When choosing tropical fish for your new reef aquarium, it's a good idea to consider some popular saltwater aquarium fish. Chances are these fish and corals are popular for a reason: they're colorful, easy to care for, and hardy. A few of our most popular saltwater aquarium fish and corals right now are: Zoanthid Polyps, Yellow (Rasta) Leather Coral, Green Favia Coral, Flame Angelfish, Powder Blue Tang, and Banggai (Longfin) Cardinals.
Zoanthid Polyps - Our Zoanthid Poly Mix is a great one for beginners. Make sure to keep plenty of space between this and other polyps as it can be semi-aggressive and does have the ability to sting.
Rasta Leather Aussie Coral are also known as "spaghetti" coral because of their long, finger or noodle like polyps. They come in a variety of green and yellow colors and are best kept by intermediate hobbyists. Water quality is important: these corals like moderate to high water flows. The same goes for lighting. Finally, add these to an established tank for best results; they're not fond of new tanks.
Green Favia Brain Coral is a great addition to most reef tanks. It can handle lower light and lower water flow conditions. Again, make sure to leave room between this and other corals as they can be a bit aggressive.
The Flame Angelfish is a gorgeous dwarf angelfish suitable for most reef aquariums. However, they can be territorial. We recommend keeping them in a 30 gallon tank if they're the only fish in it, and larger, 75 gallon tanks if they're with other fish.
Powder Blue Tangs are beautiful but require really good marine conditions and the right diet to thrive in a tank. Though they'll eat "meaty" treats with other fish in the aquarium, they also need marine-quality seaweed and algae. They're especially popular because of their colors and activity levels.
Banggai Cardinals can make great additions to community tanks and are best with a school of 3-6 fish. They grow to a maximum size of 3" and are carnivorous. It has a tasseled first dorsal fin, which differentiates it from other cardinals.
See more of our saltwater collection here.