Midas Fish
Details
- Diet
- Herbivore — seagrass and algae-covered coral.
- Habitat
- Cassel (Goss II), Goss System (UEE).
AI Overview
Compiled by AI from community sources — may be incomplete or inaccurate; verify before relying on it.
A rare golden ornamental reef fish from the planet Cassel (Goss II), prized by aquarists and famous to backers as the original fish included in the $20 million stretch-goal hangar fish tank — a lore/cosmetic species, not a huntable in-game creature.
Appearance
The Midas Fish has a dorsal fin, four triangular fins (pectoral and ventral), and a notched/indented tail. Wild specimens are usually gray-and-white with black-tipped tails and a golden stripe across the eye. Rare natural color morphs include pink, orange, white, and black. The famous "golden" form — shimmering yellow scales streaked with white — occurs only rarely in the wild and is mostly the product of many generations of selective breeding in the pet trade. Fish range from large to small in size.
Behavior & temperament
Midas Fish are peaceful herbivores that live in small social groups, each typically made up of one large breeding female, one breeding male, and several immature non-breeding males. They graze on seagrass and nibble algae-covered coral with strong jaws; their digestive system passes coral particles harmlessly. They are not aggressive and have no combat behavior. A notable biological quirk: all Midas Fish are born male. Around seven Standard Earth Years of age, the largest male changes sex and becomes female. If the female dies, the breeding male transitions to female and another male in the group matures to take his place.
Where to find
Native to warm ocean reefs on Cassel — also designated Goss II — in the Goss System, within UEE space. Note: this is a lore/encyclopedia location, not a confirmed in-game spawn point. As of mid-2026 the Midas Fish exists as a backer fish-tank decoration and a Galactapedia entry; it is not a creature players hunt or harvest in the live game.
Sources:star-citizen.wikirobertsspaceindustries.comrobertsspaceindustries.com
Diet
Herbivorous. Grazes on seagrass and eats algae-coated coral fragments; coral polyps and particles are neutralized harmlessly in digestion.
Reproduction
Breeding happens once a year during the warm season. The female lays eggs in sheltered spots; the breeding male fertilizes them, and the group takes turns guarding the clutch for roughly a week until hatching, then protects the juveniles for about another week before they disperse.
Conservation & lore
Heavily overhunted for the aquarium pet trade and pressured by resort development near its reef habitat, the Midas Fish became endangered on Cassel. Capturing or trading wild specimens was banned on Cassel in SEY 2927 and across the entire UEE by 2934. A repopulation program called "Golden Touch," run by Cassel's Governor's Council since around 2936, has steadily stabilized numbers, which are projected to reach non-threatened levels by the late 2960s. Captive-bred Midas Fish remain legal to own and trade.
Lore & discovery (real-world)
The Midas Fish is one of Star Citizen's oldest pieces of flavor lore. It debuted with the crowdfunding campaign's $20 million stretch goal, which gave every backer a Fish Tank hangar decoration "in the grand tradition of Starlancer." Cloud Imperium described the tank as including "a rare gold Midas fish, found on the planet Cassel in the Goss System," and teased that players would eventually be able to add more fish by exploring distant planets and collecting new species. The Midas Fish shipped with the Fish Tank Mark I and is the flagship species of the cosmetic fish line (alongside others like the Menarik, Ribbon Fish, Vindel, Thorsu Grey, Oshi, and the referral-only Referral Fish).
Combat & danger
None. The Midas Fish has no health, threat, or combat stats — it is a passive ornamental species with no in-game predator/prey mechanics.
Loot & drops
No drops or aUEC bounty exist. The Midas Fish is a hangar/aquarium cosmetic and lore entity, not a lootable creature. In-fiction, its value lies in the legal captive-bred aquarium trade (wild capture is banned UEE-wide); no in-game aUEC value is published.
Sources:star-citizen.wikirobertsspaceindustries.comseac.crystal-dreams.us
Trivia
- The name "Midas" references King Midas of myth, whose touch turned things to gold — fitting for a fish prized for its golden morph; the lore repopulation project is literally named "Golden Touch." - It is effectively the "first creature" in Star Citizen lore, predating the actual fauna/hunting systems by over a decade, having been written for the 2013-era $20M stretch goal. - All individuals are born male and only become female with age — a sequential-hermaphrodite trait modeled on real reef fish.
Some data from starcitizen.tools (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).