Best Saltwater Aquarium Fish

Freshwater aquariums are the first preferences of most aquarium or fish tank keepers and for good reasons. The fish species that live in freshwater are generally very low maintenance, which reduces the whole caretaking process. However, if you are looking for an aquarium that stands out, you should go for a saltwater tank. But what are the best saltwater aquarium fish?

It is a bit difficult to keep and need more management, but it’s well worth it. And, you can reduce this pressure and maintenance works by choosing the hardy type saltwater fish. Here’s our list of fish that you can choose.

Saltwater Aquarium Fish – Options

Clown Fish

If you have seen ‘Finding Nemo’ and are a fan of the movie, then a clownfish is the best saltwater aquarium fish species for you. Whether you talk of the colors, pattern, or the habitat, the fish is simply perfect. A 20 gallon tank with some coral or rock setup and the mild temperature is enough for it to live.

The fish also need minimal care in terms of food. It is omnivorous and can survive on plants. However, you can always prefer feeding them with dry pellets, frozen foods, and similar food items.
The fish live for 6 years in standard condition and can grow up to 4 inches in length. It is also known for its friendly nature and confidence. You won’t find it hiding in rocks and other things of the rocks. It likes to interact with the tank mates and generally don’t mind the addition of other fish. Therefore, you are free to keep a whole bunch of them or mix them with other saltwater aquarium fish without any issue.

Watchman Goby

The golden-colored watchman Goby is a stunningly beautiful saltwater aquarium fish with small and pointy fins. The fish makes it to the list of best saltwater fish due to multiple factors. For instance, the fish is highly compatible with food. It will eat almost everything that you can buy from an aquarium store, even table shrimps.

The fish is also popular due to its hardy nature and ease of keeping. It can live for 5 years and grow up to 3 inches under standard conditions. A temperature of 75 to 82 degrees and a pH level of 8.1 to 8.4 is like a standard for this Indo-pacific originated fish species.

Apart from nature, this fish is also highly social and readily accepts multiple breeds of tank mates. If you have some pistol shrimps, you will be surprised by the close bond that’s shrimps, and watchman Goby will develop. Goby will work as eyes of shrimps and alert them against danger while shrimps will let Goby share its shelter.

However, Goby becomes highly protective of its territory in the presence of another from the same species. So try to avoid two or more Watchmen Goby in the same tank (unless it’s a large tank).

Another thing that you need to know is that this fish will need some rocks in the tank. The fish also have a habit of jumping out of the tank, so make sure to close the tank’s hood.

Firefish

The Firefish is as unique and beautiful as its name suggests. The fish has a light-colored body with a bright red, orange, or magenta tail that adds a unique popping effect to it. The fish is also a fast swimmer and its fun to watch it swim in the tank.

This saltwater aquarium fish is very friendly and doesn’t mind other companions in the tank. It is also very less selective in food and will feed on anything you offer. However, it’s a carnivorous species, so it will be best to feed them according to it. You should also try not to put more than one of these species in the same tank. They are territorial and will need a territory of at least 10 to 20 square centimeters.

Other than that, you might also need to add some plants, rocks, and some decorations in the tanks. This fish likes to spend a lot of time hiding behind stuff. There is no specification for its survival temperature, but its best to maintain the water at 74 to 79 degrees Fahrenheit. Similarly, a pH of 8.1 to 8.4 will be best for their optimal growth and longer life.

Coral Beauty

If you have a relatively large tank, say something with 70 gallons of water capacity of more than you should definitely get a coral beauty. The blue-colored saltwater aquarium fish with bright orange fish will readily complement the tank and add a glimpse of popping color effect to it.

The fish species can survive in the standard temperature range of 75 to 82 degrees Fahrenheit and a pH of 8.1 to 8.4 like most other saltwater fish. However, the fish is much adaptive in terms of water hardness. Its standard requirement is 1.022 to 1.024, but you won’t have any problem in keeping them in a tank with a hardness of 1.020 or 1.025.

The good part of this fish is that you can keep one or more of them in the same tank without and specific requirement. It is also flexible for pairing with other species, but be sure not to keep it with very small fish. Coral beauty mostly doesn’t mind small fish swimming around, but it belongs to a carnivores species, so its risk.

Other than that, you will also need to add some hiding spots, rocks, and plants to the tank. While this species is beautiful, it is a bit shy and spends most of its time hiding.

Mollies – A Saltwater aquarium fish

If you are new to the whole saltwater thing and are not sure of it, go for a Mollie fish. They are one of the least care needing and beautiful species. Just some green food and a clean tank are enough to keep them happy.

The species is also quite flexible with environmental conditions. The molly can easily survive in both freshwater and saltwater. So, if the saltwater tank starts to create problems, you can switch the water and still have the mollies.

The fish has an average size of 4.5 inches and can live nearly 5 years. The specialty of the species is that they don’t have one specific color. You will find them in various types, each with its unique look. The fish is also known to be very calm and friendly with other species. You can also pair more than one molly in the same tank.

In fact, it is best if you get four or more of them. Just make sure not to mix gender. The male mollies have the habit of harassing the females.

Saltwater Aquarium Fish – Conclusion

Saltwater tanks are not a hard thing to keep. It’s just that they need a bit more planning and caring than the freshwater tanks. We hope that this list of saltwater fish will help you to reduce some of the management work.

If you want to get started today, it might be worth thinking about a 29 gallon fish tank, a 30 inch LED light for 29 gallon fish tanks and some Mollies to get you started!