Journal of the Ocean Science Foundation
Info
Little is known about the habitats and ecology of this cryptic species, although it may resemble the species Enneanectes boehlkei, from which it was recently split taxonomically.
Live fish show dark patterns but have red, white, gold, and sometimes blue components.
The iris has a golden pupal ring and bright red spoke-like spots, and there are red stripes under the dark markings on the head and snout.
Enneanectes wilki has an iridescent white spot overlying the dark shading on the upper lip, often with one or two more spots toward the eye overlying the location of the light stripe that is distinct in other species.
There is a characteristic dark red bar at the base of the caudal fin.
The caudal fin usually has a whitish round spot at the base of the upper fin and sometimes at the base of the lower fin.
The dark or dark red bands on the caudal fin, often three dark or dark red bands on the caudal fin, often three or more, may be interrupted or, if uninterrupted, at least not uniformly rectangular, and the intervening clear zones may appear as white.
In lightly marked fish, the white predominates over the dark shading of the first dorsal fin, and the fin may flash bright white.
In addition, a conspicuous thin white bar on the posterior second dorsal fin may be prominent.
The pectoral fins are often banded white or yellow.
The pale areas between the body bars may be highlighted in white and are usually streaked with yellow and gold bands, especially over the characteristic 4 - 5 interspaces where the midsection has a dark speckled patch or bar that is especially developed ventrally.
A series of bluish-white round spots are distributed over the body, the light round spots on the head may have bluish iridescence, especially highlighting the darker bands over the skull and the dark spots on the iris.
Jumping guard
A jumping guard prevents (nocturnal) fish from jumping out.
Wrasses, blennies, hawkfishs and gobies jump out of an unprotected tank in fright if their night rest is disturbed, unfortunately these jumpers are found dried up in the morning on carpets, glass edges or later behind the tank.
https://www.korallenriff.de/en/article/1925_5_Jump_Protection_Solutions_for_Fish_in_the_Aquarium__5_Net_Covers.html
A small night light also helps, as it provides the fish with a means of orientation in the dark!
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".
Live fish show dark patterns but have red, white, gold, and sometimes blue components.
The iris has a golden pupal ring and bright red spoke-like spots, and there are red stripes under the dark markings on the head and snout.
Enneanectes wilki has an iridescent white spot overlying the dark shading on the upper lip, often with one or two more spots toward the eye overlying the location of the light stripe that is distinct in other species.
There is a characteristic dark red bar at the base of the caudal fin.
The caudal fin usually has a whitish round spot at the base of the upper fin and sometimes at the base of the lower fin.
The dark or dark red bands on the caudal fin, often three dark or dark red bands on the caudal fin, often three or more, may be interrupted or, if uninterrupted, at least not uniformly rectangular, and the intervening clear zones may appear as white.
In lightly marked fish, the white predominates over the dark shading of the first dorsal fin, and the fin may flash bright white.
In addition, a conspicuous thin white bar on the posterior second dorsal fin may be prominent.
The pectoral fins are often banded white or yellow.
The pale areas between the body bars may be highlighted in white and are usually streaked with yellow and gold bands, especially over the characteristic 4 - 5 interspaces where the midsection has a dark speckled patch or bar that is especially developed ventrally.
A series of bluish-white round spots are distributed over the body, the light round spots on the head may have bluish iridescence, especially highlighting the darker bands over the skull and the dark spots on the iris.
Jumping guard
A jumping guard prevents (nocturnal) fish from jumping out.
Wrasses, blennies, hawkfishs and gobies jump out of an unprotected tank in fright if their night rest is disturbed, unfortunately these jumpers are found dried up in the morning on carpets, glass edges or later behind the tank.
https://www.korallenriff.de/en/article/1925_5_Jump_Protection_Solutions_for_Fish_in_the_Aquarium__5_Net_Covers.html
A small night light also helps, as it provides the fish with a means of orientation in the dark!
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".
