Posted by gerard on March 10, 2010 under Aquarium Info, Saltwater Fish | 
I have been working on saltwater fish tanks for about 20 years now as a hobby. Through this time I have tried many different approaches to fish and reef keeping. When you first start a saltwater tank, during the initial setup most people will tell you to buy some cheap damsels as a sacrifice to get your cycle going. If the damsels do actually make it then your ready for some real fish.
I don’t like to go that route. I usually make sure that the nitrogen cycle is complete and then start off with some hardy fish. Once your tank has 0 ammonia and nitrites you are on your way. The only battle left to face is nitrates. I have been fighting them for years but that’s another post.
Now, onto the fish. One of the reasons you chose saltwater over freshwater is that the fish are way cooler. The colors are more vibrant and the overall look is beautiful. I have found the following 5 fish are perfect for beginners. They are all very hardy, will eat most everything from pellets and flakes to frozen food. Last but not least they are all reef safe.
I really think you should check out these fish as starters. If you are just getting into the hobby you don’t want to start out with a flame angel or a triggerfish. You need to take it slow and work your way up to those fish. Get your feet wet with a few of these hardy fish. They wont disappoint.
Top 5 saltwater fish for beginners:
- False Percula Clownfish
- Bicolor Blenny
- Purple Pseudochromis
- Firefish
- Orange Diamond Sleeper Goby
Posted by gerard on October 24, 2008 under Saltwater Fish |
The yellow clown goby, Gobiodon okinawae, also known as the Okinawa goby or yellow coral goby, is a member of the goby family native to the western Pacific from southern Japan to the southern reaches of the Great Barrier Reef. As the name implies, they are bright yellow in color, save for a whitish patch on each cheek. Equally bright as their coloration is their personality; they are valued additions to reef aquaria, with a reputation for being friendly and entertaining.
Description
G. okinawae have a generally fusiform shape with seven dorsal spines, ten soft dorsal rays, one anal spine, and nine anal soft rays. At maturity they can reach a length of 3.5 cm.
Another species, Gobiodon citrinus, the citrus goby, has a similar appearance to Gobiodon okinawae. G. okinawae, however, lacks the requisite blue and white facial markings of G. citrinus.
These fish are not generally aggressive, though they can actively protect their territory against their own kind. Their primary defense against predators is a poisonous, bitter mucus on their skin that makes them unpalatable.
Buy at saltwaterfish.com.
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Text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.
Posted by gerard on October 11, 2008 under Saltwater Fish |
The mandarinfish or mandarin dragonet, is a small, brightly-colored member of the dragonet family, popular in the saltwater aquarium trade. The mandarinfish is native to the Western Pacific, ranging approximately from the Ryukyu Islands south to Australia. It is also somewhat misleadingly known as the mandarin goby, due to its resemblance to blennies and gobies. Other trade names include “green mandarinfish”, “striped mandarinfish”, or “psychedelic fish”. The name psychedelic mandarin is also used for a closely related species, the picturesque dragonet, Synchiropus picturatus.
Mandarinfish are reef dwellers, preferring sheltered lagoons and inshore reefs. While they are slow-moving and fairly common within their range, they are not easily seen due to their bottom-feeding habit and their small size (reaching only about 6 cm). They feed primarily on small crustaceans and other invertebrates. The name of the mandarinfish comes from its extremely vivid coloration, evoking the robes of an Imperial Chinese mandarin.
Despite their popularity in the aquarium trade, mandarinfish are considered difficult to keep, as their feeding habits are very specific. Some fish never adapt to aquarium life, refusing to eat anything but live amphipods and copepods (as in the wild), though individuals that do acclimatize to aquarium food are considered to be quite hardy and highly resistant to diseases such as ich. They can not contract the disease Ichthyophthirius because they do not have the skin type that this common aquarium disease affects.
The similarly named mandarin fish, Siniperca chuatsi, properly known as the Chinese perch, is only distantly related.
Buy at saltwaterfish.com.
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Text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.
Tags: aquarium, aquariums, blenny, fish, Goby, Green Mandarin, marine Saltwater Fish, Nano Reef, reef, reef dwellers, saltwater, tank
Posted by gerard on September 18, 2008 under Saltwater Fish |
The Firefish Goby is a really cool little fish. They are reef safe, easy to care for and get along with most other fish. They will accept most fish foods and live brine shrimp. While in your aquarium they like to hang out in little caves in your live rock. They also like to jump so be careful if you have an open top tank. They are fairly easy to come by and run about 10 bucks. They would be a great addition to your FOWLR or reef tank.
Buy at saltwaterfish.com
Photo courtesy of saltwaterfish.com
