Marine Fish Encyclopedia

A beautiful schooling fish in vivid pink or orange. Spectacular when kept in groups.

A cardinalfish with beautiful black-white stripes and long fins. Mouth-brooding breeding observable in tank.

Silver body with black vertical bars and star-like white spots. Unique mouthbrooding behavior. Ideal kept as pairs.

Bicolor with brown front and orange rear. Humorous algae-grazing behavior on rocks. Expressive face makes it popular.

Small saltwater fish divided into two colors: purple front half and vivid yellow rear half. Compact and hardy, easy to keep in small tanks and popular with beginners. Somewhat territorial.

Small marine fish in vivid cobalt blue. Extremely hardy, often used as pilot fish. Aggressive temperament.

A schooling damselfish shining pale blue-green. Peaceful and affordable, most classic beginner saltwater.

Stunningly beautiful jawfish with orange body dotted in blue spots. Charming behavior — digs burrows and pokes out head. Fascinating mouthbrooding reproduction.

Stunning royal blue body with yellow tail. Active swimmer requiring large tanks. Prone to ich — strict water quality is essential. Global popularity boosted by film.

Juveniles are vivid orange with chevron patterns. Adults turn olive but serve as excellent detritivores, significantly contributing to tank cleanliness.

Cleaner fish that eats parasites from other fish. Sets up cleaning stations in tank — fun to watch fish queue up.

Large triggerfish with white polka dots and yellow mouth. Very aggressive toward other fish. Popular as a personality fish.

The iconic marine fish made famous by film. Lives in symbiosis with anemones, hiding among tentacles. Perennial beginner's choice in saltwater fishkeeping. Pair keeping enables breeding.

A butterflyfish with orange stripes and elongated snout. Also valued for controlling Aiptasia anemones.

Beautiful small angelfish with purple and orange gradient. Hardy and easy to keep — popular entry-level angelfish.

Hardy small fish with vivid blue or neon colors. Used as pilot fish for tank cycling.

A 'sand sifter' that cleans by scooping sand. Tank's worker responsible for sand bed cleaning and stirring.

Small colorful marine fish. Royal Dottyback is popular. Feisty but small size limits damage potential.

Large angelfish with dramatically different juvenile and adult patterns. Blue and yellow stripes are stunning. Requires large tank.

A goby with fascinating tunnel-digging behavior. Groups build complex burrow systems in sand.

A charming fish with small mouth eating seaweed. Also valued for controlling Aiptasia anemones.

Small goby with a beautiful white-to-orange-red gradient. Named for the flag-like elongated first dorsal fin. Shy but calmer in pairs. Ideal for reef tanks.

Beautiful goby with gradient coloring from white-yellow body to orange-red. Characteristic flag-like first dorsal fin. Shy nature requires hiding spots but is easy to keep.

Small angelfish with vivid red-orange body and black vertical bars. One of the most popular marine angelfish.

A vivid red hawkfish with habit of perching on corals. Hardy and easy to keep.

Hawaiian endemic wrasse with vivid red-orange flame-like coloration. Males display even more vivid nuptial colors. Peaceful nature ideal for reef tanks. A deeper water species.

Yellow body with fox-like face. Excellent algae eater for tank cleaning. Venomous dorsal spines.

A schooling damselfish shining in pale green. Gentle nature, ideal as beginner saltwater fish.

Large wrasse with blue, orange, and white stripes and blue tusks. Crushes urchins and shellfish. Relatively peaceful despite size. Popular for large tanks.

A cute small marine fish that perches on rocks. Has a habit of sitting still to ambush prey.

A charming fish that digs burrows and peeks out. Some species are mouthbrooders, a unique fish.

A blenny that eats algae and cleans tank. Popular for humorous facial expression.

Bright lemon-yellow body with blue eye ring. Popular small angelfish. Somewhat feisty but manageable size.

A wrasse with beautiful leopard pattern. Delicate fish with habit of sleeping buried in sand.

A marine fish with beautiful fan-like fins and stripes. Dorsal spines carry strong venom.

Distinctive butterflyfish with elongated snout and bright yellow body. Picks tiny prey from rock crevices. Among the hardiest butterflyfish with good feeding response.

Distinctive red crosshatch pattern and elongated snout. Endearing perching behavior on corals and rocks. Carnivorous and feisty.

Schooling saltwater fish with beautiful pink to orange body color. Females are orange, males have vivid coloring with purple lines. Popular intermediate-level species that makes tanks vibrant when schooled.

Often called the most beautiful marine fish with psychedelic maze-like patterns. Feeds on copepods, making it challenging to keep.

Considered one of the world's most beautiful saltwater fish. Distinctive camouflage pattern of intertwining blue, green, and orange. High ornamental value. Intermediate difficulty as it requires live food like copepods.

Beautiful fish with white spots on black body like a starry sky, plus false eyespot near tail. Hides in rocks with nocturnal tendencies. Uniquely graceful swimmer.

Beautiful small wrasse with orange body and neon blue lines. Males 'flash' by spreading fins during courtship — hence the name. Reef safe and community-friendly.

A wrasse with beautiful blue-green stripes. Eats pests like flatworms and bristleworms.

Fascinating tang that mimics angelfish (Lemonpeel, Eibl's) as juveniles. Adults turn olive-brown. Hardy and practical algae grazer.

Elegant marine fish with vivid white, black, and yellow stripes and elongated dorsal fin. Stunningly beautiful but extremely difficult to keep. Feeding is challenging even for experts.

A tiny goby with beautiful vivid neon blue line. Also functions as cleaner fish.

Beautiful goby with white body scattered with orange spots. Has habit of symbiosis with pistol shrimp, and natural behavior of digging sand to make burrows can be observed. Easy for beginners.

A small marine fish with beautiful orchid-like vivid purple. Hardy and adds color to tanks.

Small marine fish with cute pajama-like polka dot pattern. Peaceful, hardy, beginner-friendly. Looks great in groups.

Beautiful marine shrimp with red and white stripes. Valued for eating Aiptasia (pest anemone) — a beneficial cleaner.

A relative of seahorses with an elongated body. Distinctive swimming style and delicate form are attractive.

Beautiful pale blue body with black face and yellow dorsal. Indian Ocean tang. Prone to ich — water quality is critical.

A beautiful dartfish with purple body and elongated dorsal fin. Shy but stunning coloration.

A premium surgeonfish with beautiful deep purple coloration. Endemic to Red Sea with high rarity.

Striking bicolor — vivid purple front and bright yellow rear. Hardy and feeds well, but feisty temperament can be aggressive toward similar-sized fish.

Beautiful bicolor fish — purple front and yellow rear. Caribbean native. Cave-dweller that peeks from rock crevices.

Large cleaner shrimp with red body and white dorsal stripe. Famous for cleaning parasites off fish. Excellent tank cleaner. Hermaphroditic — breeding possible.

Brown-bodied tang, not flashy but an excellent algae cleaner. Hardy and easy to keep. More affordable than Yellow Tang. Actively grazes on algae.

Mysterious upright posture and unique body. Males brood young in pouch — rare reproductive strategy. Requires dedicated tank.

Fascinating goby that lives with pistol shrimp. Shrimp digs burrow, goby acts as lookout. Observe natures wonder in your tank.

Small wrasse with six horizontal lines. Beneficial pest controller eating flatworms. Active swimmer adding movement to the tank.

Small goby with psychedelic green body covered in orange spots with black borders. Prefers live copepods, so mature live rock tanks are ideal.

A small damselfish with beautiful deep blue-purple color. Peaceful and easy to keep like Green Chromis.

Beautiful small blenny with yellow and black stripes. Has venomous fangs for defense but harmless to humans. Entertaining hole-dwelling behavior. Hardy and easy.

A blenny named for black spot at tail base. Small and eats algae.

A large clownfish with distinctive deep red body. Hardy and easy but somewhat aggressive.

Cute mini puffer with white, black, yellow stripes and blue around eyes. Charming round eyes and swimming style. May nip coral — better for FOWLR tanks.

Small goby with cute yellow body and blue dot pattern. Famous for symbiosis with pistol shrimp, where shrimp digs burrow and goby stands watch. Hardy and easy to keep.

A colorful and diverse marine fish group. Sleeps buried in sand and also serves as a tank cleaner.

A wrasse adding color to tank with vivid yellow body. Useful fish also active in pest control.

Iconic marine fish with brilliant all-yellow body. Eats algae, serving as tank cleaner. Hardy and long-lived.

A beautiful goby with vivid yellow body. Symbiotic relationship with pistol shrimp observable in tank.

Damselfish with vivid blue body and beautiful yellow tail fin. Hardy, eats prepared food well, and is one of the best species for saltwater fish beginners. Can be kept in small tanks.

A damselfish with vivid blue body and yellow tail. Hardy but becomes aggressive when grown.