This small angelfish is bright yellow with a blue edge on its gill covers. There is also usually a blue ring around the eyes.
The body coloration on the brushtail tang is yellowish-brown fading to almost black around the tail area. There are dark, brush-like bristles near the white scalpel, or tail spine. When the dorsal and ventral fins are spread, this fish looks very tall. Small juveniles have yellow bars.
Of the lighter colored butterflyfish, the blacklip butterflyfish is the only one with black lips. The blacklip butterflyfish has a white to brown head with a wide, brown, diffuse, central bar. Its back half of the body and tail fin are brownish yellow in coloration.
The coral grouper also has small bright blue dots that cover its body, except for its pectoral fins. The coral grouper is orange-red to reddish brown in coloration. Occasionally display pale bars.
Blue-grey with blue lines on lower body and a distinct black saddle across the back. Orange snout to ventral fins.
Damselfish is white to grayish tan in coloration with diffuse black bar behind head. Often rear body and tail dusky and small blue spots on head. Black margin on dorsal fin.
Terminal phase males are dark green in coloration; blue-green head, green body. Dark streak on pectoral fin. The initial phase bird wrasse has many different color phases but always has the curved snout.
Gray. All of the fins on the three-spot dascyllus are dark except the back half of the dorsal fin which is clear. Depending upon geographic location, the three-spot dascyllus may exhibit some yellow or orange coloration. Juveniles are black with large white spot on foreheads and another on middle upper back.
Light gray to brownish purple or red with three to four wide bars on the body, including one dark bar at the base of the tail, which distinguishes it from similar looking goatfish with bars but that have white at the base of the tail. Manybar goatfish will also often a dark streak at the eye.
Drak green to brown with distinctive orange diagonal lines cover this triggerfish There is also sometimes a large black blotch at the base of the tail.