The Marine Center: Join our Mailing List!

Building a community of healthy fish takes care and planning. We’re here to help! In this month’s Fish Tales, Scott Michael launches a four-part series on tips for successful marine fish keeping.

TIPS FOR SUCCESSFUL MARINE FISH KEEPING Part 1

Some fishes, like this ornate butterfly (Chaetodon ornatissimus), have specialized diets and present feeding problems in captivity.

I’VE BEEN KEEPING MARINE FISHES since that age of twelve. I wish I could tell you that all the fishes I’ve kept died of old age. But unfortunately that is not the case. I’m sorry to say that I’ve killed my fair share of fish in the last 28 years. In some cases, these fish deaths were the result of poor decision making or selection. Other fish perished in my aquariums as a result of sloppy or inadequate husbandry.

So that you can avoid making some of the same mistakes that I’ve made, I would like to share some simple suggestions that I feel will increase your success in the marine hobby. These tips cover a variety of different topics, including fish selection, disease control and treatment. So let’s get started!

Research the fish species that you’re interested in keeping, plan your fish community, and follow your plan.

Most potential dog owners (at least the smart ones) will research the breed they are thinking about buying before they go out and purchase it. If you’ve ever owned or paged through a book on canine breeds, you know they usually have a sizeable chapter on selecting the “right dog” for your specific lifestyle. I only wish that most marine fish keepers were as thoughtful when selecting fish for their aquarium. Experienced hobbyists know that some initial research can save lots of headaches and heartbreak.

Behn’s damsel <cite>(Neoglyphidodonnigroris)

Although a juvenile Behn’s damsel (Neoglyphidodonnigroris) is a tempting choice for the fish-keeping neophyte, this fish gets ugly and aggressive as it grows larger.

Walking into a fish store or a visiting a website with a large marine fish section can be mind-boggling — there is so much variety! Not only do these fishes display an amazing array of body plans and color schemes, many may differ in their behavior, ecology, and captive care requirements.

For example, some of these fishes are mean and will reek havoc in an aquarium full of milder-mannered tankmates. There are also species that require more frequent feeding than others. There are species that are so shy that you’ll be lucky to see them once they are introduced to a tank full of live rock. Others have very specific diets and will almost always die of malnutrition in the home aquarium. Some need lots of swimming room. Some need a layer of sand to bury under. There are also species that get way too large for the majority of home aquariums.

One of the most important keys to successful marine fish husbandry is to figure out the species specific husbandry needs of the fish you intend to keep before you make a purchase and add the fish to your tank.

So where do you start in planning your fish community and finding out about species specific care requirements? The first thing you should do is make a list of the species that you are interested in keeping. I’d suggest you do this even before you purchase the aquarium. Look through some books that show photos of the fishes available in the trade or take a look at the photos on this website and jot down the names of all the species you see that you find interesting. Don’t be shy. Write down any fish that strikes your fancy. As you put your list together, put an asterisk by those species that you want the most. I call these “the must have species.”

Once you’ve completed your list, it’s time for the real research to begin. You will need to find some books that have information about the marine fishes available in the hobby, as the next step is find out about the behavior and husbandry needs of the species on your list.

Another great place to get this kind of information are the online news groups and this website! I have provided a list of questions that you should try to answer about each species in an accompanying listing (next page).

You will also want to get some idea how difficult it will be to get the fish on your list and how much they might cost. For example, if the peppermint angelfish (Paracentropyge boylei) is one of your “must have species,” you may be waiting along time to acquire one, and when you do find this particular fish you may have to sell your car to pay for it!