The 10 Best Saltwater Fish For Beginners

When putting together an aquarium, you’ll have many options available to you. You’ll need to choose a tank and adorn your tank with various decorations. These steps might be easy, but choosing between saltwater and freshwater is not. Most people understand that saltwater fish are much more difficult to maintain in a captive environment. Still, their beauty and personalities make them well worth the effort. If you’re interested in getting into the hobby of saltwater fish, you will want discover saltwater species that are beginner friendly. For your convenience, the top 10 will be listed below.

1.Tangs

Although you’ll want a fish that is tremendously hardy, you shouldn’t have to give up beauty. This knowledge makes Tangs one of the best species for beginners. They’re beautiful, hardy and fairly unaggressive. When kept with other Tangs, caution should be taken, because they can fight amongst one another. Otherwise, these fish can live peacefully with many other species, as long as the tank is 100 gallons or more.

Take note that Tangs are available in a variety of different colors and styles! The Powder Blue Tang and the Yellow Tang make perfect additions to almost any aquarium!

2.Damselfish

If you have a smaller aquarium and want a fish that can thrive in that type of environment, you should look no further than the Damselfish. These fish are very attractive and can strive in 30 gallons of water! Although they’re semi-aggressive, these fish usually avoid others. When setting up your tank, you should ensure that the fish is provided with plenty of hiding places.

Finally, you should know that the Damselfish comes in many subspecies. The Talbot’s Damsel is one of the most hardy and adorable, but you shouldn’t ignore the Fiji Blue Devil, which is also stunning.

3.Firefish

There are many very active saltwater fish and the Firefish is definitely one of them. These fish will keep you entertained, as they tend to dart in and out of hiding places, at lightning speeds. With a very diverse diet, it is possible to satisfy these fish, without too much trouble. They’ll eat almost anything, including zooplankton, algae and even brine fish! This assures that suitable dietary choices are readily available to owners.

This species is very beautiful in appearance and is calm and non-confrontational. They can get along with pretty much any other species.

4.Dottyback

The Dottyback is almost instantly recognizable. Although they tend to vary in appearance, the most popular are blue, yellow and some are even purple! If you really want to shake up your tank’s appearance, you’ll want to choose a bicolor Dottyback, which is partially purple and partially yellow! Although they’re classified as semi-aggressive, these fish will almost never attack another.

These fish can thrive in 30 gallon tanks and are willing to take a variety of different foods, including brine shrimp and frozen foods. This makes them a little easier to care for!

5.Blenny Fish

There are many saltwater fish that have big personalities, but the Blenny is one of the best! These fish are very adorable. They’ll take cover in hiding places, while peering out to observe their surroundings. With Blenny fish, you’ll never have to worry about breaking up fights. They’re very peaceful and can live together with many other species. Unfortunately, you cannot house more than one Blenny together, since they tend to bicker amongst one another.

These fish are available in a variety of different appearances and offshoots, including the Horned Blenny and the Striped Blenny! They’re all very attractive and will light up your tank with life!

6.Watchman Goby

There are many experienced aquarists, who believe that the watchman goby is the best choice for newbies. There are several different reasons to select this fish. First, their diet is well versed and they’ll accept foods that are readily available, including Mysis shrimp and table shrimp. Also, most fish stores have these fish in stock. Finally, the majority of gobies work exceptionally well with other fish species! Gobies should be separated, because they do not like their own kind!

7.Butterfly Fish

If you want a fish that is mesmerizing to view, you’ll want to check out the Butterfly Fish! There are more than one hundred species of Butterfly Fish and each of them is exceptionally beautiful and easy to care for! When selecting one of these fish, you will need to do a little research into the specific subspecies that you selected, because their diets and requirements can vary.

The majority of Butterfly Fish are very peaceful. The Tear Drop Butterfly Fish is one of the most popular, thanks to its stunning appearance! Be sure to check it out!

8.Chalk Bass

If you have a smaller saltwater aquarium, you will want to check out the Chalk Bass. These hardy fish are very durable and capable of resisting illness! Of course, the biggest benefit that newbies will enjoy is the fact that these fish can strive, despite water quality changes. Therefore, you really cannot mess up too badly, with these beautiful fish!

If you’re going to be housing many Chalk Bass in a single aquarium, you will want to introduce them to the tank all at one. This will help to avoid infighting.

9.Clownfish

Are you just now becoming interested in saltwater fish? Being an amateur fish breeder, you will want to select saltwater fish that are easy to care for, because you definitely do not want to spend a lot of money on one fish only to watch it become ill.

The clownfish is one of the most popular saltwater fish that is available on today’s market. While there are several different types of clownfish, you will find the False Percula very active and less likely to hide behind aquarium décor.

This saltwater fish can be fed dry pellets or frozen foods such as brine shrimp, which is great for the owner, since they will not be forced to search for the foods or spend lots of money for it.

10.Mollies

A very affordable fish is the molly and since it can be acclimated to saltwater, you can fill your tank with them. This is actually a great beginner fish, because it is so affordable. They also consume a lot of algae, which is why many breeders will place them in their saltwater tanks to control algae growth.

There are a large variety of mollies to select from including the sailfin, dalmation, and sphenops, with the sailfin being a bit larger in size. These fish are very tolerant of their living environment, which is very unusual. They are compatible with fresh, brackish, and saltwater setups. Green foods are necessary for the molly’s vitality, along with frequent water changes, but other than that they are very easy to care for.