Are you looking for good beginner saltwater fish? Housing your first saltwater fish aquarium can be quite a challenge. You don’t want to buy a fish that will be too hard to maintain, and you probably don’t want a tender fish that won’t be fun to watch. To help you fill your new tank with beautiful beginner fish that will make your new hobby an immediate success, I’ll highlight some easy-care fish that you can be proud to have in your aquarium.
The Saltwater Aquarium Fish Compatibility Table will explain which fish may have a greater chance of coexisting in a small space. In most cases, the chart indicates who will work with some caution. Nothing is a guarantee. There will be exceptions to any generalization, but the table will give you a place to start when trying to figure out what kind of fish will work in your aquarium.
1. Ocellaris Clownfish (False Percula Clownfish)
The Ocellaris clownfish, also known as a fake clown or common clownfish, is one of the most popular and arguably one of the lightest marine fish in the aquarium.
One peculiarity of this clownfish is that even when placed in a large aquarium, having established its territory, it rarely strays from that area. If it finds itself in one corner of a four-foot-wide tank, it will be barely visible at the other end of the tank.
Raised specimens of this type of tank (highly recommended) are relatively easy to find. If purchased by a young couple, they will quickly become paired pairs without the more significant abuse of mating ritual experienced with other clown species. When lifted by a tank, they are accustomed to eating hand-fed food and acclimatizing very well. This makes them a good beginner saltwater fish
2. Coral Beauty Angelfish (Two-Spined Angelfish)
The colorful core beauty angelfish, also commonly referred to as the two-coniferous angelfish, is a popular dwarf angelfish that easily adapts to aquarium life. It is a favorite aquarium due to its excellent colors, durability, low cost, and readiness. This fish is usually not as aggressive as many other angelfish. However, some individual specimens may be territorial in smaller aquariums, especially if they have been in the reservoir for some time.
3. Flame Hawkfish (Brilliant Red Hawkfish)
Due to the vibrant red color, beautiful nature, and small hawks with this flame, amateur lovers love it very much. However, like most hawks, it is a predatory bottom inhabitant. He likes to sit on rocks or coral to be on guard and ready to knock out any unsuspecting prey that floats too close. This fish is likely to settle in a hard coral head in the reef reservoir, settling quietly on top and scratching the coral head when threatened. It can also be a refuge near the base or under the tentacles in a large majestic / ritteri anemone.
The flaming hawk agrees quite well with other fish but can behave aggressively towards other demersal species. In a small aquarium, this can cause problems, so either avoid other bottom dwellers or give this fish plenty of space and shelter to ease territorial conflicts. Leaving them as a good beginner saltwater fish.
How to Maintain a Saltwater Aquarium
It’s no secret that a marine aquarium does more work than a freshwater aquarium. Saltwater fish need more stringent water quality parameters, especially in pH, temperature, and salinity. You will need regular maintenance to make them fit. The best way to facilitate aquarium maintenance is to plan. When you create the aquarium correctly for the first time, your maintenance work will be significant. Also, pair them with a good beginner saltwater fish.
You’ve passed the initial cycling cycle until your tank is up and running and the fish are together. How do you keep everything running smoothly? An established maintenance protocol is essential to keep your ecosystem healthy. Please put it on a calendar and don’t miss any tasks!
Regular Water Maintenance Tasks
1. Checking Salinity/Topping Off: Daily
Heated saltwater aquariums, even with a tight-fitting lid, will lose water by evaporation. When this happens, you’ll notice an increase in the salinity of the aquarium water. When water leaves your tank, the salt stays behind you and becomes more and more concentrated. To medicine this, you will need to add warm FLOWER WATER regularly. It will feel extraordinary at first, but it will keep your salinity stable. When using a hydrometer or refractometer, make sure your salinity is in the correct range.
2. Changing Water: Weekly
You will need to follow a strict water change schedule for the first few months of a saltwater aquarium. When you install an aquarium for the first time, it will take some time to ride a bike and balance all water quality levels. It is the balance between your newly added new fish, any invertebrates like coral or shrimp, and your biological filtration. When you’ve done assembling your tank, there may still be some hiccups in the first 6-8 months. Regular water changes will help prevent these problems later. It is especially true if you plan to continually add live items such as fish or live rock and improve your equipment setup.
When changing the water, use a gravel or sand siphon to get into the substrate’s deeper layers. It will not harm the bacteria living in the substrate! If you can, move your decor or live rock and vacuum under it. You’ll be amazed at how much rubbish these items can accumulate. Be careful not to disturb any inhabitant of the bottom! You can make new piles of surfactant for any rotting fish, but do not damage or shake during vacuuming and cleaning.
3. Maintaining Filtration: Weekly
Part of the water change mode should check the filter medium. No matter what filter medium you choose, it should allow water to flow freely and not clog much debris. You never want to change all the filter media at once orThe beneficial bacteria that make up the biological filter would be destroyed. Unless it crashes, most filter media can be rinsed and reused. After collecting effluent from the water exchange, use that water to flush the filtration medium. Never wash the filter media in freshwater as you may lose the beneficial bacteria in it. After removing larger debris, be sure to clean the filter bowl and replace the material. That’s the point: it won’t look or smell clean. Your biological filtration bacteria must stay in place.
4. Making Saltwater: As Needed
If you keep saltwater fish, you will need a way to collect or make saltwater. When you live near the beach and plan to collect water, make sure it has been adequately tested and allowed by your local laws. It’s known that “wild” water be sterilized with a UV sterilizer for at least 24 hours to prevent any dangerous or unpleasant pathogens from entering the wild.
If you do not have access to prepared seawater, you will have to prepare it yourself. You can start with a tap, well, or RO water. If you use tap or well water, make sure to test before preparing saltwater. Use a de-chlorinator to remove chlorine or chloramine from tap water. Reverse osmosis (RO) filtered water is best for mixing the saline solution. You can use many different salt mixtures, and they will be typical of a saltwater aquarium of all fish or fish and coral. Corals need more carbonates and phosphates to live in their stone houses, and they will need mixtures of these coral-specific salts. When you first start using salt water, it offers suggestions to begin only with fish. Adding coral will require more specialized aquariums, light, water flow, and saltwater needs.
5. Scrubbing Algae: Weekly
Fish + water = algae; there is no way to bypass it. If you have coral, their need for intense light on algae problems will often make it worse. By regularly scrubbing the glass or acrylic aquarium walls with a suitable cleaner, you will be able to remove algae buildup. If you have serious algae problems, check the water quality. Due to the high content of phosphates and nitrates, algae will bloom.
