Marine Aquarium Fish Complete Guide: Categories and Care

Choosing fish for a reef is half aesthetics, half ecology. This marine aquarium fish complete guide from Gensou Aquascaping at 5 Everton Park walks through the major categories — damsels, clownfish, wrasses, gobies, blennies, tangs, angels, dottybacks and beyond — with care notes and SGD pricing from Iwarna, Pinnacle and C328. Two decades of stocking plans for SG clients boil down to a simple principle: pick species for behaviour first, colour second, and a balanced reef follows.

Clownfish — The Entry Point

Amphiprion ocellaris (false percula) is the default starter marine fish. Tank-bred pairs thrive in 30-gallon nanos, eat any prepared food and tolerate parameter drift better than any other reef fish. Priced SGD 25-50 for captive-bred at local shops, up to SGD 120 for designer strains (Snowflake, Wyoming White). Host anemone is optional — a frilly LPS often suffices.

Damsels — Beautiful Liability

Chromis species make peaceful schools; Chrysiptera, Pomacentrus and Dascyllus turn aggressive with age. Damsels dominate territory, chase newcomers and disrupt stocking plans. Add last if at all. SGD 7-20 each make them cheap, but cost-per-bite-per-year often exceeds more expensive alternatives. Consider yellowtail blue damsel for colour without extreme aggression.

Wrasses — The Reef Cleaners

Six-line, fairy, flasher and cleaner wrasses suit mid-size reefs. Six-line wrasse (Pseudocheilinus hexataenia) hunts flatworms and small pests; priced SGD 35-55. Fairy wrasses (Cirrhilabrus species) bring movement and colour at SGD 80-200. All wrasses jump — a tight lid is mandatory. Most need sand to sleep and should not be added to bare-bottom setups.

Gobies — Nano Kings

Yellow watchman (Cryptocentrus cinctus), neon gobies (Elacatinus oceanops) and firefish (Nemateleotris magnifica) suit tanks from 20-gallons up. Yellow watchman pairs with a pistol shrimp for a classic symbiosis at SGD 40-70. Firefish add darting movement and tolerate nano quarters at SGD 25-45. Neon gobies clean parasites off larger fish. All are peaceful and reef-safe.

Blennies — Algae Helpers

Salarias fasciatus (lawnmower blenny) grazes film and hair algae across rockwork at SGD 30-50. Midas blenny (Ecsenius midas) delivers personality and grace at SGD 45-80. Tailspot blenny fits nanos at SGD 35-55. Supplement diet with nori once established — algae alone is not enough long-term. Reef-safe for coral, though may nip clams occasionally.

Tangs — Space Required

Yellow (Zebrasoma flavescens), blue (Paracanthurus hepatus), purple (Zebrasoma xanthurum) and powder brown tangs demand 120-gallon minimum with strong flow. Prices run SGD 90-250 for yellow, SGD 150-300 for purple, SGD 120-260 for blue. Tangs need vegetable matter — nori sheets three times weekly on a veggie clip — and suffer white spot easily. Quarantine mandatory for 30 days.

Angelfish — Risky Beauties

Dwarf angels (Centropyge) like flame, coral beauty and lemonpeel suit 55-gallon plus tanks at SGD 80-200. Large angels (Pomacanthus, Holacanthus) require 180-gallon minimum and are not reliably reef-safe. Any angelfish may nip LPS, zoanthids or clam mantles — hobby wisdom is 70 per cent reef-safe behaviour. Research individual temperament before adding.

Dottybacks — Territorial Jewels

Orchid dottyback (Pseudochromis fridmani) glows purple-pink at SGD 60-100 and stays peaceful solo. Sunrise and neon dottybacks suit larger systems. Captive-bred specimens from ORA or Biota behave better than wild imports. Small but tough — they defend caves aggressively against newcomers of similar size. Add last and provide plenty of rockwork.

Anthias — Schooling Drama

Lyretail and bartlett’s anthias bring shoaling movement in harems of one male to four females. Need multiple feedings daily — three to four small meals of mysis and Fauna Marin pellets. SGD 45-80 per fish, stocked regularly at local shops. Pair with a 75-gallon plus and powerful flow. The harem dynamic means adding one male and multiple females together.

Stocking Plan for a 90-Gallon Reef

A balanced sample stock: pair of ocellaris clowns, yellow watchman goby with pistol shrimp, pair of firefish, six-line wrasse, yellow tang, flame angel, midas blenny, three bartlett’s anthias. Phased over six months with proper quarantine, this list delivers colour, movement, algae control and peace. A well-chosen marine aquarium fish complete guide stocking plan respects behaviour first — and SG reefers who plan the roster upfront avoid the costly re-home carousel later.

Related Reading

• Blue Saltwater Aquarium Fish Guide
• Saltwater Aquarium Beginner Complete Guide
• Reef Tank Parameters Beginner Guide
• Saltwater Aquarium Plants Guide
• Reef Tank Budget Beginner Guide