If you are looking for a far out totally cool fish to put in a salt water tank that is tough enough to take your abuse and kind enough not to turn you in to the authorities then I think I have the fish for you.

It comes complete with the most bitchen paint job that you would ever want on a pet fish. Even your wife will like this one. Red dots is what makes this fish stand out among the crowd. No, it doesn’t have the chicken pox. Although in the early days of salt water aquariums it was known as the Chicken Pox Grouper.

Actually these red dots are over a creamy white background that covers the entire body of the fish. The fins; dorsal, anal, pectoral and tail are all excluded from the responsibility of having dots and are generally clear. The Tail fin along with the rear portion of the dorsal are edged with black. A thin yellow line highlights the trailing edge of the caudal fin.

The dorsal fin also has forward eleven hard spines that are tipped with the same yellow highlights that you saw on the tailfin. The anal fin sports 3 spines. The soft portion of the dorsal and anal fins are covered with scales and a thick skin.

Our subject can pale or darken, depending on its mood. I have noticed that once it has settled in, it will be rare to see it in the dark phase. If you catch him sleeping late at night you will find him dark and pale. An obvious reaction to you turning on the light to see him. Eh!.

The tail fin has rather a straight margin edge with rounded corners.

The head is rather special with the top of its head narrow between the eyes while the skull is long and sloping, but not depressed. Its mouth is quite large, the maxilla bone reaches past the middle of the eye.

Now that I have you all excited I guess I should tell you that this spectacular fish is the Red Hind, Epinephelus guttatus.

Found over coral reefs and rocks in shallow to moderately deep water, they like to drift just above bottom or rest quietly on their pectoral fins, blending with surroundings. They do this in the aquarium, patiently waiting for you to through in its diet of primarily crustaceans. It just loves shrimp. It also likes bait fish, but its preference is definitely towards crustaceans.

Please give my friend a large aquarium because its normal size is 45 centimeters (1 1/2 feet.) but a good sized, and well fed one can grow to 24 inches (61 cm). Also I must recommend that you keep its tankmates, if in fact you get any that last, around the same size.

Found from North Carolina south throughout the Gulf of Mexico, the Red Hind is also found in the Northern Caribbean Antilles, the western shores of the Caribbean, and the West Indies. Strangely enough it is most common in Bermuda. These fish are not common on the Florida coasts, however they are found in deeper waters of both the Gulf and Atlantic. They are abundant around Cuba, where they are a favorite food in Havana markets. I guess you could always eat yours if you got really mad at it.

Give this fish a try and you will find that they have the same winning personality as the freshwater Oscar.