Hepper is reader-supported. When you buy via links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no cost to you. Learn more.

Top 17 Reef Safe Fish for Your Marine Tank (with Pictures)

Lindsey Stanton Profile Picture

By Lindsey Stanton

Clownfish swimming in an aquarium

Putting together your first saltwater aquarium is probably one of the most exciting projects you’ve taken on. There are so many choices that you have to make, like what types of coral to use, if you’re going to incorporate rocks, and most importantly, which reef-safe fish to put inside. There are unlimited combinations to make your aquarium a unique space.

One of the most difficult choices that you’ll face when creating a marine tank is which fish to use. Do you only pick the prettiest fish, or do you only choose ones that are compatible? The ultimate goal is to use a combination of both. You want all of the species inside to feel safe and work together harmoniously while remaining eye-catching. You can’t always ensure that every tank becomes 100% safe, but choosing the right species can get you as close to perfection as possible.

What to Know About Creating a Marine Aquarium

Always do your research and gather as much background information as possible when selecting fish, corals, and invertebrates for your tank. To put it simply, some fish don’t pair well and end up injuring one another for territory or food. The benefits of choosing a wide variety that works together include things like algae control and snacking on parasites that attack other fish.

Once you decide what items and animals to put in your tank, purchase water testing kits to guarantee that they are only living in optimum water quality. High-quality water prevents sickness and other ailments that happen when creating a marine tank.

Hepper_divider_fish_v1-2

 

The 17 Reef-Safe Fish for Marine Tanks

If you’re a beginner, it’s important to understand that some of the best reef-safe fish are inexpensive varieties that are hardy and don’t require a lot of room to live comfortably.

1. Clownfish

clownfish
Image Credit: Taken, Pixabay
Scientific name: Amphiprioninae
Care level: Easy
Minimum Tank Size: 20 gallons
Diet: Omnivore
Temperament: Peaceful

Clownfish are one of the most popular choices for a marine tank because they are hardy fish that are easy to care for. Because of their popularity, you’ll never have trouble finding stocked shelves of their food. They also hide less than their tank mates and add a bright pop of color to tanks as they swim around.

Although there are over 30 different varieties of clownfish, most of us think of an Ocellaris clownfish that you’ve probably seen in Disney’s Finding Nemo.


2. Damselfish

Damselfish
Image Credit: Juan Carlos Palau Díaz, Pixabay
Scientific name: Chrysiptera
Care level: Easy
Minimum Tank Size: 30 gallons
Diet: Omnivore
Temperament: Semi-aggressive

Because a majority of saltwater fish require over 100-gallon tanks, it is best to utilize as many different types of small fish as possible. The Damselfish is a species that comes in a lot of different color combinations and is hardy when living in a tank. The minimum space the Damselfish needs is 30 gallons, which is a great place for a beginner to start.

The biggest concern with Damselfish is that they are slightly aggressive. Give the Damselfish lots of places to hide and they will most likely stick to themselves.


3. Cardinalfish

cardinalfish
Image Credit: VIVIANE6276, Pixabay
Scientific name: Apogonidae
Care level: Moderate
Minimum Tank Size: 30 gallons
Diet: Carnivore
Temperament: Peaceful to semi-aggressive

Cardinalfish are some of the most unique-looking fish choices that you’ll come across. Their bodies come in many different colors, and they have different sections on their bodies with interesting patterns. These fish keep to themselves for the most part and become most active during the night. Add lots of plants and rocks into your tank so that they have lots of places to hide during the day.

Keep them in pairs or as singles, especially in smaller tanks.


4. Green Chromis

green chromis
Image Credit: zoosnow, PIxabay
Scientific name: Chromis viridis
Care level: Easy
Minimum Tank Size: 30 gallons
Diet: Omnivore
Temperament: Peaceful

The Green Chromis is a mellow fish that doesn’t demand too much from its caretakers. These fish like to school and create a lot of visuals in the tank. They hang out in the cracks of live rock and look exceptionally beautiful in well-lit aquariums. The Green Chromis lives anywhere from 8 to 15 years with the right care.

Only keep a school with an odd number of Chromis fish to keep them from being aggressive towards one another.


5. Clown Goby

Yellow clown goby
Image Credit: Vojce, Shutterstock
Scientific name: Gobiodon
Care level: Easy
Minimum Tank Size: 10 gallons
Diet: Carnivore
Temperament: Peaceful

The Clown Goby fish is the perfect addition to a saltwater tank. They are peaceful, inexpensive, and come in many vibrant shades. You’ll likely find these fish perched on coral or rocks in the tank. They leave other fish alone but sometimes fight among themselves. Keep them contained only with other docile fish species.

Be careful when choosing SPS corals since the Clown Goby might nip at the small polyps.


6. Bicolor Blenny

flame tail bicolor blenny
Image Credit: Albert Saiz Tezanos, Shutterstock
Scientific name: Ecsenius bicolor
Care level: Easy
Minimum Tank Size: 30 gallons
Diet: Herbivore
Temperament: Peaceful

The Bicolor Blenny fish is a wise choice for nearly all tanks because they are so passive. These fish have bright-colored bodies and live up to 8 years in captivity. Give them adequate space that is dedicated to rock shelters.

They might become territorial with other Blenny fish, but this is usually only if the tank is too small.


7. Yellow Watchman Goby

 yellow watchman gobby close up
Image Credit: Kurit afshen, Shutterstock
Scientific name: Cryptocentrus cinctus
Care level: Easy
Minimum Tank Size: 30 gallons
Diet: Carnivore
Temperament: Peaceful

Another Goby species to consider is the Yellow Watchman Goby. This reef fish is great for beginners because they aren’t picky about their diet. Even as carnivores, they don’t mind eating food that is readily available from a local pet store.

They are also easy to find in most places that sell aquarium fish.


8. Hawkfish

close up Longnose hawkfish
Image Credit: Henner Damke, Shutterstock
Scientific name: Cirrhitidae
Care level: Easy
Minimum Tank Size: 30 gallons
Diet: Carnivore
Temperament: Semi-aggressive

This unique fish comes in a few different varieties, but each one has an interesting, textural look to it. Make sure to only use a tank with a tight-fitting lid if you add them to your aquarium. These fish are known for being escape artists. They are also slightly aggressive towards smaller, more peaceful fish species or fish that get added to the tank after it’s established.

Put the Hawkfish with fish that are the same size or larger with a similar, semi-aggressive personality.


9. Lawnmower Blenny

Lawnmower Blenny inside the aquarium
Image Credit: iliuta goean, Shutterstock
Scientific name: Salarias fasciatus
Care level: Moderate
Minimum Tank Size: 30 gallons
Diet: Herbivore
Temperament: Peaceful

Adding the Lawnmower Blenny to your aquarium is a great way to get rid of some excess algae buildup. These herbivores eat algae and add visual interest with their speckled bodies. These Blennies are similar to others. They live on live rock and hide in caves. They also hop across the substrate and leave other fish alone.


10. Diamond Goby

Orange Spotted Sleeper Diamond Goby
Image Credit: iliuta goean, Shutterstock
Scientific name: Calenciennea puellaris
Care level: Easy
Minimum Tank Size: 30 gallons
Diet: Carnivore
Temperament: Peaceful

Some fish are beneficial because they keep our tanks clean instead of adding to the filth. The Diamond Goby is a timid fish that most people enjoy because they clean sand. They have to have a minimum 30-gallon tank. These fish create shallow burrows in their substrate, which in return keep it oxygenated.

They are best when in a mated pair and leave other fish alone.


11. Six Line Wrasse

Six Line Wrasse - Pseudocheilinus hexataenia
Six Line Wrasse – Pseudocheilinus hexataenia (Image Credit: Brian Gratwicke, Wikimedia Commons CC 2.0 Generic)
Scientific name: Pseudocheilinus hexataenia
Care level: Moderate
Minimum Tank Size: 55 gallons
Diet: Carnivore
Temperament: Semi-aggressive

The Six Line Wrasse fish is inexpensive and highly active, so they’ll keep the tank lively during the day. They must have a lot of hiding places and enjoy a habitat with live rock for them to forage on. They are only aggressive towards other wrasse fish or ones that have similar shapes and colors to them.

The aggression only becomes worse if they aren’t fed properly and don’t have safe places to hide.


12. Coral Beauty Angelfish

Coral Beauty Angelfish
Image Credit: Michal Sloviak, Shutterstock
Scientific name: Centropyge bispinosa
Care level: Easy
Minimum Tank Size: 70 gallons
Diet: Omnivore
Temperament: Semi-aggressive

If you’re working with a larger marine aquarium that is over 70 gallons, the Coral Beauty Angelfish is a hardy and colorful addition. These do fine on their own or in small schools. Despite the name, they don’t require coral to be in the tank either. However, they do like live rock and lots of places to hide.

They bite at soft and stony corals, so be careful with your coral choices.


13. Royal Gramma Fish

Gramma loreto, Fairy Basslet
Gramma loreto, Fairy Basslet (Image Credit: Brian Gratwicke, Wikimedia Commons CC 2.0 Generic)
Scientific name: Gramma loreto
Care level: Easy
Minimum Tank Size: 30 gallons
Diet: Carnivore
Temperament: Peaceful

Finding the most colorful fish for the least expensive price is sometimes challenging. That’s why we like to add a single Royal Gramma to the tank. These fish have unique and bright color patterns. They are small even as adults and perfect for reef systems because they like to hide and hang out in subdues lighting.


14. Rusty Angelfish

Rusty Angelfish
Image Credit: Pavaphon Supanantananont, Shutterstock
Scientific name: Centropyge ferrugata
Care level: Moderate
Minimum Tank Size: 70 gallons
Diet: Omnivore
Temperament: Semi-aggressive

Named for its distinctive amber coloration with black dots, the Rusty Angelfish is a fun fish choice if you have a larger aquarium. These fish require live rocks for grazing and hiding. They require a bit more work than some others, but they are still fairly hardy in most habitats.


15. Dottyback

Flashback Dottyback
Image Credit: Pavaphon Supanantananont, Shutterstock
Scientific name: Pseudochromidae
Care level: Easy
Minimum Tank Size: 60 gallons
Diet: Carnivore
Temperament: Semi-aggressive

The Dottyback is a fish that comes in different shades of blue, yellow, purple, and bicolor which is half purple and half yellow. They have to have at least 30 gallons. Dottybacks are aggressive towards some fish, but not too bad when they have the correct size tank, diet, and a number of hiding places.

Dottyback fish live for 5 to 7 years. Try not to pair these with shy or slow-feeding types of fish since they are more aggressive when they eat.


16. Chalk Bass

Hal - Serranus tortugarum - 2
Hal – Serranus tortugarum – 2 (Image Credit: Emőke Dénes, Wikimedia Commons CC SA 4.0 International)
Scientific name: Serranus tortugarum
Care level: Easy
Minimum Tank Size: 30 gallons
Diet: Carnivore
Temperament: Semi-aggressive

The Chalk bass is small and colorful and a nice choice for saltwater tank beginners. They are durable even when placed in unideal water conditions. Introduce all of your Chalk Bass fish at the same time. New bass fish are usually unwelcome to the original ones.


17. Green Coris Wrasse

Scientific name: Halichoeres Chloropterus
Care level: Moderate
Minimum Tank Size: 75 gallons
Diet: Carnivore
Temperament: Peaceful

The Green Coris Wrasse is perfect for people who love lime green colors and big fish tanks. They have to have at least a 75-gallon tank, despite being small. Green Coris fish are very active but tend to hide in two to three inches of substrate when scared.

The Green Coris get along with most other species and are a benefit since they protect corals and clams in the tank by eating parasites off of them.

aquarium plant divider

How to Introduce Fish to an Aquarium

Adding fish to an already existing aquarium can be a tricky process. The safest way to introduce them is with drip acclimation. This process allows the tank water to slowly mix with the water the fish came in and acclimate itself to the new water.

For this process, grab a clean bucket and tubing that reaches from inside the tank to the bucket. Take the bag your fish came in and place it in the bucket. If there is enough water in the bag, empty the fish and water into it. If you keep the fish and water in the bag, poke a hole in the top where you’ll insert your tubing. Siphon water from your aquarium into the back or bucket so that it adds one drop of water to the bag per second.

When the volume of the water reaches twice what you started with, remove half of the water and allow it to start filling up again. Once full, test the salinity and pH in both the bucket and tank. If they don’t match, repeat the process and test again. If they do match, add the fish to the aquarium.

Hepper_divider_fish_v1-2

 

Final Thoughts

Heaving a healthy aquarium is essential to keeping your corals and animals alive. You can’t just choose whichever fish you think are pretty and throw them together. There are ways to find beautiful fish and pair them together so that they live in harmony with one another.

It’s even better when you can find fish that help keep the tank clean and support the health of other fish.


Featured Image Credit: beto_junior, Shutterstock

Related Articles

Further Reading

Vet Articles

Latest Vet Answers

The latest veterinarians' answers to questions from our database