Saltwater Fish Species Guides
Whether you're setting up your first reef tank or adding a new species to an established system, these care guides walk you through tank size, water parameters, feeding, tankmates, health, and the equipment you'll actually need.
Each guide covers everything you need to know to keep a species successfully — with direct links to our equipment recommendations so you can go from reading to buying without the guesswork.
New species guides are added regularly. Start with the species you're keeping or considering, then use the internal links to build out your setup.
Reef Fish
Clownfish Care Guide (2026)
The most iconic reef fish in the hobby. Hardy, reef safe, and available as captive-bred. Covers tank size, water parameters, anemone hosting, feeding, tankmates, breeding, and health.
Firefish Care Guide (2026)
One of the best beginner reef fish. Peaceful, visually striking, and manageable in smaller tanks. Covers tank size, bolt holes, feeding, tankmates, jumping prevention, and health.
Mandarin Dragonet Care Guide (2026)
One of the most beautiful fish in the marine hobby — and one of the most demanding. Covers copepod requirements, refugium setup, tank size, feeding, tankmates, captive-bred vs wild-caught, and health.
Royal Gramma Care Guide (2026)
A hardy, colorful reef fish well suited to beginner and intermediate reef keepers. Covers tank size, water parameters, feeding, tankmates, territory, and health.
Blue Tang Care Guide (2026)
One of the most recognizable reef fish in the world. Active, reef safe, and an effective algae grazer — but requires a large tank and pristine water quality. Covers tank size, water parameters, feeding, ich susceptibility, tankmates, and health.
Equipment Guides
Every species guide links directly to our equipment hubs. If you want to browse equipment by category rather than by species, start here:
- Best Saltwater Aquarium Tanks
- Best Protein Skimmers
- Best Reef Lights
- Best Reef Test Kits
- Best Refugiums
- Best Copepods for Reef Tanks
- Best Live Rock and Reef Rock
- Best Auto Top-Off Systems
New to Saltwater?
If you're not sure which species is right for you, start with one of these — they're the most forgiving for first-time reef keepers:
- Clownfish — hardy, reef safe, widely available as captive-bred
- Firefish — peaceful, beginner-friendly, works in smaller tanks
- Royal Gramma — colorful, hardy, easy to feed
- Blue Tang — stunning and active; best for larger established reef tanks
- Mandarin Dragonet — spectacular but demanding; best for established reef tanks with a mature refugium