods such as small crustaceans (probably don't want to keep them with small shrimp) and invertebrates (I'd guess they might eat things like feather duster worms and/or sponges), so some foods like LRS Reef Frenzy or LRS Fertility Frenzy would likely be ideal.

They pair up to mate, they are demersal egg-layers, both parents guard the eggs, and the male tends to the eggs. The courtship displays involve the males changing colors, swimming exaggeratedly, and making specific sounds. After the eggs are hatched, the breeding ground (where the eggs are laid) is abandoned, then reestablished approximately every two weeks (typically by the same male that established it in the first place). These fish are noted as being extremely territorial and aggressive - though they are also noted in the wild as only being territorial while spawning. Recommended tank mates according to Salt Corner are dottybacks, tangs, triggers, and large angels. They sometime school in the wild, but it would probably be very unwise to try and have them school in your aquarium.

As best as I can tell, they're likely reef safe, but they may damage some coral while preparing a spawning ground if you keep a pair, as they're noted to clear any encrusting material growing on their preferred patch of ground so that they can lay their eggs and allow the growing out of filamentous algae (think Green Hair Algae) in that patch. The good news is, it seems they have strong preferences on where they put their spawning grounds, and they are very likely to re-use it, so they likely wouldn't harm the other corals. They also have a very strong preference for nesting on human debris in their environment (plastic, wood, cement, metal, etc.), so you may be able to offer them something like a piece of PVC pipe for them to spawn on, and they might actually go for it.

They are not sexually dimorphic except when the male is in breeding colors, but they can be told apart by their breeding and breeding preparation behaviors (i.e. things like the male clearing a nesting site can indicate which fish is male vs. which is female). They spawn up to five times in the same spawning cycle, laying one clutch each time they spawn, and typically the spawns are separated by one or two days. The eggs hatch on the fifth or sixth night after they were laid. It's basically two weeks spawning, two weeks not, then back to spawning, as I understand it.

I don't know any place that carries these guys, so (unless someone else knows where to get them) you may have to special order it - it'd be expensive, but it would avoid you personally needing airline tickets to go find and collect it yourself. I've heard that both Marine Collectors and KP Aquatics both take special orders, so those would be the places I would look at to start.

TLDR; Most likely reef safe - an omnivore. Territorial and aggressive while spawning, may be territorial while not spawning too. You may have to special order it or figure out how to collect it yourself.

Thanks man this is all really helpful! Would you think a 48L x 30W x 30H is a big enough forever home for one of these guys? I really don't plans on upgrading at least for a long time, and I'd hate to rehome it. I do actually plan on going back to Hawaii anyway some time in the future, as I loved the place so much when I went the first time.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Thanks man this is all really helpful! Would you think a 48L x 30W x 30H is a big enough forever home for one of these guys? I really don't plans on upgrading at least for a long time, and I'd hate to rehome it. I do actually plan on going back to Hawaii anyway some time in the future, as I loved the place so much when I went the first time.

From what I’ve seen, I would guess that tank would be fine as a forever home for one: the minimum recommendations I’ve seen are 125 gallons (seems a bit small to me, but makes sense with the nesting behavior) and 600 liters (~158 gallons), so you should be fine with a 175.

 

[Ty.S44]

From what I’ve seen, I would guess that tank would be fine as a forever home for one: the minimum recommendations I’ve seen are 125 gallons (seems a bit small to me, but makes sense with the nesting behavior) and 600 liters (~158 gallons), so you should be fine with a 175.

Alright and given that it's somewhat territorial do you think this is a fish I should add near the end of my stocking schedule? I'm also wondering if it would try to outcompete any tangs for algae or be a problem for my smaller fish such as my ocellaris clowns?

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Alright and given that it's somewhat territorial do you think this is a fish I should add near the end of my stocking schedule? I'm also wondering if it would try to outcompete any tangs for algae or be a problem for my smaller fish such as my ocellaris clowns?

I would assume you would want to add it last or very nearly last honestly, as it’s temperament in captivity is noted as either aggressive or “feisty/belligerent,” and sergeant majors (the family this fish is from) are noted for getting more aggressive as they age. So, I would guess you should expect it to give you some trouble both with food competition and with all your other fish at least until everything settles in and a pecking order is established.

Honestly, I would try to set it up so that the clowns are in one corner of the tank and this fish is in the opposite corner with a line of sight break or two in between just to try and play things safe. It would probably also be a good idea to make sure there are plenty of caves, hides, and swim throughs for all the fish just in case aggression gets a little out of hand (from this fish or anyone else).

 

[Ty.S44]

I would assume you would want to add it last or very nearly last honestly, as it’s temperament in captivity is noted as either aggressive or “feisty/belligerent,” and sergeant majors (the family this fish is from) are noted for getting more aggressive as they age. So, I would guess you should expect it to give you some trouble both with food competition and with all your other fish at least until everything settles in and a pecking order is established.

Honestly, I would try to set it up so that the clowns are in one corner of the tank and this fish is in the opposite corner with a line of sight break or two in between just to try and play things safe. It would probably also be a good idea to make sure there are plenty of caves, hides, and swim throughs for all the fish just in case aggression gets a little out of hand (from this fish or anyone else).

Would you say it'd be a good idea to get it as a juvenile? And out of curiosity what ballpark price range could I expect to pay for a special order of one of these fish?

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Would you say it'd be a good idea to get it as a juvenile? And out of curiosity what ballpark price range could I expect to pay for a special order of one of these fish?

Their life expectancy in the wild is about 9 years, so, personally, if I was going to spend the time and money special ordering one, I would want a juvenile just to be able to keep it longer. Plus, at least with some fish, people note fewer aggression issues if the fish are basically raised in the tank with the other inhabitants, so I would say it probably is a good idea to get a young one.

The price of a special order has quite a few different factors impacting it, and I know it varies wildly from one seller to another, so I’m not entirely sure what range to expect. Given that it’s a relatively easy to find fish that’s not known for being a particularly deep water species, however, I would assume (probably inaccurately) that a relatively reasonable price would probably a few hundred dollars - if I had to guess, maybe $350-$500. Given that you can get really rare fish (like aberrant tangs) for $700-$800 on the cheaper side, I would assume anything over $700-$800 is too high. That said, I’d definitely recommend shopping around and asking for quotes first before deciding on a specific vendor to collect for you.

 

[Ty.S44]

Their life expectancy in the wild is about 9 years, so, personally, if I was going to spend the time and money special ordering one, I would want a juvenile just to be able to keep it longer. Plus, at least with some fish, people note fewer aggression issues if the fish are basically raised in the tank with the other inhabitants, so I would say it probably is a good idea to get a young one.

The price of a special order has quite a few different factors impacting it, and I know it varies wildly from one seller to another, so I’m not entirely sure what range to expect. Given that it’s a relatively easy to find fish that’s not known for being a particularly deep water species, however, I would assume (probably inaccurately) that a relatively reasonable price would probably a few hundred dollars - if I had to guess, maybe $350-$500. Given that you can get really rare fish (like aberrant tangs) for $700-$800 on the cheaper side, I would assume anything over $700-$800 is too high. That said, I’d definitely recommend shopping around and asking for quotes first before deciding on a specific vendor to collect for you.

Alright well thank you so much for all your answer dude you've helped a lot!