Ocean Fish

The fusiliers are a family of sleep fish which feed on plankton off the edge of the reef. They tend to be blue and yellow in colouration, sometimes with a bit of red and all species have a forked tail. The Yellow-Tail fusilier takes its name from the bright yellow colour that extends from its dorsal fin all the way to its tail. This species, commonly found in schools around reefs, can grow up to 60 centimetres in length.

The Silver trevally can be found all around Sydney Harbour and in and around the southern coast of Australia. This species is a schooling fish, this means they swim in unison with each other in big groups, helping them avoid predators and finding food. Here at SEA LIFE Sydney we feed our silver trevally a diet of mainly crustaceans like prawns and mussels, similar to what they would find in the wild. You can find these fish in our Shark Valley zone!

Belonging to the sea perch family, the Barramundi (or the Barra) is widely found in the waters between South East Asia and Northern Australia. This species has a long silver body between 0.6 - 1.2 metres and an elongated jaw that extends past their eyes. The origin of its name is from the Australian Aboriginal language meaning ‘large-scaled river fish’. The diet of the Barramundi is comprised of crustaceans, molluscs and smaller fish.

A vibrant yellow fish with striking blue lines the Bluestripe snapper is found as far south as Sydney in the east and around the north of Australia to Perth in the west. Juvenlines prefer shallower waters, including seagrass beds and protected bays, while adults can be found around outer reefs, often in large schools.

The silver bodied and black striped Australian mado is native to the east coast of Australia extending from southern Queensland to Tasmania. Growing up to a maximum size of 25cm in length, the mado is typically found amongst coastal reefs and its diet consists of algae, plankton and small crustaceans.