When going to a local fish store (LFS), it can be always tempting to impulse buy a fancy looking fish that you have never seen or heard of before. Listed below are best reef safe fish fish that are best suited for virtually any community and reef setup. Equipment is important for this hobby, but proper fish selection is critical for success. I always would find it frustrating to see LFS sell fish that are for advanced fish keepers or not suited to the tank of the buyer (*cough* Tangs). In a later post, I will go through the top 10 saltwater aquarium fish you should avoid.

My Criteria For Selecting These Reef Safe Fish

The fish on my list selected using the following criteria:

Does not require a large tank (more than 4 feet tank) Well known for being reef safe (won’t nip at corals) Not overly aggressive (e.g. – Damsels) Hardy fish or fish that is available as tank bred Does not require a specialized diet

Reef Safe Fish For Everyone

Here are our candidates. I’ll go over more details below. This is a quick reference point for you.

Picture Name Minimum Tank Size Max Size Link Tank Raised Clownfish 20 Gallons 3″ Banggai Cardinal 30 Gallons 3″ Orchid Dottyback 30 Gallons 3″ Royal Gramma 30 Gallons 3″ Blue Green Chromis 30 Gallons 3.5″ Firefish 30 Gallons 3″ Six Line Wrasse 30 Gallons 3″ Watchman Goby 30 Gallons 3″ Midas Blenny 30 Gallons 6″ McCosker’s Wrasse 55 Gallons 3″ Azure Damselfish (Kupang Damel) 30 Gallons 2.5″

The 11 Best Reef Safe Fish For Any Saltwater Aquarium

Let’s dive into each fish and their profiles. These reef aquarium fishes will be suitable for virtually any saltwater aquarium.

1. Tank Raised Clownfish (Ocellaris or Percula Species)

Stats:

Minimum Tank Size – 20 Gallons

Max Size – 3″

Temperament – Peaceful to Semi-Aggressive

The industry’s most popular saltwater aquarium fish. With the explosion of the tank raised fish industry, all sorts of designer clownfish are now available. They can be kept in pairs as long as you buy two when young or purchase one larger and one smaller. They are known to spawn in captivity and will host corals. They are 100% reef safe and hardy fish Quite simply, a reef tank is incomplete without a pair.

2. Banggai Cardinalfish





Stats:

Minimum Tank Size – 30 Gallons

Max Size – 3″

Temperament – Peaceful to Semi-Aggressive

Peaceful tank mates, great personality and striking black lines make up this iconic saltwater aquarium fish. They can also be kept in pairs, will spawn in captivity, and are very hardy. The Banggai Cardinalfish is the poster child of how hobbyist, industry professionals, and scientists came together to support sustainable production of a marine species in captivity. They are excellent for reef tanks and will not bother any tank inhabitants or corals.

3. Orchid Dottyback

Stats:

Minimum Tank Size – 30 Gallons

Max Size – 3″

Temperament – Semi-Aggressive

Yes, I know this is a bad picture–but the fish is awesome. Dottybacks in general get a bad rap. This is mostly due to the fact that most dottybacks can channel their inner damsel and create havoc in your tank.

Fortunately, the Orchid Dottyback is not one those. They have a mild temper in a community reeftank and are the great tankmates. It is not recommended to keep these in pairs unless you can purchase a mated pair. There is no easy way to identify the differences between a male and female, and they do not change gender like clownfish. Nevertheless, they are a great saltwater aquarium fish. They are reef safe and actually do a good job at eradicating bristle worms from an aquarium.

4. Royal Gramma

Stats:

Minimum Tank Size – 30 Gallons

Max Size – 3″

Temperament – Semi-Aggressive

A striking blend of colors and personality make up this beautiful saltwater aquarium fish. The Royal Gramma will try to be the boss in your tank, but will generally be kept in check by clownfish, tangs, and angelfish. They will be aggressive to similar bodied fish and their own kin. You cannot keep both a dottyback or royal gamma in the same reef aquarium so pick the one you prefer. I lean towards to the orchid dottyback because they are available as tank bred. The gramma is more mild mannered than the orchid. They will not bother any corals

5. Blue Green Chromis

Stats:

Minimum Tank Size – 30 Gallons

Max Size – 3.5″

Temperament – Peaceful

The Blue Green Chromis hardy long-lived saltwater fish that will school together. They are the neon-tetra of saltwater aquarium fish. You cannot go wrong putting this fish in your tank.

6. Firefish

Stats:

Minimum Tank Size – 10 Gallons

Max Size – 3″

Temperament – Peaceful

The Firefish is the go to saltwater fish for nano tanks. Peaceful, quiet, striking colors, and very hardy. They can be kept in pairs and generally the pair will be together, but it is best to purchase them young to increase your chances of success.

They are timid fish that can be harassed by more aggressive tank mates. They are model citizens in a reef aquarium. They are safe for all corals and invertebrates.

7. Six Line Wrasse

Stats:

Minimum Tank Size – 30 Gallons

Max Size – 3″

Temperament – Semi-aggressive

Wrasses are very active fish. The Sixline Wrasse is no exception. A reef safe and hardy saltwater aquarium fish. The only downfall with this wrasse is they are a on the aggressive side and will harass easily intimidated fish. It’s best to keep them with other semi-aggressive fish like clownfish and to add them last to avoid any tank drama. They do an amazing job at removing various pests from corals while still remaining reef safe.

8. Watchman Goby

Stats:

Minimum Tank Size – 30 Gallons

Max Size – 3″

Temperament – Peaceful

The Watchman Goby is considered one of the best saltwater aquarium fish for beginners. They can be paired with a pistol shrimp and they two will form a pair. If you are attempting a pair, ensure that you have at least a 2″ sand bed available and purchase a small shrimp like a candy cane shrimp. Seeing the interaction with watchman goby and a pistol is a joy. The goby works to keep the shrimp safe which the shrimp does it’s work on the sand and gather food.

If you decide not to pair them with a shrimp, they are still a great fish to have on their own and readily eat any prepared food.

9. Midas Blenny

Stats:

Minimum Tank Size – 30 Gallons

Max Size – 6″

Temperament – Peaceful

The Midas Blenny is the perfect Blenny. Colorful, great personality, and completely reef safe. Most hobbyist who have them state they are their favorite saltwater fish in the tank. They have no swim bladder so they are consistently moving and have an eel like look when swimming.

10. McCosker’s Wrasse





Stats:

Minimum Tank Size – 55 Gallons

Max Size – 3″

Temperament – Peaceful

The McCoosker’s Wrasse is only fish on the list that requires a tank larger than 3 feet. It is generally encouraged to keep them in groups as the male will perform colorful displays to the females in the tank. However, you will need to introduce the female first or introduce as a group. They do change genders like clown fish.

They are one of lesser aggressive tank mates, so if you are going to keep them, make sure they are one of the first saltwater aquarium fish you put in your tank. They are known to be jumpers so a cover is recommended.

11. Azure Damselfish

Stats:

Minimum Tank Size – 30 Gallons

Max Size – 2.5″

Temperament – Semi-Aggressive

Also known as the Kupang Damsel, this is easily the most controversial fish on my list. Here me out before you react though. Not all damselfish are horrible. You can check our damselfish article for more details about it. Among all the damels available in our hobby, the Azure is the best option for a community reef fish. They will still be careful consideration to be made to ensure you have success with their more aggressive nature, but if you take the right steps they make the cut on my list. You cannot have more than one of these per 18 inches of reef tank length as they will bully each other to death. They are great color additions as they contrast a number of reef aquarium fishes with their blue colors. The also look amazing under actinic reef lighting.

What’s Your Recommended Reef Safe Fish?

I created this list to help starters and I know I did exclude a few excellent choices. What saltwater fish do you think make a great start for a saltwater aquarium newbie? Share it with us in the comment section below or you can read more about our blog here. I’m sure a lot of new and potential fish keepers would love to hear your feedback :).

P.S. – Want more info on saltwater reef tanks? Check out my post title 55 saltwater reef tank words of wisdom