The quintessential saltwater fish, the Yellow Tang Zebrasoma flavescens. This vibrant yellow fish is an active swimmer and good for eating algae as well. It is an herbivore which means your corals are safe. This is a very active fish in the Goby family.
The purple firefish is a little more expensive than the more common red to white variation Nemateleotris magnifica. Personality is what makes this little guy a hoot. These vibrant blue fish are quite small yet beautiful. A Neon Blue Goby Elactinus oceanops is a great addition to a nano reef tank. They should be kept alone or as a mated pair. Otherwise, they will become aggressive toward other Neon Blue Gobies. This beautiful yellow coral-friendly fish has stunning fin colorations.
Yellow Assessors Assessor flavissimus are timid and like to stay in groups in shaded areas under rockwork. They are active and occupy the upper portion of your tank. This schooling fish is best kept in small groups. Caves and outcroppings are ideal as they tend to be rather sedentary. Banggai Cardinalfish Pterapogon kauderni do not like strong light so providing some shaded area is important to give them refuge.
The Orchid Dottyback Pseudochromis fridmani is aggressive toward other Pseudochromis. It is also prone to jumping so a top should be added to your aquarium. The Mandarin Dragonette synchiropus splendidus is a great reef tank fish but the most difficult on this list. My sentimental favorite. Probably the most gorgeous fish you can own. It is reclusive and wild-caught Mandarins are difficult to feed.
Captive-bred fish are much more likely to survive. The Clownfish Amphiprion ocellaris or Amphiprion percula is probably the most popular fish, and for good reason. It is super hardy and has a very frisky personality. Reminds me of a puppy version of a fish. Not to mention the amazing symbiotic relationship they have with anemones.
Invertebrates are by definition, animals without a backbone. In the saltwater aquarium hobby, inverts are generally snails, shrimp, crabs, worms, clams, and anemones. A good invert for a reef tank will obviously be coral-friendly, but it also should be either helpful or attractive. The following list will start with more utilitarian reef-safe inverts and work up toward the most beautiful and entertaining options.
This large snail is a super algae grazer. It also earns its name as a turbo. They really do get around the tank in a hurry for a snail. A really great clean-up crew member. While not the most beautiful of shrimp available in the saltwater aquarium hobby, it is still very entertaining to watch, as are all shrimp. The bonus with the Peppermint Shrimp Lysmata wurdemanni is it is known to eat Aiptasia.
Another great clean-up crew member. They are known to eat hair algae and cyanobacteria. Blue Leg Hermits Clibanarius tricolor are interesting to watch wander your rock work. Their vivid banded blue legs are surprisingly very bright and make a colorful addition for an invert. When it comes to clean-up crew, the Emerald Crab Mithraculus sculptus is my favorite.
Loads of personality and an awesome worker. They tend to stay on the rockwork picking at pests, algae, detritus, and any food they find. Also, rock work becomes compromised and are prone to topple.
Be mindful when looking to added any of this species. Large Angelfish and Butterflyfish are best kept out of reef tanks with the latter actually classified as corallivores meaning they only eat coral polyps. Most hobbyists report Triggerfish to be problematic as well, like the clown triggerfish. In addition to their brightly colored appearance and graceful swimming, they are known to be highly inquisitive. This curiosity is a problem because their sharp teeth bite nearly everything fish and inverts included to figure out what they are.
They sharpen their teeth along coral and gravel causing damage to each. Perhaps it is their famous elegance that belies a true predatory nature. They are carnivores, and will aggressively make short work of invertebrates and smaller docile fish. Learn more about caring for Triggerfish. With over species in the wrasse family divided into nine subgroups, most do well in saltwater tanks.
While the emerald crab is typically considered herbivorous and often purchased to remove unwanted algea, it may also take a nip out of your fish and corals. They can tear apart and consume soft corals such as zoanthids.
Regardless, they are great cleaners so if you do add an emerald crab to your reef tank, keeping it well fed may reduce some of the adverse effects. Most gobies are great little reef safe fish, however, some species may eat small ornamental crustaceans. Not aggressive in nature, they will consume algae, amphipods, and copepods. This not only removes unwanted nitrate producing substances, it also stirs and aerates the sand very important for deep sand beds , releasing toxic gases.
Shrimp gobies get their name from their behavior of sharing their burrows in the sand with small shrimp, such as the pistol shrimp. These gobies warn their shrimp roommates which have poorer eyesight of approaching danger in time for them both to retreat into their burrow.
In return, they share their food with the gobies. Small gobies are some of the most colorful, entertaining fish in an aquarium. These gobies adapt well to aquarium life and remain small 2 inches and under even as adults. Surgeonfish make great reef tank occupants. Being herbivores, they eat only algae, leaving your invertebrates and corals alone. The size to which some tangs grow may cause a problem in smaller tanks in the future. Actively scan device characteristics for identification.
Use precise geolocation data. I have been contimplating on getting a dwarf angelfish. I see others that have luck with them not bothering corals. So maybe…. Definitely would like to go back and not get my green coris wrasse. Great for flatworms. Not so much for shrimp and hermit crabs.
Awesome, captive breed reef safe fish are definitely a step in the right direction. Not just for the hobby but also for conservation in general. Nice to see you guys offering reef-safe fish for sale. I recently had trouble getting a wild caught fish to eat our prepared foods. It went three weeks before figuring it out and in the meantime survived off algae on the rock.
So much easier with captive bred fish born and raised eating what I feed. The future of our hobby IS captive breeding. Countries that we as a group pillaged for decades are now protecting the local environment. Buy captive bred. Always wanted a trigger but love my corals to much, might look into a blue throat trigger more…. It sucks to see a fish i want and then realize its not good work out. I have a captive bred millitseed butterfly mabey 1yr old.
You can never really tell what a fish is going to do. The blue tang is reef safe…. However mine took a shine to a green goni I had.
I covered the goni for a few weeks in effort.. An hour after I removed the plastic container, he was back picking at the fringing polyps. I also have a purple goni he never touched.
Awesome post, I love Gobys. I definitely research a fish I am thinking of putting in my tank. So many beautiful fish are not reef safe. This hobby is so extensive.. I hope to get there one day soon.
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