saltwater fish
Types of Saltwater Fish
Handling saltwater fish is rather tricky as they need proper acclimatization. They can become stressed when pulled out of their natural homes and placed in an aquarium which does not meet the required conditions.
Before you decide on an aquarium with saltwater fish, learn the acclimatization process well. Here are the descriptions of some common saltwater fish that you can purchase for your aquarium:
- Boxfish: Boxfish are approximately three inches in length, and adapt well to captivity if provided with adequate space to move around and some rockwork. Their diet includes sponges, worms, and small crustaceans.
- Butterfly Fish: In captivity, the average size of Butterfly fish is six inches. The care of these fish can be rather difficult because of the feeding habits of some species as they exclusively feed on live coral polyp. Further, a large tank with plenty of hiding space is required for the survival of most varieties.
- Cardinal Fish: The cardinal fish adapt well to captivity and grow up to two inches in length. They do need extensive rockwork and other decorations so that they can retreat from the other members of the tank when the please. These fish can also be bred in captivity but special care has to be provided to the young ones.
- Dwarf Angelfish: The dwarf angelfish are a very popular and colorful marine angelfish species. They grow up to four inches in length, are mild tempered, and will easily adapting to other fish in the aquarium.
- Gobies: The Goby fish species adapt well to life in captivity and aquarium. They reach an average length of three inches. A sealed aquarium will be required if you want to keep these fish as they have a tendency of jumping out. Some species of this variety also burrow and sift sand, and hence, a proper environment with plenty of proper substrate of coral sand has to be provided.
- Puffers: Most species of the Puffer fish reach an approximate length of eight inches with the exception of a few that are three inches in length. These fish are relatively easy to maintain if provided with ample swimming room, a varied meaty diet and some hiding places.
- Rays: The Rays that are suitable for aquariums are usually found around the rocky reefs, coral reefs, and lagoons. These are high maintenance fish which when kept in captivity need to be fed frozen squids which have been vitamin enriched, live ghost shrimp, and similar meaty foods. After the Rays have settled down in the aquarium, it is advisable to regularize and control the amount of the food that is offered to the fish. Further to maintain Rays, a large aquarium of approximately 100 gallons with sandy substrate and optimum water conditions are required to maintain Rays.
- Seahorses: When kept in captivity, the average size of the seahorses is approximately 5 inches. They adjust well to life in captivity when maintained in water conditions with low current that contains plenty of algae and coral decorations. Seahorses usually face difficulty in competing for live food with other fish, and hence, it is advisable to keep the seahorses in separate tanks. They can be fed frozen squids which have been vitamin enriched, live ghost shrimp, and amphipods.
- Sharks: The Sharks that are suitable for aquariums are usually found around the rocky reefs, coral reefs and lagoons. They need to be fed frozen squids which have been vitamin enriched, live ghost shrimp and similar meaty foods. After the Sharks have settled down in the aquarium, it is advisable to regularize and control the amount of the food that is offered to the fish. But the matter of fact is that sharks tend to outgrow very large aquariums too.
- Squirrel Fish: The Squirrel fish reach around five inches when kept in captivity, and they do very well when maintained in a small group. The ideal aquarium for this variety of fish would be a larger sized aquarium of about 70 gallons in size that is well sealed along with plenty of rockwork and overhangs. Their diet includes smaller fish, planktons, and small invertebrates.
- Trigger Fish: The Trigger fish grow between six and ten inches in length and adapt well to life in an aquarium if provided with ample swimming space and hiding places. They grow quickly but do tend to become aggressive towards the same species and other tank mates.