Saltwater Aquarium Blog

Five Saltwater Starter Fish for Beginners

What makes a fish species good starter fish for newcomers to the saltwater aquarium hobby? It has to be hardy (tolerant of a range of tank conditions), have vibrant colors, be relatively non-aggressive and inexpensive.   Two of the species listed here are actually aquacultured, which means they are born and raised in captivity–specifically ask for aquacultured fish at your local fish store; don’t assume that they are aquacultured unless they are labeled that way.  Captive bred fish tend to acclimate better to aquarium life and purchasing them doesn’t put pressure on wild reef populations.  The following saltwater reef fish are five choices I recommend for the newcomer to the hobby.  In addition to each being a unique addition to any saltwater fish or reef tank, they can also be kept together, assuming you are setting up a tank system with at least 55 gallons of total volume.

5) Pajama Cardinalfish—The curiously colored Pajama Cardinalfish is a hardy, boldly patterned member of the mouth-brooding cardinalfish genus. PJs are ubiquitous in fish stores all over the country—their bold colors, hardiness, low price and mild manners make them equally suited as a great starter fish or addition to an established setup.

4) Neon Goby—The Neon Goby is a small fish with a lot of personality.  They are ‘perching’ fish—they sit on their pelvic fins, with their belly lined up flat along the preferred structure in their territory.  They are also sometimes characterized as ‘cleaner fish’.  In your tank, you may see them perched, facing straight up or upside-down on a flat rock or on the glass.  They wait in their territory for morsels of food to float by or for a larger fish (like a Coral Beauty Angelfish…keep reading) to swim by and ‘request’ a cleaning.  The larger fish will stop and hover, while the Neon Goby darts around, looks for parasites or loose scales, picks them off and makes a meal of the treasured tasty morsel.  Aquacultured Neon Gobies can often be found, so efforts should be made to purchase such tank-reared specimens over wild-caught.  

3) Royal Gramma—The Royal Gramma is a beautiful saltwater fish that is half purple and half yellow—since purple and yellow are the colors of royalty, the fish earned the common name: Royal Gramma.  This fish is great for any size aquarium, even a Nano aquarium.  Please be careful not to confuse this fish with the Royal Dottyback which shares similar coloration, but is an aggressive, territorial and in my opinion, less attractive fish that isn’t suitable to be a community fish.  Given suitable rock-work or other structure in your tank, the Royal Gramma makes a great starter fish and will be a bold, colorful, comfortable addition to your tank.

2) Coral Beauty Angelfish—There are two kinds of angelfish available in the hobby today—’regular’ angelfish and dwarf or pygmy angels.  Regular angelfish species, like the Emperor Angelfish or Queen Angelfish are gorgeous fish, but are large, delicate, and not suitable for the beginning aquarist or anyone with hopes of keeping coral.  The pygmy angelfishes, however, are docile, reef safe fish that grow only to be a few inches in length and are a great addition of color and perpetual motion to any tank.  Some of the more rare species can be expensive to purchase and also more delicate—which is why the Coral Beauty Angelfish is the perfect combination of hardiness, color and value for the money.  The Coral Beauty is probably the most expensive fish on this list, but is still reasonably priced by most saltwater reef fish standards.  They are worth every penny, and typically less expensive than some other pygmy angels, like the Fire Angel.

1) Ocellaris Clownfish—This common clownfish goes by several names–Common Clownfish, False Percula Clownfish and Ocellaris Clownfish.  It is also sometimes incorrectly called the Percula clownfish—which is similar in appearance, but typically commands a higher price.  “All the world loves a clown,” and no tank would be complete without a clownfish.  So why not start with the most popular and hardiest fish in the entire aquarium hobby.  Consider buying two Ocellaris Clownfish, and watch them pair up in your tank.

If you follow the stocking advice here, you will have a combination of small and medium-sized fish.  You will have a splashes of orange, white, black, purple, yellow, pink and neon white/blue.  You will see clearly defined coloration patterns, gradual fading color patterns and seemingly mismatched color patterns.  You will see stripes and polka dots, and observe a mixture of behaviors—from the hyperactive, constantly grazing angelfish, to the waddling ‘begging for food’ clownfish, to the perching and cleaning goby, to the darting gramma, and the slow, deliberate movements of the cardinalfish.  Who knows, you may even witness your clownfish pair up and spawn.  If you’re on the fence about setting up your first saltwater reef tank, stop waiting and make it happen. I hope this information helps.

Stocking Chart

Name	# Specimens
PJ Cardinalfish	Keep a single fish in a small-to-medium sized tank. In a larger tank (75 gallons +) consider a small shoal of 3 to 5 fish
Neon Goby	Keep a single fish, or a mated pair.  2 fish if the same gender will fight and should not be kept together
Royal Gramma	Keep a single fish to avoid aggression. Also avoid mixing similarly colored/sized fish–like the Royal Dottyback or Diadem Dottyback
Coral Beauty Angelfish	The old adage is keep only one angelfish per tank to avoid problems
Ocellaris Clownfish	I recommend purchasing two fish. Part of the fun of clownfish is watching them pair up and establish a territory.  The two, once bonded, will be a joy to watch, as they spend most of their time together. Do not mix clownfish species, as serious aggression will result.

For more information about which fish to avoid:5 Saltwater Starter Fish Every Beginner Should Avoid

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