Sarcastic fringehead?

[Msby12]

hey, does anyone know if sarcastic fringeheads are ever availible for the home aquarium?

[FMarini]

got a scientific name.....
a sarcastic fringehead-your making that one up.

[Frostyeel]

Neoclinus blanchardi?

I just googled it and he definitely isn't making it up, they look pretty cool from the pictures of them, but from what I just read they are a cold water species and get to a good size, plus they are very territorial so they would probably only be appropraite for a species tank even if they were collected for the aquarium trade.

[sunfishh]

I have never seen one in a lfs, but who knowns maybe you could special order one.

[FMarini]

okay-guess your right.
I've never seen one in person, there has to be some reason why there not collected.

[kingsord0]

I have seen these fish on Nasonal Geographic chanel, and don't get two or else one will die because they are hyper teratoriel.

[sunfishh]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7702642#post7702642 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kingsord0
I have seen these fish on Nasonal Geographic chanel, and don't get two or else one will die because they are hyper teratoriel.

Your right. They will not torrelarat another fringehead unless your tank is huge

[Msby12]

okay, for one thing FMarini, i'm not making this up,

this is the scientific name, Neoclinus blanchardi
here's the fish

http://www.aquariumofpacific.org/ANIMAL_DATABASE/ASSETS/95.jpg
are they really coldwater? even if they're from baja california?

[Msby12]

oh yeah, before i forget, they're at the long beach aquarium, and i was only planning on getting 1, like Frostyeel said, they're very territorial. and the reason they're not usually collected is because divers don't want to deal with their sharp teeth.
otherwise they are very cool fish!

[Frostyeel]

I guess if they are down by baja then they are okay in warmer water. I just read that they live in monterey bay. If you really want to keep one I'm sure you could make it happen and I say go for it.

[sunfishh]

Where in baja? Baja ranges quite a bit from temperate to tropical. I know they are found her in socal so they could definately be kept at 65 or 70.

[Msby12]

hmm, well i guess now the problem is finding a place to get one

[JHemdal]

Hi all,

Well, I've actually worked with this species. Here is a "tongue in cheek" excerpt from my Advanced Marine Aquarium Techniques book: (It is part of a larger section on E. Pacific temperate marines). These fish really need to be kept below 72 degrees. When a fish's range is given as "Baja Mexico" you need to know *where* in Baja. In this case, they are not found south of central Baja, (Cedro Island) and the water is definately not tropical there. They are apparently not collected in Mexico, so only scientific collectors out of California are likely to get them.

Sarcastic Fringehead
Neoclinus blanchardi
Maximum size: 30 cm
Habitat: Inside empty snail shells or other debris on the bottom
Range: Central California to Baja
This territorial species has no apparent fear of humans. One collector explained all that is needed to collect them is locate one underwater and then point at it. The enraged fish will then rush out of its burrow and clamp its jaws on the offending digit, and it can quickly be transferred to a bag. One public aquarium curator possessing a biting wit and balding pate was nicknamed “Neoclinus” by some fellow curators, but few others ever understood the connection.

Jay Hemdal

[sunfishh]

Great info Jay