5 Most Useful Fish for Your Marine Aquarium
- Jul 10, 2020
- Anshika Mishra
- 1403 0 0
There are a few fish that will go the extra mile to help keep their fishkeeper happy. I am talking about the fish that will provide a service to help maintain a thriving reef tank.
In this article, we will go over some of the most helpful fish that can be added to your aquarium. Here are the top 5 fish with jobs for a saltwater aquarium.
1. The Exterminator
Multiple varieties fit in this category, but this is believed to be one of the best all-rounders and is a must-have for anyone who is experiencing invasive issues with small invertebrates.
Yellow Coris Wrasse
The Yellow Coris Wrasse is considered a peaceful wrasse, brightly colored, doesn't get too big, and provides a lot of movement in your tank; while also having a ferocious appetite for some of the most common pests in the marine aquarium.
On their menu, you can find a variety of pest invertebrates such as flatworms and event the dreaded Montipora eating nudibranchs. You can see them eradicating the substantial population of euphyllia eating flatworms in just a single week.
When it comes to invasive species, there is almost always a predator out there that can help resolve the problem for you. But as always prevention is better than finding a cure, so quarantining everything is the best choice.
2. The Gardner
Finding an algae eater to control nuisance algae is one of the easiest roles to fil in your tank.
Rabbitfish & Tangs
Many rabbitfish and Tangs are more than willing to provide this service for you. As far as in the Tang (Surgeonfish) family, some good choices are Yellow Tang, Purple Tang, Sailfin Tang, and Black Tangs; All of these Tangs are all great at keeping algae in check.
They are beautiful and hardy fish who spend all day cruising the rock work, meticulously chewing and picking on any algae that they can reach that is on the glass and rockwork.
Tangs and Rabbitfish are very active fish that will require a large aquarium ideally 75-gallon or larger.
3. The Medic
One of the biggest threats marine tanks have to deal with is the introduction of an unwanted parasite into the aquarium.
Cleaner Wrasse
This is the most common reason. The Cleaner Wrasse gets purchase. Though the Cleaner Wrasse won't help prevent this or aid with the outbreak. Cleaner Wrasse only removes the dead tissue, damage scale, and scabs rather than the parasite itself, which, although would not kill the fish it does make the fish more comfortable.
Two other species can provide this service.
Cleaner Shrimp & The Neon Goby
But both the Cleaner Shrimp and the Neon Goby seem to become lazy in the home aquarium and would give up this service once it is offered a regular supply of food. A recent study has shown that if we removed Cleaner Wrasse from the world, it would have a significant impact on the other reef inhabitants. Therefore they are probably the fish which should be left in the wild.
4. The Bomb-disposal Expert
A single aiptasia in your tank is like an unexploded bomb waiting to go off. It may have been in your tank for years without causing any issue, but it is just waiting for your tank to have the right condition for it to multiply, and before long there population explodes, and you have got a serious issue in your hand.
Sometimes when we try to deal with the aiptasia yourself, you end up making the situation much worse. This is where the next fish comes in.
Copperband Butterflyfish
Some Copperband Butterflyfish have a taste for aiptasia. They will happily spend all day nipping the rock work, and correctly disarming them, prevent them from spreading.
Something vital that you should know, though, is that these fish are incredibly delicate and need lots of special care needs to keep them healthy. When selecting a Copperband Butterflyfish at your local fish store specimen to ensure that it's healthy and eating something other than Aiptazia. As once they have all of that from your tank, it will sadly starve.
5. The Celebrity
Just like many of today's d-list celebrities.
Boxfish
Boxfish have little to no talent and don't fulfill any beneficial role in society and are always hungry for attention. Yet, for some reason, it is the fish that everyone loves the most.
The smile puts on the face is what has earned this fish a place in this list. It does not need to be a boxfish either. Any fish which makes people go WOW!, fits in this category.
Good luck with your marine tank!!
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