5 Coolest Saltwater Fish
We’ve handpicked five saltwater fish species, and one of them might just be the saltwater fish of your dreams.
Colorful and charming, saltwater fish have become great companions for aquarists. With many particularities and surprising beauty, these animals require special attention compared to their freshwater counterparts.
Before deciding to set up a marine aquarium, you should get to know the possible residents. If you already have a saltwater fish in mind, learning about its behaviors and habits can help you prepare for its care.
With that in mind, we’ve handpicked five saltwater fish species to profile, and one of them might just be the saltwater fish of your dreams.
Table Of Contents
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1 Red Spotted Blenny (Blenniella chrysospilos)
Red Spotted Blenny Photo by © Ethan Daniels | Dreamstime
This is a unique and beautiful species that will bring personality to your aquarium.
Characteristics:
A beautiful fish that has large red (or orange) spots and dots on a white base body. The color contrast gives this fish a unique beauty.
It has an elongated body in the classic form of blennies, and robust eyes, always attentive on the top of a large head.
They are always supported on their lower fins, which are large and strong. The upper fins are large and showy, presenting the same colors as its body.
Care Difficulty Level: Medium
Size:
These fish are around 4 inches long.
Behaviors:
The red spotted blenny is territorial in behavior, so it must be kept alone in aquariums (although they can tolerate a fish of the other sex of the same species).
They can even attack other herbivorous fish that enter their territory.
This blenny can be reef-safe with some caveats, as it can occasionally nip some SPS coral species.
Water Parameters:
You should keep the salinity between 1020 and 1025.
Temperature should be 73-78°F, hardness from 8 to 12 dKH. The pH should always be within the range of 8.1-8.4.
Minimum Tank Size:
A great species to keep in medium-sized aquariums: Over 28 gallons.
Diseases & Health:
They’re a very disease-resistant fish. When they live in adverse conditions (such as poor water quality) they can be susceptible to fin rot.
Fun Facts:
They are considered intelligent fish, which can even learn and mimic the behavior of other fish! Depending on the species, blennies may or may not have scales. They like to live at the bottom, near burrows, caves, and rocks.
Red spotted blennies should only inhabit matured aquariums, as they’re sensitive to water quality. It’s a great fish for nano aquariums of 28 gallons and, as they are not as shy as other bottom fish, they will be visible most of the time.
2 Blue Star Leopard Wrasse (Macropharyngodon bipartitus)
Blue Star Leopard Wrasse Photo by © Voislav Kolevski | Dreamstime
A spectacular fish that shows a festival of colors on its skin. They’re very difficult to keep in captivity because they’re very demanding in terms of needing high quality of water, but the real difficulty is in acclimatizing (making them comfortable in the captive environment) correctly and getting them to feed- So only advanced aquarists should keep them.
Characteristics:
A fish with a low and long body, it has several morph colors surrounded by iridescent bluish green dots.
It has a small-sized tail, and large upper and lower fins, which demonstrate the same stunning body coloration as the fish.
Care Difficulty Level: Expert – They should only be kept by those experienced in domesticating sensitive fish.
Size:
Blue Star Leopard Wrasse are around 5 inches long.
Behaviors:
They’re a calm, peaceful, reef-safe fish. Can be territorial with other wrasse.
Water Parameters:
You should keep the salinity between 1020 and 1025. Temperature 72-78°F, hardness from 8 to 12 dKH. The pH should always be within the range of 8.1-8.4.
Minimum Tank Size:
A great species to keep in medium aquariums: Over 55 gallons.
Diseases & Health:
This is an extremely sensitive species. Although there are not many reports of diseases in captivity, some specimens seem to be susceptible to internal parasites.
Fun Facts:
In the wild, these wrasse fish are constantly feeding. Despite being a highly desired fish by aquarists, it has a reputation as being challenging to keep alive in aquariums.
3 Pakistani Butterfly (Chaetodon collare)
Pakistani Butterfly Photo by © Olga Iskhakova | Dreamstime
A majestic, medium-sized fish that is not suitable for inhabiting aquariums with corals, because they feed on corals.
Characteristics:
The Pakistani Butterfly is a species with a thin and tall body, classic butterfly fish. The shape of its mouth slightly resembles a beak, with a black face and some white vertical stripes.
In the midline of its gills, it presents a thick strip of white color, dividing the black face and the colored body of the fish. Its body begins with a dark color, which becomes lighter and presents shades of brown, becoming increasingly red near the caudal fin.
The edge of the anal and dorsal fins has a white line, which follows the entire contour. Fins are the same colors as the fish, with their pectorals being dark brown in color.
Its scales are outlined in the same color as in the middle but in a darker tone. It is a spectacularly colored fish.
Care Difficulty Level: Medium
Size:
These fish are around 7 inches long.
Behaviors:
With a calm and peaceful temperament, Pakistani butterfly does not live well with aggressive fish.
Water Parameters:
You should keep the salinity between 1020 and 1025. Temperature 72-78°F, hardness from 8 to 12 dKH. The pH should always be within the range of 8.1-8.4.
Minimum Tank Size:
This butterfly fish is a great species to keep in large aquariums: Over 128 gallons.
Diseases & Health:
The Pakistani butterfly is a sensitive species, which is susceptible to suffering from marine ich and velvet.
Fun Facts:
They are popularly called “butterflies” because of the color pattern they present, in addition to their morphology. Some specimens may exhibit a bluish tinge.
They’re not fish for beginners since they can be difficult to feed on commercial food, and are also sensitive to water quality and parameter fluctuations.
The Pakistani butterfly is a great species to keep in fish-only aquariums. Because they’re peaceful, you can even keep more than one in a community tank.
They are stunningly beautiful fish that are always active in the aquarium.
4 Naso Tang (Naso lituratus)
Naso Tang Photo by © Olinkau | Dreamstime
An extravagant and famous species among saltwater aquarists.
Characteristics:
The naso tang’s coloration darkens as it grows older, and adult fish have a grayish coloration throughout the body.
It’s a fish with a strong and hydrodynamic shape. Its face has a dark-colored patch that goes from the middle of its eyes to around its dark yellow lips. This black spot is outlined by a yellow line.
Its dorsal fin, as well as the part of the body where it is attached, has a deep black band, outlined by a thin white line. Its anal fin extends from the middle of the fish to its tail, and is intensely yellow in color, bordered on the outside by a white line. At the junction of the tail with the body, it has two yellow spots, forming a white V-shaped spot in the middle.
Care Difficulty Level: Medium
Size:
These fish are around 17 inches long.
Behaviors:
Naso tang are a calm, peaceful, reef-safe fish.
Water Parameters:
You should keep the salinity between 1020 and 1025. Temperature 72-78°F, hardness from 8 to 12 dKH. The pH should always be within the range of 8.1-8.4.
Minimum Tank Size:
A great species to keep in large aquariums: Over 180 gallons.
Diseases & Health:
It is a sensitive species without protective mucus in the surface of their skin. They are highly susceptible to suffering from marine ich and velvet.
Fun Facts:
They are herbivorous fish; In captivity you can offer them algae as snacks. It is a fish considered venomous.
The naso tang is a classic, lush fish for those with large tank reefs. Along with corals, this fish will bring an air of superiority to the aquarium.
5 Orange Band Surgeonfish (Acanthurus olivaceu)
Orange Band Surgeonfish Photo by © Tatiana Belova | Dreamstime
An extravagant and famous species among saltwater aquarists.
Characteristics:
The orange band surgeonfish, also called “orangeshoulder tang,” has a beautiful color contrast. Juveniles are yellow, and as they grow, they acquire a greenish-gray body with an orange spot surrounded by light blue, positioned behind the eye.
The eye can also be outlined by an electric blue line and an orange spot, as well as its gill.
This same blue-and-orange pattern is seen on its lower and upper fins. Its spine, located at the base of the tail, is dark in color, flanked by a light orange patch.
Care Difficulty Level: Medium
Size:
These fish are around 14 inches long.
Behaviors:
Orange band surgeonfish are considered a reef-safe, semi-agressive fish.
Their aggression is focused on fish of the same species or similar appearance (like other tangs or surgeons).
Water Parameters:
You should keep the salinity between 1020 and 1025. Temperature 72-78°F, hardness from 8 to 12 dKH. The pH should always be within the range of 8.1-8.4.
Minimum Tank Size:
A great species to keep in large aquariums: Over 210 gallons.
Diseases & Health:
When well cared for, these fish are exceptionally resistant to diseases.
Fun Facts:
These fish are given the name “surgeon” because they have a thorn at the base of their tail and on both sides of their body; This helps them defend themselves and attack their predators, almost like a knife or scalpel.
Since this is a species that reaches a large size, it should only be kept in well-matured aquariums.
It’s a fish that only more experienced aquarists should keep and that, without a doubt, will make their aquarium home a work of art.
6 Conclusion
Like other pets, marine fish also require special care, which centers around their acclimatization and life in the aquarium.
There are hundreds of species to choose from, but not all of them will do well in your tank. Avoid impulse purchases, and always research the species of fish you want to keep!
We think these five fish are some stunning species for you to learn more about, and maybe even keep in the near future;)