An African Cichlid Tank in my opinion has always been an underrated aquarium. Usually many hobby or pet owners will look to freshwater community or saltwater tanks, but an African Cichlid tank offer the great balance of the ease of freshwater tank along with the vivid colors of a saltwater aquarium. One of the biggest differentiating factors, especially with Mbuna Cichlids is how incredibly active they are. An African Cichlid tank is a great choice for a beginner and for those who like the color of saltwater fish, but may not feel ready for the cost and additional upkeep of a saltwater aquarium. In today’s blog post, I will provide an overview on:
Cichlids are a diverse group of freshwater fish from the biological family Cichlidae. There are over a thousand official species and some scientist in the field believe there may be thousands more! They are also known as secondary freshwater fish because their distant relatives originated from the ocean. Cichlids are split into two groups: Central and South American Cichlids or New World Cichlids and African Cichlids.
African Cichlids come from three lakes in Africa – Lake Malawi, Lake Tanganyika, and Lake Victoria. The most popular of these cichlids placed in African cichlid tanks come from Lake Malawi.
Lake Malawi
Lake Malawi Cichlids are rock-dwellers and should live in a rock environment. They are split into several species – Mbuna, Haps, and Peacocks. Mbuna are the most active and aggressive of the three. They are very colorful with the dominant male being the most colorful. Aggression is typically curbed by overstocking, frequent feeding, and by not putting in fish groups with similar coloring.
Haps are moderately aggressive fish with some Haps being very large. For some Haps, at least a 75 gallon tank would be needed to house them long-term. They are piscivores, which means they prey on small fish – particularly smaller Cichlids. Because of this, it is not a good idea to house these fish with anything small enough for it to swallow.
Peacocks are the most peaceful of the three species. They are most suited for a community type of aquarium. They are not compatible with Mbunas due to Mbunas more aggressive nature. There are examples of success in mixed african cichlid tanks, but even if successful, the Peacock typically will not grow as fast, will end up being less colorful, and may not live as long.
Lake Tanganyika
Lake Tangayika Cichlids are broken down into three groups – shell dwelling lamprologus like Lemon Cichlids, rock dwelling cichlids like Calvus, and large cichlids like Frontosa.
Shell dwelling Cichlids have a good number of positive features going for them. They are small in size, peaceful behavior, hardy, breed easily, and are easy to keep. Rock Dwelling Cichlids like Calvus are solitary hunters with slender large jaws used to suck smaller prey out from rock crevices. Frontosas are the feature fish when it comes to Lake Tanganyika cichlids. They are usually known for being kept alone in an African cichlid tank, but have been known to be kept with large Tanganyika fish like Calvus and Compressiceps.
Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria Cichlids are the least known and popular of the three lake Cichlids. There is a lack of hobbyist literature available which makes Victorian cichlids sometimes difficult to identify. They are in general naturally aggressive fish. Some can mix with Mbuna and Peacock cichlids. Some of the most popular fish are Pundamilia Nyererei, the Zebra Obliquidens, and the Kyoga Flameback. A lot of secondary research should be done with this species of fish given the lack of information in the hobby.
Care Requirements of Their Tank
We are going to start going over care requirements. Check out our video below from our YouTube Channel. We go into more detail below so follow along.
Tank Size
When it comes to any freshwater fish species and aquarium setup, bigger is always better. You will have more water volume to make your tank stable and more room to curb aggression. However, not everyone wants a massive tank. Cichlids do get large and are territorial.
The minimum for most African cichlid species is going to be 55 gallons. Longer tanks are better than tall as many cichlids are mid-level or bottom-level swimmers. Always go for a wide vs taller aquarium.
Water Requirements
All African Cichlids should be kept in water with a pH of 7.5-9.0, a water hardness from 10-20 dH, and a water temperature between 77-82°F.
The actual ranges of the African Rift Lakes are:
Lake Tanganyika — 7.8-9.0
Lake Malawi — 7.4-8.4
Lake Victoria — 7.2-8.6
Since all African Cichlids appreciate this higher pH, these are one of the few freshwater species whose aquariums may be decorated with marine coral, sand, and rock which will push the pH and buffer the water. In some instances it may be necessary to buffer water to reach these higher pH levels. There are various Cichlid Buffer additives available in stores that can be used or Cichlid Salts.
Filtration Requirements
A Cichlid aquarium needs to be well filtered. Overfiltration is actually encouraged in an african cichlid tank as it is typical to purposely overstock them to curb aggression among tank mates. In addition, Cichlids are messy eaters and even messier excreters. Aeration is also very important since Cichlids require well oxygenated water.
Because of the added demands of African Cichlids, dual filtration is recommend. Dual canister filtration is commonplace for African Cichlid keepers. In larger tanks, an overflow + sump + wet/dry setup is used to handle the bioload and flow requirements of the tank. Your goal is to have 8-10 times gallon per hour flow filtered per hour. So for a 55 gallon tank, you are looking at a goal of 550 filtered gallons per hour from your filtration system.
You can be fine with less filtered per hour if you have a high capacity canister like a BioMaster Thermo or Eheim Professionals, but you may need to supplement flow with powerheads to keep the flow strong in the tank in order to prevent dead spots within the tank.
Rock work is an important consideration and will vary depending on what species of African Cichlids you decide on. For Mbunas and other rock dwelling Africans, you will want to have rocks with lots of holes and cevices. Rocks will cover most of the bottom of the tank for these types of fish. Texas Holey Rock and lava rock are two good examples of such rock. For Haps and Peacocks and other open swimmers, there should be more open water to mimic their environment. Other rocks that you can consider would be slate, limestone, and even ocean rock. Making sure your rock is more smooth should be considered as rough rock can hurt your African cichlids.
Substrates
All Cichlid tanks should have a sand substrate in an african cichlid tank. This most closely mimics their natural environment. Many Cichlids naturally feed by grazing through the sand, others cleanse their gills, while others dive into it or build nests. Some hobbyists have been known to acquire substrates from golf courses, pool shops, or home improvement stores. These can save you money when building an african cichlid tank, but do some research before placing in your tank to ensure you have an aquarium safe substrate.
Within the aquarium industry, there are substrates available that will work with Cichlids, particularly aragonite sand used in marine tanks and Tahitian Moon Sand.
Diet for your African Cichlids will depend on the type of Cichlids you have. Africans can cross all the food groups (herbivore, carnivorous, omnivores, and micro predators) so it is critical that you know what group your fish belongs to. Spirulina is a general good food to fish all fish since it has outstanding nutritional quality and is made up of 65-70% protein.
Supplemental foods for herbivore fish would be peas, romaine lettuce, and spinach. For fish carnivorous fish, brine shrimp, shrimp pellets, and krill would be good meat supplements. Fish with yellow, orange, or red will need to be feed foods with lots of pigment so keep their colors optimal.
A stocked Cichlids tank need to be feed frequently, but not overfeed. Maintaining this balance will curb aggression. The recommended would be 3-4 times a day but only what they can eat within 20 seconds or less. Overstocking and overfeeding are the primary reason why we recommended extra filtration for the tank back in the filtration section. Overfeeding can lead to excessive nitrates or bloat for your herbivores. Feed frequent, but do not overfeed. A well feed Cichlid is a less aggressive Cichlid.
Food Recommendations
Below are several recommended staple Cichlid foods
New Life Spectrum Formula Pellets – The Benchmark in the Industry
New Life has been doing top notch fish food for years with scientific research behind each of their formulated foods. You can’t go wrong with them and their color enhancing Cichlid pellet food.
Cobalt Aquatics Probiotic Enhanced Flake Food – The Best Flake Food
Cobalt Aquatics has really made some moves in the industry with probiotic enhanced foods. This flake food offered by them is arguably the best African Cichlid flake food available on the market. It’s a works great in combination with New Life’s pellet food.
Hikari Cichlid Excel Pellets – Specially Formula for Plant-Eating Types
Cichlids eat a good amount of greens. The Hikari Cichlid Excel Pellets by Hikari focuses on spirulina with vitamins and materials to provide a highly nutritious pellet. Combining this pellet food with the other two, you should everything you need to provide a quality diet to your African Cichlid community.
Live plants can be kept successfully with African Cichlids. You may have heard from others, from forums, or your local fish store that you cannot but it is very possible to keep plants. There are a few things to keep in mind if you want to attempt to keep plants with African Cichlids. First, not all plants will be able to tolerate the high pH of an African cichlid tank. Second, not every plant will be compatible with the different types of African Cichlids available.
Specialized freshwater lighting systems will need to be considered if you choose to have plants in your African cichlid tank. While lighting requirements will vary for different plants, the proper spectrum of light needs to be provided to them. You will need lights that emit in the blue and red end of the light spectrum. These are wavelengths of 450 and 680 nm. Check out my post for planted LED systems, to see systems with the proper wavelengths.
Plants have tighter requirements to prevent algae outbreaks as well. Regular water changes to keep nitrates below 50 ppm and the use of bristlenose plecos will help with algae. Keep in mind; however, that plecos will eat soft plants.
You have to purchase the right african cichlids for your tank to ensure success with plants. You will have the greatest success with non plant eating african cichlids like peacocks and the hardest time with Mbunas.
The final factor is dealing with the digging of cichlids. Plants can be uproots with the digging activities so plants need to be fastened to prevent uprooting. Java fern should be tied to rock with fishing line and other plants should be potted or wedged in between rocks.
Where to Purchase?
Getting them at your local fish store would be the first step. I would highly recommend that you join a aquarium club to learn more about the quality local fish stores near you. Some people, however, do not live near a quality local fish store. In those cases, pushing African Cichlids online would be the best way to obtain them. There are a few out there that are worthwhile:
Worldwide Tropicals Seller on Amazon who sells various African Cichlid livestock
Mike’s Cichlids Family owned breeding facility that specializes in high quality Cichlids
As African Cichlids keeping has been around for many year, there are a wealth of resources and even books for you to enjoy and read. Here are several I would recommend and you learn more about them. All are easily found on Amazon:
African cichlids are highly rewarding fish to keep. We hope this article was useful in planning your African Cichlid tank. If you liked this post, check out the recap video from our YouTube Channel below. Subscribe if you like it. I hope to see you again.
📘 Want to learn more? This article is part of our complete Freshwater Fish Guide — your ultimate resource for freshwater species, care tips, tank setup, and more.
Nutrient export is one of the most debated topics in reef keeping, and I’ve experimented with most of the major methods in my 125-gallon over the years — GFO reactors, biopellets, refugiums with chaeto, and algae scrubbers. Each has a real place depending on your system’s bioload and your maintenance preferences. This breakdown is based on what I’ve actually run, not just theory.
Algae scrubbers are finally starting to pick up mainstream acceptance in the Reefkeeping community! As someone who has advocated Algae Turf Scrubbers, for many years it great to see them more widely accepted. There is still a lot of skepticism in the industry though and many store still push other products and solution. I created this article below so you can see the differences between an Algae Scrubber (AKA Algae Turf Scrubber) and other solutions like there. There will be affiliate links in this article as a quick disclosure where I may make a commission should you make a purchase from the link at no charge to you. Let’s get started.
Algae Scrubber vs. Algae Blocker
Ah the Algae blocker. This is a very common solution you will hear about at your Local Fish Store (LFS) when a customer comes in with an algae problem. I think of these as the diet pill solution to nuisance algae in the industry.
What is a blocker?
An algae blocker is a chemical product that will work to remove nuisance algae in the aquarium. The most well known algae blocker is Boyd Enterprises Chem Clean who sells a Cyano blocker. The industry has gotten really good over the years and have created reef safe solutions that will remove algae, but will not harm inverts and corals.
Why is this better than the Blockers?
An algae blocker’s purpose is to quickly remove algae, but it is not an end all solution. They really are meant to wipe out nuisance algae after the long-term problem is treated – usually a poor water source or bad aquarium housekeeping. They become expensive to use long-term.
An Algae Scrubber on the other hand, is a natural solution to nuisance algae. The algae you grow in the scrubber sucks up the nutrients that feed other forms of algae, and the algae is keep in one spot where you can remove it. Scrubbers are always a long-term investment in the aquarium as they do not need ongoing filters or replacement parts.
Is The Reactor Different?
Algae reactors have been commercialized recently with the raise of Algae Scrubbers.
What is a reactor?
An algae reactor is a self container container that grows macro algae like cheato. They are pretty complex units, with a reactor chamber, pump, and lighting all functioning in the unit.
The biggest advantage to an algae reactor is ease of use and simplicity. While an Algae Reactor has a comprehensive unit, an algae scrubber has simple individual parts. This means that if one part breaks, it is easier to fix vs having to buy another unit.
Biopellets
Biopellets have been a solution for denitrification for years
What is a Biopellet Reactor?
Biopellets themselves are a polymer that is made up of bacteria. They are meant to be a supplement to the beneficial bacteria in your aquarium. The main draw is these biopellets will remove nitrates. They require a reactor so you can efficiently work the materiel and cultivate the bacteria.
What is better than Biopellets?
Biopellets can be tricky to dial in and can actually strip too many nutrients in your tank. Stability of the operation is there biggest issue. You also still need to address phosphates requiring another equipment solution. An algae scrubber handles both nitrates and phosphates and are easier to operate once they are broken in.
Cheato
Cheato was the first acceptance of using algae to control nutrients in an aquarium
What is Cheato?
Cheato is single celled macro algae that is simple to grow and easy to place in a sump. It is one of the easiest and simpliest ways to control nutrients in a tank
Which is better than Cheato?
The main advantage you will get from a scrubber is surface area growth. Scrubbers have the ability to grow more nutrient absorbing algae in a concentrated space then cheato. You need a lot of cheato to control nutrients and you need the space in your sump to do it. The major downfall is the risk of pests and disease from Cheato. Yes, that is correct Cheato can bring over a number of pests and diseases. Unless you Quarantine your Cheato (very few people do this) or you get your Cheato from a source that guarantees clean Cheato (like Algaebarn), it is always a risk. With an Algae Turf scrubber, you are growing your own algae from your own tank. You are in full control of what comes in and out through your introduction procedures with your fish, inverts, and corals.
But other than that cheato is and will always be a cheap and go solution for nutrient control. It is algae after all and a natural way of removing nutrients in the aquarium.
Denitrator
Denitrators were a solution to aquariums for many years until other products like Zeovit and Biopellets came about.
What is a Denitrator?
A denitrator is a piece of equipment that has been used in wastewater treatment plants and public aquariums for years. Denitrators are the solution to using a traditional media bag in the sump which is harder to manage optimally. A denitrator pieces the media in a chamber where the water can properly react to it resulting in consumption of nitrates.
Which is better than a Denitrator?
A denitrator system and a built algae scrubber equipment wise are around the same price. The main advantage you will get with an algae scrubber is you will not need to replace your media and the parts are easier to replace. The other advantage that an algae scrubber will have is that it will remove phosphates while the denitrator will only remove nitrates. You will need to invest in other equipment to control phosphates.
GFO (AKA Phosban)
GFO is a common media used in saltwater aquariums. Phosban is the big name brand that sells GFO.
What is GFO?
Granular Ferric Oxide or GFO is media that is used in an aquarium to remove phosphates. It is also used to remove heavy metals and other toxins in the aquarium. Generally, GFO is placed in a reactor for optimal use.
Which is better than GFO?
Investing in a GFO system will incurring recurring costs as the media will need to be replaced every 1-2 months. GFO also does not remove nitrates, meaning you will need another piece of equipment or solution to remove nitrates from your aquarium. An algae scrubber will remove both phosphates and nitrates and will not incur recurring costs.
Refugium
For reefers who have a sump, it is very common for them to have a flex space that is used to create a Refugium.
What is a Refugium?
A refugium is usually a section in a sump that is reserved to in order to provide a place for certain organisms to survive. In general, these would be organisms like copepods, macroalgae, and certain inverts.
Why is this better than a Refugium?
A refugium is also usually used to grow macroalgae for nutrient control and be a place to grow copepods. An Algae Scrubber is actually great at both. It grows algae like crazy and copepods thrive inside the mesh of the scrubber. It is very common when you clean an algae scrubber that you can remove hundreds of amphipod and copepods from the scrubber. No other piece of equipment does a better job at growing them. This allows you to do more in the flex space of your sump.
Zeovit
Zeovit is a nutrient free solution that is touted in the reef aquarium industry.
What is a Zeovit System?
Zeovit is a system that produces an ultra low nurtrient system. It utilizes bacteria to eliminate nutrients at the initial source – Ammonia.
Why is an this better than a Zeovit system?
Zeovit systems are pretty complicated to setup and expensive. It is not a cookie cutter system and every system is different. Dosage and product needed for your system will differ. An algae scrubber on the other hand, is all about simplicity. It is easy to setup, easy to clean, and easy to get results.
Zeovit is really a product of the saltwater aquarium industry, which loves to market the latest and and greatest high-tech toys and solutions to hobbyists. It is a great product, as long as you can dial it in, but overly complex.
Natural and Simple
An algae scrubber is natural and simple and nature is not a solution that is going to be outdated or obsolete. Always do your research regardless of what you end up purchasing. Let us know your experience with equipment or any questions in the comments.
🔧 Want to learn more? This article is part of our complete Aquarium Equipment & Gear Guide — your ultimate resource for filters, heaters, lights, pumps, tanks, and more.
Aquascaping is one of those areas of the hobby that I find genuinely compelling — it’s where fishkeeping meets landscape art. I’ve built planted tanks using both high-tech approaches (CO2 injection, quality lighting, liquid fertilizers) and the low-tech Walstead/natural planted tank method, and both can produce stunning results when the design fundamentals are right. The style you choose shapes everything: the plants, hardscape, fish selection, even the maintenance schedule. Here’s a breakdown of the five modern aquascaping styles worth knowing, with honest notes on what each one actually demands.
Top 5 Modern Aquascaping Designs for Your Fish Aquarium
For many aquarium enthusiasts, it’s as much about creating an amazing underwater landscape as it is about the fish and the art of aquascaping – or creating an underwater garden effectively –is growing in popularity.
Aquascaping involves arranging aquatic plants, wood, rocks and stones, within the aquarium, to create an underwater garden for the fish to live in – or some people are so focused on the garden side they concentrate solely on aquascaping and don’t have fish.
It does involve giving consideration to all of the technical aspects of tank maintenance such as lighting, temperature, filtration and cleanliness, to help maintain the garden and keep the plants thriving.
This style of aquascaping stems back to the 1930s and reflects a traditional flower garden by using many different types of plants with varied colours, leaves and textures, planted together at different height levels.
This garden uses many styles of plants, but does tend to see them planted in groups, often in straight lines, and rarely includes anything else so no rocks or driftwood would be used in this style of aquascaping.
Traditionally, tall plants would be placed at the back to hide any filtration systems from view, and around 80% of the tank floor would be covered with foliage, so no substrate would be visible in this Dutch style underwater garden.
When choosing the plants for Dutch Style, you need to pick ones which fit in with the style, particularly for covering the substrate and floor. Some of the best plants to use for this style of aquascaping include: Saurus Cernuus and Lobelia Cardinalis.
Other plants commonly used for Dutch style aquascaping aquariums are: Hygrofilia Corymbosa, Limnophila Aquatica, Java Moss, Tiger Lotus, Cryptocoryne, Ammania, Alternanthera Reineckii, and Rotala.
Natural Style
Natural style is also known as Japanese style and aims to mimic a natural landscape using plants and stones. The aim is to create a miniature underwater garden, using carefully arranged stones, with a clear focal point, and using only a few different species of plants together.
This style tends to use colourful plants with small leaves and moss, to create a minimalist look, and it doesn’t completely cover the floor of the tank. This is a style of aquascaping which would traditionally include fish in the tank to add to the aesthetic, but with a limited number of different species.
When choosing plants for natural style, you can look at examples like: hair grass (Eleocharis parvula), Riccia, Staurogyne repens, Glossostigma elatinoides and Echinodorus tenellus.
Other species which work well in this style of tank design are the shade loving plants like mosses, and ferns. The Cryotocoryne family of plants is the ones most commonly used to plant in the shade among the rocks and wood.
Jungle Style
With this style, the plants are left to grow more naturally and more wild than the first two styles we have looked at, which are more designed. The jungle look generally fills the whole tank, with no space and no stones or rocks.
To achieve this look, bolder and coarser plants are used with varying leaf shapes, to create a wild appearance. Often tall plants can be used to create a jungle canopy effect on the surface, along with floating plants, which block out the light. There are various plants which can be used to create this more wild landscape.
For example, you could look at using any number of these plants to create a really effective jungle aquascape: Microsorum pteropus, Aponogeton boevinianus, Bolbitis heudelotii, Crinum calimistratum, Vallasneria americana gingantea, Echinodorus ‘Ozelot’, Echinodorus ‘Rubin’, Crinum natans, Aponogeton crispus ‘Red’, Echinodorus quadricostatus and Sagittaria.
Biotopes Style
If you want to recreate an exact aquatic landscape or habitat which appears in nature then you need to go for a biotope style aquascape. These aquariums are not designed to look pretty but to recreate exactly, a particular habitat, which may or may not include plants or fish.
The aim with this style is to replicate as closely as possible, down to the correct gravel, rocks and water composition, an existing natural habitat. These are often used to help study what would happen in a natural setting but could also create a great talking point in your own home aquarium.
Paludarium Style
This final style is the combination of land and water within the same aquarium and can be used to create habitats such as riverbanks, bogs or the beach. The aim is to have part of the aquarium under water, but part above the water by building up the substrate in some areas.
The tank would only be partly filled, allowing some of the substrate to rise out of the water as a land mass. This then allows for plants who like their roots in the water but tops to be in the air, to become a feature within the aquarium, as well as aquatic plants.
This type of aquascaping design makes a great tank for keeping amphibians rather than fish, and can be used to display floating plants perfectly.
Examples of plants which grow really well in a Paludarium include: Cyperus alternifolius or Spathiphyllum wallisii. Some types of Anubias and Bromeliads also grow well with their roots in the water but their leaves in the air. Plants which float include Eichhornia crassipes, or Pistia stratiotes and these work really well in this type of configuration.
Which type of fish should I use in Fresh-water Aquariums?
While your initial focus in creating an aquascape design will be on the plants and the appearance, choosing the right fish to complement your design and thrive in your chosen tank environment is also a key factor.
Many aquarists struggle with this decision, trying to find the right species to thrive with plants and which should be avoided. In general, smaller fish help to create the illusion of a deeper aquarium. Fish to avoid are larger herbivore fish such as silver sharks and pacu, as well as fish which are very sensitive to pH swings.
The best small fish which you should choose to go with your aquascape design include: Ember Tetras; Neon Tetras, Harlequin Tetras and Cardinal Tetras. Outside of the Tetra family, you could look at featuring Angel Fish, Rainbows or Guppys. Discus and Dwarf Gourami also thrive well in aquascape environments, as does the Chili or Mosquito Rasbora species.
Conclusion
So if you are looking to make your aquarium stand out and you love gardening, then why not combine both hobbies to create an amazing aquascaping design within your fish aquarium. From a stone and rock minimalist look, to a completely wild jungle landscape, the choices and looks you can create are endless.
Hopefully, these top five design ideas will have fired your imagination to start aquascaping in your own fish aquarium at home. Whether you try natural style or Dutch style, remember, you still need all the technical skills connected to running an aquarium, to make this underwater garden thrive.
Twenty-five years in the saltwater hobby has given me a long list of things I wish someone had told me earlier. I’ve made expensive mistakes, watched beautiful tanks crash, and learned from both my own experiences and from the thousands of people I’ve interacted with through this site and our YouTube channel. When I put this list together, I wasn’t going for generic advice you’ll find anywhere online. These are the specific insights that actually changed how I approach reef keeping — things that would have saved me real money, real frustration, and a lot of lost livestock if I’d known them at the start.
First, I would like to say thank you for reading this post. This is going to be a long point about the 55 words of wisdom I wish I knew before I started a saltwater reef tank. This is a list I have been thinking about for some time. Each one of these things can be a post on its own but I feel placing these all on a single post is a great reference to anyone starting out the hobby or wants reminders on general advice on reefing.
So without further ado here is the list on a nice infographic:
Saltwater Reef Tank – 55 Words of Wisdom I Wish I Knew Before I Started
So now that you have seen the list, here is the detailed breakdown of every word of wisdom below:
#1 Knowledge Is Power
Knowledge plays a huge role in this hobby. What you know will dictate how you will grow your tank and how you grow in the hobby. Taking the time to read books, visit blogs like this one, and getting to know other hobbyists empowers you as a consumer and aquarium owner. If there is anything you takeaway from this blog entry, it is that knowledge is king in this hobby. It will save you time, headache, money, and increase your passion.
#2 Be Patient
This is a very hard lesson to learn even for advanced hobbyist. For a new aquarium keeper, it is very easy to get excited about building your saltwater reef tank and make changes very quickly. As an advanced hobbyist, sometimes we are attracted to deals we see locally or on-line. Other times we try to push the limits of tried and true knowledge.
At the end of the day we need to keep in mind that we are maintaining a delicate ecosystem in our aquariums. Every time we add something or make changes the system needs time to adjust. This is another lesson that sometimes we as hobbyists learn the hard way.
#3 A Family That Reefs Together Stays Together
If you have a family or a significant other, I highly encourage you to get them involved in your saltwater reef tank. Our hobby tends to be a very isolated one where one person does everything and your significant other is wondering why you are spending so much time on your tank, not talking and spending time with them, and why everything is so expensive.
Get them involved! Teach them everything you know and explain the inner workings of the aquarium and habitat. In the end, you will have a significant other that at a minimum will understand how to care for your tank or at least tolerates your passion. You may get lucky and convert your spouse to a full-fledged reef fanatic.
If you have children, this is a wonderful opportunity to teach your children all sorts of great life skills – trade skills from DIY projects, chemistry and biology lessons, responsibility, and discipline. Working with children when it comes to aquariums is a big passion of mine. I actually wrote up an article on FamilyShare.com detailing out various activities you can participate with a child.
#4 The Bigger the Better
Bigger is better in this hobby. A bigger tank = more volume and more stability. A bigger sump = more flexible space, more volume, and more stability. A bigger protein skimmer = more bio-load capacity (up to a point of course). A bigger RODI unit with more gallons per day means you can get fresh water faster. The list goes on and on. Get the biggest tank and highest rated equipment you can afford or fit in your space. If you can’t afford it yet, wait (See words of wisdom #2 – Be Patient).
Larger tanks with bigger equipment are easier to have success with. Don’t start off with a nano or pico reef tank. These tanks are best for experienced hobbyist. Learn more about sumps by looking at our best aquarium sumps and refugiums post.
#5 It is Going to be Expensive!
A saltwater reef tank, even a nano tank can easily cost over $1000 to setup. You can cut some costs down by purchasing a cheap used tank or getting frags from friends, but the simple fact is that saltwater tanks are expensive. On average, you will spend at least 3 times more than a freshwater aquarium. It will go up even more if you shoot for a mixed reef, SPS heavy tank, or want a Rimless Aquarium. Along with setup costs there will maintenance cost.
Electricity, dosing, salt, and food will all need to be accounted for. At the end of the day, keeping a reef tank is expensive so if you are not willing to spend the amount of money to have a successful one, it is probably a better idea to try a less expensive option like a freshwater community tank or an African Cichlid tankwith less expensive equipment like power filters or canisters filters. See our post to see what the best power filters and best canister filters are.
#6 You Are Going to Get Addicted
Any successful reef keeper has a high chance of getting addicted to this hobby. You become a successful reef keeper and have a great tank. Then you think about upgrading your tank so you move on to a larger one. Then you wonder what to do with the old tank so you decide to keep it and create different type of tank with it. Or you get into corals then move onto fragging them. Then you turn that old tank into a frag tank. Then your clownfish start spawning and you want to raise the fry so you create a fry tank.
Successful reefkeeping requires passion. Passion can turn into addiction. #eatsleepreef is one of the largest reefkeeping hashtags on Instagram for a reason :).
#7 Start Slow
Start slow and do not rush (remember #2 Be Patient). Nothing good in your saltwater reef tank happens overnight. In contrast, mostly bad things in your aquarium will happen quickly and overnight. Behind every tank of the month and showcase display tank there is a whole lot of work, research, time, and care put into it.
#8 Always Have RODI Water Ready
RODI systems have a gallon per day rating. If you have a low gallon per day output on your RODI system, you may be waiting for hours if you need the water in an emergency. You never know when you will need to do an emergency water change or you forgot to fill up your auto-top off container, etc. Have some RODI water ready. You can also use distilled water as a substitute in a pinch.
The great thing about distilled water is that you can purchase it at grocery stores, which tend to be open late on nights and weekends. There are a number of cheaper RODI units available these days that work for reef tanks including those made by LiqaGen:
Keep up with your water changes and maintain all your equipment. Clean out your skimmer, change out your GFOand carbon, keep your water topped off, clean your glass, clean your pumps, have dosing supplies and salt handy so you do not forget. It is really easy to fall behind on maintenance once you stop building your reef up and your tank hits stability. Do not fall into lazy reefers syndrome.
If worse comes to worse – considering hiring a professional to maintain your tank. It’s not worth it getting lazy and losing everything you worked so hard for.
#10 Refugiums Matter
In general, the first chamber of a sump is for a high quality protein skimmer and the third chamber is for the return pump. This leaves the middle chamber. The refugium chamber of a sump is the most important part of your sump. It can not only be a refugium, which you can use macro algae like cheato to suck up nutrients, but it is also the flex space in your sump. Some hobbyists today use the refugium space to house an algae turf scrubber. The bigger it is the better.
#11 When in Doubt – Don’t Do It!
This hobby is all about knowledge and research. If you are about to purchase something whether it is equipment or livestock and you have doubts, do not buy it. So many unnecessary livestock losses and money wasted on unneeded products can be prevented by using this rule.
#12 Don’t Spread Yourself Too Thin With Too Many Aquariums
Recall #6 when I said you will get addicted. This is where things can go wrong. In our circle, we call this multiple tank syndrome. You purchase multiple tanks and try to run them all at the same time. Don’t spread yourself too thin. The more tanks you have the less time you have to maintain each one. It’s better to focus on only one tank and if you get the itch to start up another tank, consider upgrading your current tank to a larger one instead.
This hobby is very addicting, but do not try to make it take over your entire life. I know for some of you reading this – it is probably too late :).
#13 Moving an Aquarium Sucks!
Take your time and be set on your decision of your tank location. I cover what to look for when determining your tank location in an another blog post. Having to move a tank after you made your location decision can be fairly painful, but it is nowhere as painful if you are actually needing to move to a new apartment or home. There are so many steps and factors to consider when you are moving your tank. It describes it in detail could create a blog post as large as this article. It is a complex task and many things need to be setup ahead of time as the clock starts ticking once you pull your inhabitants out of the tank and into storage containers.
If you are moving locally, take your time and research this carefully and have as much prepped beforehand. If you are moving out of state, consider selling your livestock or getting a professional to help and make sure you have references.
#14 Aquarium Clubs Are Here to Help
There are a group of people who cheer for your success in this hobby every day. They are the aquarium clubs and societies located throughout the country. With frequent local meetups, frag swaps, sponsored events, and tank showcases it is the place to go to really build relationships with other hobbyists who share your passion. It is also a great place to be mentored and even a better place to find a reliable tank sitter or someone who can help you drill a tank.
Forums are a great place to build up your knowledge, but it is also a great place for bad information. Some forums users will answer a question on a forum trying to be helpful, but they may not know the answer and may just throw one out to be helpful. In the end, the bad advice may hurt the hobbyist listening to it.
So how do you differentiate between the good and bad advice on the forum? There are few things to look for: time on the forum, past posts, do they have pictures of their own tank on the forum, etc. Look at the forum member’s profile and check out their pictures. Most established forums tend to call out bad information. My biggest concern these days are with Facebook groups. I have personally noticed these groups tend to give out more faulty info then forums.
#16 Going Without Plan to a Local Fish Store (LFS) is Deadly
Walking into a local fish store without a plan could be the deadliest thing you can do to your tank. Local fish stores promote sales all the time and it is very tempting to overstretch yourself and buy too many fish and corals at once because they have a great deal going on. Walking in without a plan invites impulse buying and as we learned in tips #1 and #2 knowledge and patience is critical for success. Plan first then go to the store and stick to your plan!
#17 Always Research Yourself Before Accepting What the LFS Says
Not all local fish stores are created equal. While there are a lot less of them these days because of online stores like us, there are still a number of bad ones out there. They can give you some pretty bad advice. I’ve seen it all over the years from suggesting Chalice Corals are great for nano tanks, that a panther grouper will be just fine in a 40-gallon breeder, to not pricing corals then inflating the piece on an unsuspecting customer.
Until you find a local fish store that you trust – always maintain your skepticism and research yourself before accepting what they tell you.
#18 Never EVER Compromise on Quality
There is an old saying in the saltwater reef tank hobby. “Buy cheap – buy twice or three times, buy expensive – buy once.” This rule applies to practically any type of equipment you purchase. Buy cheap pumps, they break and you have to replace them with better ones.
Buy a cheap heater, they could explode and you have to replace everything. Buy a cheap protein skimmer barely enough to support your tank, and you’ll like need to upgrade to an oversized high quality more expensive one. Buy a cheap lighting fixture without PAR figures or Spectrum stated, end up buying a high quality light to replace it.
I’ve learned this lesson the hard way when I was young. If you are thinking about going cheaper, consider being patient and saving up (see words of wisdom #2 – Be Patient). I have compiled a load of aquarium equipment reviews on this site for you to look at that does a lot of the homework of research for you.
#19 Get a Drilled Aquarium or Drill It Yourself
Getting a drilled tank and learning about plumbing can be really intimidating for a newcomer. You might consider going sump less or with a hang-on back overflow. While you can certainly have a successful tank without a sump, you sacrifice a lot of flexibility and storage by skipping out on one. Hang-on back overflows are considered by many hobbyists unreliable do to them siphoning water out in the event of failure. Learn more about the best overflow boxes readily available to purchase.
There are three ways to approach the drill tank issue. You can either purchase a reef ready tank and have the hole pre-made for you. You can drill yourself, which is actually not as hard as you think (and a hobbyist friend may likely do it for you if you ask). Or you can go with an all-in-one aquarium and just have the sump built into the aquarium. Either way, my personal thought is you miss out on too many benefits without drilling a tank and not having a sump.
#20 Aquarium Stand Height Matters
Most aquarium stands that you can purchase from a local chain store at are going to be less than 30 inches in height. They are designed so you can watch your aquarium while sitting. If you are a taller person or looking into a more shallow aquarium (24 inches and below), it is a good idea to consider a taller stand. There is a reason why manufacturers who make custom and premium brand aquarium stands start with stand heights at 36 inches and above.
Aquariums are a conversion place and usually enjoyed standing up.
#21 Sump Size is a Big Deal
Going with the concept of bigger is better – bigger is better, especially down below in the sump. Not having a big enough sump causes two problems. The first is that it limits the equipment space available for you to add-on. Second, an undersized sump would not hold enough volume to prevent an overflow in the event of a power outage or pump failure. Overlooking sump size can literally cost you hundreds in home repairs. See our Best Aquarium Sump review post for our expert picks.
#22 Only Use RODI Water
If you want to have a successful reef tank, you need to have a source of high quality water. You will want water that have 0 total dissolved solids (TDS). This prevents any excessive nutrients and toxic chemicals from entering your tank. This is the healthiest water for your fish and prevents nuisance algae growth. The best way to get this water is to invest in an RODI system. Some stores will sell just an RO unit, but only a RODI unit have the stages to produce 0 TDS water.
You can purchase RODI water from your local fish or use distilled water in the short term, but long term – a quality RODI unit is an investment that will stay with you throughout your saltwater reef tank hobby journey.
#23 Have Backup Equipment
While I encourage everyone to purchase high-quality equipment, the fact is that our equipment will eventually break down. Equipment could break down overnight or during the weekend when the local fish is closed or before you can get it delivered from an online store. A tank can crash quickly if a critical piece of equipment fails and you cannot replace it fast enough. There are three pieces of equipment you will always want to have a backup for:
It is an understatement to say that bad thing can happen quickly during a power outage. It is one of the top three reasons for a tank wipe out and many of us including myself have been a victim of a tank wipe out because of a power outage. It is a helpless feeling to see your tank and inhabitants degrade quickly and die off – it is one of the worst feelings in the hobby.
Literally, in hours a reef tank can go down quickly especially if the temperature is hot outside. There are two investments you want to make for a power outage – short term and long term.
Short term would be a battery backup that you can purchase at an office supply store. Get the biggest one you are comfortable spending for. It needs to be powerful enough to power your heater, a pump, and a fan. These short term battery backups will last you a few hours. You want to aim for at last 1-3 hours of backup time.
A long term power outage is handled by a gas generator. A decent generator like a Champion Generator will cost you about $250 — this is a sound investment if you have a sizable amount invested in your tank. Many of us who have established 4 foot long tanks easily will have over $2000 invested in the tank.
#25 LEDs Are Extremely Intense
LEDs have made great strides in the industry and saved reefers a lot of money in electrical cost. However, the top quality LED reef lights are extremely intense. Under full power, they can easily cook corals and raise the temperature of smaller tanks. Sure, it is cool to tell your reefing friends that you have the latest and greatest Radions, but know what you are getting yourself into before you decide to purchase these powerful lights.
Know what your corals require and prepare to lower their intensity. You can check out my earlier blog post about the Best Reef LEDs for more info.
#26 Stop LED Spectrum Confusion!
LEDs offer a ton of customization to determine what spectrum you want to set for your tank. Unfortunately, the vast amount of customization can also be a downfall for those new to the hobby. Either go with lights like Kessil who have done the spectrum work for you or start out with tried and true spectrum outputs from manufacturers like ATI. You can more about spectrum in my earlier blog post regarding Reef LED Spectrum.
#27 Aquarium Controllers Rock!
Many hobbyists will tell you that an aquarium controller is the best investment they have ever made. Reefing is not the same after you setup a controller. It has checks to make sure your tank is operating correctly, automates a bunch of tasks for you, and is a way to monitor your aquarium when you are outside of the home. Not only that, but a controller is scale-able to any aquarium. Once you have one, you can keep it with you if you upgrade and the resell value of well-known controllers like Neptune hold up very well.
#28 The Fishless Cycle – Shrimp Method
Back in the old days, there were two known ways of cycling a tank. Either you would purchase a few very hardy fish like Damels or you would purchase live rock and cycle your tank during the curing process. The first method was very cruel and the remaining Damels would be hostile to any new additions. The second method was messy, smelly, and could lead to various reef tank pests that you would have to deal with.
These days, there is fishless cycling. Usually, this is done by putting food in the tank and adding bacteria supplements. The best method in my mind is Melevsreef’s shrimp method. The shrimp method involves purchasing a jumbo headless shrimp from a grocery store, placing it in the aquarium for 3 days, and removing it. The decaying matter from the shrimp will start your cycle and you just measure levels until you have no ammonia and nitrites. It is a the simplest, cheapest, and sure fire way of cycling a tank.
#29 Your Tank Cycles Every Time You Add Livestock
Your Saltwater Reef Tank is a delicate ecosystem with a bacteria population that can support its current inhabitants. Every time you add additional bioload to the tank the bacteria in your system needs time to establish the population needed to support them. These means that your tank goes through another cycle. While not as long as your original, this concept is a must to understand and one of the main reasons things can go downhill quickly if you add too much livestock at once.
#30 Rinse Don’t Wash Before Putting Your Hands in Your Aquarium
You are going to put your hands in the tank, you may think about washing your hands before doing so. Don’t do it. Conventional soaps contain antibacterial chemicals that can harm your tank. Instead, just rinse your hands and arms up to the length you feel that will be touched by your aquarium water. Just rinse them with fresh water and paper towel dry them. Aqua gloves work great as well.
#31 Don’t Chase Aquarium Parameters
We see the list from forums and online sites listing ideal parameters. Yes, you should try to maintain your parameters, but do not obsess over it. Let your tank fall into its groove. Dose the proper amount to get within range, not exact. Inspect your tank to see if everything is healthy and keep up with your maintenance. Everyone’s tank is different – just stay in range and don’t obsess.
#32 Aquarium Test Kits are Not Created Equally
Recall word of wisdom #18 about never compromising on quality. Test Kits are not created equally. Those cheap test kits from Petco are not going to do the job for a saltwater reef tank. Look for high grade saltwater test kits like Salifert, Red Sea, and Hanna.
#33 Supplement, Wait, Then Adjust
When you are initially getting started on a dosing schedule, start slow. It is better to supplement less then more or the recommended amount to start. Work your way up slowly and wait a week before making any adjustments to the schedule. Also, if you do not test for the supplement you are dosing – do not dose it.
#34 Don’t Worry About Trying to Grow Coralline Algae
This is common for newcomers to the hobby. You will get all amped up about growing that purple algae and buy stuff like purple up. Coralline algae is actually quite easy to grow once your tank stabilizes. All it needs is consistent calcium and alkalinity levels – which can be done by consistent water changes. Don’t buy that purple up, just get a good rock from a trusted reef keeper that you know, keep up with your maintenance, and let nature takes its course. After a few months, you’ll be wishing it wouldn’t grow on your aquarium glass.
#35 Dry Rock Rules!
Aquarium Dry Rock Rules! There are so many advantages to using dry rock instead of live rock. You can cut it and shape the rock, you can aquascape it freely, it has zero pests, it saves the wild reef, and it is cheaper. Get a piece of coralline encrusted rock from a friend when you are ready to introduced coralline or purchase a colored dry rock like Caribsea Reef Rock.
Do be careful about starting too sterile as this can result in dinoflagellates. You might want to consider getting some donation live rock from your aquarium club or a friend when you first cycle your tank.
#36 People With Awesome Looking Aquarium Scenes
It is not as simple as getting a bunch of rock and putting it into the tank to create a great looking scape. Several featured tank of the months on forums you see are masterfully aquascaped through a lot of planning. Rockwork is drilled, cut, epoxied, and chiseled. It is usually done with aquarium dry rock and the rockwork is laid out on card board to visualize the aquascape. It is an artwork in itself.
#37 Epoxying Rocks is a Dirty Secret for Bare Bottom Aquarium
You have likely seen several incredible looking bare bottom tanks or even tanks with floating rocks. How do they do it? Well, they epoxy their rocks down during the aquascaping process. The biggest risk in a bare bottom tank is the lack of cushion and rocks can damage the glass if it takes a hard enough tumble. With sand beds we have a little cushion and some reef hobbyists will use eggcrate for an additional safeguard.
With a barebottom tank there is no cushion so the best safeguard is to epoxy down the rocks to ensure they do not slide, slip, or fall.
#38 Beware Buying Livestock Secondhand!
You likely have seen it on craigslist. A killer deal on a fully setup saltwater reef tank with fish and coral included. Buyer beware! First off, moving a fully stock tanked is a ton of work as explained in words of wisdom #13. Second, if you purchase the rock every mistake that previous owner make is going to be inherited with your purchase. Third, you have no idea of the condition of the fish. Yes, they could look healthy but just like at the local fish store you never know.
All these fish should be quarantined before placing in a display tank. All this work and caution alone just makes me avoid them. Have the local fish store take their stuff or have a quarantine tank ready.
#39 Know How to Select a Fish
Knowing how to select a fish goes hand in hand with the next point below. Is thefish compatible with what you already have? How big will it get? Is it reef safe? What does it eat? Once you have that down it’s time to look for physical signs. Is the fish swimming well, does it have puffy lips, any white spots, are the fins intact, does it have any cuts, is the fish’s thick instead of thin.
The last thing to look for does it eat. Never buy a fish from a fish store unless you see it eat at the store. If it is not eating, you are going to have a hard time during the quarantine process keeping them healthy. Online stores can be difficult to purchase from because you never see the fish. You will want to research the store’s reputation from reviews and forums about the quality of the shipped livestock to get the best idea.
#40 Quarantine Your Fish
Not quarantining your fish is asking for trouble. It’s like playing Russian roulette. Anyone who has been in this hobby long enough and has not quarantined fish has likely losses lots of money from preventable diseases that could have been avoided from quarantining.
All it takes is one fish that you add in your tank with ich or marine velvet to infect your entire tank. After the tank has been wiped out, you then you have to wait several weeks for the disease to pass (or worse with marine velvet – several months). There are four tried and methods for quarantining fish that I have detailed out in my How To Quarantine Fish Series:
Hypersaliny Method
Copper Method
Chloroquine Phosphate Method
The Tank Transfer Method
Save yourself the future pain of loss and invest in a quarantine tank. You can prepare for one now if you have a tank already by placing a sponge in your sump.
#41 Don’t Buy a Fish Your System Cannot Handle
If you have a nano tank, do not go buying a Unicorn Tang. Yes, you may think to yourself now I will just get a bigger tank when they get larger, but the reality is things may change in your life in the next year or so where you may no longer be in the market for that upgrade. If you have a small tank, purchase fish that stay small.
If you have a reef tank, do not purchase butterfly fish. If you have small fish, do not buy a grouper or a lion fish. Do the research for the sake of your fish, wallet, and sanity. Sticking to what you know will work with what you have right now is what you need to be aiming.
#42 Don’t Buy a Saltwater Fish Because It Looks Cool
As a novice, we were all guilty at this at some point. Every now and then the local fish store will stock a rare fish or an exotic fish like a Moorish Idol. It’s hard to resist the urge, but don’t do it. Always research first and make sure you know what the fish needs. Also, don’t buy a fish because you see it as a character in a movie (I’m taking to you Finding Nemo and Finding Dory fans). Know what you are getting into.
#43 Damsels Suck and So Do Large Clownfish
Some of you may have gone to a local fish store already and heard from the rep that damsels are good starter fish because they are hardy. My advice – don’t do it. Most damsels suck. They are highly aggressive and will harass future inhabitants you want to introduce later on. They are also a huge pain to get out of the aquarium once they become problematic.
The same goes with large clownfish like Maroon Clownfish. Maroon clowns not only get large, but they are just as aggressive as damsels. Clownfish are part of the damsel family after all.
If you are thinking about adding a damsel, place check out my blog post about less aggressive damsels and how to add them properly.
#44 Respect the Tang Police
The Tang Police has a polarizing reputation in the saltwater aquarium community. For those of you who do not know, a Tang is one of the larger fish you can add to your aquarium. Most the most part, Tangs are the fish that catch many hobbyist eyes. They are active, herbivores, and wonderful fish to have. Given their size, they really should only be placed in tanks at minimum 4 feet in length for smaller tangs — and 6 feet for many others.
Some hobbyist think the tang police are overreaching, judgmental, and ruthless. Others think they are protecting the well being of these beautiful fish and protecting you from serious mistakes. My take is both sides have a point.
Part of being a successful reef aquarist is having patience and restraint, knowing the limits of your aquarium system and making the best decisions for your long-term success and the well-being of your animals. Make your own decision where you stand, but respect the tang police.
#45 Your Fish Don’t Need That Much Food
Fish are greedy – that’s a simple fact. They will greet every time and give you this sad little look begging you to feed them. Growing up as a kid with a reef tank, this was a daily struggle with my father who couldn’t help himself and feed the fish every time they gave him the little puppy dog eyes.
The fact of the matter is that fish do not need much food. You could only feed what your fish can consume quickly and completely. no extra food should be left at the bottom of the tank. Often for nutrient dense foods like pellets, a pinch is all that is needed. Reef tanks will also produce copepods, amphipods, and algae that many fish will eat. There is plenty of food to go around and overfeeding will just lead to excessive nutrients for algae growth that you do not want.
#46 Don’t Add Fish Too Fast
Recall point #2 about being patient. You can do a ton of damage to your tank by adding fish too fast. Adding too fast will throw off the balance in your bacteria cycle, overload your bioload, cause all sorts of algae blooms from the spike in nutrients, introduce disease due to the added stress, and worse cause a tank crash. Just remember – be patient and go slowly. Do not end up like this lady below:
#47 Don’t Hand Feed Your Fish
If you have fish like a trigger or an eel, just play it safe and don’t hand feed them. As cool as it is to have them eat out of your hand, it’s a very painful lesson when they bite your fingers. Eels have very poor slight and your finger can be mistaken for food. The most aggressive triggers like Clown Triggers should not be trusted for hand feedings. All full grown Clown Trigger jaw’s are powerful enough to bite off your finger. Be smart and use a feeding stick.
#48 Take Extreme Measures When a Fish Gets Sick
I have seen it happen way too many times. A fish gets sick and the aquarium owner tries to treat the display tank or they get one of those new age medications that is invert safe or they buy garlic or a cleaner wrasse. I say no to all of that. If a fish gets sick – EVERYTHING gets pulled out of the tank. Fish all go into quarantine and inverts are pulled into their own tank. All I leave in the tank are the rocks and the coral. I do not mess around with medications – I go straight with what works.
Copper or Chloroquine Phosphate for Ich and Marine Velvet. Treat the fish for at least six weeks. If a fish gets sick again, the clock resets. The time is needed to give the display tank time for the infection to starve itself out and time to remove the sickness from your fish. Any sickness a fish gets is potentially deadly to them. Therefore quick and decisive action is a must!
#49 You Don’t Need as Big as a Clean-up Crew That Stores Claim You Need
Your clean-up crew needs change as your tank gets mature and stocked. Clean up crew sellers will often sell you a full package of cleaners for your tank containing various snails, hermits, etc. My advice to you is do not purchase these packages. You actually do not need as much as they sell. In fact, most of these packages are large because there is a high likelihood that you will lose several of your members.
Most of the time, your tank is not ready for the amount of inverts these packages have and your crew will slowly starve itself out. Instead, just purchase 1 emerald crab and get a few reliable Trochus snails to start out and slowly increase from there. You can learn more about great clean up crew members in my previous post. You can also reduce the need for clean up members by using algae in your sump or a algae turf scrubber.
#50 Dip Your Corals
If you want to prevent coral pests from entering your tank from your coral purchases dipping your corals is a must. There are two ways to dip. You can purchase a specialized dip like Coral RX Coral Dip Pro or you can dip with Bayer Advanced Insect Killer. The Coral RX method is pretty well known and the Bayer method is more advanced.
Either one works great – just make sure you dip. If anything falls out of your corals consider quarantining or returning it. It is even better if you quarantine your corals regardless, but not everyone is willing to do this. You will regret not if you end up with an annoying pest like Asterina Starfish.
#51 Frags Rule!
If you want variety, cheaper corals, and want to experience your reef growing over time, then frags are the way to go. Frags are readily available either through a local store or club frag swaps. It is such a great way to start out and grow in the hobby. You can also make your own Frag Tank and sell or trade corals with others! They are also much easier to handle and place where you want in your aquascaping because of their size. Just remember to leave enough space for everyone to grow.
#52 Don’t Buy a Coral Because It Looks Cool
This is so tempting to do when you are at a local fish store looking at the newest additions or seeing a rare coral in the WYSIWYG section online store. Research first, know what parameters it needs, the lighting, the flow needed, how aggressive it is etc. Also, buy corals in baby steps. If you are not growing basic corals, do not buy the advanced ones. If you only have soft corals don’t go jumping into Acropora SPS corals until you have more experience.
#53 Some Corals Grow Like Weeds and are Invasive
This is a tough lesson some of us have learned when we purchased bullet proof corals. Corals like green star polyps, pulsing xenias, and mushrooms are known for their high reproduction rates. When they are happy, they have the ability to spread like crazy in your tank and can easily take over the entire tank like this picture above of these pulsing Xenias. If you are thinking about getting these types of corals, make sure you know what you are getting yourself into.
#54 Carpet Anemones Suck
Don’t get me wrong carpet anemones are pretty cool and look great in a tank, but they are known for being poor shippers. The ones that do survive shipping can turn out to be deadly additions to your tank. They get very large and have voracious appetites. Many hobbyists who have tried to keep them quickly find out their anemone is a death trap for fish and inverts.
Large fish are not even safe. Once an carpet anemone stings its victim, the tissue damage caused by the sting leaves virtually no chance for the victim to survive. The sting is extremely potent. Check out this video of a carpet anemone eating a blue powder tang as an example:
Carpet Anemones should only be attempted by an advanced aquarist if not just left in the wild.
I know many coral fragging tutorial videos do not show safety equipment, but keep in mind that many of these recordings are done by experts or people who have been cutting frags for a long time.The most common hazard is getting coral juices and chucks in your eyes, but a word of caution of you are fragging zoanthids. Zoanthids contain a toxic called palytoxin, which is considered to be one of the most toxic non-protein substances known.
Play it safe and wear razor proof nitrile gloves, eye protection, and a breathing mask. You can call me overly cautious if you like – but I believe in safety first.
Final Thoughts
Wow that was a long post wasn’t it :). Well, I hope you enjoyed reading this blog post and took away some words of wisdom. As always, please share and subscribe to our newsletter to gave more great articles like this and specials from our store. If you have any tips you would like to share, please leave us a comment below. Thanks for reading and see you next time!
📘 Want to learn more? This article is part of our complete Saltwater Fish & Reef Guide — your ultimate resource for marine fish, coral care, reef setup, and more.
I’ve been keeping saltwater fish for over 25 years, and one of the things that never gets old is the sheer beauty of reef fish. When I set up my 125-gallon reef, choosing fish that were both compatible and visually stunning was a real process — you want fish that pop against corals and make the tank come alive. After keeping and observing hundreds of species over the years, these are my picks for the most beautiful saltwater fish you can actually keep in a home aquarium.
The 10 Most Beautiful Saltwater Fish
10. Volitan Lionfish
Stats:
Minimum Tank Size – 120 Gallons
Max Size – 15″
Reef Safe: With Caution
Temperament – Semi-Aggressive
Price – Around $40
One of my personal favorites. The lionfish is generally known to the public due to news of their invasiveness, but in the aquarium hobby they make a great display fish. They are pretty friendly and very hardy in the aquarium – often to the point of getting bullied by some more active fish like triggers and large angelfish. They will eat just about any fish it can fit in its mouth so they are best with larger fish. They can be kept in reef tanks as they will not harm corals, but may eat inverts. For those with smaller tanks, you can look at dwarf zebra lionfish which only grows to about 6″ and requires a 50 gallon tank.
9. Marine Betta
Stats:
Minimum Tank Size – 55 Gallons
Max Size – 8″
Reef Safe: Yes
Temperament – Peaceful
Price – Around $80
The marine betta is a very unique and peaceful fish. They are known for being extremely hardy with stories of them surviving tank wipe outs caused by parasitic infections and recovering from wounds without getting bacterial infections. The key with the marine betta is acclimation. They are very shy when introduced and often will do poorly with very active tank mates. They are also quite large, so they need to be placed with larger tank mates or kept well fed to prevent them from eating smaller fish.
They are known for being reef safe and will not bother inverts as long as they are fed well. They are a nocturnal fish but will adjust to the home and be quite showy to their owner once established.
8. Harlequin Tusk
Stats:
Minimum Tank Size – 125 Gallons
Max Size – 10″
Reef Safe: With Caution
Temperament – Semi-Aggressive
Price – Usually over $90
This looker hails from the Indian Ocean and Australia. They are a great addition to a fish only with live rock setup as they will get also with many other active fish like tangs, triggers, and angelfish. They will not harm corals, but it has been known to eat snails, shrimp, and crabs. The Australian varieties tend to be more colorful and more expensive then the Indian Ocean tusks.
7. Emperor Angelfish
Stats:
Minimum Tank Size – 220 Gallons
Max Size – 15″
Reef Safe: With Caution
Temperament – Semi-Aggressive
Price – Around $80 for juvenile and over $150 for adults
The emperor angelfish is a very bold and large angelfish. It has striking colors with a signature blue-black mask that covers its eyes. They are an excellent addition to a fish only with live rock aquarium and have also been reported to be safe in SPS dominated tanks. It is a large fish with a lot of personality, often becoming the dominant fish in the tank. If you want to know more about angelfish compatibility with reef tanks, you can refer to this reef safe angel fish sheet published by Reef Central users.
6. Flame Angelfish
Stats:
Minimum Tank Size – 70 Gallons
Max Size – 4″
Reef Safe: with caution
Temperament – Semi-Aggressive
Price – around $50
Usually when one wants to add an angelfish, this is usually the fish that comes to mind. The flame angelfish is a flashy addition to any tank. In reef tanks, they will usually end up being the most aggressive fish and should be added last. They are also reef safe with caution as some of them will nip at soft and stony corals. Keeping them well fed is the best way to prevent this. They will usually nip at polyps and zoas first. They are great additions to fish only and fish only with live rock (FOWLR) setups.
5. Lyretail Anthias
Stats:
Minimum Tank Size – 125 Gallons
Max Size – 5″
Reef Safe: Yes
Temperament – Semi-Aggressive
Price – Around $30…more for males
The Lyretail Anthias is flashy looking and a social butterfly in a community tank. Males look like the picture above while females are orange in color. They do best in groups with one male to multiple females. They are known to change sexes if a male is lacking, with the most dominant female turning to a male. They are great fish for a reef tank.
4. Lineatus Fairy Wrasse
Stats:
Minimum Tank Size – 90 Gallons
Max Size – 5″
Reef Safe: Yes
Temperament – Peaceful
Price – Over $200
The lineatus fairy wrasse is a very peaceful and active fish that is usually not seen in aquariums. Often considered the most beautiful fish among wrasses, this fish is typically in high demand and seen under what you see is what you get (WYSIWYG) sections of online vendors or special ordered through local fish stores. They are great additions for either reef or fish only tanks.
3. Sargassum Triggerfish
Stats:
Minimum Tank Size – 125 Gallons
Max Size – 10″
Reef Safe: With Caution
Temperament – Semi-Aggressive
Price – About $150
The sargassum triggerfish is known as the most reef safe triggerfish that you can add to your aquarium. Triggerfish in general are a blast to have in an aquarium because they have great personalities and the sargassum triggerfish does not disappoint. They will swim laps around your tank all day and it will vocalize using a grunting sound. The sargassum triggerfish will become a conversation piece in the home.
2. Red Sea Purple Tang
Stats:
Minimum Tank Size – 125 Gallons
Max Size – 10″
Reef Safe: Yes
Temperament – Semi-Aggressive
Price – Around $200
One of the most prized tangs in the aquarium due to its coloration. It is a rewarding tang to have and becomes hardy once established. They are aggressive towards other zebrasoma tangs and generally one of the more aggressive tangs available. They are very active in the tank gazing all day and swimming at all levels of the tank. They are a must have for anyone with a large reef tank.
1. Designer Clownfish
Stats:
Minimum Tank Size – 20 Gallons
Max Size – 3″ to 6″ depending on species
Reef Safe: Yes
Temperament – Semi-Aggressive with Maroon varieties being most aggressive
Price – Varies some go for over $200
Designer clownfish are fish that are specially raised through selective breeding to produce unique looking strip and fin pattern combinations. If you are looking for a unique looking clownfish, you will definitely find one if you look at designer clownfish. Their prices can get pretty high, especially for newer varieties.
Not everyone is a fan of designer clownfish. Natural clownfish available in the industry are beautiful in their own right and would also make it at the top of this list due to their looks, ease of care, compact size, and temperament. You can’t miss with either type in an aquarium. They are one of the best reef safe fish to own.
Miss Any of Your Favorite Fish? Let Us Known In the Comments Below!
What are some of your favorite fish? Let us known in the comments below. Thanks for reading.
📘 Want to learn more? This article is part of our complete Saltwater Fish & Reef Guide — your ultimate resource for marine fish, coral care, reef setup, and more.
Emerald crabs are one of my go-to recommendations for reef keepers dealing with bubble algae — they’re one of the few cleanup crew members that will actually go after valonia and related species rather than ignore it. I’ve kept them in my 125-gallon reef and they earn their spot. That said, like any crab, they come with caveats you should know before adding them to a mature reef.
The emerald crab is one of the most underrated members of the saltwater cleanup crew — and one of the best solutions for bubble algae (Valonia) that most other cleanup members won’t touch. After 25 years in the saltwater hobby and maintaining a reef tank, I’ve used emerald crabs to handle Valonia outbreaks that would otherwise require manual removal. They’re hardy, widely available, and generally reef-safe. One honest note from experience: large, well-fed emerald crabs are mostly benign, but very large, underfed individuals can become opportunistic and have been known to bother small corals or disturb sleeping fish. Keep them fed and keep population in check. Everything you need to know is in this guide.
As we saw in our previous post, the Emerald Crab was rated the #1 algae eater in a saltwater aquarium. I wanted to dive in deeper in this post about this crab and why this crab is a great addition to your saltwater tank. I’m going to break this post down Q A style for simplicity:
Species Overview
Scientific Name
Mithraculus sculptus
Common Names
Emerald Crab, Green Crab, Mithraculus Crab
Family
Majidae
Origin
Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico
Diet
Omnivore
Care Level
Easy
Temperaturement
Semi-aggressive
Minimum Tank Size
20 Gallons
Max Size
1.5 – 2 inches
Temperature Range
76 – 82 degrees F
pH Range
8.0 – 8.4
Salinity
1.025 or 35 PPT
Reef Safe
Yes
Available As Tank Bred
No
Filtration/Water Flow
Moderate
Water Type
Saltwater
Breeding
Egg-layer
Difficulty to Breed
Difficult to breed
Compatibility
Species-only tank or community tank
Where Do Emerald Crabs Come From?
Emerald crabs hail from the Caribbean Sea to the Gulf of Mexico1. They are nocturnal and will hide in caves and rock during most of the day. While primarily a scavenger of uneaten food, it is well known in aquariums to eat algae.
What Are They Compatible With?
Emerald crabs are compatible with just about every fish or invert you can place in the tank. Generally, as long as you food sources (waste, algae,and food from an established tank), they should not bother any fish, inverts, or coral in the tank. If they are starving, they may go after snails, smaller fish, and even polyps. As long as the crab is well-fed, they shouldn’t pose a threat to the other inhabitants in the tank. In most cases I have seen of them eating other animals, it was due to lack of food, poor water quality (which lead to drying inverts and fish), or overstocking.
In a mature tank, normally what we need to look out for are fish that might actually try to eat them. Avoid placing them with predatory fish such as hawkfish, triggers, puffers that are known for preying on them.
Bubble algae is mainly the algae it is known for eating and they usually end up on a reefer’s shopping list the first time they have a bubble algae outbreak and they are recommended on a forum or Facebook group.
What Do They Eat?
Crabs are scavengers and omnivorous. They will happily eat leftover meaty food and clear nuisance algae like bubble algae in the aquarium. You may want to consider supplemental feed if the emerald crab is new to your tank or you do not have enough algae for it to eat in the tank. Dried nori and and pellet foods are good choices for feeding. Nori, in particular is quite a show as you can hand feed it to them and they go nuts when feeding off it.
Will They Really Rid My Tank of Hair/Bubble Algae?
Yes and no actually. Yes, they will eat bubble & hair algae, but if your tank is infested with a large outbreak you should not rely on an emerald crab being able to remove all of it. You should consider manually removing what you can, reducing nutrients, and then having the emerald crab control and eliminate the leftover. You should also purchase from a store that can attest to the fact that they will eat bubble algae. There are some on-line stores that will guarantee this.
Is My Pet Dead?
This is a common question for newbies when their crab molts for the first time. Like shrimps, these emerald crabs will shed their exoskeleton as they grow leaving behind a what looks like a dead crab. Often times, the emerald crab will appear back out of hiding after a few days…sometimes a week. Either way, it is best to remove the molt or suspected dead tank as you see it to prevent any nutrient build up.
How Many Should I Get For My Tank?
They do not get too large – maxing out around 2 1/2″ and generally you will only need one or two in a tank. The general guidance has been one emerald tank for every 30 gallons, but this will depend on your rockwork setup and abundance of food in the tank. Overpopulating emerald crabs could lead to aggression among the crabs.
FAQs
Are they Aggressive?
Yes, they can be aggressive. However, the aggression is usually from the male. Emerald crabs get a really bad rap in the saltwater aquarium hobby because of aggressive males. If you know how to select a female crab, you generally should have less issues with them over the males.
Will They Consume Corals?
Generally, an Emerald Crab will not consume corals. They will eat dead or dying matter, which is why they can be mistaken for eating corals. They are merely eating a coral that is already damaged or dead.
Do They Eat Diatoms?
There have been reports from reef keepers that Emerald Crabs do in fact eat diatoms. They are a good member of a clean up crew when it comes to diatoms!
Any Other Questions? Leave Us A Comment Below!
What experiences have you had with this crab? Please leave your comments below or any questions you have.
📘 Want to learn more? This article is part of our complete Saltwater Fish & Reef Guide — your ultimate resource for marine fish, coral care, reef setup, and more.
In this post I’m going to highlight the Pulsing Xenia – one of the most unique soft corals available, but also a coral that needs to have a warning label for anyone looking to put one in their tank.
Species Overview
Pulsing Xenia goes by its scientific name Xenia elongata. It has study stalks covered with a crown of featherly polyps. The polyps open and and close in a pulsing motion which is where it gets its name from. As they grow, they group into colonies and spread into mats across the rockwork.
Scientific Name
Heteroxenia fuscescens
Common Name (Species)
Pulsing Xenia
Family
Xeniidae
Origin
Indo Pacific
Coral Type
Soft Coral
Diet
Nutrients via water absorption
Care Level
Easy
Activity
Active
Lifespan
Usually to 10 years
Temperment
Peaceful
Placement
All Areas
Minimum Tank Size
Any
Temperature Range
73 – 81 Degrees F
pH Range
8.1 – 8.4
Salinty
1.023 – 1.025
Lighting
Low to Moderate
Flow Rate
Medium to Strong Flow
Water Type
Saltwater
Breeding
Splitting or spreading across tank
Colors
Grey, Pink, Tan White
Dosing Required
No
Compatibility
All Corals
Pulsing Xenia in the Aquarium
Xenias tend to vary in hardiness. Some aquarists cannot keep them alive while others grow them so well that they become invasive in the tank. Usually this is because one’s tank actually may be too specialized for xenia. A SPS heavy tank would be a tank where Xenia would not grow as fast as SPS tank setups have as low phosphates and nitrates as possible while soft coral tanks have some phosphates and nitrates above trace amounts.
Usually a beginner reef tank has higher nutrient levels – which will make Xenia grow faster as they absorb these. The best chance for success would be to purchase a specimen that is aquacultured. They are easily found as aquacultured either from a local store, online, or even from local aquarists trimming them or wanting to get rid of them.
But what if you are visiting this post and actually want to get rid of them? Yes, that is the issue with these corals. They can grow so fast that they can overtake a tank. To illustrate, let me show you an example case from TRex from the reef2reef forum.
TRex’s tank was a 65 gallon reef tank that had a single pulsing xenia placed in. Within a year, the pulsing xenia had grown, reproduced, and completely taken over the tank:
Before:
After:
A picture says a thousand words doesn’t it?
Factors to Consider When Deciding on Purchasing
If the pictures above have not discouraged you, let’s talk about factors when purchasing a pulsing xenia. They are pretty corals no doubt and in a species only tank they are actually pretty breathtaking with the non-stop pulsing and movement in the tank. Here are some things to consider to prevent an invasion.
Place Them On An Island
Place the xenia on its own rock away from others. You will want to place them at least 4 or 5 inches away from any other rock. Any type of grow that appears on another rock should be removed immediately. Removal can be done by gently pulled out by walking a fingernail around the base of the coral to slowly loosen it. If you are planning to have them in your tank long-term, you will need to be prepare to trim them down as they grow to keep them contained.
Put Them in The Sump
Xenia feed off of Nitrate in the tank as they grow and would have uses in a refugium. The key is to regularly remove the growth so they can grow again and consume more nitrates. A Xenia refugium also serves as an excellent sanctuary for fry as they provide limitless hiding places. Here is a video from Troy V showing off his Xenia Refugium.
Consider a species only tank
A Xenia only tank is actually pretty breathtaking, though I personally would never consider one in a large display tank. If you have a smaller tank, it’s definitely something you can consider and would provide an easy to care coral. They actually are very compatible with clownfish as they readily host them.
Consider Having Nature Take Its Place By Placing More Aggressive Corals Near Them.
I have seen this as a last measure for reefers who have had their aquarium taken over, but do not want to break down their tank or remove rocks. Aggressive LPS corals like hammer, torch, and frogspawnsexcel at clearing the way with their sweeper tentacles. Any of these corals with etch out their own space and clear out anything within 4 or 5 inches from it. Anemones will also do the trick.
Let’s Hear Your Stories
Have a story or have pictures you would like to share about pulsing xenia growing in your tank or maybe you have a xenia tank of your own? Share in the comments below.
I started in this hobby on a tight budget, and I still remember hunting Craigslist and local fish store sales for deals on tanks. Getting a good price on a fish tank is absolutely possible — I’ve helped friends score quality setups for a fraction of retail — but you need to know what to look for and what red flags to avoid. These five tips are exactly what I’d tell anyone walking into the used tank market today.
Fish tanks are expensive. It can be very discouraging for a newcomer wants to get involved in something like a saltwater tank and then finds out how expensive the hobby is to get started. Is there such thing as cheap fish tanks? There definitely is if you know where to look and are patient to wait for good deal. Today’s post breaks down 5 tips to get you the best deal on cheap fish tanks.
How To Get The Cheap Fish Tanks (And 5 Tips)
1. The dollar per gallon sales
A few times every year, the chain pet stores, namely Petco, have a dollar per gallon sale. These dollar per gallon sales have tanks from 10, 20, 29, 40, and 55 gallon tanks all selling for $1 per gallon. You might actually get lucky in your area and have 75 gallon tanks available for $1 per gallon. These tanks are made by Aqueon, which is a quality aquarium manufacturer that has been around for years. You need to be aware of when these stores have their sales, but luckily there is one site that publishes the dates of these sales.
While you will get the tank itself for cheap, you may still be spending quite a lot of money on suitable equipment. For those looking for a cheap fish tank that has most or all of your equipment need. There is a better option.
2. Buy Used
Buying used is the best way to acquire cheap fish tanks. There are three sources I’m going to list here and explain why they are great way to get a tank
Craigslist can be a cheap fish tank goldmine. You will want to search for “fish”, “aquarium”, and “tank” and then look at all the recent listings. Craigslist is a real-time classified so check often. With Craigslist, the larger the tank, the better the deal as many of these people selling are looking to off load their aquarium as soon as possible. Here are a few examples of craiglist listings that I found looking around:
180 gallon 6 foot long aquarium complete reef setup with lacquer stand and canopy – $750
120 gallon 6 foot long reef ready aquarium with canopy and stand – $450
46 gallon bowfront tank with canopy and stand – $99
Aquarium clubs are another great resource. The advantage with aquarium clubs is that you will usually get a high quality setup that is complete and well taken care of. You would need to check on the forums of these clubs to see if there are any tanks anyone is selling. You can check out our list of aquarium clubs to see a list of clubs in the US that are close to you.
Friends and family are potentially an avenue to get a free tank. A lot of the time these aquariums are sitting in an attic in a garage. Friends and family are usually happy to have you take their tanks. This was actually how I started out in the hobby many years ago from a 65 gallon aquarium that was sitting in an uncle’s garage unused. Nothing beats a free fish tank. You never know what is out there unless you ask around.
3. Know What Questions to Ask and What to Look Out For
Buying a used fish tank requires a some due diligence on your part to ensure you purchase a good tank. Here are a few questions to ask and what to inspect.
Questions to ask:
Ask for dimensions and references dimensions with this calculator – It is common for Craigslist posters to post the incorrect tank volume
Ask what the aquarium was used for and what it housed – do not purchase a tank used to house rodents or reptiles as these tanks may not be watertight or have damage to their seals
Has the tank been drilled – watch for glass patches if they have been covered up
Ask for a leak test – if the seller balks consider walking from the deal as most sellers should not mind this request
Where has the tank been stored? Tanks stored in a hot garage or outside are red flags as the heat can affect the silicone and cause leaks down the road.
What to inspect:
What does the glass look like? Is it scratched, cloudy? How bad is the damage?
Check for cracks – obvious cracks are easy to see but check for hairline cracks as well. These can go unnoticed and can hold water, but spell long-term disaster
If glass, check the silicone seals – look for beads that are solid and pliable
If drilled, inspect the drill sites for cracks
Bring a flashlight with you – this will allow you to inspect cracks and scratches more easily
Look at the stand for signs of warping, cracks, or mold damage. Scratches or peeled finish is fine as you can refinish the tank.
For acrylic tanks, inspect the bracing and for visible signs of bowing.
4. Don’t Purchase the Livestock
Often times you will see a listing where the seller is trying to sell a complete setup with fish, coral/plants, live rock, etc included. I would advise against purchasing the livestock unless you are experienced with handling an aquarium move. Moving an aquarium, especially a large aquarium is one of the most stressful activities you can undertake in the hobby. If the seller has a rare fish or coral that you want, consider purchasing it separately and quarantining it until your tank is established. I would not factor in the price of livestock on a listing. Try to negotiate with the seller to purchase only the equipment.
Often times, the seller can give the livestock to a local fish store or advanced hobbyist who has the means to handle the move. If you chose to purchase livestock, the safest livestock to purchase would be live rock (Amazon Affiliate links ahead). Live rock can be stored in a black stock tank with cheap power heads and an aquarium heater(food grade buckets work for smaller live rock purchases). Corals can be safe to purchase as well, but given the availability of frags these days, I would recommend just getting frags from a local reefer when your tank is ready.
When purchasing live rock. The best way to move it in a display tank is to “cook” the live rock. Melev’s Reef has a great video explaining the process. The reason why we want to do this is to reset the live rock. This prevents all the pests that and the nuisance algae from entering your display tank. This also effectively quarantines the live rock from parasites if you cook it long enough (6-8 weeks while switching out containers every transfer like in the video).
5. Prices Are Negotiable
Prices for listing are often not firm – especially on craigslist. If you find a listing that is new and listed under the title of a moving sale or “must sell quickly” jump on it right away. The newer the listing, the better the chance you will have at negotiating a better price. Many of people who list on Craigslist just want to get the aquarium out of their hands as soon as possible versus getting the best price for it.
Even if they have a price listed, ask the seller what they would take for it to get it off their hands that day. You would be surprised how often you will get a lower number than what it is originally listed for. The worst thing that can happen is they say no and you just wait another week for a good listing to pop up. People exit the hobby all the time and good deals are literally a dime a dozen especially if you live in a big city.
Negotiating off an aquarium club listing is harder to do because often times the seller is willing to wait it out or knows the value of the equipment they are selling. For these listings, it may be better to consider purchasing separate components of the setup as these sellers are more open to doing this. This is a really great way on getting quality equipment. The best equipment to buy used would be:
If you purchased a used tank setup, it will likely not be cleaned and you will need to get it ready to be used. The best cleaners to use on an aquarium and equipment would be distilled white vinegar that you can pick up cheap at a store like Target.This should be able to get most of the equipment looking like new after an overnight bath in the solution. It should be able to handle most used aquariums. I’m going to suggest some products below. Please note, affiliate links will be included for which I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you should you make a purchase)
For aquarium stands, it’s going to be depend on the condition of the stand. If it is in good condition, a simpler cleaner like Feed N Wax should make it looks like new again.For stands that are not in good shape, you may want to consider refinishing the cabinet with an oil based primer and paint. We recommended Kilz Oil-Based Primers and Java Gel Stain for refinishing projects. You can seal stain with Spar Urethane.
Choosing New – Cheap Aquarium Packages
While searching for a used tank can save you money, sometimes buying new makes more sense. Below are two examples for freshwater appropriate starter kits that are smaller and will get you started on your way.
Tetra 20 Gallon Aquarium Kit – Starter kit for the freshwater beginner
Tetra glass tanks are made in the USA and this 20 gallon starter kitcomes with several things to get you started. It has an LED hood, a UL rated heater, and Tetra Whisper filter, one boxwood plant mat, and four artificial plants to get you started. The 20 gallon tank has good dimensions being 24″ in length and 16″ in height and should serve a good beginner freshwater tank. The nice addition is Tetra’s aquarium app, which provides guidance, recommendations, and reminders to help you succeed! While the whisper filter isn’t the best powerfilter out there, it is a reasonable filter for a beginner and can be upgraded later.
Aqueon’s 20 gallon kit has a higher end power filter with Aqueon’s Quietflow 10, but it is a little undersized for the package. The heater is a plug and play preset heater configured to 78 degrees. You get to choose your plants and rocks with this kit as it does not come with either.
Easy to Find if You Are Patient – Tell Us Your Story
Tell us your story below in the comments about how you purchased a cheap fish tank. We also know that not all listings will include the equipment you want or need so after you purchase a used tank you can come check out our aquarium supplies for new equipment from top-quality brands. Let us know your thoughts and stories in the comment below.
If you want ideas of what tank you can build, check this out too. You can also check out our video above from our YouTube Channel. If you enjoy it, please be sure to subscribe! See you next time :).
After 25 years in this hobby, I still get excited by freshwater species that most people overlook. The assumption that you need a saltwater tank for exotic fish is flat-out wrong — some of the most unusual, beautiful animals I’ve kept have been freshwater. These are the ten I’d recommend to anyone ready to go beyond the basics.
Most people assume you need a saltwater tank to keep truly exotic fish — I’d push back on that hard. In 25+ years I’ve come across freshwater species that stop people cold when they see them for the first time. The issue is that many of these fish are genuinely challenging: some are hyper-aggressive, some need massive tanks, and a few are outright scary to feed. That’s part of what makes them interesting. Here are my top 10 picks that I’ve either kept personally or studied closely enough to give you real guidance on.
10 Most Exotic Freshwater Fish
1. Wolf Cichlid
Stats:
Minimum Tank Size – 75 gallons
Max Size – Around 28 inches
Temperament – VERY Aggressive
Lifespan – 30 years
Price – $20
A relatively plain-looking fish as an adult so you may be wondering why this Cichlid makes our most exotic freshwater fish list. Well, it’s because this fish is hyper-aggressive. It is easily the most aggressive cichlid you can buy and arguably the most aggressive freshwater fish commonly available.
They are a total handful, they are usually best kept alone in a tank as they will harass any other fish in the aquarium and they are scary to feed. Just look at this video by Mbuna Marcus of his Wolf Cichlid. Several times in this video his Wolf Cichlid went right for his fingers while eating and splashes water over his floors! These fish do not mess around!
9. Vampire Tetra
Stats:
Minimum Tank Size – 75 gallons
Max Size – Around 12 inches
Temperament – Aggressive
Lifespan – 2 years in captivity
Price – $75+
This is one crazy-looking exotic freshwater fish. They have giant front teeth which are where the name vampire comes from. They are very aggressive fish that require expert-level maintenance. Most of these fish usually will not live very long in captivity, unfortunately. They usually only eat live fish and will rarely accept frozen foods. They are best suited for a species-only aquarium with most aquarists who keep them only having a single fish in the tank.
8. Red Texas Cichlid
Stats:
Minimum Tank Size – 75 gallons
Max Size – Around 12 inches
Temperament – Aggressive
Lifespan – Around 5-10 years
Price – Usually around $150-200 at 6 inches
This hybrid cichlid was created by breeding a Texas Cichlid and a Flowerhorn Cichlid. They are difficult to find and usually available seasonally from breeders. They command a high price tag since they are hard to find.
7. African Cichlids
Stats:
Minimum Tank Size – 40 gallons
Max Size – Up to 24 inches though usually 6-7 inches
Temperament – Semi-Aggressive to Aggressive
Lifespan – Around 5-10 years
Most Expensive – Showcase African Varieties usually $120+
There are so many African cichlid types we could list here. Since many of them are often confused as saltwater fish by many people who see them for the first time, I felt that it was best to include most of the African lake cichlids in one group. There are some Africans that you can get for cheap like assorted Mbunas from a local fish store. However, there are specific varieties of Africans that can command prices over $100. If you are interested in learning more about African Cichlid tanks and care, please be sure to check our earlier blog post.
6. Flowerhorn Cichlid
Stats:
Minimum Tank Size – 70 gallons
Max Size – 15 inches
Temperament – Aggressive
Lifespan – Around 7 years
Most Expensive – Breeder Showcase Varieties $500+
A very beautiful exotic freshwater fish that originates from Malaysia. In Asia, they are considered a bringer of good luck. Flowerhorn Cichlids come in a variety of colors including reds, blues, pinks, yellows, and oranges. They are an aggressive Cichlid species and prefer large tanks all to themselves.
5. Pleco
Stats:
Minimum Tank Size – 70 gallons
Max Size – 18 inches
Temperament – Peaceful
Lifespan – Around 20 years
Most Expensive – L250 Pleco $10,000+
While most hobbyists will think a Pleco is a common freshwater fish, they really are a unique exotic freshwater fish. Many varieties like Snowball, Zebra, Golden Nugget and Royal Plecos are examples on how exotic-looking Plecos can be. There are common plecos which can get fairly large typically around 12-18 inches in length and there are smaller varieties like Bristle Nose Plecos which are suitable for smaller aquariums.
The most expensive Pleco to date was the L250 Pleco sold back in 2004 for over $10,000 in Japan; however, most Plecos do not sell anywhere near that. There are several types of Plecos that will sell for over $100 though.
4. Discus
Stats:
Minimum Tank Size – 75 gallons
Max Size – 8 – 10 inches
Temperament – Peaceful
Lifespan – Around 10 years
Most Expensive – Mated Pair Discus $1,000+
When one thinks of exotic freshwater fish, this is usually the fish most people think of. They can be expensive, have a variety of colors, are very delicate, and require excellent water parameters. Discus belong to the Cichlid genus and originate from South America. They are very social with members of their own species. They will also breed in the aquarium, which has created an industry of cichlid breeders where some top strains will sell for several hundred to thousands of dollars.
They are considered very challenging where they even intimate advanced aquarium keepers! If you are considering Discus and are new to keeping them, starting with an easier to keep discus breeder varieties like Stendker Discus or purchasing only domestically breed discuss will increase your chances to succeed.
3. Freshwater Stingrays
Stats:
Minimum Tank Size – 180 gallons
Max Size – Up to 3 feet
Temperament – Semi-Aggressive
Lifespan – Around 10 years
Most Expensive – Polka Dot Stingray $100,000
When most of us think about stingrays, we think about the saltwater variety. There are freshwater varieties that originate from the Amazon. Beautiful, bold, and unique looking they are difficult to resist if you have a big enough aquarium. This exotic fresh fish is also venomous. While there are no known cases of a freshwater stingray causing a human fatality, they have been cases where the sting has caused numbness at the wound site several years later!
The rarest stingrays also command high price tags. One such stingray at the Taiwan Expo featured a Polka Dot Stingray with an asking price of $100,000!
2. Arowana
Stats:
Minimum Tank Size – 125 gallons
Max Size – 3 Feet
Temperament – Aggressive
Lifespan – Up to 50 years
Most Expensive – Platinum Arowana $300,000
An extremely popular freshwater fish due to its prehistoric cosmetic appearance, the Arowana is well known exotic freshwater fish. They are known for jumping as high as 6 feet in the air for prey in the wild and have been known to jump out of aquariums. They get very large and are usually housed in an aquarium at least 125 gallons or larger. A common Arowana can be purchased for around $50 to a few hundred dollars.
However, certain Arowanas can fetch extreme price tags. Prized Arowana like the Platinum Arowana can sell for over $300,000!. These Arowanas are considered so valuable that they have microchips implanted into them before they reach sexual maturity to help identify and authenticate it.
1. Japanese Koi
Stats:
Minimum Tank Size – 1000 gallons
Max Size – 3 Feet
Temperament – Peaceful
Lifespan – Around to 30 years
Most Expensive – Golden Carp $2,000,000+
In Japanese culture, the Koi fish is celebrated as a noble creature. It is said that Japanese Koi are able to climb large waterfalls bravely, which symbolizes that incredible achievement is possible with hard work. It is also said in Koi lore that if a Koi fish is caught, it will lie on the cutting board awaiting its death without fear, similar to the Samurai warriors. There are also legends stating that if a Koi climbed the waterfall on the Yellow River, it would be transformed to a Koi Dragon.
With such great history, lore, long life spans, and respect for these fish, there is no question for this fish to be #1 on our most exotic freshwater fish list. In fact, the most expensive koi on the list demands a staggering price tag of over $2,000,000! You can see the prized fish in the video below:
What Has Been Your Experience With These Exotic Freshwater Fish?
Have you kept any of these fish on this list? If so, share your experiences in the comments below. We would love you hear about your experiences.
Every time Finding Dory gets rediscovered on streaming, I see the same thing happen: demand for Blue Hippo Tangs spikes, and a wave of impulse purchases follows. I was working at a fish store when Finding Nemo came out and watched the same thing happen with clownfish — and I’ve seen the aftermath in both cases. Blue Hippo Tangs are beautiful fish, but they’re also one of the most challenging tangs to keep long-term. They need large tanks (100 gallons minimum, and bigger is better), they’re highly susceptible to ich, and they don’t do well when stressed. Before you add one to your reef, here’s what you actually need to know.
There are so many opportunities to teach children – biological, chemistry, trade skills from DIY projects, plumbing, software, etc. I’m going a little bit off topic in my excitement though – I promise you I will follow up in a later post about the benefits and activities you can work on with your family when you have an aquarium.
What is The Dory Fish
Realistic Expectations Regarding the Dory Fish
Alternative similiar looking fish
Selection and Introduction
Nutritional requirements
Care requirements
So What Is A Dory Fish?
Scientific Name
Paracanthurus hepatus
Common Name (Species)
Blue Hippo Tang, Regal Tang, Blue Tang, Dory Fish, Pacific Blue Tang, Pacific Regal Blue Tang, Blue Tang Fish
Family
Acanthuridae
Origin
Indo Pacific
Diet
Omnivore
Care Level
Moderate to Difficult
Activity
Active
Lifespan
Up to 20 years
Temperment
Semi-aggressive
Tank Level
All Areas
Minimum Tank Size
120 Gallons
Temperature Range
73 – 81 Degrees F
pH Range
8.1 – 8.4
Filtration/Flow Rate
All
Water Type
Saltwater
Breeding
Difficult – tank bred available
Compatibility
Semi-Aggressive tanks
Ok, For Reef Tanks?
Yes
Ok, For Inverts?
Mostly Yes
The Dory Fish is known by various names including Blue Tang, Regal Tang, Blue Hippo Tang, Blue Surgeonfish, Indo-Pacific Blue Tang or by its scientific name Paracanthurus hepatus. These tangs are found in the Indo-Pacific from East Africa to Japan and swim at depths of 30 to 130 feet.
The terms Tang and Suregonfish actually refer to the extremely sharp spines on each side of the fish’s tail, which are said to resemble surgeon’s scalpels. These spines remain flat against the fish’s body and extend only when they are threatened or alarmed.
They are recognized for their vibrant coloring, yellow tail, and bold black markings. They are capable of adjusting their color intensity of their hue from light blue to deep purple. These colors will often fad as the fish ages.
Adults average about 12 inches in length and can be found living alone, in pairs, or in schools of 10-12. They are known to live as long as 30 years in the wild – which is longer than any cat or dog! Blue Hippo Tang is a very active fish. It will easily swim miles a day in the ocean looking for food and may move seasonally. They feed on algae and use their sharp teeth to rip algae off rocks and corals. Their diet is not only important for the tang fish itself, but also for the health of reefs as they prevent algae from overgrowing and suffocating corals.
Realistic Expectations of a Dory Fish (Blue Hippo Tang) in an Aquarium
So we have learned that a blue hippo tang can grow to a foot long, can outlive your cat or dog, and swim miles every day. What does that mean in a salwater aquarium? After all, you likely have seen a small 1 inch blue hippo tang for sale at your local fish or chain store. Please do not let this fool you. A small 1 inch blue hippo tang will quickly outgrow a small aquarium and needs a needs a proper tank tank size for a long and healthy life.
A Blue Hippo Tang (paracanthurus hepatus) needs a proper tank with plenty of space to move around because as we all know Dory just loves to keep swimming! So what does proper tank mean? Well, I’m going to be very honest with you. Dory is a large fish and therefore requires a very large tank with lots of swimming room. So this means the following:
Minimum tank length – 60 inches
Minimum tank volume – 120 gallons
Recommended tank length – 72 inches
Recommended tank volume – 180 gallons
I know these recommendations are going to be outside of many people’s budgets or wants in the home, but I would rather be honest and realistic about the requirements about the blue hippo tang. I have seen far too many local store happily sell a 1″ blue hippo tang to a new hobbyist with a small tank without thinking twice about the care and requirements. I’m all about responsible aquarium keeping and want to ensure you are successful for the long-term.
Even Petco is starting to get on-board with notices about Dory care
If getting a large tank is something not feasible for you, but you still want a Dory you are still in good shape because there are fish are would make an excellent alternative.
Alternatives
The best example of a similar looking fish to a Dory or Blue Hippo Tang are yellow-tail damsels. I have been in the aquarium industry for many years and you would be surprised how often I would hear “Look – a baby Dory!” – from a child pointing at the yellow-tail damsel in a tank. In fact, my story was so interesting that I was actually interviewed by the Huffington Post about my experience with the Blue Hippo Tang and the yellow-tail damsel.
Not only is the yellow-tail damsel much smaller than the blue tang, but it is also very hardy. In fact, many damsels from the Chysipetra genus would make good alternative with their vibrate blue and yellow colors. I actually wrote a blog post earlier about them that you can read about here.
There are also some fish among Nemo’s group of friends from the first movie that would make good additions to a saltwater aquarium – including the Gurgle the Royal Gamma and Nemo himself that I wrote about earlier in my Top 10 Saltwater Fish List. Even if you are going to get your own Dory, these fish make perfect tank-mates for them.
Selection and Introduction
If I have not scared you off in purchasing a regal blue tang, then I take it you know full well the requirements of keeping this fish so I will continue on. When selecting a blue hippo tang, it is best to purchase a tang at least 3 inches, not thin, actively feeding, and shows no physical signs of disease. The truth with the blue hippo tang is they are highly susceptible to parasites like ich and marine velvet as well as head and lateral line disease.
I have seen far too many tank crashes where a blue hippo tang is added, they get ich, then the tank quickly crashes as the disease spreads. Because of this, it is highly recommended that you quarantine a blue hippo tang before introducing them to your display tank. The quarantine period will help ensure that your fish is healthy before introducing them to your main tank. Outside of proper selection and quarantine, the main reason why these fish often get sick is lack of space (which I covered earlier) – and lack of nutrition.
Nutritional Requirements
The blue hippo tang is an omnivorous saltwater fish and providing them with a solid mix of meaty and green based foods is absolutely critical in keeping your tang healthy and happy. Seaweed probably the best green source you can feed your tang. One of the biggest secrets out there if you can get your tang to eat it is actually Nori sheets from your grocery store. They are way cheaper than the seaweed products that sellers like myself can get and you can pick them up locally.
Please ensure that seaweed is the only ingredient and no salt is added. Romaine lettuce and spinach work as well, but there is some debate about this from purists in the reefing community that feel that greens of a marine origin are best. They also are not as nutritious as seaweed.
A feeding clip is incredible handy for feeding Tangs. These clips allow the blue hippo tang to naturally graze and keeps the seaweed from spreading around your tank. It may take some time for them to get used to eating this way, but once they get used to the clip it will be a feeding frenzy every time! Here is an example of a Palting from the ReefCentral forum feeding his tangs Nori from the grocery store:
For meaty foods, I would recommend LRS Foods. LRS foods are one of the finest saltwater fish foods in the world, used by top breeders in Europe and North America. You want to get top quality food for a blue tang as nutrition is such a critical aspect from keeping them disease food.
Care Requirements
A Blue Hippo Tang is a large saltwater fish that require quality water, filtration, and oxygenation. I would not recommend a hang-on back setup for tank with a Blue Hippo Tang. You absolutely have to go with a sump setup and quality protein skimmer and/or algae turf scrubber. The sump will provide you with additional tank volume, stability, and utility for added equipment like auto top offs and controllers which you will likely want to invest in order to ensure your aquarium is as stable as possible. Blue tangs live in environments with natural strong flow and lots or rocks so the flow and aquascaping of a mixed reef tank definitely suits them.
They are generally compatible with most other aquarium fish, but be very careful with keeping more than one. Two blue tangs in a single reef tank will often show aggression except in very large tanks. They are also known for getting aggressive in smaller tanks, which is another reason I recommended a tank volume size of 180 gallons.
FAQs
Are They Aggressive?
Blue Hippo Tangs are considered semi-aggressive, which means they will be territorial and harass more timid fish. You can curb aggression with a larger tank. They are also aggressive to other tangs of the same sub-species. If you are considering multiple tangs, consider a tang of a different sub-species too maximize your chances of success.
What Do They Eat?
Blue Hippo Tangs are omnivornes, but do better with greens in their diets. A diet with greens like nori, spirulina, and algae are healthy for a blue tang. They will also eat meaty foods like mysis shrimp, brine shrimp, and black worms. A good frozen food to try is LRS Foods Herbivore Frenzy
Are They Hardy?
They are not as hardy as other tangs can be. They are very susceptible to ich and other marine fish diseases. Tangs like the Scopas, Kole, and Tomini tang are better candidates for first time tang keepers.
We are here to help you!
I have gone over what is a Dory fish, recommended tank size, introduction, nutrition, care, and even alternative fish. Following these guidelines and tips in this post will help you succeed in keeping your very own Dory (or “baby dory”). If you have any additional questions, leave me a comment below. Myself and the team here are Aquarium Store Depot are happy to help! See you next time :).
Reef lighting is the single most impactful equipment decision in a coral system — and the one I see hobbyists get most confused about. I’ve run multiple reef lighting setups in my 125-gallon over the years, from T5 fixtures to high-end LEDs, and the market has improved dramatically. Here’s how to choose what actually works for your corals.
Reef lighting is the single most debated topic in the saltwater hobby — and after running a 125-gallon reef and personally testing dozens of LED fixtures over the years, I can tell you that most of the confusion is unnecessary. The core mistake I see from new reefers is cranking intensity to 100% right away, which bleaches corals that need weeks to acclimate to new light. The second mistake is buying cheap LED fixtures that don’t deliver the blue-spectrum wavelengths corals actually use for photosynthesis — they look “bright” but they’re not doing what your coral needs. Good reef LEDs come down to PAR output at your coral depth, spectrum quality (especially in the 420–480nm blue range), and programmability for sunrise/sunset cycles. Here’s how to cut through the noise and choose the right one for your tank.
There is a lot of confusion when it comes to LED lighting for reef tanks. They look great and provide a lot of benefits to your reef tank, they are pretty technologically advanced. However, a number of reefers have reported mixed results with LEDs and the specs on these fixtures are not exactly universal, unlike traditional T5 lighting. We created this article to assist in the LED selection and buying process. Our goal at the end of the article is you been given the knowledge to select the best LED system for your tank:
Why LED Lighting?
There are a ton of reasons why reefers consider LED lighting. The biggest reason is the fact that you will never need to buy replacement lights ever again because of their long lifespan. This saves a lot of money and cuts down on the most common maintenance issues with traditional T5 and Metal Halide lighting. They are the most energy-efficient lighting setups and will cut down on energy consumption in the home.
LED lighting is also controllable and offers all sorts of customization to suit your individual tank needs. This means that you do not need to find different types of light bulbs to suit your tank as you can just adjust the spectrum either manually on the light fixture itself or through controller software via an app.
The PAR and spectrum output on LED is also very consistent. When you use T5 or Metal Halides, the output of the bulbs will change over time requiring replacement. With T5 the best practice has typically been to replace half your T5s every 9-12 months. This is done in this fashion so that you always have fresh lights running in your tank, but does get pricey.
LED light is also very low profile allowing for very attractive setups. They can be mounted on rails, suspended above the tank, mounted on the aquarium, etc. They also offer a shimmer effect that compares with a Metal Halide setup.
LED, while expensive upfront, is actually cheaper than traditional T5 and Metal Malide setups over the long run. Along with the cost savings in electricity, there is a significant cost saver over a 5-year period when considering bulb replacement costs.
Cons of These Systems
Looking at the list of the benefits of having a LED setup, it makes it seem like a no-brainer to select an LED setup over anything else. However, we need to discuss the disadvantages of LED systems.
The biggest disadvantage to LEDs compared to T5 and Halides is the fact they are not exactly plug-and-play. This is likely the reason why some hobbyists have experienced mixed results with LEDs. You have to keep into account intensity, spectrum, and positioning with LEDs to make sure they best fit your tank.
This is where we need to take a step back from the fancy tech of LEDs and really focus on what matters – providing the proper light for our corals so they can thrive. It’s very easy to get caught up in the gadget and tech of LEDs or play with what looks the most visually appealing, but at the end of the day providing the proper light intensity and spectrum is the most important aspect.
This is what can make LEDs complicated. Many reefers will not have knowledge of what proper PAR and spectrum levels are needed for their corals and have not really thought much about other factors like spacing or shadowing effects. Many of us in the reefing community also do not have access to lighting tools that would tell us what our PAR is to efficiently measure our light intensity…we just use our eyes or our experience. To help guide you on proper light selection, we need to define a few things for you – namely, what is PAR and what is Spectrum.
So What is PAR and How Does It Relate To A Reef Tank?
PAR, or Photosynthetically Active Radiation in our hobbyist terms is the number of particles of light that fall in a square meter over the course of one second that is in between the wavelengths of ~400nm to 600 nm. NM stands for nanometer or billionths of a meter. Non-scientifically speaking it is the measurement of the total amount of visible light that shines on a square meter after one second.
PAR is important to reef tanks because it is a measurement of how much usable light energy is available to your corals. It is one of the easiest ways for you to measure and gauge the exact amount of light your reef aquarium is receiving – which is extremely important when it comes to LED lighting.
Why is this so important for LEDs? The main reason why is because LEDs are the most intensive lighting systems you can buy on the market. Several of the higher-end LEDs will outperform metal halides in PAR ratings and will need to turn down to avoid coral deaths. Knowing this, adjustments may be necessary for your light fixture and we have to understand that it is actually better to have too little light than too much light for a coral. Corals can be pretty adaptable and can survive months of too little light, which will give you time to adjust and provide the correct lighting for them. However, too much light will cause a coral to pass away within days! It’s no wonder knowing this now that reefers can have mixed results with LEDs!
Now that you know what PAR is, we need to explain what are acceptable PAR ranges for your aquarium. Keep in mind these are general recommendations. Particularly with SPS corals, the range can vary widely. Also, keep in mind that PAR ranges are higher at the top of the tank and lower at the bottom of the tank. What this would mean is if you got a LED fixture that produces around 300 PAR at the bottom of a tank, at the top of the tank you would likely be producing over 500 PAR.
SPS – 150~300 PAR LPS/Softies – 25~100 PAR
What is Spectrum And How Does It Relate To A Reef Tank?
For our discussion about the spectrum, we are going to concentrate on the visible light spectrum. Visible light is a form of electromagnetic radiation and is defined as the wavelengths that are visible to the human eye. The wavelengths are measured in nanometers. These range from 400nm which is ultraviolet to 800nm which goes to infrared. When it comes to reef tanks, we are concerned with the following colors:
Blue (420-460nm) – Most important Green – Mostly visual – can increase algae growth Red – Removed by ocean water in the wild may be more harmful than helpful There are a lot of theories when it comes to correct spectrum – but we lean on the spectrum specs of proven technologies like T-5’s. We will use an ATI bulb as an example as ATI bulbs are a benchmark when it comes to T-5’s. You can see the wavelength range of ATI’s Coral Plus lights below noting the 460 nm peak:
So What Makes a good LED Fixture?
There are 5 things to consider when determining if a LED Fixture is of good quality:
Longevity
Build Quality
PAR Output and Spread
Spectrum
Support and Part Availability
The longevity of your LED Fixture to me is the most important factor in your decision-making. These units are not cheap and should outlast the tank that you are going to mount it on. You can look up reviews on-line and forum comments on the LED brand you are looking up to get the best gauge.
Build Quality is another factor you will want to consider. Ask yourself questions like is the fixture built by a US based company and have they been around in the industry for years? The last thing you want is for a part to break and you have no support because the company is no longer around or their support is from another country like China and they won’t respond to your e-mails.
PAR is the next consideration. Given the LED fixtures that we sell in our store, you will have no issue answering that question – what you likely will need to deal with is too much intensity on the highest-end models that we sell. The PAR spread is also another factor to keep in mind. Some of the models can have very intense lighting in the middle and the spread is less on the outside. Other models have a fair even spread. In both cases, you will need to factor in spacing to solve get the proper PAR or adjust your intensity on the fixtures.
Spectrum is important if your fixture is not adjustable. This is a critical question to answer if you purchase an LED fixture that does not publish its a spectrum or give you the option of adjusting the spectrum. Other higher-end models allow you to adjust the spectrum yourself to suit your needs, which may require you to adjust it. This can be a pro or even a con as adjustments can get complicated. You will want to look for a light fixture that peaks around the 460nm range, which has been the standard for top T5 lighting manufacturers for many years.
This is where a manufacturer like a Kessil comes in with their simple adjustable features that ensure you always have the correct spectrum for your controls (Called the Kessil Logic), but allows you to remove harmful colors or reduce intensity. They also focused on more even spread than intensity which makes them more suitable for beginner and intermediate hobbyists..
To help simplify the selection process for you, we provided the PAR & Stock Spectrum readings from our most popular LED lighting and our recommendations below. All readings are at 100% intensity:
MaxSpec Razor @ 6″: 220-193 PAR at top, 67 PAR at 24″ deep @ 12″: 128-116 PAR at top, 67 PAT at 24″ deep Peak Spectrum – 450nm Best for Mixed Reefs
Kessil 360WE @ 6″: 189-181 PAR at top, 95 PAR at 24″ deep @ 12″: 104 PAR at top, 79 PAR at 24″ deep Peak Spectrum – 460nm Best for Mixed Reefs
Kessil AP700 @ 6″: 420-380 PAR at top, 176 PAR at 24″ deep @ 12″: 275 PAR at top, 188 PAR at 24″ deep Peak Spectrum – 460nm Best for Heavy SPS Works for Mixed Reefs if raised higher – Can light a 4′ mixed reef tank
Our last factor is support and part availability. If your fixture comes with moving parts like a fan, you may need to replace the part in the future. Ask yourself the following questions:
Does the manufacturer have quality support?
Is customer service US based and easily accessible?
Do they carry parts for earlier models?
How quickly can they supply parts to you?
These are all factors you need to consider when purchasing an LED fixture. We have a post discussing the Best Reef LED systems on the market that goes in more detail about the best-LED lights available in the hobby today.
Do I need a PAR Meter?
The main issue with PAR Meters is that they are expensive. If you are going for a heavy SPS tank or large mixed reef setup, it might be worthwhile to purchase one given a $200 investment could save you thousands of dollars in lost corals. We would recommend an Apogee PAR meter (Quick Note – This post includes affiliate links for which I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you should you make a purchase)if you are looking for one.
If you cannot afford one, it may be possible to get one from a hobbyist club or a fellow reefer. The best bet, however, is to just avoid the very high end of the LED market as they typically are too intense for most reefers’ needs and will likely need to be dialed back to work on your tank. Kessil with its simple-to-use adjustments even spread, and less intensity is best suited for those who want as plug-and-play LED fixtures as possible. Even the AP700 is a strong consideration for SPS heavy tanks and its PAR testings have shown a very even distribution of PAR. At the end of the day, we have to keep in mind that too much light will kill your corals much faster than too little light.
We hope this will help you in your decision on selecting a fixture. If you have any questions about your potential purchase, leave us a comment below. If you already have an LED fixture, please leave us a comment and explain why you came to the decision of purchasing your fixture.
I’ve been part of the reef hobby for over 25 years, and one of the best ways I’ve stayed sharp is by reading the publications written by fellow passionate hobbyists. Reef magazines are a goldmine of expert knowledge — from coral aquaculture to fish behavior — and the best part is that several excellent ones are completely free. These are the top free reef hobbyist magazines I’d recommend to anyone in the hobby, whether you’re just starting out or have years of experience.
The saltwater aquarium hobby is a passionate hobby that is filled with a ton of information. Some of this information can seem conflicting, especially on forums. We tend to recommend checking out hobbyist clubs and magazines. The reason why is because hobbyist clubs allow you to personally connect with other peers in the hobby and get mentor-ships and group collaborate. Magazines are a great resource because the articles are written by top notch writers and researchers in the hobby. Below we outlined a list of the Top 5 Reef Hobbyist Magazines that are free to anyone in the hobby:
Advanced Aquarist Magazine This reef hobbyist magazine is the longest running online publication. Founded in 2002, this magazine focuses on publishing exclusive, relevant content written by world renowned experts in the field.
Practical Fish Keeping A UK Reef Hobbyist Magazine that has been around for over 50 years! The magazine publishes both freshwater and saltwater content. While the magazine itself you would have to pay for, the content on the website should be plenty for most hobbyist.
ReefHobbyist Magazine This reef hobbyist magazine is made available for free in many local fish stores. A digital subscription is available on-line by going to their website and signing up. There is some pretty advanced hobbyist articles in this magazine as well as interviews and product reviews
FishChannel.com FishChannel.com has a great website filled with articles for both freshwater and saltwater tank setup, aquascaping, Fish Speciesprofiles, and more. Their facebook page tends to post the most recent articles.
Tropical Fish Hobbyist Since 1952, TFH Magazine has been a staple of the aquarium hobby. They cover from beginner to advanced, freshwater and saltwater, and have a no-frills magazine available online. While the main printed magazine is not free, there is plenty of free content available on their website. The online content is a refreshing take on a magazine as it is pure content.
📘 Want to learn more? This article is part of our complete Saltwater Fish & Reef Guide — your ultimate resource for marine fish, coral care, reef setup, and more.
