The most beautiful reef fish for your marine aquarium

Reef fish are among the most colourful animals on earth. Not every beautiful fish suits a home aquarium, though. These species combine beauty with a size and temperament that fit a reef aquarium, provided you know their specific needs.

Mandarinfish (Synchiropus splendidus)

With its blue-and-orange maze pattern, the mandarinfish is perhaps the most beautiful reef fish. In nature it mainly eats tiny crustaceans (copepods), which it picks off the rocks all day. So only keep it in a mature aquarium with plenty of live rock, or choose a tank-bred specimen that is used to frozen food.

Royal gramma (Gramma loreto)

Purple at the front, yellow at the back: the royal gramma from the Caribbean stays around 8 cm, is peaceful towards other species and often swims upside down under overhanging rocks. Keep one per aquarium, unless the tank is large.

Firefish (Nemateleotris magnifica)

This graceful dartfish with a red tail and a long dorsal fin hovers above its burrow. It is peaceful but skittish and jumps easily: a good cover is needed.

Clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris and A. percula)

The best-known reef fish is also one of the easiest. Clownfish are bred on a large scale, in Europe too, and are therefore hardy. An anemone isn’t necessary: many clownfish choose a coral or even a pump as their ‘home’.

Banggai cardinalfish (Pterapogon kauderni)

An elegant, calm fish with black bars and white spots, found only around the Banggai Islands in Indonesia. The species is listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List. So only buy tank-bred fish, which are widely available.

Flame angelfish (Centropyge loricula)

Fiery red with black bars: one of the most beautiful dwarf angelfish. It stays around 10 cm, but sometimes nibbles on corals and clams. Keep one per aquarium.

Yellow tang (Zebrasoma flavescens)

Bright yellow and always on the move. It grazes on algae and so helps keep the aquarium clean, but it needs a lot of swimming space: count on a tank of at least around 150 cm. See also our article on the palette surgeonfish.

Tips

• Choose tank-bred fish where possible: they are hardier, eat more readily and don’t burden the reef.
• Buy fish that are already eating in the shop.
• Quarantine new fish before they go into your reef aquarium.
• Check the adult size: many juvenile fish grow much larger than they look in the shop.