Stephanlepis hispidus
Size: to 10"
Habitat: wherever the current takes them
Notes: Baby Filefishes of 2"-3" may be found drifting along with clumps of Sargassum weed. They are also found inshore.
Filefish are similar to triggerfish but have only two spines in the "trigger", rather than three. I kept a filefish in an aquarium for a long time. It was a fascinating pet until it outgrew its quarters, and I had to give it away. They are quite intelligent ( for a fish. )
These low outcroppings appear in small to large patches over a two-mile area called the Klondike, and elsewhere, at depths ranging from 60 to 90 feet. The overhangs, crags, and holes afforded by the piles of rocks and boulders provide excellent homes for fish and lobsters. Visibility can be great here at times, but it is usually 10-20 ft, with a silty bottom in most places. The larger areas extend for many hundreds of feet, and an incautious diver can easily get lost. The stone itself is a type of sandstone known as Greensand, which occurs along the northern part of the New Jersey coast, and parts of Long Island, most famously as the Shrewsbury Rocks.
More: Klondike Rocks ...
