Tag: ReefKeeping

The 7 Best Automatic Fish Feeders: Tested and Reviewed by a 25-Year Hobbyist

Automatic fish feeders are something I’ve personally tested many times over the years — both for my own tanks and for this site. They’re not optional if you travel, and even if you don’t, they add consistency to feeding schedules that benefits fish health. That said, not all of them are worth your money. Here are the 7 I’d actually recommend after hands-on testing.

An automatic fish feeder is one of those things that sounds optional until you actually need it — and then you really need it. I travel for aquarium trade shows like Reefapalooza and Aquashella, and an unreliable feeder is not something I can afford when I’m away from my tanks. I’ve personally tested a number of these feeders across both freshwater and saltwater setups over the years. Most cheap ones fail in the same ways: inconsistent portion control, jamming with humidity, or timing that drifts. The 7 picks in this guide are the ones that have held up in real use.

With over 25 years of experience in the aquarium hobby, I’ve assisted countless clients, hobbyists, and readers like you in figuring out how best to automate their aquariums. I’ve personally tested these products in real world scenarios to determine the automatic fish feeders on the market.

The Top Picks

Editor’s Choice

Eheim Everyday

Click For Best Price Buy On Amazon

Name brand
Easy to use

Best Value

NICREW Auto Feeder

Buy On Amazon

Lithium powered
Easy to use

Best For Frozen Food

Innovative Marine Frozen Food Feeder

Click For Best Price Buy On Amazon

Best for saltwater fish
Works with frozen food

Let’s get straight to the point and focus on our top picks. The best product I’m personally used and tested is the Eheim Everyday feeder. This is easy to use and can be mounted on rimless and rimmed aquariums. I’ve seen this used over expensive controller powered feeders because this is more reliable – a testament to the Eheim name.

The best value is the NICREW auto feeder. This lithium powered feeder has all the base features you want in a feeder at a great price. Lastly, the Innoviate Marine frozen food feeder is the best product for ease of mind feeding of frozen food before you head off to work or run errands. This is a great way to feed fish the best foods available and not pollute your tank.

The Candidates – A Quick Overview

Now that you know the top picks, let’s take a look at the products that made the cut in the roundup. I’ll go into detail about each aquarium product below.

Picture	Name	Features	Link
Editor’s Choice!	Eheim Everyday Fish Feeder	Great Price Easy To Use Battery Operated	Click For Best Price Buy On Amazon
Budget Option	NICREW Automatic Fish Feeder	Easy To Use Battery or Lithium Powered	Buy On Amazon
Works With Frozen Food!	Innovative Marine Frozen Food Feeder	Algae and spirulina based For saltwater Fish	Click For Best Price Buy On Amazon
	Neptune Apex AFS	Works With Controllers Multiple Feedings A Day	Click For Best Price
	OASE Fishguard	3 Year Warranty Made In Italy	Click For Best Price Buy On Amazon
	Lifegard Aquatics Intellifeed	Easy To Use Locally Available	Buy On Petco Buy On Amazon
	Omega One 7 Day Feeder Block	Last 7 Days Feeding Block	Buy On Chewy Buy On Amazon

The 7 Best Automatic Fish Feeders (2023 Updated)

1. Eheim Everyday

Editor’s Choice

EHEIM “Everyday” Fish Feeder

Best Auto Fish Feeder

Eheim’s auto fish feeder is reliable, reasonably priced, and easy to use. A must for any busy fish keeper!

Click For Best Price Buy On Amazon

The EHEIM everyday fish feeder is a product that is designed to be used on a daily basis. With this fish feeder, you can feed multiple times a day and set the amount of fish food in each feeding. This product is built by Eheim, is very reliable, and backed with a 2-year warranty. The keys are splash resistant and there is a warning system that lets you know when the battery needs to be replaced.

The fish feeder comes with brackets so you can mount it on rimmed or rimless aquariums. The feeding chamber is aerated to keep fish fresh. You can see it in action below (video source).

The device is very easy to program and has a great price. I have seen this in use over controller-powered fish food feeders due to its price and reliability. Just make sure you don’t place it near an air stone or power filter so the fish food inside doesn’t get wet and rotten.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Great brand name
Easy to use
Reasonable price

Cons

Doesn’t fit all rimmed aquariums
Can dump a lot of food

2. NICREW

Budget Option

NICREW Automatic Fish Feeder

A cheap and simple to use fish feeder. Available battery-operated or Lithium charging

Buy On Amazon

If you are looking for a budget-conscious and easy-to-use fish feeder, the NICREW automatic fish feeder deserves a look. This mighty little device can feed your fish up to 5 times daily. It contains a built-in fan and ventilation system to keep your food dry.

This fish feeder can dump a lot of food if you aren’t careful. You can adjust the portion amounts to the adjustable sliders. Given what I’ve seen from this product, however, I would only use this for flake food. With pellet food, it still dumps a ton of fish food even with the slider.

The adjustable clamp that comes with the fish feeder is able to fit on rimless and rimmed tanks. This is a great buy if you are on a budget.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Great Price
Easy to use
Battery and lithium charging models available

Cons

Bad instructions
Easy to overfeed

3. Innovative Marine Frozen Food Feeder

Defrosts Frozen Food!

Innovative Marine Frozen Food Feeder

A great feeder for frozen food. Defrosts and feeds your fish all by itself!

Click For Best Price Buy On Amazon

One of the biggest downfalls of automatic feeders is that they cannot be used to dispense frozen food. It’s unfortunate since frozen food is the best-prepared food you can provide to your fish in the hobby. There is an excellent compromise to this problem though with Innovative Marine’s Gourmet Defroster.

This defroster holds your frozen food in a dispenser where your food defrosts and then automatically dispenses into your tank for your fish to eat. This is about as good as you can get when it comes to auto-feeding frozen food. You just place the food in the fish food dispenser, then walk away.

It is only good for one feeding, but this is amazing for those who are busy and who still want to feed the best foods available

Pros and Cons

Pros

Works for frozen food!
Easy to use
Magnet mounts

Cons

Only stores a single feeding
Pricey

4. Neptune Apex AFS

Neptune Apex AFS

For those with aquarium controllers, this is the auto feeder to purchase. Capable with Neptune controllers.

Click For Best Price Buy On Amazon

For you advanced fishkeepers with aquarium controllers, the Neptune Apex AFS is what you have been looking for. Working with a unit that is capable with a controller has big benefits in how you feed. With the controller, you can schedule various pre-feeding tasks before your AFS dispenses food such as:

Turning off protein skimmer
Turn off return pumps
Turn everything back on after 10 minutes

Another feature that the AFS has is its stay-dry system. The AFS fish food dispenser extends and retracts for each feeding. The food drum is also sealed with gaskets to ensure there is no moisture that enters the unit. Because the unit is hooked into the controller system, it doesn’t need batteries to operate

The AFS was the world’s first fish feeder that was controller capable and set the benchmark for advanced feeders. It commands a high price point, but its features are second to none in the industry.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Works in aquarium controllers
Can feed multiple times a day

Cons

Tricky to program
Expensive

5. OASE Fishguard

OASE Fishguard

A standalone simple to use auto fish feeder. Battery powered and easy to use

Click For Best Price Buy On Amazon

The OASE Fishguard is like a poor man’s AFS. Its feeding dispenser has a similar extension and retraction as the AFS and also has a sealer that keeps fish fresh in its air-locked seal.

Not many feeders have sealed fish food dispensers. The only one I could find that I was comfortable recommending was the AFS. This seal keeps food from getting soggy. The unit is Italian-made and comes with an industry-best 3-year warranty.

I would have put this fish feeder at the top of this list ahead of the Eheim if it wasn’t for its high price tag. It’s nearly double the price of the Eheim unit. For most hobbyists, this price is not reasonable. However, in a high-end setup with prized fish such as Discus Fish or reef tanks, I feel this is a justified purchase.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Italian made
Easy to use
Feeds up to 4 times daily

Cons

Expensive

6. Lifegard Aquatics Intellifeed

Lifegard Aquatics IntelliFeed

An easy-to-use and programmable auto feeder. Can feed up to twice a day

Buy On Petco Buy On Amazon

The Intellifeed is a great rechargeable fish feeder that works great as an everyday fish feeder. The head is able to rotate 360 degrees, a unique feature among the other feeders on this list. The battery in the fish feeder is a lithium-ion battery that can be charged using the USB cable supplied. The unit has a battery power reader located on the bottom right of the display to let you know when the unit needs to be charged.

The clamp that comes with the unit is one of the widest on this list. You will have no issues mounting this on either rimmed or rimless tanks. Due to its large size, the fish feeder attaches to the tank securely. The clamp can also be removed and mounted to a surface using the double-sided tape included in the box.

The fish feeder has an on and off button without having to remove a battery and have your programming reset. It seems like a simple feature, but this makes the unit very convenient when you need it and when you don’t.

The unit is able to feed your fish up to 4 times a day. The features it provides come with a high price tag, but this is also one of the more available units locally. It’s easier to find this and the Eheim in local stores than any other unit on this list.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Found locally
Easy to use

Cons

Expensive

7. Omega One 7 Day Feeder Block

Omega One Super Color

A feeding block that can be used when you are on vacation. Works for 7 days

Buy On Chewy Buy On Amazon

Ah, the vacation feeder blocks. These are one of the most convenient temporary solutions you can buy at a local pet store. While they are easy to use and cheap, they tend to be pretty messy.

Not all fish will recognize and eat it as well. If your fish do not like it and won’t eat it, there is a good chance this product will produce ammonia spikes. Because overfeeding a tank can be catastrophic for your fish, I would recommend trying the product when you are home at first. This way you can see if your fish eat it and how much food is left over. Carefully monitor the tank activity and the ammonia levels.

If everything checks out on your observation test, then give the product a try. I don’t recommend using these types of products when you go on vacation without testing first. There is too much at risk if your fish ignore or refuse to eat the food.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Cheap
Set and forget
Readily available

Cons

Not the best food
Can cloud water

Our Criteria

Automatic fish feeders are not all created the same. There are available at different price points and with different features. Here is what I’m looking for:

Brand Name – I don’t like generic or Chinese-based brands. I want quality brands with good warranties
Quality – High-quality brands are engineered well and are built to last
Features – I’m looking for products that can feed your fish multiple times a day
Price – I’m looking at various price points so there is a product at every price point.

Buyer’s Guide

We reviewed the products that I recommend. I know there are others that will appear in stores that you may have an interest in so let’s go over what to look for.

What To Look For When Purchasing

Here are a few things in bullets that will help you make a good decision.

Brand name – look for strong brands like Fluval, OASE, Eheim for freshwater and Neptune, Innovative for marine specialized products
Warranty – Good brands back their products with long warranties. A 1-year warranty should be seen as suspect
Programming – Can the unit be programmed to feed multiple times a day and can the feed amount be controlled
Mounts and seals – Can the unit be secured and mounted and is the container sealed from water in the event it falls into the tank

What Food Can You Put In These

The food types you can put into a fish feeder is a major question I get from readers. In general, most feeders will accommodate either flake or frozen food. You can place freeze-dried food, but oftentimes the freeze-dried food is too large or whole to be used efficiently in the fish feeder. I’ve written guides on both flake and pellet food that you can check out for detailed product reviews. I’ll summarize below:

Flake Foods

Flake food is great to place in a fish feeder as it is both convenient and easy to feed. If you have a freshwater tank, consider using Cobalt Aquatics Tropical Flakes. this flake food contains probiotics and has a color-enhancing formula. In lower-quality fish feeders, you may struggle to keep flake food dry as the humidity of the tank will cause the food to get wet and spoil.

Best Tropical Fish Flake Food

Cobalt Aquatics Tropical Flake

Best Tropical Fish Flake Food

Cobalt offers a premium level flake food with probiotics. A color enhancing formula that works great for all tropical fish

Buy On Amazon Buy On Chewy

Pellet Foods

Pellet foods are great to use in fish feeders. They are typically superior in nutritional content than flake foods. For freshwater fish, I would recommend Fluval Bug Bites. For saltwater fish, I would recommend Chroma Boost by Reef Nutrition. The main thing to watch out for with pellet foods is accidentally overfeeding your tank. Measure carefully and use a high-quality fish feeder so your pellets stay dry.

Best Saltwater Pellet Food

Reef Nutriton Chroma Boost Pellets

A coral and fish food all in the same package. Highly nutritious and fish love it. Works great in auto feeders

Click For Best Price Buy On EBay

How Much Food Should I Put In?

I would recommend that you put less than you typically would feed your fish in your automatic fish feeder when you first start out. The main issue with automatic fish feeders is overfeeding. Most fish feeders will just dump all the food at once into the tank where you might spread the fish out throughout your tank or feed them little by little. Your fish also haven’t been trained to look at your fish feeder for food. They are used to looking at you and responding to you coming to the tank to feed them.

Because of these factors, it’s not uncommon to have your first attempts at using a fish feeder not go well. Feed less and give your fish time. If you are going on vacation, buy the automatic feeder now and get your fish used to it. Learn how much you can feed with it and how often. Then when you go on vacation, cut the amount of food by half to prevent any accidental overfeeding.

FAQs

Can You Feed Fish Automatically?

Yes, you can feed fish automatically with an automatic fish feeder. These devices can typically dispense flake and pellet foods daily so your fish can eat. They can be programmed to feed at certain times as well!

How Do I Feed My Fish When I Go On Vacation?

There are two ways to feed your fish when you go on vacation. One way is to purchase an automatic fish feeder so your fish can be fed while you are away. The other way to is place a bit less than what you feed daily in zip lock bags, mark them for what day, and have someone you know to feed your fish with this.

In planted tanks, it is possible to make your tank go dormant for up to a week, but that topic is big enough to be covered in a future post.

How long do batteries last in an automatic fish feeder?

Typically, the batteries in an automatic fish feeder will last 4-6 weeks. Your fish food in the container will run out before your batteries, so check your container and replace your fish food when it runs out or if it gets wet or stale.

Are automatic feeders good?

A quality automatic fish feeder can be used on a daily basis. The main issues with these products are that they can dispense too much food or food can get wet or rotten. As long as you program these fish feeders well and maintain the product so your fish food doesn’t rot, these fish feeders will do their jobs well.

How many days can they go without food?

Typically, a fish can go 1-2 weeks without eating. However, a fish that is not eating usually means something is wrong with them. Whether it is stress, bullying, or various fish diseases, you should observe your fish if they are not eating for any sign of stress.

Closing Thoughts

Automatic fish feeders can be a convenient way to keep your fish fed and healthy, but it’s important to use them correctly. Overfeeding can cause problems for your fish, so make sure you are using a product that seals the food in and that you are buying from quality brands. Leave a comment below and let us know how you like to feed your fish!

May 26, 2022

7 Best Foods for Saltwater Fish: What I Actually Feed My Reef Tank

Feeding saltwater fish well is something I take seriously — my 125-gallon reef has a mix of fish with genuinely different dietary needs, from omnivores to dedicated herbivores, and the wrong food either gets ignored or causes water quality issues. The biggest mistake I see with saltwater fish food is products loaded with land-based or freshwater ingredients as fillers. Marine-based diets with real ocean ingredients — mysis, krill, spirulina, marine protein — make a visible difference in color and health. After years of testing products across my reef tank, here are the 7 best saltwater fish foods I’d actually recommend.

What Are We Looking For? (Our Criteria For Selection)

Picking the best saltwater fish foods isn’t an easy task, with various foods available at various price points. I’m taking the view that you are looking for premium-level products. Keeping a saltwater tank is expensive, so I expect my readers to be looking for high-end products. I’m not going to skip out on sub-par foods knowing this. Let’s dig deeper into what I’m looking for.

Marine Based Foods

This is number one on my list. I want nothing to do with a product containing many freshwater or land-based food as its main ingredients. The ocean is vast with ideal foods for your fish. I’m looking for ingredients like krill, Mysis shrimp, and clams for proteins. Ingredients like spirulina, plankton, seaweed, and marine algae are what I like to see for my greens.

Probiotics

Live cultures of bacteria are vital for your saltwater fish. These cultures boost your fish’s immune system, keep their digestive tracts clear, and enhance color. It’s still rare to find foods with probiotics in the saltwater aquarium trade. Even so, I give preference to products that have it.

Feeding Response

I want foods that have a great feeding response for your fish. It’s difficult enough as it is with new saltwater fish to get them to eat. You want food that triggers their feeding response. Getting your new fish to eat is one of the big milestones you have to get through when they are accumulating. I’m giving an extra look towards anything that can get a timid or picky fish to eat.

Brand Name

I do go for small brands or brands without a proven reputation. It’s hard enough to find quality fish food in the industry. I want a brand that is proven and readily available to my readers. I am also aware that some brands of foods are not going to be available online, and I’m perfectly happy telling my readers to find them at a local fish store.

Saltwater Fish Food Candidates

In a hurry? I recommend LRS Reef Frenzy and Reef Nutrition Chroma Pellets!

Here are the foods that made the list after going through my criteria. I’ll go into further detail about each product below.

Picture	Name	Features	Link
Editor’s Choice	LRS Reef Frenzy	Whole ingredients Great feeding response Highly nutritious	Click For Best Price
Best Pellet Food	Reef Nutrition Chroma Boost	Coral and Fish Food Works in Auto Feeders	Click For Best Price Buy On EBay
Best Flake Food	Formula One Flake Food	Marine formula For all saltwater fish	Click For Best Price Buy On Amazon
	Masstick Fish Food	Great for picky eaters Easy to feed	Click For Best Price Buy On Amazon
	Sea Veggies	Great for algae eaters Easy to feed	Click For Best Price Buy On Amazon
	SF Bay Brand Saltwater Multipack	Multiple formulas For all saltwater fish	Buy On Petco
	Cobalt Omni Flakes	Probiotics Great for small fish	Buy On Amazon Buy On Chewy

The Best Food – 7 Best (2023 Reviews)

You have seen the list. Let’s see why these fish foods made the cut!

1. LRS Reef Frenzy

Best Frozen Food

LRS Reef Frenzy

LRS Reef Frenzy is well known for being the best frozen food available for reef fish. High quality raw ingredients that fish love!

Click For Best Price

If you want the absolute best fish you can purchase for your money, LRS Reef Frenzy is what you have been looking for. LRS goes further than any other food maker in the industry at producing the highest quality saltwater fish food. Let’s take a look at the ingredients list:

Fresh Wild Caught Scallop
Fresh Wild Caught, Hand Peeled Shrimp
Fresh Wild Caught Ocean Perch and Whitefish
Premium Piscine Energetics Mysis Shrimp
Squid
Euphausia pacifica krill
Fresh Shucked Oysters and Clams
Zooplankton and Rotifers
Seaweed
Blanched Broccoli Flowers
Oyster Eggs and Ovarian Tissue
D. salina algae

No other fish food maker has all these ingredients in one. LRS is transparent about its production process. They invited Mr. Saltwater Tank several years back to tour their facility. Check out the video below:

You get a ton of whole fresh ingredients with LRS. You also get probiotics. Probiotics, as mentioned in our best flake fish food post, are proven in the aquaculture industry to enhance the health of fish. LRS goes so far in their transparency that they have had their blends tested in labs. The sample of their labs shows Lactobacilli in a food sample that has been frozen for 30 days. The results are posted here.

This is the ultimate fish food for reef tanks. It comes at a high price and is mainly available at local fish stores. I recommend this frozen blend to anyone who owns a saltwater tank.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Great feeding response
Great for fish and corals
Whole ingredients

Cons

Expensive
Difficult to find

2. Reef Nutrition Chroma Boost Pellets

Best Saltwater Pellet Food

Reef Nutriton Chroma Boost Pellets

A coral and fish food all in the same package. Highly nutritious and fish love it. Works great in auto feeders

Click For Best Price Buy On EBay

Reef Nutrition’s Chroma Boost is a new pellet food on the market, and it’s probably the best pellet food to come into the industry in many years. Its pellets are dressed in algae called Haematococcus, which is an excellent source of astaxanthin. A study performed by Virginia Tech showed astaxanthin had a positive effect on the coloration of clownfish.

This pellet formula is not only great with fish, but corals love it too. To me, it combines the benefits of LRS in a pellet formula. You will get coloration from your fish that you have never seen before with this product. Because it’s a pellet product, you can place it in an auto feeder. This makes it one of the highest quality foods you can place in an automatic fish feeder.

It isn’t easy to find online and in stores. You will need to visit a specialty local fish store to get it. You can order it online at the links above if you have trouble getting it. You won’t regret trying this out!

Pros and Cons

Pros

Great feeding response
Enhances colors
Researched backedN

Cons

Expensive
Not the best for larger fish

3. Formula One Flake Food

Best Flake Food For Saltwater Fish

Formula One Flake Food

Best Flake Food For Saltwater Fish

Ocean nutrition offers a premium level flake food that works great for marine fish

Click For Best Price Buy On Amazon

Here’s the thing about saltwater fish food – there are way better options these days. You should be eating balanced frozen foods like LRS instead of letting your fry get hooked on most flake foods or treating them with unbalanced dry stuff that will compromise their immune and digestive systems later.

However, I understand there is a need for convenient foods for busy people or when you are traveling. Fortunately, we have quality brands like Ocean Nutrition that have researched and provided quality flake food that I am okay with recommending to saltwater tank keepers. Made in the USA and containing a solid nutrient profile, this fish food supports all saltwater aquarium inhabitants.

The great thing about this formula is that it includes high-quality ingredients such as salmon, mussels, kelp, and brine shrimp. This flake variation of Ocean Nutrition’s frozen food has been designed explicitly for our freshwater fish to get all the nutrients their bodies need to be healthy!

What puts Ocean Nutrition ahead of other flake food makers is its availability. They can be found in any fish store, including chain pet stores.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Probiotics
Works for all tropical fish
Made in the USA

Cons

Expensive
Larger flakes

4. Masstick Fish Food

Great For Picky Fish

Masstick Fish Food

Masstick is an amazing fish food formula that works for picky food. Great for hard to feed fish like Cooper Band Butterflies and Angelfish

Click For Best Price Buy On Amazon

Masstick is an amazing food made by Easy Reefs that has been designed for the pickiest fish in the hobby. It contains a blend of natural ingredients that are only of marine origin. This creates premium-level food great for all fish and inverts in your saltwater or reef aquarium.

What makes this food excellent for finicky fish is that you stick this to the glass of your aquarium, and your fish will pick it up when they feel safe to do so. Because the food lasts for hours on the glass and doesn’t break down easily, your more shy fish can take their time. You can see the food in action from the video below by Dutch Reefer. Watch his Cooper Band Butterfly go crazy for it.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Great feeding response
Lasts for hours in the tank
Best food for picky eaters

Cons

Expensive
Messy to make

5. Two Little Fishies Sea Veggies

Great For Algae Eaters

Sea Veggies Seaweed Green

Sea veggies is an amazing product for Tangs, Rabbitfish, and Marine Angelfish. Fish go crazy for it. Clean and easy to feed!

Click For Best Price Buy On Amazon

Do you have an algae-loving fish? If you have angelfish, tangs, or rabbitfish, you know how important it is to feed marine greens to these types of fish. Sea Veggies by Two Little Fishies provides a high-quality green product specially formulated for these fish.

This product won’t break apart easily and is easy to feed. Just get a veggie clip and mount it on your glass. Your fish will pick it apart. Because it’s a passive fish food, you can put it on the clip and give your fish time to eat the sea veggies. This makes it an excellent product for finicky and shy fish. They can take their time to venture out and pick at the clip.

This product is more expensive than others, and you do not get a lot, but it is the go-to sea greens product for serious reef keepers.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Tangs and angels love it
Easy to feed
Holds shape in water

Cons

Expensive
Low quantity

6. San Francisco Bay Brand Saltwater Multipack

SF Bay Frozen Saltwater Multipacks

This frozen food package has multiple formulas. Great for all saltwater fish and perfect for those trying frozen food for the first time

Buy On Petco

For aquarists venturing into frozen foods for the first time, this multi-pack by San Francisco Bay Brand is a great first choice. This pack contains the following blends:

Marine Cuisine – Mysis Shrimp, Krill, Spirulina
Emerald Entrée – Spirulina, Mysis Shrimp, Fish Oil
Omega Brine Shrimp – Brine Shrimp, Carrageenan
Plankton – Plankton, Carrageenan

These blends cover all saltwater fish you can keep in the hobby and has enough variety to provide a balanced diet for your fish. It’s one of the best packages to purchase if you keep a fish only or fish only with live rock setup.

The other benefit to this product is you will find it at chain pet stores. Don’t be fooled thinking it’s low quality because it’s sold at a general pet store. This has excellent ingredients and you can purchase this locally at later hours from these pet stores.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Multiple formulas
Easy to find
Good for all fish

Cons

Expensive
Large cubes

7. Cobalt Aquatics Marine Omniflakes

Contains Probiotics!

Cobalt Aquatics Marine Omni Flakes

One of the better flake foods available for marine fish today

Buy On Amazon Buy On Chewy

Cobalt was the first flake food on the market that contained probiotics in its formula. This omniflake product is a universal flake food designed for all saltwater fish. It is packed with squid and salmon proteins. It has spirulina, plankton, and krill for enhanced coloring.

The Cobalt blue flakes contain the probiotics that support a healthy digestive and immune system for your fish. It will not cloud your water like lower-quality flake food.

If you are going to use flake food, this is a good one to purchase. It’s not as available as Ocean Nutrition’s product, but I believe the overall quality of the formula is better. If you are going to purchase it, plan to buy it online as most fish stores won’t carry it.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Probiotics
Great for small fish
Works in autofeeders

Cons

Expensive
Hard to find

FAQS

What Is The Best Thing To Feed This Type?

The best thing to feed saltwater fish would be a blend of frozen food or cultured live foods. For frozen food, a blended product with probiotics like LRS Reef Frenzy is the best-prepared food you can purchase today. Plankton-infused brine shrimp or rotifers have excellent nutritional value for cultured live foods. California black worms are also fantastic to feed if you are willing to grow them.

What Kind Of Food Do They Eat?

Most saltwater fish are omnivores. This means they will prefer a mixed blend of foods. Generally, they will like Mysis shrimp, krill, squid, and calms for proteins. For greens, they will prefer spirulina, seaweed, and marine algae.

Is Saltwater And Freshwater Fish Food The Same?

No. Saltwater and freshwater fish food will have difficult ingredients. When looking for saltwater fish food, you will want marine-based ingredients. Avoid any land-based ingredients, fillers, and artificial enhancers. What comes from the ocean is what is best for saltwater fish!

Are Tropical Flakes Good For Them?

No. Tropical flakes are not suitable for saltwater fish. If you want flake food, you will want to purchase a flake food specifically formulated for marine fish. Brands like Ocean Nutrition and Cobalt provide some of the best flake foods. That being said, flake food should not be the primary food for your saltwater fish.

How Long Can They Go Without Eating?

Generally speaking, saltwater fish can go a few days to a week without eating. If you have trouble with a fish not eating, consider adding garlic to the food to trigger a feeding response. Foods like LRS and Masstick are known for having strong feeding responses. If your fish is still not responding, take a lot of signs for marine fish diseases.

How Many Times A Day Should I Feed Them?

You should feed your saltwater fish twice a day, assuming you have the filtration. This keeps your fish well-fed. If you have corals and pick the right foods, they will appreciate the extra food.

Closing Thoughts

It’s essential to feed your fish various foods to ensure they are getting the best possible nutrition. I have listed some of my favorite saltwater fish foods, but it’s essential to do your research before buying anything. What are your go-to saltwater fish foods? Let me know in the comments below!

May 19, 2022

7 Best Flake Fish Foods: What I’ve Actually Used After 25 Years in the Hobby

Flake food gets a bad reputation in some hobbyist circles, but the truth is that quality varies enormously. I’ve used a lot of different flake and pellet foods over 25 years, and the gap between a quality flake and a cheap grocery store brand shows up in your fish — in their color, their health, and how much uneaten food is clouding your water. The main thing I look at is the ingredient list: fish meal and marine proteins should be at the top, not corn starch or soy fillers. Here are the 7 best flake foods I’d actually recommend based on real-world use.

Our Criteria

There are hundreds of fish food available and dozens of fish food brands. Not all are created equal. There are great fish flakes – and also really bad ones. Filtering through all the types of foods available can be a major tasks, and I’m here to make it easier for you. Here is what I looked at when creating this list.

Probiotics

Probiotics is new in the fish-keeping hobby, but has been known in other pet since the 1970s. It’s also been recommended by veterinarians for other animals such as cats and dogs. Fish needs probiotics just like these other animals. Gut health prevents diseases in fish. As such, these foods with probiotics are great a extra look.

Whole Foods

Fish food that uses whole ingredients like krill, shrimp, and plankton are what we want to see in our foods. We want to avoid artificial color enhancers and fillers in our fish food.

Brand Name

You should purchase from a trusted fish food brand that has done the research and advanced hobbyists’ trust. Brands like Ocean Nutrition and Xtreme are well-known in the community. Other brands like Cobalt have pioneered probiotics and pushed product innovation in our industry.

Availability

You want to be able to find these foods locally and online when you need to buy them. I’ve avoided smaller sellers for this reason. While their fish food may be of great quality, they may not be available from internet retailers and local fish stores. I prefer to recommend fish that are readily available for easier ordering.

The Fish Flake Food Candidates

Below are the flake foods that made the cut. I’ll go into detail below

In a hurry? I recommend Cobalt Flake Food for freshwater and Ocean Nutrition Flakes for saltwater fish!

Picture	Name	Features	Link
Tropical Fish Choice!	Cobalt Aquatics Tropical Flake	Probiotics Color enhancing	Buy On Amazon Buy On Chewy
Saltwater Fish Choice!	Formula One Flake Food	Marine formula For all saltwater fish	Click For Best Price Buy On Amazon
	Fluval Bug Bites Flakes	High protein Made of insects	Buy On Amazon
	Xtreme Aquatic Community Crave Fish Food	Omnivore mix Good for all fish	Buy On Amazon Buy On EBay
	Cobalt Aquatics Spirulina Flakes	Spirulina Based Good for plant and algae eaters	Buy On Amazon Buy On Chewy
	Formula Two Flake Food	Algae and spirulina based For saltwater Fish	Click For Best Price Buy On Amazon
Avoid!	Wardley Tropical Fish Food Flakes	Easy to find Cheap	Buy On Amazon

The 7 Best (2023 Reviews)

Now that we know what foods made, lets see why they stand out. Let’s start with the first pick!

1. Cobalt Aquatics Tropical Flake Food

Best Tropical Fish Flake Food

Cobalt Aquatics Tropical Flake

Best Tropical Fish Flake Food

Cobalt offers a premium level flake food with probiotics. A color enhancing formula that works great for all tropical fish

Buy On Amazon Buy On Chewy

If you are looking for a flake fish food that can be considered a staple in their diet, the Cobalt brand is the way to go. Cobalt was the first in the industry to include probiotic bacteria in their flake formulas. You get some great benefits from a probiotic product including:

Better digestion
Better coloration
Cleaner aquariums

This formula incorporates Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus liceniformis. Subtilis has been proven to increase fish food digestibility and prevent diseases in both shrimp and fish¹. Liceniformis has been studied and shown to improve the health of Tilapia fish².

This is the highest quality flake you can purchase today. It will not cloud your water like lower quality foods and promotes your fish’s health. This has my full recommendation if you own freshwater fish and you want to use flake foods.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Probiotics
Works for all tropical fish
Made in the USA

Cons

Expensive
Larger flakes

2. Ocean Nutrition Formula One Flakes

Best Flake Food For Saltwater Fish

Formula One Flake Food

Best Flake Food For Saltwater Fish

Ocean nutrition offers a premium level flake food that works great for marine fish

Click For Best Price Buy On Amazon

I will be very honest to my readers here. I’m not a fan of flake food when it comes to saltwater fish. There are so many better options these days with balanced frozen foods from LRS that really should be your go to.

However, I understand that people who keep marine fish want easy and convenient when they are in a rush. For cases like this, my recommendation is the Ocean Nutrition brand of fish food. This fish food is made in the USA and contains a solid nutrient profile that supports all saltwater fish.

You will see some high quality ingredients in the formula such as salmon, mussels, kelp, and brine shrimp. This is the flake variation of Ocean Nutrition’s great frozen food. I do recommend that you get their frozen food too as it is better for your fish overall.

What puts Ocean Nutrition ahead of Cobalt in the Saltwater hobby is their availability and their brand name. You can get Ocean Nutrition products even at chain pet stores and they have been around the hobby for many years. If you have to have a flake food for your saltwater fish, this is the fish food to buy!

Pros and Cons

Pros

Probiotics
Works for all tropical fish
Made in the USA

Cons

Expensive
Larger flakes

3. Fluval Bug Bites Flakes

Fluval Bug Bites Flakes

A flake version of Fluval’s amazing pellet bug bits products. Great for all tropical fish and high in protein.

Buy On Amazon Buy On Petco

I love the Fluval Bug Bites food line. They built their formula off solider fly larvae, which freshwater fish tend to go crazy for. Not only that, but because this tropical fish food is more to most fish’s natural diet, it’s healthier for them overall. This variant is Fluval’s flake version, and is a color enhancing formula. It has the same formula just processed down to a flake. Learn more about their formula in the video by Fluval.

This fish food is high in protein, has a great amino acid profile, and easily digestible – which means it shouldn’t cause bloat!. It’s based on your fish’s natural prey (most freshwater fish eat insects).

While this make it super convenient for the end hobbyist, I do feel their pellet product is the better buy. If you want to diversify your food selection, definitely buy it. I would just prefer to go with their pellet version if I could only buy one.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Insect based
Works for all tropical fish
Made in the USA

Cons

Expensive
Pellet product is superior

4. Extreme Aquatic Community Crave

Xtreme Aquatic Community Crave Fish Food

Extreme Aquatics Fish Food offers a high quality flake food. A 60/40 mix of spirulina and krill

Buy On Amazon Buy On Ebay

Extreme aquatics has really built a name for themselves as an independent company. They are not like your Hagen or Tetra, which are massive fish brands. They built their reputation with YouTube influencers who are passionate fish keepers. They have the likes of Aquarium Co-Op, KG Tropicals, and Bay Area Aquatics who have all endorsed their products. They have even been featured at my favorite aquarium trade show, Aquashella.

All these endorsements tell us that Xtreme is made for serious hobbyists. This formula is their community crave product. This formula is built for community fish tanks where you will have a blend of various freshwater fish. Their formula consists of 60% Spirulina and 40% Krill. This makes it perfect for all fish.

This food has an amazing feeding response for a flake food and you can see the quality in the flake itself from it’s texture. The only reason this does go ahead of Cobalt is because I’m partial to the probiotics (it’s also more expensive because it comes in bigger sizes). Several hobbyist would disagree with me, but that’s why I have a list here – so you can make the decision for what is best for your fish. You can’t go wrong with Xtreme foods!

Pros and Cons

Pros

60/40 mix
Works for all tropical fish

Cons

Expensive
Hard to find locally

5. Cobalt Aquatics Spirulina

Cobalt Aquatics Spirulina Flakes

Cobalt Offers a great spirulina flake formula with probotics. Get for fish that need greens in their diet

Buy On Amazon Buy On Chewy

For fish that need their greens, spirulina is what you want to buy. Having a product with spirulina and probiotics take it to another level. That is exactly what this fish food is by Cobalt Aquatics.

This food is perfect for algae eating fish like molly fish, African cichlids, and even saltwater fish like tangs and rabbitfish. This food is easy to feed, easily digestible, and won’t cloud up your water.

It is the the best flake food for algae and plant eating fish. There is no second. You will not be disappointed.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Probiotics
Great for fish that need greens

Cons

Expensive

6. Formula Two Flakes

Formula Two Flake Food

Formula two flake food is a great flake food for saltwater fish. Made of marine algae, spirulina, and kelp. Great for tangs and angelfish

Click For Best Price Buy On Amazon

When it comes to algae eating saltwater fish, nori is a great choice, but not always the most convenient. If you want a convenient food for them, Ocean Nutrition’s Formula Two flakes are a great choice.

This food mixes marine algae and spirulina. It also includes garlic, which is a appetite enhancer for an added fedding response. These flakes are easy to digest and easy to feed.

While nori and Ocean Nutrition’s frozen food version of formula two are a better choice, this is great to use when you don’t have time to prepare food.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Great for marine fish that need greens
Three types of greens
Readily available

Cons

Expensive

7. Wardley Tropical

Avoid!

Wardley Tropical Fish Food Flakes

Wardley is a basic brand of fish food that you will fish in grocery stores. While your fish will eat it, it’s not the best food out there. Ok if you are in a pinch

Buy On Amazon

Warley is the type of freshwater fish food you will find in grocery stores and mega retailers like Walmart. While you can find this easily and even it purchase it late at night since these store are open 24-7.

However, I would caution aquarist in purchasing foods like this. These lower quality foods usually contain fillers and they are known to cloud up your water.

With so many other superior choices available both locally and online, it’s not my first choice. Purchase the others mentioned here and your freshwater fish will thank you for it.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Easy to find
Made for all tropical fish

Cons

Cheap
Not the best quality
Clouds water
Strong smelling

Knowing The Hierarchy

While this is a flake food blog post, it would be wrong of me not to say that there are better foods out there. Let’s look at the full list of foods available. In summary from lower quality to best it goes flake foo -> pellet food -> freeze-dried food > frozen > cultivated live foods.

Pellets

Pellet food is a step up from flake food as it is less processed. This is usually where more advanced aquarists start with staple food. You tend to get higher quality brands and foods when it comes to pellets. The downsides with pellet food is they expand with water and can cause bloat. Look for the best pellet food that you can buy to avoid bloating and digestion issues.

Freeze Dried

Freeze Dried Food is more of a whole food, which is great for digestion. Then can be soaked in vitamins and can provide better overall nutritional content than pellet food when you combine vitamins.

Freeze dried food is more expensive than pellet food and require vitamins since they are usually only include single ingredients – like freeze dried krill.

Frozen

Frozen foods offer a great combination of variety in their formulas and whole foods being frozen. They are very filling foods and will make your fish look fat in a hurry. The best foods you can purchase in the hobby are going to be frozen and are going available only in specialty retailers or only online.

Frozen food is the most expense of all the types food and also the most nutrient dense. It’s easy to overfeed with this food. It’s also harder to feed small fish with frozen food because of their small mouths.

Cultivated Live

While you can purchase live foods at a local fish store, I usually do not recommend this because there is a good chance you will introduce diseases to your aquarium. I prefer if you are going to feed live foods that you consider cultivating them. Blackworms, rotifers, and brine shrimp are the best foods to cultivate. Blackworms can be cultivated without any special foods. Brine shrimp and rotifers can be enhanced by supplementing Spirulina.

Cultivated live foods provide much needed live gut bacteria to your fish and are considered the best for your fish’s long term health. However, it’s not realistic for most hobbyist because of the time and dedication required. Many hobbyist will raise and keep very healthy fish sticking to frozen foods and a mix or other foods.

Knowing What Type Of Fish You Have

Understanding the type of fish you have is also very important when choosing the food to feed your fish. Let’s breakdown the 3 types. Flake food is going to be best for surface and midwater fish.

Surface

Fish like betta fish and gouramis like to swim and hunt at the surface. They will be the first fish to go after flake fish foods since this is where they hunt for food. Most community fish will fall into the surface or midwater category.

Midwater

Midwater fish like Angelfish, most tetras, and barbs tend to hand in the middle of the water. They will go after food once it starts to sink. These aquarium fish do best with pellet foods.

Bottom Feeders

Bottom feeders will generally not show an interest in food until it hits midwater or the bottom of the tank. These types of aquarium fish are best suited for wafer types of food and food that falls to the bottom of the tank.

FAQs

Which Flakes Brand Is Best?

The best flake food will have raw quality ingredients and lack fillers. Some flake food will have probiotics or be make of insects or sea creatures like krill. For freshwater fish, I recommend Cobalt’s probiotic flake food. For saltwater fish, I recommend Ocean Nutrition. Both brands do a lot of research for their products and offer high quality food at a reasonable price.

Is This Type of Food Good For Fish?

A quality flake food can be used as a staple for their diet. However, it’s not the best food out there. You can opt for pellet, freeze dried, frozen, and even cultivate your own live food. All these other foods are potentially higher quality than most processed flake fish foods out there.

Is It Better To Feed Flakes Or Pellets?

For the most part, pellet food will be superior in quality to flake food. However, flake food can be easier to eat for smaller fish. Do your research to determine what works best. There is high quality flake food available as shown in this post.

How Long Is Flakes Food Good For?

Flake food has a long shelf life. It has the longest shelf life of all fish food. Depending on the manufacturer, it can be as short as 18 months to as long as 3 years. They will degrade in nutritional value over time. In general, I suggest replacing your fish every 6 months regardless of manufacturer’s claim to maintain the nutritional value of your food.

Should I crush the flakes?

You can crush fish flakes for smaller fish. Most aquarists will just crush the fish flakes with their fingers. You can also crush flake food for frying. Keep in mind that crushed flake food can make the food not attractive for larger fish

Closing Thoughts

It is important to feed your fish a variety of foods in order to provide them with the best possible diet. While high-quality flake food can be a good staple, it should not be the only thing you give your fish. There are many different types of foods available on the market, so make sure to do your research and buy a variety of brands and types to keep your fish healthy and happy. Leave a comment below and let us know which brand of flake food you like best!

May 13, 2022

Can Fish Drown? The Short Answer, the Long Answer, and What It Means for Your Tank
Can fish drown? It’s one of those questions I get asked more than you’d expect — and the answer is yes, technically, though not in the way people imagine. I’ve seen hobbyists accidentally create conditions in their tanks where fish were effectively “drowning” through oxygen deprivation. Understanding how fish breathe and what depletes oxygen in a tank can genuinely save fish lives. Here’s the full explanation.

It sounds like a trick question, but the answer is yes — fish can effectively drown, just not the way we think of it. “Drowning” for a fish means suffocating from lack of dissolved oxygen in the water, not inhaling water into lungs. As someone who’s managed tanks for 25 years, the more practical concern is recognizing when oxygen levels in your aquarium are dangerously low. Fish gasping at the surface is the classic warning sign. There’s also an interesting wrinkle with labyrinth fish like bettas — they breathe atmospheric air and can actually suffocate if they’re prevented from reaching the water’s surface. This article covers both the biology and the real-world implications for your tank.

The Short Answer

Yes, fish can drown. However, it’s better to think about a fish drowning as the result of a lack of oxygen instead of seeing their lungs fill with water.

Fish can be deprived of oxygen due to several reasons, including oxygen levels in the water, poor water quality, parasites and diseases, and even physical deformities.

In short though, fish can drown in water due to not being able to extract the oxygen they need from their surroundings.

The Long Answer

It isn’t every day that you hear about a fish dying due to drowning. This lack of oxygen can be due to several biological, chemical, and pathological problems within the aquarium including poor water quality, parasites and diseases, and deformities.

First, we need to understand how oxygen enters the aquarium and how fish breathe. Then we can understand how the transfer of oxygen from the water to the bloodstream of the fish can fail.

Dissolved Oxygen In The Aquarium

Dissolved oxygen, often abbreviated as DO, is how much oxygen is available in water in comparison to how much oxygen that water can hold; simply put, dissolved oxygen shows how much oxygen is available in the water to be used by plants and animals at any given time.

While dissolved oxygen levels remain pretty consistent in the aquarium setting, this scientific parameter can be affected by several factors, including water temperature and depth, surface exchange, photosynthesis and respiration, and fish medications.

Water Temperature And Depth

Water temperature and depth are the main factors that influence dissolved oxygen levels in bodies of water.

Due to the physical properties of water, cold water holds more oxygen while hot water holds less oxygen. This means that the warmest surface waters, that aren’t affected by surface exchange, hold less oxygen than the coldest water at the very bottom of the ocean. Other external factors, such as seasonal, altitude, and latitude differences, all play a role in how much oxygen is actually available at any given time.

In the aquarium, the water temperature can definitely affect dissolved oxygen levels. For instance, if you need to raise water temperatures to treat a parasite, like ich, it is recommended to increase surface agitation and to add an air stone and air pump. This is because the warmed water will hold significantly less oxygen, causing your already-sick fish to have even more difficulty breathing.

Though it is likely for fish to succumb to the shock of rapidly changing temperatures first, it is possible for fish to drown if oxygen levels are low in warm water.

Surface Agitation

Surface agitation is one of the ways that oxygen enters the water column. This is a physical exchange between atmospheric oxygen and water through wind and wave action. Other gases, such as carbon dioxide, are also exchanged at this point to create a cycle.

In the aquarium, surface agitation is very important. Filters, powerheads, and air stones are common methods of increasing surface agitation to help increase dissolved oxygen levels and to improve overall gas exchange. If surface agitation is poor in the aquarium, then dissolved oxygen levels will also be low.

This is a very common problem in betta fish (Betta splendens) aquariums. These labyrinth fish are very delicate and need little to no water flow in order to prevent injury. As a result, there is usually minimal surface agitation, leaving the betta to sometimes rely on its labyrinth organ; the labyrinth organ is a specialized lung-like organ that allows the fish to process atmospheric air directly.

Photosynthesis And Respiration

Photosynthesis is the process by which an organism converts carbon dioxide into oxygen in order to make food. Respiration is the opposite of this process where oxygen is converted back into carbon dioxide.

During the day, aquatic plants and vegetation perform photosynthesis while fish perform respiration. At night, both plants and fish respire. Together, this ecosystem works as a constant exchange between carbon dioxide and oxygen.

In freshwater and saltwater systems, autotrophic plankton called plankton is responsible for producing most of the available oxygen in the world. However, an imbalance between photosynthesis and respiration can lead to problems and fish drowning.

One of the most damaging events to happen in nature is a harmful algae bloom (HAB). Harmful algae blooms happen when nutrients and resources are abundant, usually due to excess fertilizer and runoff, leading to exponential growth. This growth can be seen in algae and some harmful bacteria, like cyanobacteria, that can produce deadly toxins.

When algae and bacteria populations are left to grow out of control, there becomes an imbalance of resources. Eventually, sunlight is blocked while nutrients are depleted, depriving the plants below of performing photosynthesis and putting oxygen back into the system. Once these plants die, the decomposition of the organic matter also increases nutrient and respiration rates, fueling growth and further depleting oxygen.

As this happens, oxygen levels are incredibly low and most fish and invertebrates suffer and die. If the harmful algae bloom is caused by cyanobacteria, they may be affected by deadly toxins as well; these toxins are why some bodies of water are off-limits to people during harmful algae blooms.

Harmful algae blooms to this extreme are not likely to happen in the aquarium, though strains of harmful cyanobacteria do exist in the hobby. Instead, it is possible to have too many nutrient-hungry plant species that quickly overrun the aquarium and then die off when resources are depleted. This die off can have similar effects where the decomposition quickly removes oxygen from the water.

Medications

Many medications for freshwater and saltwater fish advise increasing aeration during the treatment period. This is due to how the medications interact with the water chemistry. Effects can be enhanced if mixing medications.

Not all medications will lower the oxygen level in the tank, but it’s definitely worth running an air pump if it is advised.

How Do Fish Breathe?

Before we see how fish drown, we need to understand how they breathe first. Here is a great video below by Steve Griffins. I’ll explain more below.

Most fish breathe through their gills; many fish have made adaptations to combat lower oxygen levels, though we will only look at standard fish anatomy. Gills provide a large and highly-folded surface area with an extensive network of capillaries that can be used for the exchange of gases, like oxygen and carbon dioxide.

In order to breathe, fish pull water into their mouth which is then pushed across their gills. Oxygen is absorbed and diffused into the bloodstream and transferred throughout the body due to differing concentrations; the concentration of oxygen is lower in the blood than in the surrounding environment.

Carbon dioxide is then moved across the gills, out of the body of the fish, and back into the water.

Can Fish Drown?

Now that we know what affects dissolved oxygen levels and how fish breathe, we can see where the process can go wrong. Possible problems include poor water quality, parasites and diseases, and physical deformities.

Some of the telltale signs of a drowning fish are:
- Heavy breathing
- Red or inflamed gills
- Laying at the bottom of the aquarium or gasping for air at the surface
Poor Water Quality

Poor water quality can be a secret killer of fish, especially if water parameters aren’t being regularly tested. Bad water parameters, namely high levels of ammonia and nitrite, can make breathing very difficult and very painful for fish.

It should be noted that high levels of nitrate can also prove to be deadly to fish and invertebrates but is not as common of a problem as the other parameters.

Ammonia Poisoning

Ammonia poisoning happens when there are especially high levels of ammonia present in the aquarium; any level of ammonia past 0.0 ppm can be damaging to fish and invertebrates, but serious damage starts to happen past 0.5 ppm.

Ammonia is toxic and will burn the internal and external organs of fish, including gills. This can quickly lead to fish being unable to pull enough oxygen across their gills, leaving them to suffocate and drown.

High levels of ammonia are usually caused by having too many fish, excess feedings, or stocking an aquarium that is not fully cycled.

Nitrite Poisoning

Nitrite poisoning is just as deadly as ammonia poisoning and can be a much more silent killer. Again, nitrite levels should always be 0.0 ppm. Any amount past this can start to cause damage to internal and external organs.

Nitrite poisoning happens when there are excess levels of nitrite in the aquarium. Due to the chemical structure of hemoglobin, nitrite can bind to blood where oxygen would otherwise. This means that your fish will suffocate from the inside out, making for a very painful death.

High levels of nitrite are the result of high levels of ammonia; any trace of nitrite is indicative of a nitrogen cycle happening in the fish tank.

Parasites And Diseases

Unfortunately, many parasites and diseases that are in the fish tank target the gills of fish. Luckily, most parasites and diseases present themselves before there is irreversible damage, but some ailments might be quicker and more difficult to treat than others.

One of the worst parasites to encounter are species of flatworm, particularly from the Monogenenea class.

Gill Flukes

Gills flukes (Dactylogyrus spp.) are one of the most dangerous parasites that can make fish drown. These flukes are most likely to occur on members of the Cyprinidae family, including goldfish and koi, though they can infect any freshwater fish species.

Gill flukes are initially free-swimming parasites that quickly need to find a host. At that point, they attach to the gills of the fish and reproduce. The gills will then become inflamed and your fish may try to scratch itself against hard surfaces to try to get them off. This can lead to a secondary infection, making treatment even more difficult.

A gill fluke infection often presents itself as red and inflamed gills, lack of appetite, scratching, and heavy breathing. Parasitic-specific medications, like Praziquantel, will need to be dosed to eradicate the flukes.

Ich

Ich (Ichthyophthirius multifiliis) is one of the most common parasites to come across in the aquarium. Though these organisms do not target fish’s gills specifically, they can infect the gills which can cause the fish to drown; unfortunately, there are a few different types of ich that will only affect gills and leave the rest of the body alone, making the initial diagnosis difficult.

Otherwise, ich is easy to diagnose and presents itself as tiny white spots that cover the body of the fish. Other symptoms are similar to those found with gill flukes.

Deformities

Lastly, some physical deformities can cause aquarium fish to drown, specifically betta fish.

Betta fish have been bred to have the most extreme colors and finnage. While beautiful to look at, some of these modifications have turned into deformities that hinder the fish from being able to breathe air.

Though betta fish have gills that they can use to get enough oxygen from the water, they will still venture to the surface of the fish tank to take in atmospheric air regardless of water parameters. However, some deformities, like excess finnage, can drag your labyrinth fish down, never allowing them to get the atmospheric air they need.

At the same time, your fish may become exhausted while trying to swim to the top of the tank. This activity will cause your fish to breathe harder, which will cause carbon dioxide levels to rise. Though this only happens in extreme cases, it’s possible for your betta fish to over-exhaust itself and not get enough oxygen from the water as a result.

Does Your Aquarium Have Enough Oxygen?

As long as the water is flowing in the aquarium and regular tank maintenance is maintained, there’s usually no reason to worry about adding additional aeration to the system. However, problems may arise when too many fish are kept in too small of a tank or if water movement is inadequate.

How To Improve Aquarium Oxygenation

The best ways to improve oxygenation in the aquarium are through equipment, tank maintenance, and photosynthetic additions.

In general, it’s recommended to choose a filter that is rated for at least double the size of your aquarium. Not only does this allow for more beneficial bacteria growth, but the subsequent surface agitation is a great source of oxygenation.

Freshwater tanks need at least a 6-10x turnover rate; heavily planted tanks will need better circulation to ensure that water can pass through. Saltwater reef tanks may need at least a 20x turnover rate with specialized tanks reaching much higher.

In addition to filtration, powerheads and wavemakers can be added to the freshwater or saltwater aquarium. If using external filtration, water will also be oxygenated as it moves from the tank and through the plumbing. Protein skimmers may also be added to the saltwater aquarium for additional filtration and oxygenation.

While filtration and equipment will help create surface agitation and distribute oxygen throughout the tank, corals and plants may also be added for additional photosynthesis. Fast-growing plants will quickly take up nutrients, releasing oxygen into the water in the process. Symbiotic algae within coral are slightly slower to photosynthesize, but they will contribute to oxygen levels while helping take up excess nutrients as well.

Regular tank maintenance will also introduce new oxygen and help accelerate gas exchange. Though this is a temporary effect, water changes are very effective for aerating and circulating new water throughout the tank.

Final Thoughts

Believe it or not, fish can drown. There are many factors that determine oxygen levels in the aquarium, including water temperature and depth, surface exchange, photosynthesis and respiration, and medications. Water quality, parasites and diseases, and physical deformities can further make it difficult for fish to breathe, leaving them to drown.

If you’re not sure about how much water flow you should have in your aquarium, add as much as you can without disturbing the substrate or stressing out fish and invertebrates.
May 11, 2022
Can You Use Distilled Water in a Fish Tank? (The Real Answer)
Distilled water in aquariums is something I get asked about regularly, especially from hobbyists trying to hit very specific water parameters for soft-water fish or discus. I’ve used it myself as part of RO/DI blends for my reef tank. The short answer is that distilled water alone is actually too pure — it’s stripped of everything, including minerals fish need. Here’s the real explanation and how to use it correctly.

The short answer is: you can use distilled water in a fish tank, but not straight from the jug. Distilled water has had all minerals removed — which sounds clean, but for fish it’s actually dangerous. There’s no buffering capacity, so pH becomes unstable and can crash rapidly. Fish need some dissolved minerals to regulate their bodies. Where distilled water is genuinely useful is in reef keeping, where I use RO/DI water (similar to distilled) to top off evaporation and then add minerals back precisely through two-part dosing. For freshwater, mixing distilled with tap can also help soften water for species like discus or German blue rams that need low hardness. This article explains when and how to use it correctly.

What Is It?

As we know, water has three states; liquids, solid, and gas. The distillation process involves boiling the water to an extend it starts evaporating. The water is then allowed to cool down at low temperature and condensed back into its original liquid form.

This water distillation process eliminates germs, bacteria, other impurities, and minerals from water, leaving behind pure distilled water¹.

It was once a misconception that distilled water heated faster than normal tap water. Therefore, it was dangerous to consume back then. However, this theory was ruled out and it was confirmed that distilled water is like regular tap water. If you want a breakdown on how the distillation process works, check out the video below by Pure Water Distllers.

Today, distilled water is used in numerous applications: batteries, steam irons, cooling systems for vehicles, and sometimes in aquariums.

Is It Safe To Use?

As mentioned above, using distilled water in aquariums is becoming popular day by day because distilled water doesn’t contain chemicals mostly found in tap water such as Chlorine and Chloramine. So, novice aquarists believe distilled water is the safest option for aquariums.

However, it is not recommended to use an exclusive supply of distilled water in your fish tanks. Your aquatic life demands certain minerals for their survival. And there’s no source of those essential minerals in distilled water for your fish.

Distilled water also poses a negative impact on the water pH levels; as minerals in water helps maintain the pH levels in your aquarium, which is essential for the survival of your fish. distilled water lacks minerals like Calcium that won’t help buffer ph and water hardness.

But there are instances where pure distilled water can be used in the tank water.
1. If your aquarium is losing water, pure distilled water can be used to top off.
2. Distilled water can be added to reduce the water hardness of normal tap water.
Whatever the case may be, distilled water has zero essential minerals in it to sustain the aquatic life as minerals are essential for aquatic plants and life and also help buffer ph.

But you can still use distilled water in your fish tanks by mixing it with mineralizing supplements or water that help your fish stay healthy and stabilize water pH levels as well.

Can You Use Distilled Water In A Fish Tank?

Freshwater fish and plants, both require water loaded with natural minerals, which is found in tap water. The tap water in the freshwater fish tanks allows the aquatic plants to photosynthesize. Additionally, many invertebrates including shrimps need these essential minerals to grow and thrive happily in your fish tank.

If you’re planning to use distilled water in a freshwater fish tank, measures should be taken to maintain mineral balance to stabilize ph levels and water hardness accordingly. If there’s no need to use distilled water in freshwater fish tanks, I suggest avoiding using it. That’s because on one end, it gives you more control over nutrient input and output, on the other hand, it gets very costly and can be difficult to manage specially for novice fish keepers.

Contrary to distilled water, I highly recommend using tap water in freshwater fish tanks because it’s already rich in all the beneficial minerals required for a healthy aquarium. Treated tap water with a de-chlorinator like Seachem Prime will be fine for most aquariums.

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If you venture into planted tanks, discus fish, and saltwater tanks, remineralized distilled water can be a consideration.

Should you use Tap Water for Saltwater?

Aquarium experts are usually reluctant to use tap water in saltwater tanks. That’s because the water parameters of saltwater aquarium need to be precise than a freshwater aquarium and many unknown nutrients enter the tank water and cause unnecessary problems.

The water parameters in saltwater: Salinity, pH, Carbonate hardness, Phosphates, Calcium, etc. However, the major problem in saltwater is the levels of these components can fluctuate on and off, creating instability and leading to algae problems in the tank water.

Not only this, but tap water introduces many other impurities that can mess up with your aquarium ecosystem. Therefore, many seasoned aquarists choose other reliables sources of water such as distilled water, reverse osmosis water, or reverse osmosis deionized (RODI) water, other than tap water.

How to Use In Your Tanks?

Suppose you own a freshwater fish tank and you know all the consequences of using distilled water in a freshwater aquarium. But still, you want to use distilled water. Sure, you have your reasons. And yes, you can use distilled water and NOT harm your fish by following these precautionary steps. Following these steps will prevent a fatal effect on your aquarium health.

Re-mineralized

The minerals in tap water create a healthy and stable environment for your fish. Therefore, to make distilled water safe for your fish, you first need to remineralize it.

How to Remineralize for tanks

There are numerous ways you can remineralize distilled water for a fish tank.

Mixing in Epsom Salt, Calcium Chloride, and Baking soda

This is one of the best and most cost-effective ways of remineralizing distilled water.

All the above-mentioned nutrients work in a rhythmic pattern to make your fish tank a living heaven for your fish.
1. Epsom salt helps raise the magnesium level in distilled water
2. Calcium chloride ensures proper osmotic balance in the aquarium water by bringing the crucial minerals
3. Baking soda helps raise the pH levels of distilled water and ensures a stable ph.
Adding water conditioner, Baking soda, and Acid Buffer

Another easy method to remineralize distilled water is taking some water conditioner, containing essential minerals. Add baking soda so the pH levels of distilled water can be raised, and then an acid buffer to bring down the pH levels by 7.

Add Seachem Equilibrium or Shrimp Mineral (Recommended)

For freshwater tanks, adding Seachem Equilibrium in distilled water to remineralize it, does wonders.

For this, I recommend using a commercial remineralize that comes with instructions for proper usage and dosage to avoid inconvenience.

My Pick

Seachem Equilibrium

A great remineralizer for freshwater tanks. Best used with RO, RODI, and distilled water. Completely aquarium safe

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And if you’re looking to remineralize distilled water for a shrimp tank, I strongly recommend using shrimp mineral to add essential minerals to the tank water for your healthy and happy shrimps.

Editor’s Choice

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Editor’s Choice
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A gentle reminder:
- Never use only distilled water in your fish tank as this would harm the fish. They possess a selectively permeable membrane which may lead to a trauma (caused by osmosis) when placed in distilled water. A good example of fish that is highly susceptible to such trauma is are Betta fish.
Proper tank and water maintenance

When changing the water in your fish tank, you’ll need to be familiar with some of the tips I provided. This will help preserve the lives of your fish and the tank in which they are kept.

Make sure to clean your tank when the need arises or you might just be harboring a foreign pathogenic species. The good thing about this is that you don’t need to visit an expert in order to get it done. Just ensure that there are no leakages before draining the water in your fish tank so that they don’t flow into a nearby stream when doing this!

FAQS

Is This Type Safe For Fish?

On it’s own, distilled water is not safe for fish. Distilled water lacks trace elements and materials that are essential to the lives of your aquatic inhabitants. You can use a remineralizer like Seachem Equilibrium for freshwater tanks or marine salt mix for saltwater tanks to get these missing elements back into your water.

What Water Is Best?

For freshwater tanks, the best for the money is tap water treated with a decholorinator. For planted tanks or sensitive fish like Discus Fish, RO or distilled water that is mineralized work great. For reef tanks, RODI water is the best.

Can I Top Off My Tanks With this type of water?

Yes, you can top off your fish tank with distilled water. Trace elements and minerals remain in your aquarium when water evaporates. You are just replacing the lost water, which makes distilled water okay to use for top off.

Is Spring Water Better For Tanks?

Distilled Water that is remineralized would be a better choice. Spring water’s make up can differ from brand to brand, which can cause shock to your fish. Distilled will be a more consistent source – just remineralize it.

How Do You Remineralize Water?

You can purchase a remineralizer like Seachem Equilibrium for freshwater tanks. For saltwater tanks, marine salt mix will remineralize your water.

Final Thoughts

So, when shouldn’t you consider filling your fish tank with distilled water?

Never use distilled water only when you’re changing water in your fish tank!

I hope you got that clearly, right? The reason for this is because of the immediate change in pH that this will cause and the lack of minerals essential to your fish’s health. Avoid a catastrophe by remineralizing your distilled water if you decide to use it. If you have any questions, leave a comment below and let’s start a conversation. Thanks for reading!
May 1, 2022
Planaria In Aquariums: How I Identify and Get Rid of Them
The first time I spotted white worms wriggling in one of my tanks, I did a double take. Planaria are one of those pests that seem to appear out of nowhere — and they can quickly become a real problem, especially in shrimp tanks. Over the years I’ve dealt with them in multiple setups, and I’ve learned that overfeeding is almost always the root cause. These flatworms thrive when there’s excess organic waste, so the best defense starts with good tank hygiene. In this guide I’ll cover what planaria actually are, why they show up, and the most effective ways I’ve used to get rid of them without nuking your whole tank.

What Are They?

Planaria are commonly known as flatworms. These animals belong to the Turbellaria class and the larger phylum of Platyhelminthes¹. They can be found in a variety of ecosystems, including freshwater, brackish water, marine, and even in humid terrestrial settings. There, they play an important role in the ecosystem and can even be used as a bioindicator for the conditions of the environment. Though Planaria are abundant, they are actually quite sensitive to poor environmental conditions.

In addition, species of Planaria exhibit regeneration. These incredible animals are able to regenerate a new independent flatworm from just 1/200th of a piece; if split in two, the head piece will develop a tail while the tail piece will develop a head. Planaria also share some genetic similarities with humans, making flatworm bioindication and regeneration a hot topic of scientific study and application.

Because flatworms are so small and elusive, it’s impossible to know how many species exist, though rough estimates are about 4,500 unique worms. One thing is for sure though, they have happily made their way into the home aquarium.

What Do They Look Like?

If you have a planted tank or reef setup, you probably have aquarium worms in your aquarium whether you like it or not. While most species of Planaria flatworms are harmless, the good ones are difficult to tell apart from the bad ones. This is why it’s recommended to remove and treat for planarian flatworm if you find one in your aquarium regardless.

First, you need to know what one of these small worms looks like.

Planaria flatworms are named after their flat bodies. These animals are dorsoventrally compressed, meaning they have flattened bodies from both the under and upper sides. One of their main characteristics is their triangular head, which usually has two observable eyespots.

Flatworms are very small and typically stay well under half an inch in length. There are a few types of planaria worm found in the aquarium:
- Light Planaria, sometimes called white Planaria or white worms, are typically species from the Procotyla genus. They are freshwater worms from North America and Russia. They are very light and creamy in color, though they might have bursts of darker color across their bodies.
- Dark Planaria are often Dugesia species, which are much more widespread throughout the world and are found in freshwater ecosystems.
- Red flatworms (Convolutriloba spp.) are one of the most common marine Planaria worms to come across. They reproduce quickly and can quickly suffocate corals. When killed, these rust-colored worms also release a toxin that can become dangerous to other aquarium inhabitants. Interestingly, red flatworms are largely photosynthetic.
Keep in mind that Planaria flatworms are typically only a few millimeters in length, making them incredibly difficult to accurately identify. Planaria flatworms are not the only worm in the aquarium though, and lots of other aquatic worms are beneficial to our systems.

It can be easy to confuse Planaria worms with detritus worms that live in the substrate, cleaning up leftover food and providing oxygenation. Detritus worms will typically stay in the substrate or along the bottom of the aquarium and have a long and thin rounded body. This is much different from the flattened appearance of a flatworm.

Planaria In Aquarium? How Do They Get In

Planarian worms are hitchhikers just like any other creature that has unknowingly made its way into your aquarium. They show up in your aquarium one day, fully established.

Like other hitchhikers, Planaria flatworms enter the aquarium through direct transfer of rock, media, substrate, plants, or other aquarium decorations. It is also possible that Planaria eggs are transferred on these objects which will then hatch in the new aquarium. On rare occasions, Planarian worms and eggs may be transferred with the aquarium water.

Like many other pests, Planaria populations will largely depend on the overall resource availability of the fish tank; population numbers may increase and decrease depending on water quality and feeding frequencies. While it’s normal to find one or two Planaria flatworms every now and then, you might find yourself facing an infestation.

No matter how many worms you observe in your aquarium, it is always recommended to remove them as soon as possible. This is mainly to prevent an infestation but also because it can be hard to know if the type of flatworm you have is harmful to your system or not. It is better to prevent a problem before it happens than to clean up the mess.

Are They Harmful To Fish?

But how harmful are Planaria worm species? Will they kill your fish and invertebrates overnight or wait until you least expect it to strike?

No, it is very unlikely for Planaria to affect your fish and larger invertebrates, like shrimp and snails (and also crabs); at the same time, Planaria have been known to attack and kill shrimp (see video above). While some species of Planaria are parasitic, they are rarely seen in the home aquarium. Instead, most fish tank Planaria species are free-living, burrowing into the rocks and substrate.

These free-living Planaria worms can become problems, especially for corals. One of the most common pests is the red Planaria worm, which reproduces quickly and suffocates corals. However, there are other types of flatworm that target specific species of coral, like the Acropora eating flatworms (AEFW).

These flatworms, Amakusaplana acroporae, are nearly impossible to see before it’s too late. AEFW flatworms feast on the coral’s flesh and then lay their eggs around the base of the skeleton. These Planaria worms are nearly the exact same color as the Acropora they eat, making them blend in and camouflage an already bare coral skeleton.

On the other hand, a controlled Planaria population can be beneficial for the home aquarium. These worms are excellent members of the cleanup crew and are a high-protein source of food for many fish species, especially wrasses. With careful feeding and regulation, these pests can be put to good use.

How To Get Rid of Worms

The problem is that by the time you find one Planaria swimming across the front of your aquarium glass, you already have a problem. Remember, these worms reproduce quickly and one can quickly lead into a full Planaria infestation.

Because these worms are so small, removal can be difficult. Luckily, there are a few methods to get rid of Planaria worms through manual removal, chemical treatment, or the addition of new aquarium inhabitants.

Manual Removal Of Flatworms

Manually removing flatworms is like treating any other pest and requires determination and consistency.

However, it’s important to keep in mind that some Planaria worms are capable of releasing toxins into the aquarium upon death, which should be avoided as much as possible. For extra precaution, make sure to run activated carbon filter media.

Otherwise, these worms can be carefully removed from the aquarium over the course of a few weeks.

Aquarium Vacuuming

Remove worms as you see them. If you find one crawling along the aquarium glass, carefully use a net or other container to get it out of the fish tank. This might seem simple enough, but it’s also worth taking a few extra minutes during a water change to suck up any flatworms that you see on corals, rocks, or plants with an aquarium vacuum.

Some species, like the red flatworm, are easier to remove than others. After safely removing them from the tank water, they may be disposed of through specialized coral dips, boiling water, or other proven household chemicals.

At the same time, feedings should be decreased. As mentioned before, a blossoming Planarian worm population is often directly linked to food availability. By limiting food temporarily while also undergoing population control, eliminating flatworms becomes a whole lot easier.

Flatworm Traps

Because hobbyists regularly struggle with flatworm infestation scares, tools have been developed to make the solution as easy as possible. One of these tools is a planaria trap.

These traps come in many shapes and designs and may even be DIY’d. The main goal is to draw as many worms as possible by using extra smelly bait and leftover food. The Planaria trap is designed to allow the flatworms to enter but not to leave, letting hobbyists leave their aquariums alone to catch worms for them.

The problem with the Planaria trap is that it can attract other smaller invertebrates and cleanup crew, like adult shrimp and other worms. Though the trap won’t kill them immediately, it makes predation easier while also stressing out the animals.

The other problem with using a Planaria trap is that progress is slow and indefinite. These traps will not get rid of a Planaria infestation. Instead, they can regularly be used for population control.

Chemical Treatment

If your Planaria infestation is literally out of your hands, then you may need to turn to a more immediate solution. However, chemical treatment should be a last resort as products designed only for Planaria worms can be difficult to find and dose. Luckily, there are a few products that only affect Planaria, though they might originally be meant for other animals.

The best chemical treatments for eliminating Planaria are:
- Praziquantel. This treatment is generally safe for most fish species, though wrasses might be more susceptible to negative side effects. It may kill fan and bristle worms but should not affect other invertebrates in fish tanks.
- Salifert’s Flatworm Exit. This chemical is one of the safest for all reef organisms, but can sometimes be ineffective at normal doses. This makes it so that you need to overdose on the product, which can lead to a mass die-off of worms that then release too many toxins that affect the whole tank.
- Levamisole hydrochloride. Products that have this active ingredient are Levisol, Fenbendazole, Safe-Guard, and Paracur. These chemical treatments offer wide coverage and will kill most invertebrates in the aquarium and should be used as a last resort.
- Interceptor. A canine dewormer that is used for reef tanks to eliminate flatworm infections
- No Planaria. This is a shrimp-safe treatment that works for heavy infestations. Make sure to remove beneficial aquarium snails and chemical media when using this product. The active ingredient is Betel nut palm extract. This is a natural treatment that can be effective against planaria in the aquarium.
No Planaria

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While these chemicals can be extremely effective, most do not treat for Planaria eggs. This is why it’s recommended to quarantine all new live rock (for saltwater tanks), plants, substrate, and filter media that is being transferred from one aquarium to another.

New Fish And Invertebrates

One of the best things about having Planaria worms in your aquarium is having an excuse to buy new fish and invertebrates. Like any other solution for pests, new aquarium inhabitants should not be purchased for a temporary solution. Fish and invertebrates should be given what they need for an indefinite time period.

That being said, there are a few natural predators that eat Planaria in Freshwater tanks.

Freshwater Angelfish
- Scientific Name: Pterophyllum spp.
- Minimum Tank Size: 30 gallons
- Maximum Size: 6 inches
- Aggression: Semi-Aggressive
Freshwater angelfish are big, colorful fish that can work up an appetite. These fish are largely categorized as omnivores but can go into a frenzied state when live, meaty foods are introduced into the aquarium.

This can be used to the benefit of the hobbyist as freshwater angelfish are likely to go after flatworms to supplement their diet. Though these fish aren’t the most proactive hunters, they can certainly help keep worm populations under control.

Once flatworm populations run low, angelfish can then sustain themselves on other foods instead.

Gouramis
- Scientific Name: Trichogaster spp.
- Minimum Tank Size: 10-40 gallons
- Maximum Size: 6 inches
- Aggression: Semi-aggressive
Gouramis and angelfish have very similar diets and are just as capable of controlling a flatworm population in the fish tank. These colorful fish species will gladly eat any flatworms they come across, and won’t need to be supplemented in the future.

Again, gouramis will not eliminate the problem completely but will help keep numbers down.

Tiger Barbs
- Scientific Name: Puntius tetrazona
- Minimum Tank Size: 30 gallons
- Maximum Size: 3 inches
- Aggression: Semi-Aggressive
In a school, tiger barb behavior has sometimes been equated to that of a hungry pack of piranhas, and they definitely have the predatory instincts to prove it!

Like angelfish, tiger barbs go into a frenzy when food is present. They are largely omnivores but will prefer a more meat-based diet, making them the perfect candidate to eat Planaria worms. The only problem can be their over-aggression, which limits tank mate options.

Assassin Snails
- Scientific Name: Clea helena
- Minimum Tank Size: 30 gallons
- Maximum Size: 3 inches
If you’re pressed on space or just can’t add another fish to your aquarium, then an assassin snail might be what you’re looking for. However, these snails won’t go after flatworms on their own and they might need some encouragement; all the while, it’s likely that your assassin snail will attack any other snails in the aquarium.

In order to get your assassin snail to target flatworms, it’s recommended to feed the tank less. This will make your snail hungrier and possibly more interested in the prey that is already available.

It should be noted that this is not a guaranteed method but can help hobbyists keep up with manual removal.

Saltwater solutions

In general, wrasses and blue velvet nudibranchs (Chelidonura variants) are the best biological solutions to get rid of Planaria worms. The six line wrasse (Pseudocheilinus hexataenia), melanurus wrasse (Halichoeres melanurus), yellow coris, and canary wrasse (Halichoeres chrysus) are especially known for their flatworm-eliminating powers.

Planaria worms are great food for fish and most species of wrasse won’t turn down a free meal. Unfortunately, wrasses are active fish that need more space than the blue velvet nudibranch. They also prefer a substrate that they can burrow into at night.

Other Options

Hobbyists have also tried some species of dragonet and blenny, but both these fish seem to be more interested in other food in the aquarium first.

Some hobbyists have even tried peppermint shrimp (Lysmata wurdemanni) that are successful Aiptasia hunters. However, they’re just as likely to move on to other foods first than to fully control Planaria worm populations in the aquarium.

Quarantine And Prevention

The best way to prevent a Planaria worm outbreak is by stopping them from entering your freshwater or saltwater aquarium in the first place. This can be done by quarantining new live rocks, plants, filter media, and other aquarium decorations. Preventative dips may also be used for faster results.

With any new addition to the aquarium, a quarantine period should be allowed. This should last about 2-4 weeks to allow worms to emerge and for any eggs to hatch. At this point, the problem is contained and can be freely treated with any of the methods mentioned before: manual removal, chemical treatment, or added fish and invertebrates.

The benefit of quarantine is that you don’t need to worry about sensitive fish or invertebrates that would otherwise be affected by the most effective chemical treatment options. You also don’t need to worry about nuking your tank with dead Planaria!

The quicker method (for saltwater tanks) is rinsing new objects and media in a coral dip or other homemade solution. There are many coral dips that will treat a variety of pests, including flatworms.

An alum dip is especially popular for dipping and treating freshwater live plants.

While these dips are largely effective, some worms have grown immune to their effects. Planarian eggs may also not be affected and may need to be manually removed.

Final Thoughts

Planaria flatworms aren’t something you want to see in your aquarium, but they’re not the most destructive or overwhelming pest. Luckily there are a few methods to get rid of Planaria worms, including manual removal, chemical treatments, and new aquarium additions.

As with any pest, prevention is the best way for eliminating flatworms altogether.

🐟 Want to learn more? This article is part of our complete Aquarium Care Guide — your ultimate resource for water chemistry, maintenance, feeding, disease prevention, and everything you need for a healthy tank.
March 24, 2022
The 4 Major Types of Coral: A Reefer’s Practical Guide
Running a reef tank for over a decade has given me a real appreciation for how different coral categories actually behave. My 125-gallon reef has housed everything from easy softies to demanding SPS, and the learning curve between those two ends of the spectrum is steep. I attend Reefapalooza every year and one thing I always notice is how many new reefers jump straight into SPS without understanding the four major coral categories first — and it rarely ends well. Whether you’re setting up your first reef or trying to understand what corals you can actually keep, this guide breaks down the four main types and what each one realistically demands.

What Exactly Is Coral?

Live corals are the crown jewels of the natural marine world, but what exactly are they?

This marine life comes in all shapes and sizes and can be found in almost all saltwater ecosystems. Some corals live in the most tropical and shallow waters getting direct sunlight while others can withstand freezing temperatures and complete darkness. Through all their differences, they are connected.

Corals are animals. They are not plants and they are not parts of the rock. Instead, they are marine species that lack a vertebral column, making them a type of invertebrate. More specifically, corals belong to the phylum Cnidaria, which is a large taxonomic group that contains over 11,000 species of coral, jellyfish, gorgonian, and anemone.

The most outstanding feature of this phylum is their inclusion of stinging cells called cnidocytes; these are what give jellyfish their stinging tentacles. There are different types of cnidocysts including nematocysts which contain venom, spirocysts which are very sticky, and ptychocysts which help the animal build a protective tube. All corals have cnidocytes though not all are dangerous to humans.

From Cnidaria, corals can be broken into different categories.

Corals belong to the Anthozoa class of Cnidaria. Of the 6,000 different known species of marine life in this group, corals make up over a third of its members. Even further, the Anthozoa class is broken into two main subclasses¹ which then contain different species:
- Octocorallia subclass
- Hexacorallia subclass
Octocorallia subclass

The differences between these two groups are mainly in appearance and growth pattern.

As its name suggests, corals in the Octocorallia subclass have eight tentacles and form colonies. These tentacles grow in a pinnate fashion, meaning opposite from one another. This group includes species of gorgonian, organ pipe coral, as well as the Alcyonacea order of soft corals.

For the most part, the majority of soft corals belong to the Alcyonacea order. These corals lack a complete hard calcium carbonate skeleton but contain small sclerites that give them some structure. Instead, they have very fleshy individual polyps that are easy to divide and reproduce.

Some of the most recognizable species in the Octocorallia subclass are:
- Green star polyps
- Leather corals like the toadstool coral
- Pulsing Xenia
Hexacorallia subclass

The Hexacorallia subclass features tentacles in multiples of six that do not grow in a pinnate fashion. These corals may grow alone or in colonial forms and are known as reef-building corals due to their internal calcium carbonate skeleton. The Hexacorallia subclass contains some of the most recognizable species of hard and stony corals.

Though this subclass is known for having hard structures, zoanthids belong to the Zoantharia order under this categorization as well; zoanthids are colloquially known as soft corals in the aquarium hobby, though they may incorporate sand and other stronger materials into their flesh for some support.

The other order under the Hexacorallia subclass is Scleractinia. The Scleractinia order comprises most of the available coral species in the hobby today, including both large polyp stony coral and small polyp stony coral varieties. As a result, most coral reef ecosystems are built from the hard calcium carbonate skeletons of members from the Hexacorallia subclass.

Many marine mushrooms also fall under the Hexacorallia subclass in the Corallimorpharia order. These corals lack any sense of hard skeleton structure, which does not allow for a fossil record.

Here are some of the most recognizable corals within the Hexacorallia subclass:
- Zoanthids
- Euphyllia
- Acropora
Why Is Coral So Important?

Now that we understand corals on a scientific level, we need to understand how each one of these species plays into their larger ecosystem.

You might have heard that coral reefs are dying. But what does this mean exactly and why does it matter?

Coral reef ecosystems are homes to hundreds of animals, plants, and bacteria. These are some of the most unique and biodiverse ecosystems on this planet and extend past their aquatic borders, into estuaries, lagoons, rivers, and beaches.

Corals reefs provide food and shelter for numerous fish and invertebrates. They also provide food, protection, medicine, and recreational value to humans; corals reefs are natural structures that help preserve shorelines and prevent erosion from oncoming storms and strong tides.

Not only would entire ecosystems collapse should coral reefs die, but human life for millions would also be severely impacted by dwindling numbers and extinction.

Why Are The Reefs Dying?

Coral reefs are in trouble and it’s estimated that 70-90% of coral reef ecosystems will die in the next 20 years. These mass die-offs have largely been attributed to rising ocean temperatures, pollution, ocean acidification, overharvesting, and poor fishing practices.

Coral death is sudden and usually irreversible. Corals are animals that have a symbiotic relationship, or beneficial exchange, with a type of algae called zooxanthellae; the coral provides shelter for the zooxanthellae while the algae photosynthesize to make food to share.

When environmental conditions change and the coral becomes stressed, it will release these zooxanthellae, leaving the coral an empty white calcium carbonate skeleton; this is known as coral bleaching and can only hope to be reversed when the original stressor is corrected.

Unfortunately, many reefs are already dead or are on their way to becoming fully bleached. Important reef-building corals, like the staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis) and the elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata), are critically endangered and quickly disappearing.

Where Can You Find The Reefs?

The most famous coral reef is the Great Barrier Reef in the tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific off the coast of Australia. This coral reef is so massive that it can be seen all the way from outer space!

Being so large, the Great Barrier Reef is made up of at least 3,000 individual reef systems. It is home to many of the aquarium hobby’s favorite fish and invertebrates, including many types of clownfish, angelfish, and butterflyfish as well as hundreds of different soft and hard corals.

Other famous tropical reefs include the Tubbataha Reef off of the Philippines, the Raja Ampat Reef off of Indonesia, and the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef off of Mexico. The coral reefs we are used to seeing are typically along the equator of the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans.

But what about the coral reefs at the bottom of the ocean?

That’s right! There are coral reefs made of deep-sea species that have evolved to withstand high pressure and low temperatures down to about 6,000 feet towards the ocean floor. These corals do not need light and do not photosynthesize in these deeper waters. Instead, they depend on catching the many small organisms that happen to float past.

Most of these deep-sea corals can be found in the North Atlantic Ocean, though deep-sea coral reefs thrive at great depths throughout many of the world’s oceans.

4 Types in the Reef Hobby

Obviously, not all types of coral can be kept in the home aquarium, though the list of species and varieties available changes every year. For the most part, new corals are always being added but sometimes trade laws and environmental concerns limit what becomes available when. This can cause big shifts in price and availability, though the focus on aquaculture and sustainable harvesting has grown greatly over the past few years.

As a result of these sustainable efforts, the many types coral that aquarists love, are inexpensive, and easy to come by. Let’s look at the four main types:
- SPS Corals
- LPS Corals
- Soft Corals
- NPS Corals
SPS

Hard corals, also known as SPS corals, are some of the most desirable in the hobby. These reef-building corals are big, colorful, and an indicator of a high-tech and happy system.

Most hard corals belong to the Scleractinia order. There are two main types of hard corals: branching SPS and encrusting SPS.

Some of the most popular shallow water species of branching SPS belong to the Acropora, Montipora, Pocillopora, and Seriatopora genera. Some of the most popular species of encrusting SPS belong to the Favia and Echinophyllia genera.

Regardless of whether you pick a branching or encrusting type of coral, hard coral are very similar in their needs. They are some of the most challenging corals to keep, demanding high lighting, high water flow, and consistent water parameters.

SPS are regarded as slow-growing as they need to build hard calcium carbonate skeletons. There are a few species, like Montipora and Seriatopora, that seem to grow faster than the others, though those growth rates are relatively slow in comparison to LPS and soft coral species.

LPS

LPS corals, or large polyp stony corals, comprise of a large number of species that greatly vary in appearance. Some have long tentacles and aggressive tendencies, like torch corals (Euphyllia glabrescens), while others are compact and nearly harmless, like Blastomussa species.

These types of coral actually belong to the Scleractinia order along with other hard corals. This discrepancy is largely due to the fleshy large polyps of LPS corals that cover most of their underlying hard skeleton, making them difficult to see. Their needs are also much less demanding than those of related reef-building hard corals.

Most species of LPS need moderate lighting and moderate water flow. They grow quickly, but not as fast as slow corals as they need to build a calcium carbonate skeleton.

Soft

When talking about soft coral species, LPS and true soft corals are usually lumped together even though they are in completely different taxonomic subclasses; LPS are part of the Hexacorallia subclass while true soft corals belong to the Octocorallia subclass.

True soft corals are regarded as some of the easiest corals to keep. They don’t require high lighting, can tolerate low and moderate water flows, and are pretty forgiving about beginner’s mistakes. In addition, they’re very easy to propagate and grow quickly, making them especially inexpensive and readily available.

Some of the most popular soft coral species may belong to the Sinularia, Capnella, and Sarcophyton genera.

NPS

So far we know soft corals, LPS corals, and SPS corals, but there’s actually a fourth kind of coral that can be seen in the aquarium hobby: nonphotosynthetic (NPS) corals.

In terms of difficulty, soft corals are considered the easiest followed by LPS corals. The most advanced hobbyists will keep SPS-dominant systems or mixed reefs that contain all three. NPS corals are much more niche, though, and can certainly prove to be some of the most difficult.

NPS corals do not have zooxanthellae (azooxanthellate) and need to obtain food through other means, mostly by catching available microorganisms in the water column. This means that a lot of food needs to be available a lot of the time in stable water parameters, making them almost as challenging as some of the more difficult hard coral species.

There is no denying that NPS corals are some of the most unique types of coral available. They come in bright, almost fluorescent, colors and have interesting polyp shapes that allow for optimal feeding. They may sometimes be mistaken as a type of soft coral to the untrained eye.

Hobbyists have come up with some solutions for keeping their NPS corals fed, but many fail and lose their corals within a matter of months. Daily broadcast feeding is a must. It is even better if food intake can be controlled by using a plastic or glass container to cover the coral for more direct feedings.

In general, NPS corals are rare to come by in the average aquarium store because of their dietary needs. However, here are some of the species you’re likely to come across if you do:
- Sun coral (Tubastraea spp.)
- Fat head dendro (Dendrophyllia spp.)
- Carnation coral (Dendronephthya spp.)
- Chili coral (Nephthyigorgia spp.)
- Some gorgonians
Each species of NPS will come with its own set of difficulties, though sun corals are usually regarded as one of the easier types of coral in this category.

Wild-Caught vs. Maricultured vs Aquacultured

When shopping for corals, where they come from matters. Most types of coral that are available in the aquarium hobby once originated from the Indo-Pacific. Some are still wild-caught directly from these tropical coral reefs, while other species have been mariculture or aquacultured.

Wild-Caught

In reality, there are few benefits to buying wild-caught corals.

Some of the reasons for doing so include rarity and variety. Different species may be rare due to being newly introduced into the hobby or being difficult to propagate in the aquarium setting. Many corals also differ in appearance depending on the area of collection, which can be appealing for some hobbyists that are looking for something uncommon.

Collecting corals from the wild has a significant impact on ecosystems, though. Remember, these animals are already suffering from global warming and overharvesting and removing them more is not helping.

In addition, wild-caught coral species come with a lot of problems: parasites, difficulty acclimating, and expense. It is safe to assume that any type of wild-caught coral bought will arrive with parasites or hitchhikers, requiring quarantine. The quarantine will also help ready your new coral for the display tank as they are extremely sensitive to changes in light, water flow, and parameters.

Lastly, wild-caught corals are more expensive than maricultured or aquacultured ones. This is due to vendors having to take the risk of importation and acclimation. Not to mention that coral importation laws can change at any given moment.

Maricultured

Maricultured types of coral are a decent alternative to wild-caught corals, but they still come with a lot of problems. In theory, mariculture is the best of both worlds, growing corals in their natural shallow water ecosystems with the intent to collect.

These coral farms are out in the wild, providing food and shelter for surrounding fish and invertebrates while also supporting local commerce when sold to hobbyists. Even better than that, these corals can easily be placed back onto the reef to start rebuilding damaged and dead ecosystems.

However, the transfer from the wild coral reef to the home aquarium is still difficult and pests and acclimation are still problematic. Though maricultured are much more sustainable than wild-caught ones, they still carry inflated prices and increased risk.

Aquacultured

Aquacultured species are arguably the most sustainable, hardy, and attainable types of coral available to the average hobbyist. These corals are fully grown in captivity, far away from the sanctuary of the coral reef.

Over the past few years, more and more coral species have been successfully aquacultured. This allows vendors to quickly and infinitely harvest corals in safe and controlled conditions, lowering costs and nearly eliminating the need for prolonged acclimation. What you see is what you get with these types of coral, with little worry of changing colors, pests, or sudden death.

Other Invertebrates

Though corals get all the spotlight in the coral reef aquarium, there are many other invertebrates that make these fragile systems work as they should. Some of these helpers include clams, sponges, anemones, and marine worms.

It should be noted that most of these invertebrates are filter feeders to some extent, making their care even more challenging than that of some types of coral.

Clams

In recent years, clams have made their way into many home reefs. The majority of marine clams available are members of the Tridacna genus, namely the maxima clam (Tridacna maxima) and the crocea clam (Tridacna crocea).

Marine clams are arguably even more difficult than all types of coral, making them an unrealistic addition for most average hobbyists. These invertebrates require high lighting, moderate water flow, and constant feedings.

Interestingly, these clams also share a symbiotic relationship with zooxanthellae similar to photosynthetic corals: the zooxanthellae are protected while the clam is fed. However, like other clams, Tridacna species are filter feeders that will quickly strip the water column of any and all food.

With the addition of their potentially large sizes, marine clams are limited to only the most expert hobbyists.

Sponges

Sponges are definitely one of the most underrated invertebrates in the aquarium hobby, but surprisingly difficult to keep. That being said, they are a very common hitchhiker, though most don’t survive due to limited food availability or natural predators that are already in the tank; many fish and other invertebrates won’t hesitate to munch away on small pieces of sponge.

Sponges also require moderate water flow to ensure that planktonic foods are always being passed through and that wastes are being carried away. Though some sponges are photosynthetic, they need to be able to get sufficient food from the surrounding aquarium water alone.

Anemones

Everyone wants an anemone until it becomes too much–which can happen rather quickly.

But what is a clownfish without an anemone? Probably better off, and here’s why.

Anemones are members of the Hexacorallia subclass in the Cnidaria phylum meaning that they’re related to many of the other types of coral found in the aquarium; this is also why they have similar stinging cells and are photosynthetic from symbiotic algae.

The main problem with sea anemones is that they are mobile. Most corals are sessile invertebrates that will stay in one given location, moving or simply dying if conditions become unfavorable. Instead, anemones have the ability to detach their foot and float with the current until landing in a more desirable location. In the aquarium, this could mean landing on top of and stinging other corals.

In addition, anemones can be pretty demanding when it comes to lighting, water flow, and water parameters. They are definitely more appropriate for experienced hobbyists, which limits many beginner hobbyists who want to try the anemone and clownfish pairing.

The other major problem is that they are quick to spread. Though propagation is a sign of good health, it can quickly become unmanageable. Many hobbyists need to constantly find new homes for their sea anemones, which can be difficult to remove from the rock and handle afterward.

If you’re up to the challenge, then some of the most popular species of anemone are:
- Rose/green bubble tip anemone (Entacmaea quadricolor)
- Rock flower anemone (Epicystis crucifer)
- Sebae anemone (Heteractis crispa)
- Long tentacle anemone (Macrodactyla doreensis)
Marine Worms

There are thousands of species of marine worm with some being incredibly helpful, like the bristle worm, and others being slightly terrifying, like the bobbit worm (Eunice aphroditois). Hobbyists have managed to find the most beautiful of worms and incorporated them into the home coral reef aquarium.

Some of these marine worms are feather dusters (Sabellastarte spp.), coco worms (Protula magnifica), and Christmas tree worms (Spirobranchus giganteus).

Just like the other invertebrates on this list, marine worms are filter feeders, pulling planktonic foods out of the water column. However, marine worms are not corals and are in a different taxonomic phylum altogether called Annelida. They are not photosynthetic and will need to be fed a vast array of supplemented foods instead.

When stressed, some marine worms have the ability to drop their crown. It is unlikely for the animal to recover after this, so remove the crown and tube as soon as possible to prevent an ammonia spike.

Final Thoughts

Accurate replication of the coral reef ecosystem has long been the goal of many saltwater enthusiasts. From soft corals to hard corals, these marine animals bring a dimension to the display tank that can’t be understated. With so many types to choose from, there truly is a coral species for everyone at every level.

Before choosing a coral to bring home, make sure to research how these corals are being collected. We can all do our part to save the remaining coral reef ecosystems of our world’s oceans.

📘 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.
March 11, 2022

Flame Angelfish Care: What Every Reefer Should Know Before Buying

The flame angelfish is one of the most visually striking dwarf angels you can put in a reef tank — that bright orange-red body with black vertical bars is genuinely hard to beat. In my experience, they’re also one of the more commonly impulse-purchased reef fish, and that’s where trouble starts. The big thing people overlook is the coral-nipping risk. Like most dwarf angels, flame angels can develop a taste for soft corals and LPS, and once they start it’s nearly impossible to stop. That doesn’t mean you can’t keep them in a reef, but it does mean you need to go in with realistic expectations and a plan. Here’s everything I know about keeping them successfully.

Species Overview

Scientific Name	Centropyge loricula
Common Names	Flame angelfish, flaming angelfish, flame angel
Family	Pomacanthidae
Origin	Country – Pacific Ocean
Diet	Omnivore
Colors	Reds, yellows, oranges, purples, blacks
Care Level	Intermediate
Temperament	Semi-Aggressive
Minimum Tank Size	70 gallons
Max Size	4 inches
Temperature Range	76 – 82 degrees F
pH Range	8.0 – 8.4
Salinity	1.025 or 35 PPT
Reef Safe	With caution
Available As Tank Breed?	Available

Origins And Habitat

As one of the most colorful fish in the entire saltwater aquarium hobby, the flame angelfish comes from the tropical waters of the Pacific Ocean. These marine fish have a very wide natural range, taking to the shallow lagoons and reefs of tropical island ecosystems, like the Great Barrier Reef. Flame angels are highly dependent on the reef for food and shelter and rarely venture deeper than 60 meters in depth.

Interestingly, these dwarf angels form harems with one male for every 2-6 females. Like most other saltwater fish that form harems, flame angelfish are hermaphrodites. This means that all flame angels are born with male and female reproductive organs, though their external appearances are nearly identical; this can make it difficult to form harems in the reef tank setting.

As environmental and social changes occur, the largest and most colorful flame angelfish will assume the position of the male in the harem; this could be caused by a sudden death of the previous male or external factors, like resource availability or mating patterns.

In the aquarium, this sex change is unlikely to occur to your flame angelfish. As we’ll see, flame angels cannot be kept together due to various aquarium limitations, though some hobbyists have been successful. This makes for an otherwise stable environment where the flame angelfish does not need to adapt so drastically by changing its sex.

What Do Flame Angelfish Look Like?

Flame angelfish are one of the brightest and most appealing fish in the aquarium hobby. These fish have bold colorations and stay under 4 inches when fully grown, making them a suitable addition to the saltwater aquarium for the average hobbyist.

The flame angelfish has a compact body, with rounded dorsal and ventral fins. The overall color is a bright red, with several vertical black stripes along the side of its body. The middle portion of the body may be more orange or red than the rest, along with the caudal fin. The outer margins of the dorsal and anal fins may have electric blue or purple accents.

Color and intensity will greatly depend on the lights being used on the reef tank and the quality of diet.

The flame angelfish is a dwarf angelfish species. They have a very similar body shape and temperament to the closely related coral beautiful angelfish (Centropyge bispinosa). Though these fish may be smaller than their full-sized angel counterparts, they are still active fish that need a decent amount of aquarium space.

Coral Beauty Species

In comparison, coral beauties are slightly less desirable than the flame angelfish for the reef tank. However, they’re still one of the most beautiful fish available in the hobby and within the price range and care requirements that the average hobbyist can afford and provide.

Coral beauty angelfish have a more concentrated natural range throughout the Indo-Pacific. They grow to be about 4 inches and require a 70 gallon tank or more. They have a deep purple body with many thin black lines across the middle of their body; this area is lighter in color, ranging from dull yellow to intense oranges. Their behavior is nearly identical to that of the flame angelfish, though they can sometimes be shyer in personality.

It is also believed that coral beauties are slightly more reef-safe than their more colorful counterparts. Still, there is no guarantee that a coral beauty will leave all the corals in the tank alone for an indefinite period of time and caution is needed.

These dwarf angelfish have also been successfully captive-bred, which lessens environmental impact and increases overall hardiness and availability.

Tank Requirements

Though small, the flame angelfish can be more challenging to keep than the average community fish. This is largely due to their level of activity, green-based diet, and semi-aggression.

At the bare minimum, dwarf flame angels need 70 gallons or more. For many years, these reef fish were believed to be a nano tank fish species that could fit into small aquariums under 40 gallons. As hobbyists began to understand their true needs, it was revealed that they are very active swimmers that heavily rely on the live rock for food and protection.

Like larger angels, flame angelfish are algae grazers. They will spend their time weaving in and out of the live rock, looking for food. Unfortunately, this also sometimes includes sessile invertebrates which don’t make them completely reef-safe, though we’ll discuss more later.

Otherwise, flame angels don’t require much. They can be slightly more sensitive to changes in water parameters than other fish species but will show their best colors when happy.

Are They Easy To Keep?

Yes, flame angelfish are relatively easy to keep. They’re not as hardy as other community fish, like clownfish, but they don’t require any special water parameters or diet.

That being said, flame angelfish should not be attempted as one of the first additions to a new aquarium. Not only is water quality subject to change during this time, but this stocking sequence can also affect your fish’s ability to adapt to new additions in terms of aggression.

Are They Prone To Marine Ich?

For the most part, flame angelfish aren’t any more prone to contracting marine ich than any other saltwater fish. For some reason though, most flame angelfish in-store have often already been affected.

With any fish, it is always recommended to do a quarantine period before adding the new fish to the display aquarium. Allowing 2-4 weeks of seclusion will let illnesses arise in a safe environment where medications can be freely dosed.

If your fish does show signs of ich or another parasite while in your display aquarium, it is still strongly recommended to start the quarantine process and dose medications accordingly.

Marine Ich Symptoms & Cures

It can be very scary dealing with marine ich for the first time in the aquarium. These parasites are relentless and much more difficult to treat than their freshwater counterparts, which are not closely related at all.

Unlike freshwater ich (Ichthyophthirius multifiliis), marine ich cannot be solved with simple water changes and water temperature adjustments. Instead, there is a pretty exact protocol that needs to be followed.

Marine ich is a type of parasite called Cryptocaryon irritans. The most obvious sign of ich is a sprinkled coating of small white specks that cover the entire body of the fish; these can be especially difficult to see under some aquarium lights and on lighter colored fish bodies.

Contrary to popular belief, these white spots are not actually the parasite, but a symptom instead; as the parasite digs into the skin of the fish, the body excretes a mucus that causes the signature ich-appearance. These spots might not always be visible as the parasite can internally infect gills. At this stage, the parasite is depending on the fish for survival.

After this stage, the parasite drops off and attaches to the substrate or another surface. These create daughter parasites that swim until they find another host. This means that ich can be transferred through aquarium water alone while in this life stage.

Other symptoms of marine ich include:

Heavy breathing
Discoloration
Lack of appetite
Flashing
Lethargy

The best way to prevent ich is by stopping it from entering the aquarium altogether. Purchasing from a reputable seller and a subsequent quarantine period will increase the chances of receiving a healthy fish on arrival that can be observed and treated for any given ailments.

If ich manages to enter the display aquarium, there are few options available to the hobbyist for treatment. All fish must be captured and transferred to a quarantine tank while the main display is left fallow for several weeks. Most prescribed medications are too strong for biological filtration, which could easily wipe out everything that’s living in the display.

Once in quarantine, there are a few courses of treatment that can be done for marine ich. In general, raising the temperature has little effect on saltwater fish suffering from ich. However, raising the temperature to about 81°F has shown to result in a shorter fallow period needed for the display. The freshwater dip method has also been proven to be ineffective.

Ich will not treat itself and medication is needed on top of a quality diet and stable water parameters. Some of the recommended medications are copper and chloroquine phosphate.

One of the least aggressive methods of treatment is hyposalinity. This involves lowering both the pH and salinity over the course of a few days to combat an ich infestation. While this method is very gentle on fish and can be successfully executed in the display aquarium, it can be very difficult to execute with precision.

This is mainly due to needing exact recordings of water parameters while keeping on top of freshwater top-offs and buffering the pH.

As mentioned before, flame angelfish can be hardy once established in the aquarium. Though they don’t have the thickest mucus protecting their skin from parasites such as ich, they are not the most susceptible either.

Temperament

You never know what you’re going to get when you bring home a flame angelfish (video source). In general, they are regarded as being a semi-aggressive species that might nip at other similar-looking species. This is especially true if hoping to keep the popular combination of flame angelfish and coral beauty angelfish together.

Flame angels and coral beauties have successfully been kept together in the same aquarium, even in those that are probably too small. However, this pairing isn’t recommended unless the aquarium is over 200 gallons.

The problem is that flame angelfish are generally more aggressive than coral beauties, leaving one fish from this duo to be bullied. A larger tank will allow for territories to be farther apart, decreasing the chances of your fish interacting with each other; it also helps if the fish are added at the same time so that neither one has the upperhand.

In the wild, flame angelfish are regularly seen in harems. In the reef aquarium setting, very few hobbyists have had luck keeping more than one flame angel per tank.

In most cases, this would require a very large aquarium, well over 200 gallons. All members of the harem would then need to pick a dominant male, though this can be achieved if you group them together while they’re still young and have time to establish their sexes.

Are They Reef-Safe?

Flame angelfish are reef-safe with caution. This is neither a yes nor a no and results will vary from tank to tank.

There are times when flame angelfish are completely reef-safe, partially reef-safe, or not reef-safe at all. There is no way to know which one your fish will be until it’s too late. If you have any corals, especially soft corals and fleshy large polyp stony (LPS) corals, that you don’t want to lose, do not introduce a flame angel into the system.

But are there any corals that a flame angelfish will leave alone no matter what?

What Corals Are Safe With Them?

If you have a coral-hungry flame angel, then chances are that they’ve destroyed your zoanthid colony. For one reason or another, their favorite coral seems to be expensive zoanthids.

Unfortunately, there is no way to stop your fish from eating your corals as this change can literally happen overnight. However, there is a good chance that flame angelfish will leave harder corals, like small polyp stony (SPS) corals, alone as opposed to fleshier varieties.

To help deter your fish even more from going after your corals, feed regularly. This isn’t a foolproof solution but can help keep your fish interested in food other than your corals. Maybe try substituting new foods every now and then to really keep them guessing.

Tank Mates

One of the most popular flame angelfish tank mates is the coral beauty; there is no denying that the bright orange and electric purple of these two fish makes for an unparalleled combination in the home aquarium. Sadly, this pairing can only be achieved in larger systems.

If wanting to keep these two dwarf angelfish species together, a bare minimum tank size of 200 gallons is needed. Still, it is not unheard of for a more aggressive flame angel to harass and kill a coral beauty in these larger setups.

Otherwise, flame angelfish can hold their own against slightly more aggressive fish but might be too overpowering for more docile species. Good tank mates include:

Clownfish
Tangs
Gobies
Blennies
Sometimes other species of large angels

Pairing your flame angelfish with other angels is always tricky. As long as the two fish don’t look too similar, there is a good chance that the combination will work.

Remember that flame angelfish are not 100% reef-safe. They are very likely to pick at and devour soft coral polyps. Flame angelfish typically leave snails and hermit crabs alone but might take interest in small shrimp.

What Do They Eat?

As a species of angelfish, flame angels heavily rely on algae and other microscopic flora that can be found growing naturally on the rocks. Because of this, they are not recommended for new aquariums that have little to no established algae growth.

A happy flame angel can be seen weaving in and out of the live rock, picking at whatever they happen to come across. Just because flame angelfish are algae-eating fish does not mean that they will solve a pest algae problem. For algae problems, first combat unstable or poor water quality and then introduce better biological solutions, like a bristle tooth tang if tank size permits.

In order to keep their dwarf angelfish constantly fed, many hobbyists leave a piece of seaweed clipped to the side of the tank for regular feedings. In addition, live and frozen foods, like brine shrimp and mysis shrimp, can regularly be given along with a high-quality marine fish flake or pellet. Flame angelfish will also enjoy algae flakes and pellets to meet their omnivorous needs.

Final Thoughts

Dwarf flame angelfish have always been a popular addition to the home aquarium, though their care requirements and needs have changed drastically over time. These beautiful fish need a decently sized aquarium with some attention to tank mate stocking. They will also do best when kept in a mature tank that has had time to grow enough algae to keep your angel fed.

And yes, a flame angelfish and coral beauty angelfish pairing is possible. Tank conditions and individual personalities of fish need to be right to make this combination work, though.

March 6, 2022

How to Remove Asterina Starfish: Identifying the Harmful Ones and Controlling Them
Asterina starfish are one of those reef tank hitchhikers most experienced hobbyists deal with eventually. After 25 years in the saltwater hobby and running a 125-gallon reef, I’ve had them appear in my own tank — they come in on live rock and coral frags and can multiply quickly through splitting. The key question is whether your asterinas are the harmless detrivore type or the coral-eating type. Most are completely fine. But certain populations develop a taste for soft corals and zoanthids, and once that feeding behavior starts, population control becomes urgent. In this guide I cover how to identify what you’re dealing with and the most effective ways to control or remove them.

What Are Asterina Starfish?

Asterina starfish is the common description and parent genus for about 15 different species of marine starfish. These starfish, also less commonly known as bat stars, can be found in many ecosystems throughout the world, including the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans.

In fact, species of asterina have been found around coral reefs with temperatures below 50° F and at varying depths. Most of these starfish can be found in shallower reef conditions though they have been observed at depths as deep as 150 meters¹.

In the reef aquarium, all species of Asterina are categorized as asterina regardless of their true classification. There are usually too many superficial similarities between these species to differentiate between the exact type.

In general, these starfish are less than a half-inch wide and have an asymmetrical appearance with missing and uneven legs, which is much different than the typical 5-point radial symmetry displayed by echinoderms.

Most asterina starfish are similar in appearance otherwise. They are largely white or tan in coloration but may have brown or red shading or markings. However, it seems that coloration gives some insight into the behavior of the starfish; some species have been known to be more destructive than others which can make it difficult for hobbyists to decide whether or not to keep this pest in their reef tanks.

The problem with asterina starfish is that they are naturally good members of the cleanup crew despite their appetite for corals. At the same time, hobbyists have had many problems with them destroying coral colonies and overpopulating the tank in a matter of weeks.

How Did They Get In Your Aquarium?

Asterina starfish are a common saltwater hitchhikers. This means that they are introduced into the aquarium by way of something added to the tank, like live rock, coral frags, or used substrate.

As adults, asterina starfish are small and difficult to spot on their own. Add in the fact that they are able to regenerate from a very small piece of flesh and it can be very easy to miss an incoming asterina starfish infestation.

How Do They Reproduce?

Like many echinoderms, asterina starfish reproduce through fissiparous reproduction. This process allows them to detach a given leg, which then grows into an entirely new starfish. As you can probably guess, this can quickly lead to an asterina infestation within the aquarium.

In addition to fissiparous reproduction, some species of asterina are also hermaphroditic. They also have the ability to sexually reproduce through egg production.

Are They Good Or Bad?

There is a lot of debate about asterina starfish in the saltwater aquarium hobby. No matter who you ask, these sea stars are known as pests regardless of the benefits they can bring to the marine ecosystem. This is largely due to their rapid reproduction rates, which can be unappealing to some hobbyists even though there are many benefits to having a sustainable asterina population.

There is no clear answer as to if asterina starfish are good or bad. Most aquarists welcome them into their reef aquariums as active members of the cleanup crew, but can quickly learn to hate them if there are any signs of damage to corals.

It has always been a question about whether or not these starfish clean up after already dying corals, or if they take the first step towards eating them due to their natural diet.

It is largely believed that darker colored starfish and ones with red or brown markings are much more likely to eat corals than those that are almost entirely white, regardless of if decay has set in or not. Hobbyists have gone as far as holding controlled experiments to test this hypothesis, which resulted in some definite findings.

One experiment, in particular, demonstrated asterina starfish actively crawling over and grazing on a colony of zoanthids. At the same time, they have been seen eating coralline algae, other stubborn algae species, and even cyanobacteria.

Should You Remove Them, From Your Aquarium?

Again, there is no right answer to this question until it’s too late.

The truth is that asterina starfish are likely to make their way into your tank if you’re keeping corals. It can take considerable time and effort to remove every asterina star you see afterward, but removal may be the best option if you have a reef tank filled with expensive zoanthids and soft corals.

As mentioned before, it’s largely believed that the color and species of asterina starfish play into the likelihood of corals being eaten. If you find that you have a dark-colored variety of starfish, then it’s probably better to be safe than sorry. However, if your stars generally lack markings and have light coloring, then they can be a great addition to the cleanup crew by eating algae and detritus while keeping coralline algae in check.

How To Remove Them From Your Aquarium

If you don’t want to take the risk of asterina stars eating your coral, then you’ll need to know how to remove them. The best way to prevent asterina species from entering your system is by catching them before they have the chance to get comfortable. Luckily, there are a few other ways, including several livestock options, that you can deal with an asterina starfish infestation.

Prevention

The best way to stop any pest from taking over your saltwater reef aquarium is by stopping the problem before it happens.

There are a few ways that asterina stars might enter your system. The most common ways are through the introduction of live rock, coral frags, or used filter media. If you’re sourcing materials from a fellow hobbyist, then it is worth knowing if they have asterina starfish in their aquarium. This can help you be better prepared before accidentally transferring a new pest into your system.

Regardless, live rock and coral frags can be observed for asterina species through a quarantine process. Corals frags can even be dipped into a coral dip, like Coral RX Pro Dip or Bayer BioAdvanced Insect Killer, for extra precaution. Keep in mind that these solutions may not affect asterina starfish eggs and may leave some adults as well.

Coral RX Dip

Coral RX dip is the standard for coral dips in the aquarium industry. There are others out there, but this is the original and most used.

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Steps can be taken to stop these pests from entering your tank. If one happens to get past this process, remember that they have the ability to reproduce asexually at very fast rates; one asterina star can turn into a whole population in a matter of days.

Reduce nutrients and wastes

Asterina starfish are scavengers and opportunistic feeders. They graze on algae, biofilm, and their favorite corals, zoanthids.

As a pest, these invertebrates rely on what is already present in the aquarium to thrive. This means that population growth directly correlates to the resources readily available in the reef tank; a large amount of algae will result in a large number of asterinas.

Though reducing nutrients and wastes isn’t the best option if your aquarium is relatively stable otherwise, it’s a possible solution for at least slowing the growth of the asterina population.

Manual Removal

If you already have asterina starfish in your aquarium, then your tank will probably never be rid of them. However, you can greatly reduce population numbers through regular manual removal.

Manual removal is simple, though additional maintenance. The best tactic is to wait until the lights go out on the reef tank and then remove every tiny starfish you see. These sea stars can be humanely euthanized with a coral dip or other solution.

Never try to kill these starfish while they’re still in the aquarium! Any fragments leftover from a dead asterina starfish still has the possibility of recovering into a new starfish.

Otherwise, simply remove them as you find them. Some hobbyists like to transfer them from the main display to the sump, though they can always find their way back up to the aquarium.

What Eats Them?

Luckily, there are a few species that will eat asterina starfish.

It’s important to remember that adding livestock to solve a pest problem is not a temporary solution; your new addition should feel comfortable in its new home long after the pests are gone!

As we’ll see, some of these livestock can be challenging to keep due to their dependence on asterina starfish as their main food source. For some hobbyists, these challenges definitely outweigh the risk of having their soft corals eaten though.

Harlequin Shrimp (Hymenocera elegans)
- Scientific name: Hymenocera elegans
- Maximum size: 2 inches
- Minimum tank size: 10 gallons
- Origin: Indo-Pacific
- Reef-safe: Yes
Harlequin shrimp are the most recommended natural solution for an asterina starfish infestation. These small shrimp have very appealing patterning with pastel blue, pink, and purple spots on top of a creamy base color. They also don’t require much space as long as dietary needs are met. It is the preferred method of many reefers, including longtime YouTube influencer Rotter Tube Reef – who’s video is showed above.

The unique thing about the harlequin shrimp is that they’re one of the few species of shrimp that is truly reef-safe. Instead of algae and other organics, their diet consists of only echinoderms, like asterina starfish. In a matter of weeks, harlequin shrimp will eradicate an asterina problem. After that, a bigger problem arises.

Once all asterina stars have been eaten, your shrimp will be left without any food. At this point, hobbyists need to start supplementing feedings or rehome the shrimp to another hobbyist with an asterina problem.

If you want to keep your harlequin shrimp, then there are a few options for keeping them fed. One of these options is to set up a system solely dedicated to raising asterina starfish. This system does not need to be complex and can be similar to a refugium setting.

Another option is to regularly buy echinoderms, like chocolate chip starfish (Protoreaster nodosus) and Linckia sp. (orange linckia, red linckia, and blue linckia). Chocolate chip stars are much more available and hardier than Linckia sp., making them the better option for easier feedings and long-term success.

These starfish can be fed all at once or by one leg at a time, though the latter isn’t for the faint of heart; the only advantage to feeding leg by leg is that the starfish will have time to rejuvenate a new one by the next feeding, reducing future costs.

Harlequin shrimp are expert hunters. They will work together to flip a starfish on its back and start to eat its tube feet. They will slowly but surely work their way towards the fleshy center of the starfish.

Luckily, it can take up to a month for a harlequin shrimp to eat an entire starfish before having to buy another.

Bumblebee Shrimp (Gnathophyllum americanum)
- Scientific name: Gnathophyllum americanum
- Maximum size: 1 inch
- Minimum tank size: 10 gallons
- Origin: Indo-Pacific
- Reef-safe: Yes
The bumblebee shrimp, also known as the striped harlequin shrimp, is one of the most affordable options for long-term asterina control, but also one of the hardest to maintain due to water parameters.

These shrimp are named after their alternating black, white, and yellow stripes that line their body. Bumblebee shrimp are very similar to harlequin shrimp in diet and behavior but are more accepting of other foods outside of echinoderms.

Bumblebee shrimp will actively hunt and eat asterina starfish in the tank. However, bumblebees will also eat algae, waste, and any leftover food they happen to come across. This is beneficial for hobbyists that plan on keeping their shrimps after all asterinas have been dealt with but might interfere with the efficacy of eliminating the pests.

If deciding between a harlequin and bumblebee shrimp, consider how immediate your problem is. Harlequin shrimp will eliminate all starfish within a couple of weeks while bumblebees might take a little longer and might be better at population control rather than total eradication.

After the asterinas are gone, also consider how you will continue to feed your shrimp. Bumblebees are easier in the long run, though harlequins are much faster at solving the immediate problem.

Bongo Shrimp (Phyllognathia ceratophthalma)
- Scientific name: Phyllognathia ceratophthalma
- Maximum size: 1 inch
- Minimum tank size: 10 gallons
- Origin: Indo-Pacific
- Reef-safe: Yes
The bongo shrimp is rarely seen in the aquarium hobby but has become a popular solution for asterina starfish infestations. Though these shrimp might be harder to find than harlequins, they’re usually cheaper and much more suited for smaller home aquariums.

Bongo shrimp are small shrimp that rely only on echinoderms for food. They have a white body covered in bright orange and blue markings.

Bongo shrimp are extremely shy and do not do well in tanks with large, active fish. Because of this, hobbyists usually keep them in nano and pico tanks with docile fish that have no interest in eating them; even then, these shrimp are likely to hide in the shadows of the rockwork.

It is believed that bongo shrimp favor brittle starfish (Ophiuroidea class) more than asterina starfish, but they will still greatly help to reduce populations.

Final Thoughts

Asterina starfish are a common pest in the aquarium world that you’re likely to find in your own reef tank one day. For the most part, these tiny starfish are nothing to worry about. However, some species of asterina starfish can begin to munch on zoanthids and other soft corals without any notice. Their ability to quickly reproduce can also cause an infestation in no time.

Luckily, there are a few ways to control and even completely eliminate all threats of an asterina starfish infestation through prevention, nutrient and waste reduction, and manual removal as well as several natural coral predators.

📘 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.
February 17, 2022

Lyretail Anthias Care – A Complete Guide

If you’re like me, then one of your favorite things to do is sit back and watch your reef tank filled with beautiful fish swimming around. Among the many different types of fishes that can be kept in a reef tank, lyretail anthias (Pseudanthias squamipinnis) are perhaps some of the most colorful and striking. Lyretail anthias require a fair bit of care, but if you’re up for it they are definitely worth keeping! In this article I’ll provide a complete guide on how to take care of lyretail anthias so that you can enjoy them in your reef tank for years to come.

Species Overview

Scientific Name	Pseudanthias squamipinnis
Common Names	Lyretail anthias, scalefin anthias, sea goldie, lyretail fairy basslet, orange seaperch
Family	Serranidae
Origin	Indo Pacific Ocean (Indo-West Pacific Ocean)
Diet	Carnivore
Colors	Orange, purple, yellow, red
Care Level	Intermediate
Temperaturement	Semi-aggressive
Minimum Tank Size	125 gallons
Max Size	5 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	Uncommon

Origins And Habitat

The lyretail anthias goes by many names but is pretty easy to identify.

Contrary to popular belief, these fish are not true anthias species belonging to the Anthias genus. Instead, they belong to the Pseudanthias genus. As a fish species of Pseudanthias, these medium-sized fish have very bright colors that bring great contrast to the aquarium setting.

Lyretail anthias are native to the Indo-West Pacific Ocean. They can be found throughout the Red Sea as well as off the coasts of Japan, Australia, and South Africa. There, these fish form huge harems in clear tropical waters consisting of one male and up to 10 females¹. They depend on coral reefs for protection and food, mainly zooplankton.

Though these peaceful fish can be found throughout many ecosystems, there is little physical difference between populations.

Hermaphroditism And Sexual Dimorphism

Lyretail anthias demonstrate protogynous hermaphroditism, much like clownfish. This is the evolutionary ability for the fish to change from female to male depending on internal and external environmental factors.

Protogynous hermaphroditism is to increase reproduction rates and is especially successful in harem communities. Lyretails like to stay in large aggregations of about 10 females for every one male. When this male leaves or dies, a female will undergo the transition to male to fill this space and to optimize reproduction rates.

On top of this, lyretails display sexual dimorphism. Simply put, this is when male and female individuals of the same species differ in appearance. For the lyretail anthias, this difference is pretty huge.

Male lyretail anthias grow considerably larger than females, maxing out at about 6 inches while females typically stay under 3 inches. The bigger difference is in color.

Female lyretail anthias are sherbet-colored with a yellowy-pink body and bright yellow underbelly; sometimes these fish may be more yellow than pink. The eyes have hints of purple which are further accented by the purple streak that runs along their cheeks.

Male lyretail anthias are much more ornate. These fish are dark purplish-red with contrasting red fins; like females, they have a bright red streak that runs along their cheeks. They also have an identifiable elongated dorsal spine and some extension to the rest of their fins.

In the case of a missing male, females have the ability to transition into a male in under a month. If a female harem has been established without a male, the most dominant female will make the transition in about 170-280 days.

Lyretail Anthias Tank Requirements

Though beautiful fish, lyretails aren’t the easiest fish to keep in the aquarium. This is largely due to their spatial and dietary needs. Still, the lyretail anthias is considered to be one of the easiest fake anthias to keep.

Lyretails live above the reef and need open swimming space. In the tank setting, hobbyists also need additional space to comfortably keep large numbers of these peaceful fish together. Because of this, they need at least a 125 gallon aquarium.

Though these fish will look their best against a natural backdrop of coral, this isn’t always necessary. One of the important factors to remember when keeping these fish is that they are active zooplankton feeders, constantly searching for floating foods.

A reef aquarium setting will naturally help to maintain these populations of microorganisms so that they don’t need to be manually supplemented as often.

Are They Hardy?

Though lyretails aren’t necessarily sensitive to water parameters, they will do best when conditions are maintained and stable. These fish will show their brightest colors with minimal nitrates and phosphates in a reef tank setting.

Lyretail anthias are generally hardy, though they should only be kept in matured and established systems.

Temperament

Lyretail anthias are active fish. They will usually stay at the top of or in front of the live rock, swimming loosely in their harem (video source).

In general, these fish keep to themselves if conditions are met. Male lyretail anthias can become territorial at times, though they won’t inflict injury on another fish.

It is also common to see females picking at each other, especially if there is no male present in the tank. At that point, the biggest and brightest females may work out which one will assume the position of male in the group.

Are They Aggressive?

That being said, the lyretail anthias is regarded as one of the more aggressive species within the Pseudanthias genus. They are slightly sensitive to imperfections in saltwater tank conditions and parameters, which can affect their individual behaviors.

As mentioned before, lyretails are constantly searching for food. If food supplies run low, then these fish have been known to become pretty aggressive towards other fish who might pose as competition. This is especially true for smaller and slower-moving species.

In the same ways, lyretails can become aggressive if space is limited. Though the males are mostly regarded as being territorial, it’s possible that the females will chase after other fish if they feel they don’t have enough space.

Are They Reef-Safe?

Yes – Lyretail anthias are one of the best fish to have in a reef tank setting. These fish are close to being completely reef-safe and won’t bother munching on any sessile invertebrates within the tank display.

Lyretails are only concerned with food that is free-floating in the water column and won’t pick at the rocks like other foragers. These fish can be safely kept with soft corals, large polyp stony (LPS) corals, and small polyp stony (SPS) corals without any worry.

Though there is usually no risk with keeping lyretail anthias in a reef setup, it’s always possible for a fish to start picking at coral for no reason.

Tankmates

Not only are lyretail anthias reef-safe, but they’re also a great community fish all around. As mentioned before, space and dietary strains can cause individual fish to become more aggressive, but they can usually be kept with an assortment of fish.

Lyretail anthias are best kept with other reef species. This includes damselfish, tangs, wrasses, and some angelfish.

To help prevent issues with aggression, it’s recommended to allow lyretails their own space within the aquarium. For example, these fish will mainly stay at the top of or in front of the rockwork. Other smaller fish that like to stay in the same areas for extended periods of time should be avoided.

For the most part, though, there is enough space for everyone to get along as long as the tank size is right.

How Many Can Be Kept Together?

It’s generally agreed that lyretail anthias will do well in groups of at least 4 or more in the home aquarium. It is preferred to keep more, though this pushes the tank size needed.

Lyretail anthias are social fish that like to be in small groups. In the wild, they can be seen in larger groups with one male surrounded by several females. In the aquarium, it isn’t too necessary to keep so many of them together.

Most hobbyists pick up a group of all-female lyretail anthias and allow them to pick a male among themselves; it is best to either pick all small juvenile females or a group of females where one is noticeably larger. Immediately adding a male to the tank can cause rejection and even more aggression between individuals.

Though these fish are a shoaling species, they actually do just fine on their own in the aquarium. Many reefers have had luck keeping only one lyretail anthias by itself in a full reef tank setting. There have been no noticeable differences in behavior and the fish remains present and active.

Most times, this fish will transition to a male lyretail anthias when alone.

Can They Be Kept With Other Anthias Species?

Depending on tank size, you will be able to keep multiple species of anthias fish together. The trick to getting these combinations to work is by choosing species that aren’t too similar in appearance or behavior. Similar to other species, lyretails will become aggressive to similar-looking fish that aren’t in their harem.

There are many different kinds of anthias in the aquarium, both true ones and fake ones. The problem is that one is more beautiful than the next, making it difficult to pick and choose which one you want to have in your aquarium.

Instead, pick species that can tell each other apart, like:

Bartlett’s anthias (Pseudanthias bartlettorum)
Dispar anthias/Madder seaperch (Pseudanthias dispar)
Bicolor anthias (Pseudanthias bicolor)
Evansi anthias (Pseudanthias evansi)

Still, some hobbyists have seen aggression between males of each species, though there is usually no cause for concern. If keeping multiple species of anthias together, the tank should be much larger than the minimum tank size recommended of 125 gallons.

Diet

The hardest part of owning lyretail anthias will be keeping them fed. These are very active fish with high metabolisms, so they need to be fed regularly. This is also in addition to their need for small planktonic foods, similar to their natural diet in the wild.

Luckily, most hobbyists have had success getting their lyretails to accept a wide variety of aquarium foods. For best coloration, you’ll want to provide a varied diet.

Lyretail anthias are largely carnivores. This means that they need a good assortment of meaty foods to meet their dietary demands. This should include a selection of live, frozen, and freeze-dried options, like brine shrimp, mysis shrimp, and black worms.

If you’re struggling with getting your fish to eat larger foods, then you may want to try feeding copepods or a specialized food, like Reef Frenzy by Larry’s Reef Services (LRS).

Best Frozen Food

LRS Reef Frenzy

LRS Reef Frenzy is well known for being the best frozen food available for reef fish. High quality raw ingredients that fish love!

Click For Best Price

Not all lyretails will readily accept flake or pellet food at first, and might not ever accept anything other than their preferred foods. However, if you’re lucky enough that your lyretail anthias do accept other foods, then high-quality flake foods can be the staple of the diet.

To ensure that your fish are always happy and healthy, it’s recommended to provide feedings 2-3 times a day. They are known for eating throughout the day. They will do better in a reef aquarium with lots of fauna in the tank such as copepods and zooplankton. You can supplement plankton with foods like Benereef. This food contains planktivore content that are loved by Lyretail Anthias.

Common Diseases

Though lyretails are hardy fish, they can succumb to common aquarium illnesses rather quickly. For whatever reason, most anthias available in store are usually affected by one ailment or another. Because of this, it’s definitely recommended to provide plenty of time for quarantine before adding them to the main display.

One of the most common marine diseases your lyretail anthias fish are likely to get is a type of Uronema, usually Uronema marinum. This is a free-living ciliate parasite that uses the host for living, feeding, and reproducing.

Though most life stages are fulfilled while actively infecting the fish, the parasite can enter the water column and affect other organisms. It can survive on bacteria and detritus within the system indefinitely, meaning that it will survive through fallow periods.

Uronema is very quick to kill and should not be ignored. Unfortunately, its symptoms can be difficult to diagnose which can take up valuable treatment time. The main symptoms are red bumps and abrasions that eventually grow into large, open sores. Discoloration, flashing, loss of appetite, and heavy breathing also follow.

Unfortunately, many hobbyists opt to euthanize their fish once this parasite has displayed itself in the home aquarium; usually, the fish is too far gone and it’s better to sacrifice one to save the whole. However, if you manage to catch it early enough and have the proper quarantine setup and medications, then there is still some hope.

The best course of treatment is a 5 minutes freshwater dip and a dose of metronidazole every 48 hours for 10-14 days. For best results, it’s also recommended to feed medicated food with a binder like Seachem Focus and Seachem MetroPlex.

Again, introducing this parasite into the main display will cause it to live in the aquarium indefinitely. The best way to prevent it from devastating your tank is by quarantining.

Final Thoughts

The lyretail anthias is a beautiful saltwater fish meant for the reef aquarium. In the wild, these fish form harems and feed on planktonic organisms within the water column. This diet can prove to be difficult for some hobbyists, though lyretails usually adapt well to aquarium foods and conditions.

One of the major diseases to watch out for concerning these saltwater fish is Uronema, though they are very hardy after being acclimated.

February 6, 2022

Coral Beauty Angel Care (A Complete Guide)

Anyone with an interest in keeping marine fish will have, at some point, come across a coral beauty angel. This beautiful fish is a popular choice for saltwater aquariums, thanks to its bright coloration and relatively hardy nature.

If you’re looking for a comprehensive guide on how to care for your coral beauty angel, look no further! In this post, we’ll go over everything you need to know in order to keep your coral beauty happy and healthy. From food to tank size, we’ve got you covered. So read on and get started!

Species Overview

Scientific Name	Centropyge bispinosa
Common Names	Coral beauty angelfish, two spined angelfish, dusky angelfish
Family	Pomacanthidae
Origin	Indo-Pacific
Diet	Omnivore
Colors	Purple, blue, orange, yellow, red
Care Level	Easy
Temperament	Semi-aggressive
Minimum Tank Size	55 gallons
Max Size	6 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 Breed?	Rare

Origins And Habitat

The Coral beauty angelfish, sometimes called two spined angelfish, are a longtime favorite in the aquarium hobby due to their small size and bright colors. For many years, these peaceful fish were believed to be a nano species that could fit into tanks under 40 gallons. Now, we have a better understanding of their true needs and requirements.

These fish are scientifically known as Centropyge bispinosa and are a type of dwarf angelfish from the Pomacanthidae family. They originate from the shallow reefs of the Indo-Pacific, like many other colorful aquarium fish available in the trade. There, they live in sheltered coral reef ecosystems in shallow lagoons and slopes.

In the wild, coral beauty angelfish are not the most abundant or bold species of fish on the reef, and this will translate to the aquarium setting. Instead, they can be found grazing on algae in between the corals and rocks alone or in harems of 3-7 individuals.

Identification

Coral beauties are easy to identify and it’s clear how they earned their name.

As a species of dwarf angelfish, the coral beauty grows to about 4-6 inches. They are velvety purple with streaks of yellow and orange embers across their sides. Their bellies usually have the most vibrant oranges and yellows.

In especially vibrantly-colored fish, light blue margins can be seen along the fins and accenting some facial features.

How Long Do These Beauties Live?

Most species of marine fish can live a long time. The coral beauty is no different.

On average, you can expect your coral beauty to live more than 5 years. In ideal conditions, these saltwater fish have been known to live up to 15 years.

As we’ll talk about later though, the coral beauty angelfish can quickly succumb to some common aquarium diseases.

Tank Requirements

As mentioned before, care requirements for the coral beauty angel have gone overlooked for a very long time. Because of their dwarf size, they were often squished into nano reef tanks that were way too small with incompatible tank mates. Even though the coral beauty angelfish might seem tiny, they actually need a lot of open swimming space.

coral beauty angelfish centropyge need at least a 55-gallon tank. Some hobbyists will say that a 70 gallon is the bare minimum tank size, but a standard 55 gallon will comfortably house one of these gorgeous fish as long as the rest of the stocking is light.

The coral beauty angelfish can be shy and they will spend most of their time among the live rock picking at algae; they will also appreciate having several hiding places available throughout this intricate rockwork. However, they like to have free-swimming space as well and will establish loose territories.

Temperament

The coral beauty angelfish is a species that comes some territorial aggression.

Though these fish don’t have overly bold personalities, they will set up some territories throughout the tank that they’ll defend. This is especially true if there are other dwarf angels and marine algae-grazers in the tank competing for the same resources.

Otherwise, they can be seen peacefully swimming in and out of the rockwork, picking at algae and other microflora.

Are They Aggressive?

Just how aggressive is the coral beauty? It depends on the personality of the individual fish.

Coral beauties can greatly range in aggression. Some hobbyists have dwarf angels that are model citizens while others have difficulty from the start. They have surprisingly been known to intentionally chase and injure other fish, especially ones that threaten their territory or that are similar in appearance.

There is no way to predict how aggressive your coral beauty might be, which is why having a larger tank size is better than having a smaller one. It may also help to add this dwarf angelfish towards the end of the stocking list.

Perfect Tank Mates

Yellow Coris Wrasse - A Great Addition for Pest Control

Aside from their semi-aggression, coral beauty and angelfish are a community species. They can be put together with most species of colorful reef fish without too many problems.

Some possible tank mates include

Damselfish
Tangs
Gobies
Blennies
Wrasses
Larger angelfish. Remember that these fish should not be kept with other dwarf angelfish unless kept in a large tank.

As a species of angelfish, there is a slight disposition for your coral beauty to snack on smaller sessile invertebrates, though most hobbyists have no problem keeping them in a full reef tank setup with a variety of species.

Can These Beauties Be Kept With Flame Angels?

For many years, coral beauty and flame angelfish (Centropyge loricula) went together as perfect tank mates. As time went on, hobbyists realized that these two fish aren’t exactly compatible.

As mentioned before, species of dwarf angelfish, like the coral beauty and flame angel, do not do well together. This is largely due to limited resources and territories in smaller reef aquariums. That being said, this iconic pairing is possible if tank conditions are met.

In order to keep a coral beauty together with a flame angel, the tank should be at least 125 gallons. At this size, there should be enough space for your fish to peacefully cohabitate, though you can still run into some problems.

To help diffuse aggression even more, it’s recommended to add the two fish together at the same time. This gives them the same opportunity to establish their own territories without being bullied by the other.

Can You Keep Multiple Beauties Together?

In short, no, you cannot keep multiple coral beauties together. However, hobbyists have had some success in especially large systems over 200 gallons.

Not only do coral beauty angelfish centropyge not naturally congregate in the wild, but you could also run into the same problems as with the flame angel. There simply isn’t enough space for multiple coral beauties to live together in most average reef tank setups.
In the wild, coral beauty angelfish are rarely seen together. For the moments that they are together, they form small harems. Because this is their natural behavior, it doesn’t make too much sense to try this in the aquarium setting.

What Do Coral Beauty Angels Eat?

With such a beautiful fish, you definitely want to get your coral beauty looking the best that it can. Though some of this will depend on the lighting and other water parameters, a high-quality diet will definitely help bring out the best colors of your fish.

The Coral beauty angelfish is an omnivore, meaning they’ll largely accept most plant- and meat-based foods. Remember that these gorgeous fish spend a significant amount of their time picking algae and other microorganisms off the reef in the wild.

To best replicate this natural diet, live, freeze-dried, and frozen foods, like brine shrimp and mysis shrimp, should regularly be offered. They will also readily accept algae flakes and pellets along with pieces of seaweed. Feedings of live food like blackworms and high quality frozen food like LRS or Rod’s Reef are ideal.

Coral beauty angelfish can be opportunistic feeders and have been known to go after corals.

Are They Reef Safe?

Coral beauties are not considered fully reef safe.

These dwarf angelfish constantly graze the live rock looking for anything they can eat. Though this helps with algae problems, sometimes these fish get curious and take a bite out of a colony of soft corals. Coral beauty angelfish have been known to eat whole zoanthid colonies overnight and might even nip at large polyp stony (LPS) corals.

There is no way to know if your coral beauty will be reef safe in the long run. There are ways to deter nipping by making sure that feedings are regular and by meeting all dietary needs. It also helps to keep these hardy fish only when the tank has fully matured to ensure that there is a good population of algae available on the rocks.

Otherwise, a good majority of hobbyists have luck keeping these saltwater fish in a fully reef tank. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case.

Do They Eat Hair Algae?

Treating pest algae with saltwater aquarium fish or invertebrates is a common yet poor practice, especially if you don’t have the tank space. But is the coral beauty an efficient algae-grazer?

Yes, these saltwater fish are efficient algae-grazers but they can be quite picky. Though your fish might always be picking at the live rock, it might avoid patches of less favorable pest algae, like hair algae. Because there is no guarantee that coral beauties will treat an algae problem and they need substantial space to flourish, they’re not recommended as a cure to a hair algae problem.

Instead, these beautiful fish can help prevent algae problems. As your fish is constantly picking at the rocks, it’s eating a variety of waste and debris that could eventually give way to algae. If you are looking for marine animals that eat hair algae, check out my algae eater post.

Breeding

Like many other aquarium fish, coral beauties have successfully been bred in the display tank setting over the last few years. Captive breeding has led to reduced prices for hobbyists as well as increased sustainability for natural habitats and overall healthier fish. The problem is that most saltwater fish need very large tanks for proper breeding conditions.

One of the most renowned breeders of the coral beauty angelfish is the Biota Palau Marine Life Nursery located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. This process starts by collecting several pairs of wild-caught angel species and placing them into 100 gallon outdoor systems, close to their original area of collection. You can learn more about their mission and process in the video below by Biota.

These tanks imitate natural conditions and do not have filtration. Instead, the water is heavily aerated and regular water changes are performed throughout the week. Once the eggs hatch and the fry are successfully collected, the water is filled with different microorganisms, like phytoplankton, for food.

A balance is created between the demand of the coral beauty angelfish larvae diet and waste buildup. At this time, the fry are too small to have their water changed; they are nearly microscopic with flattened silver bodies and a bright blue line down their dorsal.

Over the next few months, they can start to eat larger live foods, like brine shrimp, and will develop their adult colors. Soon, they will be a deep royal blue with accents of iridescent orange and yellow and be ready for their permanent home.

Coral beauty angelfish from Biota are incredibly hardy and vibrant in color. Because they were raised in the aquarium setting, they readily accept most processed foods and are disease-free.

Can You Breed Them In The Home Aquarium?

As of yet, there is no major success in breeding these saltwater fish within the home aquarium setting. This is largely due to the space needed to accommodate the parents and the constant food that fry need.

The Biota Palau Marine Life Nursery is a large facility known for breeding coral beauty angelfish, gobies, and other popular aquarium species.

Common Diseases

One of the benefits of getting a captive-bred dwarf angel is that they are free of parasites. Most wild-caught fish need to be treated for internal and external parasites before adding them to the main display tank. Captive breeding mostly eliminates this threat, though they’re still susceptible to common marine fish diseases.

Though hardy, coral beauty angelfish are notorious for catching ich (Ichthyophthirius multifiliis) and marine velvet ( Amyloodinium spp.). Unfortunately, angelfish can be affected by disease pretty quickly so treatment should be started as soon as possible.

It should be noted that dwarf angelfish can be negatively affected by copper-based medications, though most hobbyists have no problems with this fish. For fast and safe recovery, it is always recommended to move the fish to a more controlled quarantine tank.

Final Thoughts

The coral beauty angelfish has been a popular aquarium fish for a very long time and rightfully so. These beautiful fish have great colors that can’t easily be found on other fish and have mostly docile temperaments. They are also sustainably captive bred which makes them relatively affordable and saves their natural environments.

However, these fish are still angelfish and caution is needed when attempting to keep them with corals and smaller invertebrates. If you have any questions about coral beauty angelfish care, leave a comment below. Thanks for reading!

January 29, 2022

Best Nano Protein Skimmer – 7 Best (2026 Reviews)

Are you in the market for a new nano protein skimmer? Or maybe you’re just curious about what the best nano protein skimmers are on the market right now. In either case, you’ve come to the right place. Today, we’ll be taking a look at seven of the best nano protein skimmers currently available, based on 2023 reviews. So whether you’re looking for something affordable or high-end, we’ve got you covered. Let’s get started!

How I Selected These Nano Skimmers (My Criteria Selection)

Choosing from the large list of options these days, it can be overwhelming to determine which is the best nano protein skimmer for you. I’m here to help and have a fairly comprehensive selection criteria that is as follows:

Reliability
Brand name
Footprint

Reliability

Nano Protein skimmers should last a long time. For large skimmers, this comes down to the pump quality and the durability of the protein skimmer body and neck to take wear and tear over time. For nano protein skimmers, the main focus is on the pump. Because of where these skimmers go, there is less of a risk of damage since they aren’t going to move anywhere. You don’t have to worry about elbowing a protein skimmer neck while in your sump with a tiny protein skimmer. The pump needs to reliable and last the test of time.

Brand Name

I try to avoid any cheap made Chinese brand sellers. Sure, the prices are great and some of them are pretty decent. But most of those models that are decent are establish brand names now like Bubble Magus. I’m talking about the generic skimmers you find on marketplaces like Amazon.

I stick to major brand names to this like. Brands like Tunze, Aquamaxx, and CoralVue have been involved in the saltwater hobby for a long time and have constantly produced winning products. If I’m going to list a small brand or a up and comer, they better offer something unique that the major brands don’t have.

Footprint

These are called nano protein skimmers for a reason. They are supposed to be the smallest footprint possible so they can be installed internally while not being a major eyesore. Others are designed to be installed inside all-in-one systems and nano reef tanks. They need to have a slim profile to fit in these chambers. If they can’t fit in most systems, they don’t make the list!

The Nano Protein Skimmer Candidates

Nano protein skimmers are becoming more popular as more hobbyists try to keep smaller reef tanks. There are more models being released each year. However, the same name brands show up time and time again in this size. Below is a list of the nano skimmers I’ve reviewed.

In a hurry? I recommend the Tunze Comline DOC 9001!

Picture	Name	Best For	Link
Editor’s Choice	Tunze Comline DOC 9001	Reliable Great skimmer Small Footprint	Click For Best Price Buy On Amazon
Best Value	Innovative Marine BioSkim NANO	Built for all in one tanks Great brand name	Click For Best Price Buy On Amazon
Budget Option	Aquatic Life 115 Mini	Great price Small footprint	Click For Best Price Buy On Amazon
	IceCap K1 Nano	Small footprint Needle wheel skimmer	Click For Best Price Buy On Amazon
	Aquamaxx HOB 1.5	Hang On Back Powerful	Buy On Amazon
	Reef Glass Nano	Smallest Skimmer Good price	Buy On EBay
	Aquamaxx NF-1 Nano	Small Footpint SICCE pump	Buy On Amazon

The 7 Best (2023 Reviews)

I narrowed down the list to 7, now let’s see why each protein skimmer made the cut!

1. Tunze Comline DOC 9001

Editor’s Choice

Comline DOC 9001

Best Nano Protein Skimmer

With Tunze’s legendary reliability and its small footprint. This is the protein skimmer to buy for small aquariums

Click For Best Price Buy On Amazon

Tunze has developed the perfect nano protein skimmer that has remained unchanged for many years. It is built with the same reliability in mind. These protein skimmers are known for lasting and performing reliability, similar to the Tunze auto top off unit and wavemakers. This protein skimmer will run for many years with few issues.

The Tunze 9001 is designed for nano tanks 37 gallons in size. It is designed to be “idiot proof”. You just install it in the corner of your tank or in an all in one chamber and forget about it (except when you need to empty out the skimmate chamber.

They can be finnicky with aquarium water levels, but it’s easy to adjust with their magnetic mounts. It has been used by many nano aquarium owners over the years to the point where it has become the go to for protein skimmers. This is the best nano protein skimmer you can buy on the list if it’s within your budget.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Tunze reliability
High quality
Compact size

Cons

Expensive

2. Innovative Marine BioSkim

Best Value

BioSkim DC Skimmer

The BioSkim is a DC powered nano skimmer that works in nearly every all in one tank

Click For Best Price Buy On Amazon

What a tiny protein skimmer that is DC powered? Look no further with the Innovation Marine BioSkim DC Skimmer. This DC powered skimmer is energy efficient and designed with all in one tanks in mind. With only a 4″ wide footprint, it can fit in virtually all all in one tanks. They are designed for saltwater aquariums up to 34 gallons.

It is the successor to Innovative’s ghost skimmer line. The Ghost wasn’t the great protein skimmer and Innovative have learned their lesson. This protein skimmer is a lot more functional than the Ghost. It produces a lot more foam the ghost with this new design.

It’s cheaper than the Tunze. It’s a great option if the Tunze is out of your budget. If this one is out of your budget, I got another cheaper option below.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Innovative brand name
High quality
Fits in IM tanks

Cons

Expensive
Small collection cup

3. Aquatic Life 115 Mini Internal

Budget Option

Aquatic Life Mini Skimmer

The Aquatic Life Mini Skimmer offers a competent pump driven protein skimmer at a budget conscious price. Small enough to fit in most nano tanks and all in one aquariums

Click For Best Price Buy On Amazon

The Aquatic Life Mini Skimmer is a well priced nano skimmer. It not only is the cheapest skimmer on this list, but also one of the smallest. With a 3 and 1/4 inch footprint, it can fit in virtually any all in one chamber. It’s also small enough to install internally where it would be a big eyesore.

It’s size comes with a price. This is one of the lower bubble producing protein skimmers on this list, but still will still do a good job in a small tank. If you are on a budget, but want a protein skimmer, the 115 mini internal protein skimmer is great to add to your nano reef tank!

Pros and Cons

Pros

Cheap
Small size

Cons

Not the best skimmer
Small collection cup

4. IceCap K1

IceCap K1

A budget offering from CoralVue. Smaller sizes work great for nano reef tanks

Click For Best Price Buy On Amazon

The K-1 Nano by IceCap is a powerful nano protein skimmer for its size. With a 2.7 x 3.2 inch footprint, it can fit even in small all in one aquariums like the Nuvo 10 and Pro Fusion 20s. The unit is powered by IceCap’s DCair 200 protein skimmer pump. These are considered the lower end pumps with the K2 pumps being considered the higher end models.

However, there are no K2 nano skimmers available. Even with this pump, the skimmate produced is pretty good. It’s also built like a in sump skimmer with an adjustable dial and bubble cage design.

It’s slightly cheaper than the Tunze Comline, but doesn’t have the reliability history that the Tunze has. It’s a great option if you want to spend a little less but also want a powerful nano protein skimmer.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Great quality
Small size
Built like a sump skimmer

Cons

Expensive
Cheap pump

5. AquaMaxx HOB 1.5 Hang On Back

Great HOB Skimmer

AquaMaxx HOB 1.5

Best HOB Skimmer

Combines a needle wheel style skimmer in an HOB design

Click For Best Price Buy On Amazon

Are you looking for the most powerful skimmer you can put in your nano reef tank? If so, the Aquamaxx HOB 1.5 is the skimmer to purchase. This beast is armed with a modified SICCE pump and is built to handle saltwater aquariums up to 90 gallons. You can’t get larger than this unless your nano tank somehow has a sump to put a larger skimmer inside it.

So how do you place a large protein skimmer like this in an all-in-one tank? All you do is place the intake and return in one section and the return in another. The protein skimmer will also need to hang on the back of the all-in-one saltwater aquarium, which will take away from that flushed look that these systems can provide.

While it won’t look the prettiest hanging in your tank ,this is the most powerful protein skimmer you can buy at this size. If powerful filtration is your sole focus, get this protein skimmer.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Powerful skimmer
SICCE pump
Solid design

Cons

Expensive
Hangs on back

6. Reef Glass

Great For Nano Reefs

Reef Glass Nano

The Smallest Skimmer

Compact size yet effective, The Reef Glass Nano is ideal for Nano Reef Tanks

Buy On EBay

Do you have a small nano tank? Maybe even a pico tank (10 gallons and under) and what to drop a skimmer in? If so, the ReefGlass is the smallest nano protein skimmer you can purchase in the hobby. It’s small, but mighty. It is the only woodstone powered skimmer I’ll recommended to readers.

This isn’t your ordinary woodstone skimmer. This is built with Pyrex glass and it doesn’t need an unsightly side drain like those cheaper protein skimmers. It’s all made in the USA! It is designed to mount inside rimless or rimmed tanks, but it is so small it will fit in any all in one protein skimmer chamber out there. ReefGlass claims it can work with aquariums up to 30 gallons, but I’m inclined to say that this skimmer is best at the 20 gallons and under size. All you need is an aquarium air pump to get this working.

It’s small and on the expensive side (more so when you add in the pump cost), but it’s size allows you to place it anywhere in a saltwater tank.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Tiny skimmer
Great design
Made in the USA

Cons

Air driven
Expensive

7. Aquamaxx NF-1

AquaMaxx NF-1 Nano

The Aquamaxx NF-1 Nano offers a compact size skimmer that is powered by a modified SICCE pump

Buy On Amazon

I love the Aquamaxx HOB 1.5, but most reefs don’t want to put a giant skimmer on the back of their tank. Aquamaxx had a WS-1 skimmer, but even that was too big for most all in one tanks. I was very pleased to see that they have been listening to their customers with the introduction of the NF-1 Nano.

This little skimmer is powered by the same modified SICCE pumps that all other Aquamaxx skimmers use. This skimmer will outperform many other nano protein skimmers on the market. It is a little bit wider at 4″ in footprint, but should fit in most all-in-one aquariums.

It does have one issue where the intake will get clogged with salt creep. This means you have to clean more often than others. It’s also on the pricier side being slightly more than the IceCap skimmer. If you want a SICCE powered nano skimmer, this is a solid choice.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Small footprint
SICCE pump
Built like in sump skimmer

Cons

Intake clogs easily
Pricey

Popular Types to Avoid

So I mentioned several great picks and the best nano protien skimmer to buy. Let’s talk about ones to avoid. I made this list below because it’s really easy to select a skimmer at this size that will not work well. 2 of those I’ve had personal experience with and the others I’ve heard so much about through forums and other hobbyists that I wouldn’t recommend it over the ones that made this best of list. Let’s discuss each one below:

1. Fluval SP

The Fluval SP skimmer is a very popular choice due to the popularity of the Fluval EVO XIII. While popular, it’s not the best nano skimmer to buy. It’s major issue is micro bubbles. Hobbyists over the years have suggested that these micro bubbles can be an annoyance to fish, and irriate corals and inverts. It’s best to avoid bubbles all together in a reef tank. For this main reason, I don’t recommend the SP.

2. Seaclone

The instant ocean Seaclone was a classic skimmer recommendation when you would go to a local chain pet store because it was one of the few they sold at the stone. It’s has an overrated aquarium capacity on the box and it functions off an old school venturi pump. It is not a very effective skimmer for the price. You way better skimmers from the list above vs the Seaclone. The Tunze Comline is actually cheaper than it!

3. Airstone (Air Wood Stone) Skimmers

Airstone protein skimmers are another common find at local chain pet stores. They used to be more popular years ago before the explosion of pump driven nano protein skimmers. These airstones (AKA wood stone) skimmers are some of the least reliable protein skimmers you can buy. The airstone would produce less bubbles all the time and the skimmate production wasn’t that great. Most of these models are bulky and require to be placed in the tank. They won’t fit in all in one tanks.

For this reason, I don’t recommend them. They are cheap, but the price usually isn’t worth it. The only airstone driven skimmer I would recommend would be the ReefGlass skimmer.

What is this?

A nano protein skimmer is a skimmer that is designed to be used for aquariums that are 40 gallons or smaller. Many traditional nano protein skimmers are actually designed to be used for larger tanks or aquarium sumps. Nano skimmers are designed to have small footprints or slim designs so they can be installed internally or inside an all in one tank chamber

How To Install

Nano protein skimmers have different installation instructions then tradition protein skimmers. They are usually placed in an all-in-one chamber and will need to adjusted to accommodate the aquarium water level they are placed in. It’s also not a skimmer where you can see the neck to see the bubble production.

I’m providing a video for a visual. Check out this video from TUNZE that shows how to assemble and disassemble their nano protein skimmer

FAQS

Should I Run Skimmers On A Nano Tank?

Should you run a protein skimmer on a small tank – I would if it’s within your budget. It never hurts to add additional filtration. It would also help with handling higher stocking levels, especially if you purchase a high-quality one.

What Is The Smallest One?

The smallest nano protein skimmer you can purchase is the Reef Glass Nano. It is made of Pyrex glass and built in the USA. It is the smallest and thinnest nano protein skimmer you can buy.

Do You Need These For A Nano Tank?

No. You don’t need a protein skimmer for a nano tank. Many successful nano reef tanks run successfully without them. A protein skimmer is an added filtration system, which works with heavier bioloads. You can offset a protein will a smaller bioload or with more frequent aquarium water changes.

Do I Need A Sump?

No. You do not need a sump for a protein skimmer. Many of the protein sumps in this list can function without a protein. Also, hang-on-back protein skimmers are great if you don’t have a sump and don’t have the chambers from an all-in-one tank. You can also place a large hang-on back filter inside one of the all-in-one chambers.

Does A Nano Reef Need One of These?

No. Many nano reefs do fine without needing a protein skimmer. It’s a completely optional piece of equipment. Most aquarium owners purchase them because they want extra filtration due to desiring a heavily stocked saltwater aquarium

Closing Thoughts

So, what’s the best nano protein skimmer for your reef tank? It really depends on your specific needs and preferences. We hope that this article has helped you better understand the different types of skimmers available and how to choose the right one for your tank. Leave a comment below and let us know which type of skimmer you decided on or if you have any questions about choosing or using a nano protein skimmer.

🔧 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.

January 26, 2022