Saltwater Fish

Clownfish

The usual first fish for a new reef: small, hardy, and at home in a modest tank. Most clownfish in the hobby are captive-bred, and many will host in an anemone or a soft coral, though they do not need one. Suits beginners and mixed reefs alike.

Tangs

Active grazers that need swimming room, strong water movement and a steady supply of marine algae. Many will not tolerate another tang of a similar shape, so plan which tangs will share a tank before the first one goes in. Suits the intermediate reefkeeper with a larger, mature system.

Also photographed in our tanks: Blue Hippo Tang Paracanthurus hepatus, Desjardinii Sailfin Tang Zebrasoma desjardinii, Vlamingii Unicorn Tang Naso vlamingii.

Angelfish

Dwarf angelfish such as the lemonpeel stay small and suit a mid-sized tank, with some risk to corals and clams. Large angelfish such as the queen, emperor and regal need big systems and a varied diet that includes sponge. Better suited to experienced keepers.

Also photographed in our tanks: Lemonpeel Angelfish Centropyge flavissima, Rock Beauty Holacanthus tricolor.

Wrasses

A large, varied family: fairy wrasses are peaceful, colorful and reef safe, while hogfish and tuskfish grow larger and eat small crustaceans. Most wrasses jump, so the tank needs a lid; the sand-sleeping genera such as Halichoeres also need a sand bed. Suits beginners through experienced keepers, depending on the species.

Also photographed in our tanks: Harlequin Tuskfish Choerodon fasciatus, Spanish Hogfish Bodianus rufus, Green Bird Wrasse Gomphosus varius.

Gobies

Small, peaceful bottom-dwellers that perch on rock or share a burrow with a pistol shrimp, and a good fit for nano and mixed reef tanks. The green spotted mandarin shown here is a dragonet, a goby look-alike that needs a mature tank with a large population of copepods to feed on.

Puffers

Puffers have a beak that keeps growing, so they need hard-shelled foods such as clams and snails to wear it down. Most will eat shrimp, crabs and snails in the tank, which makes them fish-only animals. Suits a keeper who wants one interactive fish rather than a busy community.

Also photographed in our tanks: Porcupine Puffer.

Specialty Fish

Triggerfish, cowfish, hawkfish, sweetlips and others that sit outside the usual groups. Care ranges widely: a flame hawkfish can live in a reef, while a clown triggerfish or longhorn cowfish needs a large fish-only system. Talk to us about a specific fish before you plan a tank around it.

Also photographed in our tanks: Longhorn Cowfish Lactoria cornuta, Banggai Cardinalfish Pterapogon kauderni, Arc-Eye Hawkfish Paracirrhites arcatus.