Collector’s Cove: All Tropical Trove Fabled Crops and Fish

Tropical Trove is the first region you explore in Collector’s Cove in your quest to locate all the Fabled species, which in turn leads to you becoming a Named Collector. You’ll start off with 6 fish to catch and 6 crops to grow, but as you progress 4 new fish and 4 new crops become available, bringing the total Fabled species found in Tropical Trove to 20. In order to get all the Fabled species, you’ll need their fertilizer and bait, as well as the Fabled Conditions.

Getting the Fabled species is quite tricky and can be time-consuming, but with our guide, we aim to walk you through acquiring all 20 of these elusive species so you can fill your Compendium and level up as a Collector.

1. How to Get Fabled Species in Collector’s Cove

Each crop and fish has a unique condition for getting its Fabled form. However, they all take the same general steps in reaching the ability to acquire their Fabled species.

1.1. Growing Fabled Crops

For crops, they are as follows:

1. Harvest crop a specific number of times to unlock fertilizer recipe.
2. Harvest crop with fertilizer added specific number of times to unlock Fabled Condition.
3. Follow Fabled Condition instructions and use fertilizer on crop to obtain Fabled species.

1.1.1. Creating Fertilizer

Adding fertilizer to a crop is an absolute requirement if you want to produce excellent-quality crops and a Fabled crop. To make fertilizer, you need a compost bin, which can be constructed and placed on your boat.

To make fertilizer, do the following:

1. Make sure you have unlocked the fertilizer recipe for the crop.
2. Make sure you have the required resources for the fertilizer, namely fish and crops.
3. Add the fertilizer recipe to the queue and hit Start.
4. Wait for the fertilizer to be created, then collect when finished.

Only one fertilizer can be made at a time. 5 batches of fertilizer are produced per recipe. You can then use the fertilizer on your crops.

Without fertilizer, you cannot produce Fabled crops.

1.2. Catching Fabled Fish

With fish, you must take these steps:

1. Catch a fish a specific number of times to unlock bait recipe.
2. Catch a fish with bait a specific number of times to unlock Fabled Condition.
3. Follow Fabled Condition instructions and use bait to get Fabled species.

1.2.1. Creating Fish Bait

Fishing with bait is necessary for catching high-quality fish and a Fabled fish. You need a bait maker on your boat to produce bait.

To make bait:

1. Make sure you have unlocked the bait recipe.
2. Make sure you have the required resources to make the bait, including crops and fish.
3. Add the fertilizer recipe to the queue and press Start.
4. Wait for the bait to be made, then collect when done.

5 batches of fish bait are made per recipe.

Fabled fish cannot be caught without the right bait, along with other factors.

1.3. Using Fabled Species

Once a Fabled fish or crop has been acquired, you must then feed it for the first time to your companion using the interaction Strengthen Fabled Bond. You can only do this once per Fabled species. Feeding your companion a Fabled species increases the Fabled Bond rank, which leads to new regions being unlocked, as well as new crops and fish being discovered.

Fabled species can continue to be grown or caught, and then used to feed your companion or sold at the merchants for good money.

2. All Fabled Crops in Tropical Trove

There are a total of 10 crops to grow in Tropical Trove, and 10 Fabled crops. 6 are available from the very start of Collector’s Cove, but the other 4 are unlocked after reaching Collector Rank 8. Here is how you acquire all the Fabled crops in Tropical Trove in Collector’s Cove.

Important Note #1: Make sure all crops have been fertilized, or they won’t produce the Fabled species, even if you meet the right conditions.

Important Note #2: Some fertilizer and bait used in Tropical Trove Fabled species require obtaining fish and crops in other regions, namely newer-unlocked species. Make sure you gather these fish/crops when visiting those regions to use in Tropical Trove.

Don’t forget the fertilizer, or the bait!

2.1. Honeydew Melon

• Crop: Watermelon
• Fertilizer Resources: Tropical Gar

2.1.1. Fabled Condition for Honeydew Melon

You need to have 3 flowers next to your watermelon crop.

1. Place 3 flower pots from the decorations using your hammer next to the watermelon.
2. Flowers can be picked on islands. Collect at least 3.
3. Add a flower to each flower pot.
4. Wait for the watermelon to become harvestable and it should produce a Honeydew Melon.

Honeydew Melon likes being next to flowers, so pick some and place them nearby.

2.2. Sour Potato

• Crop: Sweet Potato
• Fertilizer Resources: Surgeonfish

2.2.1. Fabled Condition for Sour Potato

This takes a few steps, but you basically need to dig out a harvestable sweet potato and grow a new one in its place.

1. Grow a sweet potato using fertilizer.
2. Once harvestable, equip the shovel and remove the harvestable sweet potato.
3. In the exact same planter, plant a new sweet potato crop and add the fertilizer.
4. Wait for the sweet potato to grow and produce a harvestable, which should be a Sour Potato.

Sweet potato turns sour when a harvestable one is dug up and replaced.

2.3. Serpent Cucumber

• Crop: Cucumber
• Fertilizer Resources: Bluegill

2.3.1. Fabled Condition for Serpent Cucumber

Producing a Serpent Cucumber is quite straightforward, but requires patience and care. You need to keep your cucumber watered, not dipping below 25% at any point while it’s growing. Keep the water topped up, ideally before it drops below half empty. Make sure not to forget and neglect it! Once ready to be harvested, if watered well throughout, a Serpent Cucumber should appear.

Serpent Cucumber likes water. Rainy weather gives a helping hand.

2.4. Sacred Heart Tomato

• Crop: Tomato
• Fertilizer Resources: Reef Triggerfish

2.4.1. Fabled Condition for Sacred Heart Tomato

Once the tomato you’ve grown (with fertilizer) becomes harvestable, use the Pet interaction on your companion 3 times. This should make the Sacred Heart Tomato appear.

Show your companion some affection and a Sacred Heart Tomato will present itself.

2.5. Underworld Chili

• Crop: Chili
• Fertilizer Resources: Flying Fish

2.5.1. Fabled Condition for Underworld Chili

While a chili crop is harvestable, you need to anger a fish 3 times while attempting to reel it in.

Sometimes when fishing, the fish you’re trying to catch becomes angry. When this happens, they’ll pull away on the line, with red lines appearing above them. This only happens with certain fish. Remember the species of fish that does this and try catching them while you have your chili crop harvestable.

For this crop to transform into a Fabled crop, you can anger the same fish 3 times, or anger 3 different fish. It makes no difference; you just need to get a fish angry 3 times for it to count.

Chili respond to angry fish and turn into Underworld Chili.

2.6. Popcorn

• Crop: Corn
• Fertilizer Resources: Clownfish

2.6.1. Fabled Condition for Popcorn

For this, you need to leave your harvestable corn by a fire source for a while for it to turn into Popcorn. Take these steps to achieve this:

1. Place a planter right by the fire source of the water trough.
2. Plant a corn crop with added fertilizer.
3. Wait for the corn to grow and become harvestable.
4. Once harvestable, light the fire in the water trough by adding wood. The longer you keep it burning, the better. The corn should turn into Popcorn after a while.

The water trough is a good fire source for making popcorn. Just make sure the planter is right next to it.

2.7. Fairy Berry

• Crop: Blueberries
• Fertilizer Resources: Flounder, Butterflyfish

2.7.1. Fabled Condition for Fairy Berry

To get a Fairy Berry, you need to place 3 Butterfly Boxes next to the Blueberry crop while it’s growing. Butterfly Boxes are unlocked after hitting Farming Rank 13. Make sure the Blueberry is in range of the Boxes.

Fairy Berries love butterflies, so place some boxes near them.

2.8. Lassingo

• Crop: Mango
• Fertilizer Resources: Pumpkin, Devil Firefish

2.8.1. Fabled Condition for Lassingo

To get Lassingo, there are some steps to take, which are:

1. Plant a Chili crop in a tree planter. Let it grow and then harvest it once it’s ready.
2. Dig out the Chili crop and plant a Mango tree in its place. Make sure to add the Mango fertilizer.
3. Wait for the Mango to grow and become harvestable. The Lassingo should appear if done correctly.

Growing Lassingo sounds complicated, but it really isn’t. Grow the chili first, then the mango.

2.9. Banana Split

• Crop: Banana
• Fertilizer Resources: Potato, Giant Snakehead

2.9.1. Fabled Condition for Banana Split

To get Banana Split, do the following:

1. Grow your Banana tree as normal in Tropical Trove, complete with Banana fertilizer.
2. Wait until the Banana tree becomes harvestable and travel to Galaxy Glaciers (if you’ve unlocked it).
3. Stay in Galaxy Glaciers with your harvestable Banana tree for at least 12 hours. It should then produce Banana Split.

Grow a Banana tree and then pay a visit to the mystical Galaxy Glaciers to create a Banana Split.

2.10. Tropizza

• Crop: Pineapple
• Fertilizer Resources: Mahi, Bluefin Tuna

2.10.1. Fabled Condition for Tropizza

Growing Tropizza is an interesting process. You need a special fertilizer – not from the compost bin, but the smelter. Here’s what you need to do:

1. Make sure you have Wheat, Tomato, Pineapple, and Simple Wood in your personal inventory (not a storage chest).
2. Interact with the Smelter. 
3. Select the fertilizer for Tropizza and let it be created.
4. Take the Tropizza fertilizer and add it to the Pineapple crop.
5. Wait for the crop to grow and it should produce Tropizza.

The fertilizer for making Tropizza is found at the Smelter. You also need the resources at hand – literally.

3. All Fabled Fish in Tropical Trove

Fabled fish are possibly more difficult to obtain than Fabled crops, simply because you have to take into account factors like time of day availability and water source. Saltwater fish are caught in the sea, while freshwater fish are only found in ponds on islands.

There are 10 Fabled fish to catch altogether in Tropical Trove in Collector’s Cove. 6 are available from the beginning, but 4 more become available after reaching Collector Rank 8.

Important Note: When fishing for Fabled fish, make sure you have the right bait equipped, are fishing in the correct type of water, and fishing at the right time of day.

3.1. Parrotfish

• Fish: Bluegill
• Size: Small
• Source: Freshwater
• Time of day: 03.00 – 10.00
• Bait Resources: Sweet Potato

3.1.1. Fabled Condition for Parrotfish

To catch a Parrotfish, you need to attract it using a special feather on your floater. Here’s how you can get one and how to catch the Parrotfish:

1. Visit any island in Tropical Trove and look for a parrot atop any rock. 
2. Scare off the parrot by approaching it. It will leave a feather behind.
3. Approach the feather and select it to attach it to your rod’s floater.
4. With the Bluegill bait and feather attached, fish at any pond and you should catch the Parrotfish.

Parrots can be scared off atop rocks on islands around Tropical Trove.

3.2. Garandma

• Fish: Tropical Gar
• Size: Medium
• Source: Freshwater
• Time of day: 16.00 – 08.00
• Bait Resources: Watermelon

3.2.1. Fabled Condition for Garandma

When fishing at a pond, you need to throw your cast as far as possible and as far away from the pond as you can. The idea is not to spook the elusive fish by keeping your distance. By doing this, you should attract a Garandma.

Fish from a distance at ponds to catch the Garandma.

3.3. Doctorfish

• Fish: Surgeonfish
• Size: Small
• Source: Saltwater
• Time of day: All day
• Bait Resources: Corn

3.3.1. Fabled Condition for Doctorfish

To catch a Doctorfish, you need to have an item pouch on your boat containing a fish. To get this, take these steps:

1. Completely fill your personal inventory (not a storage chest). Fill it with anything such as fish, crops, resources, etc.
2. With your full inventory, catch a fish on your boat. Instead of being added into your inventory, the fish will appear in a pouch on the boat. Leave it there.
3. Equip the bait for Surgeonfish and catch a Doctorfish. You’ll need to clear space in your inventory to add the Doctorfish so you can give it to your companion.

Doctorfish only appear when you have a fish in a bag on your boat.

3.4. Comedianfish

• Fish: Clownfish
• Size: Small
• Source: Saltwater
• Time of day: 14.00 – 21.00
• Bait Resources: Cucumber

3.4.1. Fabled Condition for Comedianfish

For a Comedianfish to appear, you need to have at least 3 fish tanks on your boat, all of them with a fish. Do the following to achieve this:

1. Construct and place 3 fish tanks from Decorations with your hammer anywhere on your boat. You’ll need glass, which is created at the smelter using sand dug from dirt on islands.
2. Catch 3 fish, or retrieve 3 fish from your storage into your inventory.
3. Approach the fish tank and interact with it. Select the fish you want to add to the tank.
4. Do this for at least 3 fish tanks.
5. You can now fish for Comedianfish, providing you have the Clownfish bait.

Comedianfish appear when 3 fish tanks with fish are on board your boat.

3.5. Rotorfish

• Fish: Flying Fish
• Size: Small
• Source: Saltwater
• Time of day: 22.00 – 06.00
• Bait Resources: Tomato

3.5.1. Fabled Condition for Rotorfish

To catch a Rotorfish, you need to fish from a higher place. To do this, travel to any island in Tropical Trove. Look for a platform situated on a cliff looking over a body of water. Cast your fishing rod off this point and you should get a Rotorfish.

Rotorfish are caught when fishing high up.

3.6. Coralfish

• Fish: Reef Triggerfish
• Size: Medium
• Source: Saltwater
• Time of day: 05.00 – 18.00
• Bait Resources: Chili

3.6.1. Fabled Condition for Coralfish

To get a Coralfish, your companion needs to be wearing at least 2 different customization pieces. You can purchase these from the Secret Seller. You’ll need fish and crops to buy them.

You can customize your companion’s appearance by approaching them and using the customize option to apply the accessories. They must be 2 different accessories that your companion can wear at once, either on their head, over their eyes, mouth, or neck.

Also, if you’ve reached Fabled Bond Rank 9, you can use a special Blessing called Lucky Flotsam. With this active, when traveling at sea, when collecting flotsam (stray crates and barrels), you may get random accessories for your companion. 

Accessorize your companion to make some elusive fish appear.

3.7. Giant Hydrahead

• Fish: Giant Snakehead
• Size: Large
• Source: Freshwater
• Time of day: 04.00 – 19.00
• Bait Resources: Mango, Piranha

3.7.1. Fabled Condition for Giant Hydrahead

To catch a Giant Hydrahead, you need to snap your fishing line 3 times in a row while attempting to catch fish. This occurs when you try to reel the fishing line in while the fish is pulling away. Unfortunately, you are unable to do this with any of the fish in Tropical Trove, even the newer, harder-to-catch fish. You’ll have more luck snapping your line with newer fish in regions such as Sakura Shores.

With this in mind, do these steps:

1. Travel to Sakura Shores.
2. Target a fish that is very strong and easy for you to snap your fishing line while trying to reel it in.
3. Snap your fishing line 3 times in a row with 3 different fish. If you fail to do so while catching a fish, you’ll need to start again.
4. Once you’ve managed to snap the line 3 times in a row, head straight to Tropical Trove in a new expedition. 
5. Until you land on an island in Tropical Trove, do not do any fishing at all! This will reset the Fabled Condition.
6. Equip the Giant Snakehead bait, head to an island with a pond, and catch a fish between the right fishing times. You should get the Giant Hydrahead.

When fishing, deliberately make the line snap several times and you can catch the Giant Hydrahead.

3.8. Mapleflounder

• Fish: Flounder
• Size: Medium
• Source: Saltwater
• Time of day: 17.00 – 02.00
• Bait Resources: Pineapple, Onion

3.8.1. Fabled Condition for Mapleflounder

Before attempting to catch a Mapleflounder with your Flounder bait, you’ll need to catch 2 large fish in a row. Large fish become available in Tropical Trove after reaching Collector Rank 8. Look out for the biggest fish shadows in the water. Don’t mistake them for medium-sized fish.

If you accidentally catch a small or medium fish, you’ll need to start again. Once you have caught 2 large fish in a row, equip your Flounder bait and fish in the saltwater so you can catch the Mapleflounder.

Look for big fish shadows before catching the Mapleflounder.

3.9. Lionfish

• Fish: Devil Firefish
• Size: Medium
• Source: Saltwater
• Time of day: 00.00 – 08.00
• Bait Resources: Blueberries, Anglerfish

3.9.1. Fabled Condition for Lionfish

Lionfish can be caught when fishing in a swarm of Flotsam Helpers. This is a Blessing from the companion after reaching Fabled Bond Rank 6. Activate this blessing to summon the Flotsam Helpers, who appear by your boat. Cast your fishing line into this swarm with the Devil Firefish bait and you should get the Lionfish.

Summon the Flotsam Helpers for catching one fish.

3.10. Mahiki

• Fish: Mahi
• Size: Large
• Source: Saltwater
• Time of day: 06.00 – 20.00
• Bait Resources: Banana, Red Beans

3.10.1. Fabled Condition for Mahiki

To access the elusive Mahiki fish, you need to have an extinguished tiki head on an island. More specifically, on treasure islands in Tropical Trove, tiki heads are one of the components used to open a treasure chest. If you’re lucky, one may appear in your expedition.

To extinguish a tiki head, you need to interact with it and give it any fish. Now you can catch the Mahiki in the sea.

If you are unable to locate a tiki head on a treasure island during your Tropical Trove expedition, start a new expedition at Tropical Trove so hopefully one will spawn. This may take several attempts, as the islands are randomized, including treasure islands.

Give a tiki head a fish to extinguish it and access the Mahiki.

4. Final Tips for Getting Fabled Species in Tropical Trove in Collector’s Cove

We’ve reached the end of this guide, where hopefully you should at least know how to catch all the Fabled fish and grow all the Fabled crops found in the Tropical Trove in Collector’s Cove. Before you go, we’ll leave you with some final tips:

• If a Fabled Crop isn’t appearing, make sure the right fertilizer has been used. It’s often not too late to add it while the crop is growing, or even harvestable.
• If you’re unable to catch a Fabled Fish, make sure you have the correct bait attached. Also, check the fishing location and time of day to be sure.
• Consider stocking up on Fabled Species, as you can sell them for good money at the merchant, needed for expenses such as boat upgrades and seeds.
• Whenever you acquire a Fabled Species for the first time, make sure to feed it to your companion via Strengthen Fabled Bond to increase your Fabled Bond rank.
• When traveling to new regions after Tropical Trove, be sure to stock up on their fish and crops so you can use them for the new fertilizer and bait back in Tropical Trove.