Reef Safe Fish For Sale by greg.chernoffThe reef aquarium hobby is not just about corals. Otherwise, it would be called the coral hobby. It is not just about fish either. If it were, it would be called the saltwater fish hobby (for some people it is that). The reef aquarium hobby is about having corals, fish, and inverts all live in one ecosystem in our homes. Although, the coral is certainly what causes the most satisfaction and frustration. It takes a lot of time, effort, and money to grow beautiful corals, which makes it very annoying when a fish is nipping away your corals. For this reason, it is very helpful when a company such as AlgaeBarn has reef safe fish for sale. The term “reef safe” can mean a lot of things. Many hobbyists will consider a fish that does not bother corals to be reef safe. Others will say it can not bother inverts or crustaceans either. Reef safe can also mean fish that won’t eat other fish. There are some fish, especially wrasses, that will not touch corals but may go after some inverts. For example, the Melanurus Wrasse will not harm any corals but is known to go after smaller shrimp or any shrimp it can fit into its mouth. This fish is coral safe, but not invert safe. Even then, that is only to some extent. There are also fish that are generally both coral and invert safe but will occasionally nip at a coral. Sometimes it varies from fish to fish. One could have a Coral Beauty in a tank that leaves corals alone, while a Coral Beauty in another tank is nipping on corals all day. The Frogfish is another extreme example of a fish that will not harm corals but is known to devour fish its own size. [CFish] Typically, reef safe means a fish does not cause any harm to corals or inverts and is somewhat peaceful towards other fish. Some examples of popular reef safe fish are clownfish, tangs, and gobies. Most aquarium stores sell reef safe fish, but most of those fish are probably not captive bred. AlgaeBarn sells fish that are both reef safe and captive bred, making them perfect for the reef aquarium. Captive bred fish are born and raised in captivity. This makes them much hardier and accustomed to aquarium life. They are far less likely to get diseases and they eat more convenient foods. Along with all that, buying captive-bred fish also benefits the ocean. The wild collection of marine fish can impact the population size of wild fish in negative ways. It also harms the corals because collectors often use poisonous chemicals to stun the fish and make them easier to collect. If you can choose to buy captive bred fish or wild caught fish, you should, for your own sake, choose captive bred fish anytime you can. Fortunately, AlgaeBarn sells these sorts of fish at algaebarn.com. The following are reef safe fish for sale at algaebarn.com: –Forktail Blenny (Meiacanthus atrodorsalis) –White Spotted Dwarf Goby (Trimma cf. caesiura) –Green Mandarin (Synchiropus splendidus) –Yellow Tang (Zebrasoma flavescens) –Blue Tang (Paracanthurus hepatus) –Blue Stripe Anemonefish (Amphiprion chrysopterus) –Court Jester Goby (Koumansetta rainfordi) While it is important to know of some reef safe fish, it is also important to know about the reef terrorizers. Non-reef safe fish are less common, but they can be found at most aquarium stores. Most non-reef safe fish are also predatorial fish. These fish are also much larger than reef safe fish and will cause issues with smaller fish. Triggerfish are a good example of this type of fish. They have a very interesting shape and some beautiful colors, but they are simply terrible for reef aquariums. They will gobble up most other fish or fight with fish their size. Angelfish are another fish to be careful with (Dwarf Angels are different). Large sized angelfish will often nip at corals and attack inverts. Other non-reef safe fish are eels, filefish, groupers, puffers, frogfish, and some wrasses. Of course, there are others but these are the main ones you should look out for. There are, of course, some exceptions to this categorization of non-reef safe fish. Not all large sized angelfish are not reef safe. The Lamarck’s Angelfish is an example of a large reef safe angelfish. Dwarf Angelfish have the potential of being reef safe depending on the fish. As mentioned early, some Coral Beauties are reef safe. Some hobbyist claim that it has to do with how often they are fed and what they are fed. In some cases, this may be true, but sometimes it does not matter how much you feed them. I have also heard people say that Coral Beauties will only target certain types of corals. The question is whether it is worth the risk or not. At least with Dwarf Angelfish, there is a chance they could be just as safe as clownfish, unlike larger angels. It is the same with wrasses too. There are some wrasses that are not reef safe at all, while others do great in reef tanks. There are many fish that belong to a category of non-reef safe fish that are partially reef safe. For example, the Blue Throat Trigger could possibly be put in a reef tank. It is for this reason that it is crucial to do in-depth research on each and every fish you are thinking about adding to your tank. Adding a reef destructing fish to your reef tank is certainly not something you want to deal with! There are many reef safe fish for sale at local fish stores and even online at websites such as algaebarn.com. While most fish that are sold within the hobby are compatible with our beloved reef tanks, some require more thought before they are added to an aquarium. Research is key in this situation, as it allows you to determine how a specific fish will fit into your aquarium system. All of the fish sold at AlgaeBarn are captive fish and most of them are reef safe as well. It is important to be wise with which fish you put in your reef tank because it can be the difference between an enjoyable reef experience and a very frustrating one. [CFish]
Sean Beaver says December 23, 2019 at 1:46 pm Great article. When I first started in this hobby I wish I had easier access to this information. Reply
N L says December 27, 2019 at 10:50 pm The major takeaway from this article is to research what you put in your tank. Some of these fish do better in a larger tank, others will get lost in a larger tank and may not be able to compete for food or territory as well. Tailor you stocking list to what your limitations and desires are and you will have a better chance at long term success. Reply
Chris Whalen says January 3, 2020 at 2:16 am These articles are great for people just starting into a reef hobby like myself. Reply
Gage says January 3, 2020 at 1:40 pm I am glad we have access to all this info so why don’t all make the same mistakes Reply
Kyle says January 4, 2020 at 3:16 pm I love that this company provides great information for newer hobbyists Reply
Jasper Bradley says December 23, 2019 at 1:47 pm Would love to have a blue tang for Christmas lol. Reply
Steven Semeniuk says December 23, 2019 at 1:48 pm Great read and happy to see AB with so many great fish for sale. Reply
Nicholas Hagstrom says December 23, 2019 at 3:12 pm Great read! Never thought about “reef safe” fish going after inverts. Reply
Jerry Pearson says December 23, 2019 at 3:32 pm Thank you for the info. To bad you cant send livestock to Canada. Reply
Alex von Hochtritt says December 23, 2019 at 4:06 pm Since I’m most interested in corals and inverts, this is SUPER important. I also like having free-swimmers in my reef, but nothing that’ll eat the rest of the things. 🙂 Reply
Jayda Patterson says December 23, 2019 at 4:07 pm This is a cool article and will hopefully save some reef hobbyist from bringing home something unsafe to their other tank inhabitants. Reply
Nicholas Nevins says December 23, 2019 at 4:10 pm Good read i know ill be getting a yellow ta g and eventually mandrin Reply
Kristen Maves says December 23, 2019 at 4:22 pm Love Algae Barns selection. Too bad puffers aren’t “reef safe” I’d love one in my reef Reply
michael p says December 23, 2019 at 5:36 pm My Niger is offended by the part of the blog regarding his type — you could say — he’s triggered Reply
Chris Buswell says December 23, 2019 at 6:18 pm Hoping to see your stock of captive bred fish replenished soon! Reply
Chadwick Horn says December 25, 2019 at 12:41 am I’ve always had coral beauties in my reef tanks. They’re one of my favorite fish. Reply
Rudy A Garcia says December 23, 2019 at 6:24 pm Great informative read. Personally I have always been a fan of captive bred programs, as it takes some of the strain away from the wildlife, and in some cases outright saves a species from extinction. And anything that helps with saving wildlife is always a plus. Reply
Richard Snyder says January 2, 2020 at 7:15 pm Awesome stuff, wish I had room for a Mandarin as I have wanted one for a couple of years now. Maybe when I upgrade…?? Reply
Josh Stevens says December 23, 2019 at 6:46 pm Very good to know this information thank you. Happy Holidays Reply
Josh Stevens says December 23, 2019 at 6:50 pm Can’t wait to get manderin thank you for info Happy Holidays Reply
Paul Kachirsky says December 23, 2019 at 8:02 pm Thanks. I have been contimplating on getting a dwarf angelfish. I see others that have luck with them not bothering corals. So maybe… Reply
Chris says December 23, 2019 at 8:07 pm Wish there was a totaly reef safe angel, they are beautiful fish Reply
ANTHONY CANDELORA says December 23, 2019 at 8:13 pm Check k out candelz Reef on YouTube for a good video on this Reply
Gary Passwaters says December 23, 2019 at 8:30 pm Definitely would like to go back and not get my green coris wrasse. Great for flatworms. Not so much for shrimp and hermit crabs Reply
T.Erickson36 says December 23, 2019 at 8:43 pm Awesome, captive breed reef safe fish are definitely a step in the right direction. Not just for the hobby but also for conservation in general. Reply
Matt Traylor says December 23, 2019 at 10:18 pm Nice to see you guys offering reef-safe fish for sale. Wouldn’t have thought that without this article! Reply
Josh Gay says December 23, 2019 at 11:08 pm Glad Algae Barn has started to sell some great fish too Reply
Brian Badge says December 23, 2019 at 11:25 pm I recently had trouble getting a wild caught fish to eat our prepared foods. It went three weeks before figuring it out and in the meantime survived off algae on the rock. So much easier with captive bred fish born and raised eating what I feed. Reply
Julianne Morgan says December 24, 2019 at 1:05 am Court Jester Goby looks and sounds adorable. ? Reply
ekersd says December 24, 2019 at 7:57 am The future of our hobby IS captive breeding. Countries that we as a group pillaged for decades are now protecting the local environment. Buy captive bred. Reply
steveszczepanowski says December 24, 2019 at 9:20 am Would deff only recommend the mandiran if you have a tank over a year old and a healthy pod population and can’t hurt to try to train them to take frozen food Reply
Ashlee Smith says December 24, 2019 at 9:53 am I can’t wait to buy fish and have a saltwater tank established Reply
maxbears34 says December 24, 2019 at 10:56 am Always wanted a trigger but love my corals to much, might look into a blue throat trigger more… Reply
Joe car says December 24, 2019 at 11:32 am Thank you for the information, some learn the hard way! Reply
Sheila Beach says December 24, 2019 at 12:39 pm Will be checking this out when I’m ready to add more fish Reply
Allen says December 24, 2019 at 10:42 pm There’s a bunch of fish i would love to have, but sadly they’re not reef friendly. It sucks to see a fish i want and then realize its not good work out. Reply
Richard Varone says December 25, 2019 at 1:08 pm Can it really be called a reef if there’s no fish? Reply
Shaun Small says December 25, 2019 at 2:37 pm Have an Juvenile Emperor Angle, and he does not bother my corals at all Reply
Jennifer says December 25, 2019 at 6:29 pm Great blog for people who don’t know what fish are ok around there corals Reply
Mike says December 25, 2019 at 9:19 pm I have a captive bred millitseed butterfly mabey 1yr old. 1.5″ in a sps dominant tank for about 6 months and no damaged corals and all hermits and snails are fine… even a featherduster worm and all the butterfly wants are pods and flake food. Reply
dcallahan56789 says December 26, 2019 at 9:11 am You can never really tell what a fish is going to do. The blue tang is reef safe…. However mine took a shine to a green goni I had. wouldn’t leave it alone…. I covered the goni for a few weeks in effort.. An hour after I removed the plastic container, he was back picking at the fringing polyps. I removed the coral, and he hasn’t acted up since. I also have a purple goni he never touched. i think he thought it was algae.. Reply
Casey Whittington says December 26, 2019 at 1:04 pm Awesome post, I love Gobys. However, I didn’t know Court Jesters were Reef safe. I know what my next fish will be 🙂 Reply
Steve says December 26, 2019 at 2:53 pm I have had even reef safe fish nip at corals but never fully kill a coral Reply
Christina says January 2, 2020 at 11:01 am My tank is still stocked with pods at algae barn from loveland co Reply
conner stumpf says December 27, 2019 at 3:12 pm there are some oddballs that will nip and stuff so always be wary Reply
Nate G says December 27, 2019 at 3:21 pm Reef safe fish are great but not as good as algae barns copepods! Reply
Robert Paniagua says December 27, 2019 at 6:55 pm Favorite fish green Mandarin waiting for you guys to have it on stock Reply
Jean Pattison says December 27, 2019 at 8:44 pm I definitely research a fish I am thinking of putting in my tank. Some can really fool you’ Reply
Neal says December 28, 2019 at 12:16 am im interested in the green Mandarin (Synchiropus splendidus) Reply
Mike Muzzone says December 28, 2019 at 3:13 pm i happened to get lucky with a milletseed butterfly…. no desire for coral polyps Reply
Echo Rodetsky says December 28, 2019 at 5:39 pm So many beautiful fish are not reef safe. Maybe one day I’ll have a FOWLR tank along with a mixed reef. Reply
Alejandro Rodriguez says December 28, 2019 at 9:28 pm This hobby is so extensive..when one gets all the parts working cohesively it’s beautiful. I hope to get there one day soon. Reply
Julian says December 28, 2019 at 10:04 pm better safe than sorry by picking reef safe fish over non reef safe Reply
Edward Raposo says December 29, 2019 at 1:07 am I’ve always hated the term “reef safe with caution” as well Reply
devon maynard says December 29, 2019 at 3:17 am Wish i had an article like this when i first started. Reply
Martin Waite says December 29, 2019 at 12:05 pm I tend to over feed my fish and as such tend to find that most reef safe with caution are perfectly fine and don’t touch anything my only problem is that some fish out grow my tank quicker than I expected. Reply
Joe Coolidge says December 29, 2019 at 2:08 pm So many people want to jump in and throw fish and coral in a tank because they look nice. Having an understanding of how fish, corals, and invertabrates function in the reef ecosystem can help eleminate costly mistakes with “incompatible” species. Thank you for providing the educational information. Reply
John Jones says December 29, 2019 at 8:04 pm Always make sure to look up what corals a fish is good with Reply
Bo Heath Kinsland says December 29, 2019 at 8:07 pm This is awesome. I just wish there were freshwater coral lol. Reply
Andrew says December 29, 2019 at 8:22 pm Great read, very useful for a coral beginner like myself! Reply
Chris Roberts says December 29, 2019 at 8:39 pm need a reef tank in my life would love to get the kids involved Reply
Jaime Quintanilla says December 29, 2019 at 11:14 pm Some fish are considered reef safe when their really not is stupid Reply
Greg says December 30, 2019 at 9:05 am Great article. I only buy reef safe fish now with so many corals in my tank Reply
David mueller says December 30, 2019 at 9:11 am Good read but it depends on the individual fish. I’ve had non reef safe fish in a tank that’s never harmed a coral. Luck of the draw Reply
Nadia Mohandessi says December 30, 2019 at 1:38 pm Exceptions to every rule … I watched my Randall’s goby EAT my blue mandarin whole. Took him 10 minutes. It was like watching a live horror show ??? Reply
Barry Sylvia says December 30, 2019 at 3:30 pm Good info to know when thinking about starting a reef tank. Reply
Krystal Whittington says December 30, 2019 at 4:33 pm People often get wrapped up in the Fish or the Coral aspect of the Hobby. Spending more time researching what Fish/Coral they want and not putting the same ammount of effort into learning how to provide both an awesome home Reply
Daniel says December 30, 2019 at 5:25 pm Now I know what type of fish I need to get for my reef aquarium Reply
Bethany Souza says December 30, 2019 at 5:32 pm Very important great information to arm yourself with Reply
bad72nova says December 30, 2019 at 6:13 pm It’s good that reef safe, invert safe, coral safe was brought up. You don’t hear about that too much. Are algae barn fish in need of qt or are they pre quarantined? Reply
liesle_memmott says December 30, 2019 at 8:18 pm Learning the “reef safe”, “with caution” fish was a huge deal for us as we truly enjoy a natural and full reef aquarium design. Reply
shirley devera-caldwell says December 30, 2019 at 10:11 pm just the article i was looking for as im upgrading my tank! Reply
t.joudi says December 30, 2019 at 10:33 pm I’ve had some fish destroy beautiful corals. Reef safe fish are a must!! Reply
kingrowland1217 says December 31, 2019 at 7:46 am I rolled the dice on a couple “with caution” fish and they plowed my softies. I stick with known reef safe now lol Reply
John Louis says December 31, 2019 at 8:29 am I’ve found the Leopard Wrasse to be an amazing and entertaining reef safe fish. Reply
Kim Eberhart says December 31, 2019 at 3:28 pm Great article. I appreciate your companies commitment toward sustainability in this hobby. Reply
Cassie schmick says December 31, 2019 at 6:18 pm I believe if you want fish that are not coral friendly then why not have 2 tanks! One for your favorite fish and one for all your corals! Thanks for the info Reply
Eric Rosnick says January 1, 2020 at 11:38 am Great information, just getting started with salt water Reply
Alisa Tejeda says January 1, 2020 at 1:11 pm I think captive bred fish are the best way to go. Happy Holidays! Reply
chereecarter says January 1, 2020 at 7:17 pm Good, safe recommendations. Would love to flasher wrasses on the list as well. =) Reply
Eric Dickey says January 1, 2020 at 8:39 pm Reef safe (with caution) always makes me feel a little like a bad boy lmao Reply
chris peters says January 2, 2020 at 4:06 am Typically what is the soonest you can add a mandarin dragonet to your tank, if you add copepods from the very beginning? Reply
ainarm says January 2, 2020 at 8:26 am Lawnmower or Starry Blenny have both been an important part of my clean up crew. Reply
ainarm says January 2, 2020 at 8:26 am Lawnmower or Starry Blenny have both been an important part of my clean up crew. Reply
Elizabeth Mack says January 2, 2020 at 12:01 pm Wonderful article for someone researching saltwater tanks in hopes of having one someday soon. Reply
Nicole says January 2, 2020 at 12:30 pm Thanks for all the info you put into your blogs. Very informative. Reply
Bruce says January 2, 2020 at 7:51 pm You show me a fish that reads a blog, and I will show you a reef safe fish…happy new year! Reply
Mike Muzzone says January 2, 2020 at 9:59 pm I got lucky and found a milletseed butterfly that does not eat coral polyps Reply
shackelford.jim says January 2, 2020 at 10:23 pm Some of my favorite fish… just ordered a Mandarin feeding kit from your site for a pair of bonded Mandarins I have on the way. 🙂 Reply
ddogusmc says January 3, 2020 at 1:11 pm great info a lot of new reefers just randomly buy fish and regret it later on. Reply
pinckark11 says January 4, 2020 at 1:21 am Mandarins are one of my favorites. Hope to own one from an Algae Barn in the near future. Reply
kathy pease says January 4, 2020 at 12:03 pm I do not know a lot about keeping fish but this article is very informative Reply
Ashton says January 5, 2020 at 12:28 am I will definitely be using this information when I get into setting up a saltwater aquarium Reply
kameronkh3 says January 5, 2020 at 1:30 am I always get worried about bringing corals into my tank, I love the idea of it but can never bring myself to introduce it because my fish are my babies! Maybe some day I’ll have the courage to do it! Reply
Julian Pillans says January 5, 2020 at 9:26 am I used AlgaeBarn for the macro, phyto, and pods I’m glad to know there are certain fish on the site as well! Reply
oscar101802 says January 5, 2020 at 10:00 am Reef safe fish I ask in my local lfs for more information about the fish Reply
Amber Kolb says January 5, 2020 at 11:24 am I love the White Spotted Dwarf Goby! That is a cool looking fish! Reply
Anthony bloom says January 5, 2020 at 1:30 pm Always wanted to do a reef tank! I wasn’t aware that not all fish were compatible great information. Reply
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