Juvenile beauties: Is there a juvenile fish that you wish wouldn't grow up?

[MaxM]

Batfish and long horned cowfish so I could keep them in my 40 g

 

[fmp47]

Orange shoulder tang. Beautiful as a juvenile!

 

[glency]

Clownfish. So cute and wiggly I just want to eat them like M&Ms

 

[Cichlid Dad]

Clownfish. So cute and wiggly I just want to eat them like M&Ms

Please TAKE mine! You can have it.

 

[cfarrow13]

the orange and black BATFISH and also the DRAGON wrasse, I do not know the scientific names

I loved my dragon wrasse. He had a big personality.

 

[thomas_neil]

Another for the better

Chocolate tang:

Juv:

To this:

To adult:

When I first started reefing, I got a chocolate tang thinking it was a yellow tang. 1 year later it turned into the monstrosity that is the adult picture. Learned my lesson on doing research before purchasing fish

 

[vetteguy53081]

When I first started reefing, I got a chocolate tang thinking it was a yellow tang. 1 year later it turned into the monstrosity that is the adult picture. Learned my lesson on doing research before purchasing fish

Its one of my favorite tangs

 

[waterskiguy]

Platax pinnatus, or pinnate spadefish/pinnate batfish.

Beautiful baby but just a silver based BIG adult.

This is the first one that always comes to mind!

 

[pasquale petrovia]

Orange shoulder tang. Beautiful as a juvenile!

Mine is 2 1/2 years old and still yellow

 

[dricc]

Domino damsel. The first saltwater aquarium fish I saw almost 50 years ago. When they get old, ugly and mean. I would have a school of them if they stayed small, docile and beautiful.

 

[steveschuerger]

I’d go with batfish any species. Still pretty nice but what a change

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Juvenile beauties: Is there a juvenile fish that you wish wouldn't grow up?

Many marine fish enter the aquarium hobby as juveniles - these fish are not recently hatched fry nor sexually mature adults. Some of these have attractive coloration, patterning, and even behavior but often lose these qualities as they mature. For example, the blueface angelfish (Pomacanthus xanthometopon) with its juvenile coloration that fades with age, the Spanish hogfish (Bodianus rufus) acts as a cleaner fish as a juvenile, the nurse shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum) can grow over 10 feet long but is sold at smaller sizes. Would you prefer fish that never grew up and retained their juvenile qualities? If so, tell us which juvenile fish you would want to try in the thread below and tell us why!

Public domain image from Wikipedia

A special thanks to @WheatToast for their suggestion and material for today’s question of the day. If you have recommendations that you would like to be considered for QOTDs in the future, please send me a PM. Thanks!

I remember the joke about the Florida "ruler" used by collectors to measure nurse sharks back in the 1970's - sharks sold as 12 inches would somehow magically grow during shipment to 24" (grin).

Pinnatus batfish are the best example of this I think! Amazingly beautiful at 2" tall, but oh so very delicate. If you did manage to get one to grow to adult size, you ended up with a huge fish that is not really different than a much more hardy orbicularis bat....brown and ugly.

Jay

 

[Zero_Cool]

Its one of my favorite tangs

Mine as well. I will have one in the tank soon. I think they are beautiful in all color stages.

 

[fishface NJ]

all wrasses

 

[AZReef13]

How about the Cortez to this list

 

[54Dutchman]

Atlantic Blue Tang

 

[BackToTheReef]

Chevron Tang

 

[thomas_neil]

Its one of my favorite tangs

Dang now I feel bad, I’m sorry

 

[Seancj]

For me will be the Chevron Tang

Juv:

Adult:

Agreed! Juvenile is so pretty!

 

[Rmckoy]

Orange shoulder tang. Beautiful as a juvenile!

I’d argue they are far more beautiful later as adults .
the transition between when they still have a light yellow tinge but the 2 tone grey along with the darker orange steak …
One of my favourite fish .
A few beauty juv fish come to mind .
emperor angelfish although it’s far more rewarding watching him change from juv to adult . I haven’t experience watching the change yet …

orange shoulder . Mine was yellow when I got it . And now mostly adult colours .