The Family Gobiesocidae (Clingfish) is a group of small fish which usually are found clinging to rocks, sea squirts, algae, sea grass, anenomes, sea urchins and even larger fish.
This particular species is the Eastern Cleaner Clingfish (Cochleoceps orientalis).
These fish are hard to spot because of their size but are a gorgeous little fish, so worth looking out for. Sometimes these fish will hitch a ride on a larger fish. This is good for the other fish as in return for the ride the Clingfish will clean them.
This particular species is the Eastern Cleaner Clingfish (Cochleoceps orientalis).
These fish are hard to spot because of their size but are a gorgeous little fish, so worth looking out for. Sometimes these fish will hitch a ride on a larger fish. This is good for the other fish as in return for the ride the Clingfish will clean them.
Eastern Cleaner Clingfish (Cochleoceps Orientalis)
|
It was months after taking this photograph of a goatfish that I realised that an Eastern Cleaner Clingfish was hitching a ride on the goatfish. If you look carefully at this photograph, near the top under the second dorsal fin you can see the clingfish. This photograph helps give a sense of the scale to this tiny fish.
|
Eastern Cleaner Clingfish riding a Goatfish
|
|
|
In this next photograph (on the left) you can see the Eastern Cleaner Clingfish on a White-Ear (Damselfish). It was incredible watching it carefully maneuver around the fish and how incredible is it to see Cleaning Stations here in Sydney Australia! Previous to living in Sydney I used to think that cleaning stations were only found in remote parts of the world, but in Sydney you can see them on a shore dive from the Bondi to Coogee coastal walk!
|
|
Here on the right you can see an Eastern Cleaner Clingfish resting on the face of a Port Jackson shark close to the eye on the left of the photograph. I didn't even notice this fish until I reviewed the photograph later on the computer.
|
|