Marine Fish Care Guides
Saltwater species for reef and FOWLR aquariums.
Mandarin Dragonet
Synchiropus splendidus
A psychedelic reef fish covered in swirling green, orange and blue patterns.
Banggai Cardinalfish
Pterapogon kauderni
An elegant silver-and-black reef fish that breeds readily in the home aquarium.
Yellow Clown Goby
Gobiodon okinawae
A tiny, bright-yellow reef goby that perches among coral branches.
Ocellaris Clownfish
Amphiprion ocellaris
The classic 'Nemo' clownfish, hardy and a great first marine fish.
Clarkii Clownfish
Amphiprion clarkii
A hardy, bold clownfish that readily hosts a range of anemones.
Royal Gramma
Gramma loreto
A stunning purple-and-yellow reef fish that shelters in caves.
Firefish Goby
Nemateleotris magnifica
An elegant darting goby with a tall dorsal fin; a notorious jumper.
Yellow Tang
Zebrasoma flavescens
A brilliant yellow algae-grazing tang that needs lots of swimming room.
Blue Tang
Paracanthurus hepatus
The iconic 'Dory'; a large, active tang needing a big, mature reef tank.
Green Chromis
Chromis viridis
A shimmering blue-green schooling fish, one of the hardiest reef fish.
Yellowtail Damsel
Chrysiptera parasema
A hardy electric-blue damsel with a bright yellow tail.
Six Line Wrasse
Pseudocheilinus hexataenia
An active, colourful reef wrasse that helps control pest invertebrates.
Yellow Watchman Goby
Cryptocentrus cinctus
A charming yellow goby that pairs up with a pistol shrimp.
Lawnmower Blenny
Salarias fasciatus
A comical algae-grazing blenny that perches and hops around the rocks.
Coral Beauty Angelfish
Centropyge bispinosa
A hardy dwarf angelfish in deep blue and orange, a reef-tank favourite.
Foxface Rabbitfish
Siganus vulpinus
A large yellow algae-grazer with venomous spines; peaceful but handle with care.
Bicolor Blenny
Ecsenius bicolor
A characterful blenny, half navy and half orange, that perches on rocks.
Percula Clownfish
Amphiprion percula
The true percula clown, hardy, reef-safe and a perfect first marine fish.
Maroon Clownfish
Premnas biaculeatus
The largest, boldest clownfish - deep maroon and territorial, reef-safe.
Tomato Clownfish
Amphiprion frenatus
A hardy bright-red clownfish, reef-safe but feisty as it matures.
Pink Skunk Clownfish
Amphiprion perideraion
A gentle peach-pink clownfish with a white head stripe, reef-safe.
Saddleback Clownfish
Amphiprion polymnus
A striking saddle-marked clownfish, hardy and reef-safe.
Blue Devil Damsel
Chrysiptera cyanea
An electric-blue damsel, very hardy but territorial; reef-safe.
Humbug Damsel
Dascyllus aruanus
A hardy black-and-white striped damsel, reef-safe and cheap.
Domino Damsel
Dascyllus trimaculatus
A hardy black damsel with three white spots; reef-safe but bossy when grown.
Azure Damsel
Chrysiptera hemicyanea
A stunning blue-and-yellow damsel, hardy and reef-safe.
Talbot's Damsel
Chrysiptera talboti
One of the most peaceful damsels, pale pink with a yellow head; reef-safe.
Powder Blue Tang
Acanthurus leucosternon
A gorgeous but ich-prone tang needing a large, mature reef and plenty of algae.
Powder Brown Tang
Acanthurus japonicus
A handsome brown tang with a white cheek flash; reef-safe grazer for big tanks.
Sailfin Tang
Zebrasoma veliferum
A large, hardy tang that raises a huge sail-like fin; great algae-eater, reef-safe.
Purple Tang
Zebrasoma xanthurum
A vivid purple Red Sea tang, prized and reef-safe but pricey.
Scopas Tang
Zebrasoma scopas
A hardy, affordable brown tang and an excellent reef-safe algae grazer.
Naso Tang
Naso lituratus
A large, graceful tang with orange-edged fins; reef-safe but needs lots of room.
Kole Yellow Eye Tang
Ctenochaetus strigosus
A peaceful tang that grazes film algae and detritus; one of the most reef-safe tangs.
Convict Tang
Acanthurus triostegus
A peaceful striped tang that can be kept in groups; reef-safe grazer.
Flame Angelfish
Centropyge loricula
A brilliant red-orange dwarf angel; usually reef-safe but watch corals.
Coral Beauty Angelfish Deluxe
Centropyge bispinosa
A hardy, affordable dwarf angel in blue and orange; usually reef-safe.
Lemonpeel Angelfish
Centropyge flavissima
A bright yellow dwarf angel; may nip corals and clams, so reef-keep with caution.
Bicolor Angelfish
Centropyge bicolor
A vivid blue-and-yellow dwarf angel; reef-keep with caution.
Cherub Pygmy Angelfish
Centropyge argi
A tiny deep-blue and yellow dwarf angel for nano reefs; mostly reef-safe.
Emperor Angelfish
Pomacanthus imperator
A magnificent striped angel for huge tanks; not reef-safe (nips corals).
Majestic Angelfish
Pomacanthus navarchus
A spectacular blue-and-orange angel; not reliably reef-safe.
Regal Angelfish
Pygoplites diacanthus
A stunning but delicate angel that can be hard to feed; expert-only.
Blue Ring Angelfish
Pomacanthus annularis
A large, hardy angel with blue ring markings; not reef-safe.
Cleaner Wrasse
Labroides dimidiatus
The famous parasite-picking cleaner; reef-safe but often hard to feed long term.
Yellow Coris Wrasse
Halichoeres chrysus
A hardy bright-yellow wrasse that eats pests; reef-safe and a good jumper.
Melanurus Wrasse
Halichoeres melanurus
A colourful, active wrasse that controls pests; reef-safe, needs a sand bed and lid.
Six Line Wrasse Deluxe
Pseudocheilinus hexataenia
An active reef-safe wrasse that hunts pests but can bully smaller fish.
McCosker's Flasher Wrasse
Paracheilinus mccoskeri
A dazzling, peaceful reef-safe wrasse whose males flash bright colours.
Lubbock's Fairy Wrasse
Cirrhilabrus lubbocki
A peaceful, colourful reef-safe fairy wrasse, ideal for community reefs.
Red Coris Wrasse
Coris gaimard
A striking wrasse, red as a juvenile; needs a deep sand bed, not fully reef-safe.
Diamond Watchman Goby
Valenciennea puellaris
A peaceful sand-sifting goby that keeps the sand bed clean; reef-safe.
Neon Goby
Elacatinus oceanops
A tiny blue-striped cleaner goby, reef-safe and great for nano reefs.
Yellow Clown Goby Green
Gobiodon histrio
A tiny green coral goby that perches in SPS branches; reef-safe.
Hi Fin Red Banded Goby
Stonogobiops nematodes
A charming shrimp-goby that pairs with a pistol shrimp; reef-safe.
Pink Spotted Watchman Goby
Cryptocentrus leptocephalus
A hardy shrimp-goby that partners with a pistol shrimp; reef-safe.
Tailspot Blenny
Ecsenius stigmatura
A cute, characterful nano blenny that grazes algae; reef-safe.
Midas Blenny
Ecsenius midas
A golden, eel-like swimming blenny full of personality; reef-safe.
Starry Blenny
Salarias ramosus
A hardy algae-grazing blenny speckled with white stars; reef-safe.
Pyjama Cardinalfish
Sphaeramia nematoptera
A quirky polka-dot cardinalfish that schools; peaceful and reef-safe.
Orchid Dottyback
Pseudochromis fridmani
A stunning purple dottyback, hardy and reef-safe but can be feisty.
Neon Dottyback
Pseudochromis aldabraensis
A brilliant orange-blue dottyback; reef-safe but territorial.
Lyretail Anthias
Pseudanthias squamipinnis
A shoaling reef-safe anthias that needs frequent feeding and a harem.
Bartlett's Anthias
Pseudanthias bartlettorum
A peaceful purple-and-yellow shoaling anthias; reef-safe, feed often.
Flame Hawkfish
Neocirrhites armatus
A bright red hawkfish that perches on rocks; reef-safe but may eat shrimp.
Longnose Hawkfish
Oxycirrhites typus
A quirky long-snouted hawkfish; reef-safe with corals but eats small shrimp.
Copperband Butterflyfish
Chelmon rostratus
An elegant long-nosed butterfly that eats Aiptasia; can be hard to feed, not reef-safe.
Raccoon Butterflyfish
Chaetodon lunula
A hardy, attractive butterfly for fish-only tanks; will nip corals.
Auriga Butterflyfish
Chaetodon auriga
One of the hardiest butterflies; great for fish-only tanks, not reef-safe.
One Spot Foxface
Siganus unimaculatus
A yellow algae-grazing foxface with a single spot; venomous spines, mostly reef-safe.
Magnificent Foxface
Siganus magnificus
A striking black-and-white foxface; great algae-eater, venomous spines.
Picasso Triggerfish
Rhinecanthus aculeatus
A boldly patterned, intelligent trigger for fish-only tanks; not reef-safe.
Niger Triggerfish
Odonus niger
A graceful blue-green trigger, one of the calmer triggers; not reef-safe.
Clown Triggerfish
Balistoides conspicillum
A spectacular spotted trigger; very aggressive and only for large fish-only tanks.
Valentini Puffer
Canthigaster valentini
A charming saddle puffer; reef-keep with caution as it may nip corals and inverts.
Porcupine Pufferfish
Diodon holocanthus
A comical, intelligent puffer for big fish-only tanks; eats inverts, not reef-safe.
Dogface Pufferfish
Arothron nigropunctatus
A lovable, dog-faced puffer for large fish-only tanks; not reef-safe.
Yellow Boxfish
Ostracion cubicus
An adorable cube-shaped fish, but can release toxin if stressed; expert-only.
Volitans Lionfish
Pterois volitans
A dramatic finned predator with venomous spines; reef-safe to corals, eats fish/shrimp.
Dwarf Fuzzy Lionfish
Dendrochirus brachypterus
A smaller lionfish for nano predator tanks; venomous spines, eats small fish/shrimp.
Purple Firefish
Nemateleotris decora
An elegant purple-headed firefish; peaceful, reef-safe and a notorious jumper.
Scissortail Dartfish
Ptereleotris evides
A hovering blue-grey dartfish that can be kept in groups; reef-safe, needs a lid.
Marine Betta
Calloplesiops altivelis
A stunning spotted comet that mimics an eel; peaceful but eats small shrimp.
Engineer Goby
Pholidichthys leucotaenia
An eel-like burrowing fish that rearranges sand; peaceful and reef-safe.
Yellow Assessor
Assessor flavissimus
A peaceful bright-yellow basslet that swims upside-down under ledges; reef-safe.
Royal Gramma Deluxe
Gramma loreto
A hardy purple-and-yellow basslet that shelters in caves; reef-safe.
Aiptasia Eating Filefish
Acreichthys tomentosus
A useful filefish that eats Aiptasia pest anemones; may nibble some corals.
Pot-bellied Seahorse
Hippocampus abdominalis
A large Australian native seahorse for cool, peaceful species tanks; the male broods the young.
Moorish Idol
Zanclus cornutus
The iconic disc-shaped reef fish; beautiful but notoriously hard to feed, expert-only.