Saltwater Fish for Beginners

The beginner fish in this article are saltwater species that have proven to be very hardy, undemanding, and are very forgiving when it comes to mishaps. By following this advice you will find that keeping a successful saltwater aquarium can be a an amazing experience.

Damsel Fish

Damsel fish are the fish people typically cycle their tank with. They are extremely hardy and very forgiving. During the first 3-6 weeks your saltwater tank cycles, your aquarium is going through changes and building bacteria to help break down the bioload. The bioload is the fish waste and other dissolved organic material (DOM). The downside to Damsels is they are very aggressive as they grow larger in your saltwater aquarium. They come in various colors such as the more commonly available Blue Damsel, 3 Stripe Damsel and Domino Damsel. Damsel fish are typically the cheapest saltwater fish on the market.

Clownfish

Clownfish are cousins to the Damsel fish. They are very hard saltwater aquarium fish, readily available, not very expensive, like the Damsels. The Clownfish such as Percula Clown, A. Ocellaris (False Percula), Tomato Clown ETC. Not all Clownfish are as hardy as others. The beginner Clownfish would be your A. Ocellaris, Tomato Clown and Skunk Clown. Most Clownfish are tank bred now so they are readily available and much more hardier then the wild caught Clowns. As an added bonus with buying tank bred Clownfish, you are doing a part in saving the oceans of the world. Damsels and Clownfish are in the Anemone Fish family.

Chromis

Chromis are another cousin to the Damsel fish. Chromis are similar in price to the Damsel fish, but have a much better temperament. Chromis are schooling fish and should be kept in groups no smaller then 6. The most common Chromis is the Blue/Green Chromis. It is truly an amazing fish, depending on your lighting arrangement, it's scales reflcts different colors, blue or green.

Cardinal Fish

Cardinal fish are amazing fish just like the others mentioned. Not as forgiving as the Damsels or Anemone Fish, but hardy enough for the saltwater beginner. The typical price range for them begins at $20 and up where as the others are $3 and up. Kaudern's Cardinal and the Pajama Cardinal are the more readily available Cardinals in the saltwater trade. Again, they are tank bred typically.

Coral Beauty Angelfish

The reason why I singled out the Coral Beauty Angelfish instead of grouping all the Angelfish together is because like with the clown, they are not all as hardy as the Coral Beauty Angelfish. The body and head are a deep royal blue, with an iridescent orange to yellow and some even have purple tones. The Coral Beauty Angelfish is one of the easiest angels to care for. It is also readily available in the saltwater aquarium trade.

In closing I would like to add that the minimal tank requirments for all of these fish listed is 30 gallon. They all should be fed a diet of high protein flake and an occasional enriched Brine Shrimp for tasty treat. It ALWAYS good to quarantine any fish you buy for atleast one week prior to placing it into your show tank. Most of the fish in the saltwater aquarium trade go through a lot of stress from being shipped and when they are stressed they are more likely to pick up disease, parasites and are more prone to infection.