Guides

Reef

43 articles · All guides

Saltwater

Flame Hawkfish (Neocirrhites armatus)

A vivid red perching hawkfish that surveys the reef from coral heads — bold personality in a compact reef package.

Saltwater

Yellowhead Jawfish (Opistognathus aurifrons)

A charming burrow-builder with a bright yellow head — needs deep sand, rubble for tunnel walls, and a secure lid.

Saltwater

Chalk Bass (Serranus tortugarum)

Small Caribbean basslets with soft pastel bars — peaceful enough for reefs and comfortable in small groups when space allows.

Saltwater

Orchid Dottyback (Pseudochromis fridmani)

A vivid magenta Red Sea dottyback that is calmer than many Pseudochromis — caves, meaty foods, and moderate space keep them settled.

Saltwater

Kole Tang (Ctenochaetus strigosus)

A smaller bristle-tooth tang that comb-grazes detritus and film algae — one of the more reef-friendly surgeonfish when given room.

Saltwater

Achilles Tang (Acanthurus achilles)

A high-demand Pacific beauty with orange ‘ Achilles ’ spots — experts-only tang requiring huge swimming space and pristine water.

Saltwater

Lawnmower Blenny (Salarias fasciatus)

A comical algae-grazing blenny that ‘mows’ rock surfaces — useful in green tanks, hungry in spotless reefs.

Saltwater

Scooter Blenny (Synchiropus ocellatus)

A hopping dragonet that scoots across sand and rock hunting pods — only for mature, food-rich reef systems.

Saltwater

Firefish (Nemateleotris magnifica)

A peaceful dartfish with a flame-orange tail — shy hoverers that need a tight lid, soft sand, and calm reef neighbours.

Saltwater

Maroon Clownfish (Premnas biaculeatus)

Deep maroon anemonefish with bold white or gold bars — striking showpieces that need space and careful tank-mate selection.

Saltwater

Clarkii Clownfish (Amphiprion clarkii)

A hardy, boldly barred anemonefish that adapts to many host anemones — a confident reef classic for FOWLR and reef tanks.

Invertebrates

Blue Leg Hermit Crab (Clibanarius tricolor)

A small, industrious reef hermit that grazes film algae and scraps — best kept with spare shells and not overcrowded on delicate sandbeds.

Invertebrates

Bubble Tip Anemone (Entacmaea quadricolor)

The classic clownfish host anemone for home reefs — bold colour morphs, sticky tentacles, and a wandering streak until it finds the right rock.

Invertebrates

Acropora (Acropora spp.)

The iconic branching SPS coral of reefkeepers — demanding on stability, flow, and light, spectacular when alkalinity and nutrients stay dialed in.

Invertebrates

Hammer Coral (Euphyllia ancora)

An LPS favourite with T-shaped tips that sway in current — dramatic motion coral that needs space from neighbours and steady calcium.

Invertebrates

Zoanthids (Zoanthus / Palythoa spp.)

Colourful colonial polyps that carpet rock in every shade — beginner-friendly soft corals with important handling caveats for Palythoa toxins.

Saltwater

Coral Beauty Angelfish (Centropyge bispinosa)

A deep blue-and-orange dwarf angel popular in fish-only and mixed reefs — striking colour with the usual Centropyge appetite caveats.

Saltwater

Six Line Wrasse (Pseudocheilinus hexataenia)

A small, boldly striped reef wrasse valued for hunting pests and perpetual rock-work — active, hardy, and best as a single specimen in most tanks.

Saltwater

Flame Angelfish (Centropyge loricula)

A vivid red-orange dwarf angel with vertical bars — one of the most popular Centropyge for larger FOWLR and cautiously mixed reef tanks.