Read: Part I | Part II | Part III
The Spotted Oceanic Triggerfish (Canthidermis maculata), a rarely seen marine species on display in Sun Pet‘s tanks
A stunning Dragon Blood Peacock (Aulonocara sp.) bred and raised by Imperial Tropicals
When you get many of the country’s largest importers, farmers, and wholesalers of aquarium fish all together at the same event, chances are they’re going to use that opportunity to show off their best, newest, and most unique fish. At Global Pet Expo, this is exactly the scenario, and both the centrally-located Aquatic Lounge and the booths surrounding it were well stocked with a wide variety of interesting specimens and just plain old “nice fish.” From tank-raised marine fish (far beyond the standard fare of clownfish and dottybacks) to flawless wild-collected cichlids and Corydoras cats, the fish on display at Global provided a perfect backdrop to the dizzying array of booths to visit and new products to discover (see our coverage of the show floor, Part 1 and Part 2). For the final day of the expo, I found myself spending the most time around exhibitors’ tanks, watching for and photographing the fish that—to me, at least—stood out from the rest and caught my eye.
One of Madagascar’s beautiful and endangered endemic cichlids, Paretroplus maculatus, on display from Old World Exotic Fish
So, to close out our coverage of the massive, industry-only trade show held each spring in Orlando, Florida, here’s our photographic highlight reel of the fish of Global Pet. Enjoy, and feel free to ask questions or let us know your favorites in the comments!
A pair of Lyretail Hogfish (Bodianus anthioides) showing off their namesake caudal fins in one of Segrest Farms‘ aquariums
A real rarity from Segrest Farms, a freshwater Frogfish (Antennarius sp.). This typically marine fish has been collected in almost pure freshwater habitats in parts of Indonesia and seems to thrive in these conditions.
A display aquarium featuring captive-bred fish from ORA, including Kamohara Blennies (Meiacanthus kamoharai), Pajama Cardinals (Sphaeramia nematoptera), and others
Although they have been collected more regularly in recent years, aberrant Scopas Tangs (Zebrasoma scopas) like this one from Sun Pet are hardly a common sight.
A beautiful group of Corydoras cf. fowleri (probably C. semiaquilus) and a well-hidden Tigrinus catfish (Merodontotus tigrinus) from Nautilus Wholesale
One of Lake Victoria’s most colorful endemics, Pundamilia nyererei from Imperial Tropicals
Fish weren’t the only aquatic life on display — the centerpiece of this tank featuring plants from Florida Aquatic Nurseries is a stunning St. Elmo’s Fire Sword (Echinodorus sp. “St. Elmo’s Fire”).
Fierce, but sort of cute: a baby Payara (Hydrolycus scomberoides) in one of the Sun Pet aquariums
Uncommon and pricey, these “Blackberry” Silver Dollars from Sun Pet are likely a line-bred form of Myleus schomburgkii.
A Fahaka or Nile Puffer (Tetraodon lineatus) on display from Ruinemans Aquarium
Captive-bred Porkfish (Anisotremus virginicus) and Grunts from Fisheye Aquaculture. Both of these species were worked on by Rising Tide and then brought into commercial production.
Big Florida-bred Roseline Barbs (Sahyadria denisonii) on display from 5D Tropical
A nice group of Victorian Cichlids, including a beautiful new albino strain of Pundamilia nyerei (center) from Mike’s Cichlids
It may be tiny, but it represents a huge leap forward for marine aquaculture: captive-bred Coral Beauty Angel (Centropyge bispinosa) from Biota Marine Life Nursery in Palau.
Captive-bred Atlantic Spadefish (Chaetodipterus faber) in the massive aquacultured-only display tank by Boyd Enterprises and Reef Aquaria Design
One of Lake Malawi’s lesser-known gems, Placidichromis sp. “phenochilus Tanzania” (also known as the Star Sapphire Cichlid) from Imperial Tropicals
Beautiful new captive-bred cardinals from ORA (Ostorhinchus sp.)
Many fish species uncategorized from Papua – Indonesia, refers to scotcat website