Rifle Cardinalfish (Ostorhincus kiensis)

Brooding eggs in the mouth

Spiny-eye Cardinalfish (Apogon fraenatus)

Ringtail Cardinalfish

Capricorn Cardinalfish

Woods Siphonfish (Siphamia cephalotes)

Pink-breasted Siphonfish

Plain Cardinalfish (Apogon apogonides)

Sydney Cardinalfish (Apogon limenus)

Southern Orange-lined Cardinalfish

White-Line Cardinalfish (Ostorhincus cavitiensis)

An Anzac Day dive brought cooler water (as low as 19 degrees at times), but murkiness too, and lots of it. When it’s murky you have to look harder and everywhere today were Cardinalfish. These small fish are often overlooked hiding close to rocks and overhangs. They are brilliant parents, brooding eggs in their mouths until they hatch.

Juveniles of two species of parrotfish were working their way through the seaweed – is anyone able to identify these?

Mado at the cleaning station

Blue-spotted Flathead

Juvenile parrotfish

Juvenile parrotfish

A  group of Blue-spotted Flathead also provided a bit of variety from the usual Dusky flathead found across the bay.

It was interesting to find Mados being cleaned by clingfish as Mados themselves often clean larger fish. I also observed a juvenile Old Wife cleaning the sides of a Blackfish and when I approached it headed straight for me, possibly looking for a new cleaning job.