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The peacock grouper is a member of the Serranidae family, native to the Indo-Pacific and common in home aquaria and as an invasive species.It is a mid-sized fish, growing up to 60cm. Thye have large mouths with thick lower lips and small fins.Its body is brown, but notable for the iridescent dark blue that tints it, particularly the edges of its fin. The peacock grouper is usually covered in hundreds of dark blue spots with cyan of white centres. As it ages, it commonly develops four to six thick white bars across the back portion of its body. One of its common names "argus grouper" is drawn from the many-eyed giant "Argus" of Greek mythology.

The foxface rabbitfish is a member of the Siganidae family, common in home aquaria, but native to reefs, lagoons and shallow waters of the Pacific Ocean, particularly Taiwan and New Caledonia.This fish is easily recognisable by its dorsal fin; usually flattened against the body, when stressed the rabbitfish will raise its spines, giving it a large, serrated appearance,The foxface rabbitfish has a bright yellow body and a white face with a black stripe from the top of the head, through the eye and to the snout, and a black patch from its pectoral fin to the bottom of its head. At night or when stressed, they can lighten their colouration to a mottled white-brown.The foxface rabbitfish is primarily herbivorous, requiring a diet of algae. However, it will readily feed on zooplankton if available.

Black-saddle goatfish inhabit the Indo-West Pacific region - this includes the Red Sea and Persian Gulf, south to South Africa and Reunion Island. Goatfish are so named because of the ‘barbels’ which hang from their chins similar to a goat’s beard. Goatfish use the barbels to search for food on the seabed.They are found singly or in groups foraging for food such as worms, brittle stars and crustaceans, they do this by extending the two barbels from their chin and stirring up the sediment. They often have other fish in tow which hoover up any creatures left behind.Adults grow up to 23 cm long and inhabit reefs, sand flats, slopes and seagrass beds at depths between 2 -75m.Black-saddle goatfish also appear to use their barbels in courtship displays and will eagerly entwine barbels with prospective mates.

The galjoen is the national fish of South Africa. It is a distinct-looking fish, it belongs to a family of fish which are endemic to our coastline and so we’re proud of it!Sadly, our national fish is fast disappearing – it has been overfished and is now listed as Red by SASSI (Southern African Sustainable Seafood Initiative).Recreational anglers may only catch two galjoen (minimum size = 35cm) per day between 1 March and 14 October each year. They are not allowed to sell their catch.

African spadefish have flat, deep bodies and long, sloping foreheads. Their bodies are silver-grey, with a series of dark, vertical bands that fade with age. Sometimes faded yellow colouration is present on their caudal and dorsal fins and their bellies.Spadefish feed on both free-swimming and bottom-dwelling crustaceans.African spadefish inhabit inshore reefs on the African east coast, from Somalia to South Africa's Eastern Cape.

Moorish idols are strikingly beautiful. They have thick black and white vertical stripes and finer yellow colourations on their face and rears. Most notable are the elongated white dorsal fins, which extend far beyond their tails. Although very similar in appearance to some species of butterflyfish, the Moorish idol can be easily distinguished by its black, triangular anal fin. Moorish idols hunt small invertebrates along coral and rocky reefs using their pronounced snouts. They also feed on sponges and coral polyps. Adult Moorish idols develop bony protrusions above each eye. As they age, the elongated dorsal spine becomes shorter. After hatching, Moorish idols have a comparatively long larval stage during which the young fish live in the open ocean. This long period of time allows the larvae to spread widely. This makes the Moorish idol quite unusual, as it has almost no geographic variations in its colouring. Moorish idols got their name from the Moors, an ancient African civilization who believed this fish was a source of happiness. The Moorish idol’s IUCN status is Least Concern with stable populations.

Sailfin tangs have compressed, disc-like bodies with flattened fins that they are able to rapidly open to increase their apparent size. They are pale in colour, with alternating dark and light grey vertical bars. Their face has small pale spots and their rear-end has narrow yellow stripes. These tangs form pairs and inhabit coral reefs in the Indian Ocean. They scavengers, searching for fragments of algae and detritus.

The redfang triggerfish has a blue, kite-shaped body and prominent red teeth. It has a moon-shaped, forked tail which is pale blue. When threatened, the triggerfish can lock the first two spines of its dorsal fin together to prevent predators from swallowing it.

The raccoon butterflyfish has notable black and white bands across its head and face, forming a raccoon-like pattern from where it draws its name. Its yellow body is covered by brown-orange stripes. There is a black eye spot on its tail peduncle, and all fins are edged by an orange-brown margin. Racoon butterflyfish form pairs and prey on coral polyps.

The orange-spine unicorn is a narrow, rounded fish with an angular head. It is an olive-brown colour, with an orange belly and yellow forehead and dorsal fin. Its tail is forked and it has bony orange spines that protrude from its peduncle. Orange-spine unicorns feed on brown algae throughout the Indo-Pacific reefs.

The crescent-tail wrasse is a brilliant green-blue with an oblong body with a rounded pink head that has irregular blue stripes. Adult males are a greenish-blue with a striking yellow crescent-shaped tail. Females and juveniles have blue bellies and purple vertical stripes on their flanks. These wrasses are found on coral reefs throughout the Indian and Pacific Oceans. They stay in small groups, searching for small invertebrates to feed on.