Guide on Selecting the Right Fish for Saltwater Tank

Usually setting up a saltwater tank is the next step you would take after getting yourself familiarized with freshwater fish keeping. Unlike freshwater which is more straightforward and requires less care and attention, saltwater tank has more water parameters to control, notably salinity. Selecting the right type of fish is also another area to focus on because basically you want to get the perfect mix of fish, which can coexist and live peaceful within the same tank.

Before you go on your shopping spree, the most important thing you need to do is to plan what you intend to keep in the first place. Basically fish can be categorized as aggressive, semi-aggressive or peaceful and your choice of saltwater fish must take this factor into consideration.

Aggressive species such as puffers, sharks and eels all fall within this group and if you intend to setup an aquarium using these fish, it is best that they must be the only species present in an individual tank. For semi-aggressive, usually the choice of fish is centered around angelfish or tang and while they usually do not attack or intimidate other tank mates, different living conditions such as cramp tank space with limited food will cause them to become hostile. Therefore, if your aim is to create a community tank, you can consider selecting one in the semi-aggressive group to live with other peaceful species such as clownfish, firefish gobies and damselfish.

Another thing to take note also is that fish can also be categorized based on level of care that they require. As a beginner, it might be a bad idea to choose a fish that is sensitive towards slight changes in water quality because not only do you risk getting yourself into trouble but your pet will also suffer as a result of your incompetence.

It is also important that you should also take into account whether your aquarium has been fully cycled or otherwise because your choice of fish here would be limited towards certain hardy species like firefish gobies or damselfish, which can help to jump start the tank cycle. Other factors such as whether you have intention to grow marine corals in the tank should not be ignored because certain species such as butterflyfish will actually feed on the corals while the opposite is with tangs, which will do fine without harming the coral population.

Saltwater Tang Fish
Find out about different types of these delicate marine species.