
Popular Saltwater Fish Species for your Aquarium
Here are some of the most popular saltwater fish species that are commonly kept in aquariums, each with unique characteristics and care requirements.
A common rule of thumb for how many marine fish you can keep in an aquarium is to allow 1 inch of fish per gallon of water; however, this can vary depending on the specific fish species and their size, with reef tanks generally requiring even more space per fish due to their larger waste output and need for swimming room.
Long-Spined Pufferfish
Tinker’s Butterflyfish
Raccoon Butterflyfish
Caribbean Sharpnose Puffer
Sohal Tang
Naso Tang
Overview Found in the Indo-Pacific region. Known for their distinctive appearance, including a prominent nose horn (more developed in males) and vibrant coloration. They have a laterally compressed body and a lunate tail. Naso tangs are active swimmers and often seen...
Big Longnose Butterflyfish
Pacific Double-Saddle Butterflyfish
Merten’s Butterflyfish
Burgess’ Butterflyfish
Coral Grouper
Coral Beauty Angelfish
Map Pufferfish
Mimic Tang
Pearlscale Butterflyfish
Mirror Butterflyfish
Saddleback Butterflyfish
Hawaiian Whitespotted Toby
Whitecheek Tang
Blue Hamlet
Humpback Grouper
Golden Butterflyfish
Blackback Butterflyfish
Blacktail Butterflyfish
Peacock Grouper
Crowned Toby
Narrow-Lined Pufferfish
Orange Shoulder Tang
Vagabond Butterflyfish
Rainford’s Butterflyfish
Threadfin Butterflyfish
Starry Pufferfish
Lyretail Grouper
Horned Bannerfish
Copperband Butterflyfish
Latticed Butterflyfish
Lined Butterflyfish
Atlantic Spadefish
Half Black Angelfish
Compressed Toby
Masked Pufferfish
Lined Surgeonfish
Teardrop Butterflyfish
Spotband Butterflyfish
Valentini Puffer
White-Spotted Pufferfish
Bluespine Unicorn Tang
Overview Found in the Indo-Pacific region. Known for their distinctive long horn-like protrusion on their forehead, which develops with age. They have a laterally compressed body and a lunate tail. Unicorn tangs are active swimmers and often seen grazing on algae....