What is a Saltwater Fish

With such a large variety of tropical fish available, it can be hard to choose the right ones for a community saltwater aquarium.  The best thing to do is to become familiar with different fish species and their needs.  Youíll want to stick to those fish that are easiest to care for in order to gain the experience needed to tackle those fish that will need special requirements.

Damsels are an easy to care for beautiful fish.  They eat most types of food and are at home in reefs.  The Yellowtail Damsels are probably the most popular kid of Damsel fish.  They are naturally resilient and are comparatively peaceful.  Although, the more aggressive Black and White and Domino Damsels grow larger and are much more territorial often killing other damsels in a smaller aquarium.

Pseudochromis are a wonderful beginner fish.  Species include the Fridmani, Diadema and others.  They are carnivorous and will eat foods like frozen shrimp.  Some species in this family are aggressive so only one should be kept in tanks under 40 gallons.

Arguably one of the most recognized fish in recent years is the clownfish.  They are excellent beginner fish for smaller aquariums as well as larger reefs.  A few types of clownfish include the Ocellaris, the Percula and the Sebae.  The Oscellaris and the Perculas do well in pairs.  All anemone fish, including the clownfish, are born with active male and dormant female reproductive organs which give them the ability to change sex when isolated.

Royal Grammas are primarily bottom cave dwellers.  They are territorial to their own kind and often to the Pseudochromis also.  It is recommended to house only one per tank with plenty of rocks to hide in.  They will sometimes live together in larger aquariums that offer a ton of sheltered places to hide.

The Yellow Tang and the Regal Blue Tang, although look extremely different are both great beginner fish.  The Yellow Tang normally gets along well with other fish close to their size but, they cannot be kept with other Yellow Tangs.  The only exception would be if you have lots of them house together.  Like the Yellow Tang, the Regal Blue Tang is not always tolerant of other similarly sized tangs but do well in groups in larger aquariums.  They are a terrific reef fish that can be kept in tanks 40 gallons or larger.

The Spanish Hogfish, unlike the fish previously listed, are hardy but are not compatible with delicate corals and should be kept with fish only.  They are very active and are generally not fearful of other tank mates.

Koran Angelfish are hardy, but other considerations need to be addressed when considering adding them to your saltwater aquarium.  They should be kept in tanks larger the 75 gallons.  They are also aggressive and can not be kept within a reef because they will eat most soft corals.
These fish listed above are truly hardy fish but all have different requirements.  It is solely up to the aquarium owner as to which kinds of fish are going to be housed and whether or not you plan to add invertebrates and live rock and plants to the aquarium after you have gained enough expertise.  With the right amount of research, you can congregate the perfect fish for you.