Getting into the saltwater aquarium hobby can be an exciting yet daunting endeavor, especially for beginners.
With thousands of vibrant and unique species to choose from, it can be tempting to pick the most colorful, complex, or rare fish that catch your eye.
However, many saltwater fish require highly specific care, equipment, water conditions, and expertise to stay healthy and happy in an aquarium environment.
As a general rule of thumb, beginners should avoid the following 10 saltwater Fish.
10 Saltwater Fish for Beginners to Avoid
1. Lionfish
Lionfish comprise some of the most popular yet notoriously difficult species for home aquarists. This includes the volitans lionfish, dwarf zebra lionfish (Dendrochirus zebra), fuzzy dwarf lionfish, and more.
What makes lionfish ill-suited for beginners are their complex care needs, venomous spines, large adult sizes, and fast growth rates.
They require large tanks over 100 gallons, frequent water changes, target feeding of thawed meats or seafood, and advanced filtration to dilute their toxins. Getting stung by their spines can also cause excruciating pain.
2. Butterflyfish
Butterflyfish dazzle with beauty, but their marine aquarium requirements often prove too demanding for novice keepers.
Species like clown butterflyfish, raccoon butterflyfish, and flame angel Butterflyfish need stable water parameters, large tanks, lots of liverock, and supplemental feeds like mysid shrimp.
They’re also incredibly shy and easily stressed by aquarium noises or disturbances. Most butterflyfish will languish or perish under improper beginner care.
3. Anemonefish
Anemonefish, like clownfish, share an almost symbiotic relationship with sea anemones in the wild.
They have complex social structures and pairing behaviors. While dwarf clownfish species remain suitable for medium reef tanks, larger clownfish grow over 6 inches and need a high-capacity setup.
Successfully keeping clownfish also relies on getting anemones to host them, which have extensive lighting, feeding, and water change requirements on their own. This proves too much for most beginners to manage.
4. Tangs
Tangs belong to the surgeonfish family, and most species ultimately grow quite large, over 8–10 inches.
Common tanks like Regal Blue Tangs, Yellow Tangs, and Pacific Blue Tangs require 100+ gallon systems with ample swimming space.
They’re notoriously sensitive to poor water quality and fluctuating aquarium parameters, too.
Many tangs only accept vegetable matter and seaweed sheets for food as well. Even “dwarf” tang variants still need intermediate reef-keeping skills.
5. Groupers
Saltwater groupers shine with big personalities but, counterintuitively, don’t thrive in home marine tanks.
Most groupers sold in the ornamental trade get captured in the wild, making it nearly impossible to acclimate to captivity.
Their large adult sizes, over 3 feet long, also demand enormous custom tanks exceeding 500 gallons. Groupers notoriously gobble any fish small enough to fit in their mouths too.
These predatory behaviors conflict with community reef aims, especially in smaller tanks where other fish literally have no room to run and hide.
6. Wrasses
Wrasses live up to their reputation for needing “wrasse-savvy” care in home saltwater fish aquariums.
This diverse fish family includes dwarf varieties like six-line wrasse, only reaching 3 inches long, to giant specimens surpassing lengths over 8 feet!
Regardless of their size, most wrasses only thrive under pristine water quality and need plenty of rocky crevices to retreat to when frightened.
Many also change sex from female to male as they mature. Wrasse species remain unsuitable for casual marine aquarium hobbyists.
7. Moorish Idols
The Moorish idol (Zanclus cornutus) holds a controversial spot in the marine aquarium trade for notoriously dying under beginner care.
Their wild collection methods prove extremely stressful on Moorish idols, making aquarium acclimation difficult.
Only the experts keeping large, mature reef tanks have any modicum of success with this fish.
Moorish idols shouldn’t be purchased on impulse just because of their striking beauty.
8. Triggerfish
Triggerfish showcase dazzling colors and patterns in reef habitats, but most species become far too aggressive, large, and destructive for home marine aquariums.
They relentlessly bulldoze aquascapes, bite corals or clams, and harass more docile community fish.
Intermediate or advanced triggerfish keepers with 180-gallon tanks seek out only the most reef-safe species, like Niger triggerfish. Queen triggerfish and clown triggerfish remain wholly unsuitable.
9. Pufferfish
Saltwater pufferfish rollercoaster from seemingly personable to extremely aggressive, depending on each specimen’s personality and surrounding tank mates.
Generally speaking, most puffers munch on invertebrates, corals, clams, crabs, and shrimp while spitting sand everywhere.
Their playful yet clueless antics usually lead to disaster in community marine tanks. Due to puffers’ size, diet, messiness, and attitude problems, they remain entirely beginner-unfriendly.
10. Rabbitfish
At first glance, rabbitfish resemble slightly elongated versions of freshwater goldfish.
However, most species, like Foxface rabbitfish, grow quite sizable, needing 100+ gallon aquariums long-term. Foxfaces also get extremely picky with age, refusing anything but live seafood like shrimp or newly molted crabs.
Other ornate rabbitfish have extensive algae grazing needs that are impossible to replicate in captivity. While they seem like attractive starter fish, rabbitfish require very advanced care.
In Conclusion
When just getting into marine aquarium keeping, it’s best to start with hardy fish boasting modest care needs, adult sizes, and generally peaceful dispositions.
Smart picks include clownfish, basslets, gobies, blennies, chromis, grammas, cardinals, assessors, and dwarf angels only reaching 4-6 inches full grown.
These species tolerate minor water parameter fluctuations, remain unfazed by typical aquarium noises, and accept easily prepared foods from flakes to pellets.
Attempting any notoriously “difficult” fish, even by seasoned experts, often ends in disappointment and disaster.
Always thoroughly review marine fish species beforehand and wait at least 12 months to establish a stable, thriving saltwater environment before trying riskier, more advanced fish long-term.
FAQ
Can beginners keep any tangs or surgeonfish?
Generally, no, Most surgeonfish species grow quite large and need 100+ gallon systems with pristine water. Only expert marine aquarists should attempt to keep them.
Can I put pufferfish in my first saltwater fish tank?
No, puffers nip at corals and inverts, stir up sand, and show aggression issues in community systems that are unsuitable for beginners. They need very large, mature setups and expert care.
What peaceful fish make good beginner options?
Great starter fish include clownfish, gobies, basslets, blennies, assessors, chromis, cardinals, grammas, some dwarf angels, and clown tangs. Research species-specific care first.
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