The Pajama Cardinalfish is a rainbow of playful colors. It has a greenish-yellow face, bright orange eyes, and a silver-based body dressed with a bold black scalar margin and a posterior dotted with orange polka-dots. Though its bold coloration may stand out, Sphaeramia nematoptera has a peaceful nature that lets it blend perfectly into any community saltwater aquarium.

For the best care, the Pajama Cardinalfish should be kept in small schools in suitably sized aquariums of at least 30 gallons. Because the Pajama Cardinalfish is a slow and methodical swimmer, it should be housed with peaceful tankmates and offered a plethora of hiding places amongst rockwork or plants. Most Pajama Cardinalfish will tend to hide in sea grass or other plants. Some may also camouflage themselves against long spined sea urchins.

Like many other schooling fish, the Pajama Cardinalfish will form a strict hierarchy when kept in small groups within the aquarium. However, unlike some social fish, this member of the Apogonidae family does not use aggression to exert dominance over other cardinalfish.

The Pajama Cardinalfish requires a well balanced diet of meaty foods such as feeder shrimp, flake foods, pellet foods, marine flesh, bloodworms, and depending on its size, live feeder fish.

The Captive-Bred Black &; White Ocellaris Clownfish, also known as the Black Perc, Black Percula Clown Anemonefish, or Black and White False Percula Clown and is normally found in association with anemones on the reefs of the Coral Sea. It can be found individually, or more commonly, in pairs or small groups within the same anemone such as Heteractis magnifica or Stichodactyla mertensii. These tank bred clownfish grow to a maximum size of 3 inches in the aquarium, and may be kept singly or in groups.

The Black and White Ocellaris Clownfish is very distinctive with its jet-black body and three white stripes on each side. As Juveniles these clownfish begin life donning an orange or umber coloration, as they mature they will begin to darken to their adult coloration. They are very hardy and are perfect for the novice or seasoned aquarist.

The Black and White Ocellaris Clownfish is a good candidate for a reef aquarium. If introduced to the aquarium at the same time, many varieties of tank raised clowns can be maintained together in the aquarium.

Captive-Bred clownfish are easy to breed in the home aquarium. The females will be the largest of the pair, and two fish will usually stay close to each other in the aquarium. These fish are egg layers and will deposit the eggs on a flat surface, and defend the eggs from other tank mates. The eggs will normally hatch in 6-11 days depending on the temperature. The fry must be reared in a separate aquarium on a diet of rotifers then baby brine shrimp.

Captive-Bred clownfish are omnivores, requiring both meaty foods as well as some greens in their diet. A high quality marine flake food, rich in spirulina algae, as well as freeze dried and frozen foods are readily accepted.

The Foxface Lo, also known as the Foxface Rabbitfish, has a very unique body color. It has a mottled yellow-brown body with a dark chest. The face is very light in color and speckled on the lower half. They are a very hardy fish, and are great additions to the newly-established tank.

It may reside in a 125 gallon or larger aquarium. It is a very peaceful species except when housed with other rabbitfish. The Foxface Lo may be housed with more aggressive fish. Its predators will tend to leave it alone because of its venomous dorsal spines. Rabbitfish are generally reef-safe if they are well fed. If not, it is possible for them to nip at and consume some species of LPS and soft corals.

The Foxface Lo diet consists of a variety of fresh vegetables and undesirable species of algae. It does nip and possibly eat some soft and hard coral polyps.

The Banana Wrasse is also known as the Yellow-brown Wrasse, Sunset Wrasse, or Yellow Wrasse. As an adult, it takes on a yellow appearance if female, and a blue appearance if male. Both sexes have facial markings in green and fine vertical striping along the body. The fins are very colorfully marked.

It should reside in a 125 gallon or larger aquarium, with other aggressive tank mates, such as Tangs, Puffers and small Triggers and Angels. They are active fish and require plenty of rocks for hiding and a tight-fitting lid. It will become territorial and harass any new additions to the community, therefore, it should be added last to the tank. It may be kept with a mate, if the aquarium is 125 gallons or larger. It may eat mantis shrimp and bristleworms. It does not eat corals or live plants.

The Banana Wrasse diet should include vitamin enriched frozen mysis shrimp, vitamin enriched frozen brine shrimp, and other meaty foods along with a high quality marine flake and marine pellet food.

The Sailfin Tang, also known as Pacific Sailfin Tang, has an oval body shape with several rich, distinctive bold markings. It is brown in color with light freckles on the nose. The body has five, vertical yellow stripes with intricate markings within each stripe. Its tail begins with bright yellow ending with blue highlights. Its appearance can practically double in size at will by raising or lowering its tall dorsal and anal fins.

A 180 gallon or larger aquarium is necessary to provide plenty of swimming room. It is aggressive towards its own species and conspecifics at times, but peaceful towards other fish in the tank. Introduce like species at once.

Although Tangs will eat meaty foods along with the other fish in the aquarium, it is important that they are offered plenty of marine based seaweed and algae. This will strengthen their immune system, reduce aggression and improve their overall health. Offer dried seaweed tied to a rock or use a veggie clip, and feed at least 3 times per week. Sea Veggies, Seaweed Salad and Ocean Nutrition are all ideal products and are very easy to use.

This very unique looking Hawkfish is white with red-brown spots that run diagonally along the body. They have small tufts of bright yellow on the tips of their dorsal fin ray called cirri. They are also known as the Spotted Hawkfish but should not be mistaken for Cirrhitichthys aprinus.

A 30 gallon or larger aquarium with plenty of hiding places is acceptable for this hardy and aggressive fish. It should not be kept with larger more aggressive hawkfish. Although it eats small fish and shrimp, with caution, it can make an excellent reef inhabitant.

The Falco Hawkfish diet should include a variety of marine meats, frozen preparations, and live feeder shrimp.

The Scopas Tang, also known as the Brown Scopas Tang is yellow, dorsally, and brown, ventrally. These colors gradually get darker from front to back. The body is covered with fine, intricate, light blue markings. The tail is a solid brown color. Juveniles are a little more attractive, with larger dorsal and anal fins and a slightly purplish body color.

A 125 gallon or larger aquarium is necessary to provide plenty of swimming room. It is aggressive towards its own species or tangs in general, and best kept with only one per tank.

Although Tangs will eat meaty foods along with the other fish in the aquarium, it is important that they are offered plenty of marine based seaweed and algae. This will strengthen their immune system, reduce aggression and improve their overall health. Offer dried seaweed tied to a rock or use a veggie clip, and feed at least 3 times per week. Sea Veggies, Seaweed Salad and Ocean Nutrition are all ideal products and are very easy to use.

The Koran Angelfish, also referred to as the Semicircular Angelfish or Halfcircled Angelfish, is an extremely popular and hardy angelfish. As an adult, the body color is a yellow-green that bleeds from light to dark moving front to back along the body. Lighter areas are speckled-blue while darker areas have a more yellow-speckled appearance. The head is a plain yellow-green with sapphire-blue gill margins and eye rings. The fins are also outlined in sapphire blue. The juvenile is black with white and blue stripes.

The Koran Angelfish requires a 250 gallon or larger tank with large amounts of live rock for hiding and grazing upon slime algae and cyanobacteria. It is prone to nip at stony and soft corals (sessile invertebrates) and clam mantles so it is not a good candidate for a reef aquarium.

A varied diet of Spirulina, marine algae, high-quality angelfish preparations, and mysis or frozen shrimp should be offered at least three times a day.

The White Tail Bristletooth Tang hails from the pristine waters of Tahiti in the South Pacific. This spectacular fish boasts a vibrant red body with orange spots on its head streaming into lines along the body, contrasting sharply against a creamy white tail. The outer part of the eye is ringed in bright yellow. Ctenochaetus Tangs have a protruding mouth with bristle-like teeth they can move individually in order to sift, sort, and scrape in search of food.

A 70 gallon or larger aquarium is necessary to provide plenty of swimming room. It is aggressive towards other Tangs and may be harassed by its own species, but is peaceful with other fish and sessile invertebrates.

Although Tangs will eat meaty foods along with the other fish in the aquarium, it is important that they are offered plenty of marine based seaweed and algae. This will strengthen their immune system, reduce aggression and improve their overall health. Offer dried seaweed tied to a rock or use a veggie clip, and feed at least 3 times per week. Sea Veggies, Seaweed Salad and Seaweed Selects are all ideal products and are very easy to use. These are great fish for controlling algae in the saltwater fish or reef aquarium.

The Yellow Angelfish from the Cook Islands is also known as the False Lemonpeel Angelfish and is completely bright yellow in color. They resemble the Lemonpeel Angelfish with the exception of the blue markings around the eyes and the edges of the fins.

The Yellow Angelfish requires a 70 gallon or larger aquarium with hiding places and large amounts of live rock for grazing. In the reef aquarium, this species may nip at large-polyped stony corals, some soft coral polyps, and clam mantles.

The diet of the Yellow Angelfish should include Spirulina, marine algae, high-quality angelfish preparations, mysis or frozen shrimp, and other meaty items.

The Rose Bubble Tip Anemone is a less common color variety of the Bubble Tip Anemone also known as the Four-colored, Bulb Tentacle, Bulb Tip, or Bubble Tip Anemone. As its name implies the enlarged tip near the end of the tentacles is a rich rose to red color that gives the Rose Bubble Tip Anemone an unexpected pop of color sure to add fantastic visual interest to your marine aquarium landscape.

In the wild, Bubble Tip Anemones are typically found in coral rubble, or in solid reefs with their pedal disc attached deep within these rocky structures. When hungry, the Bubble Tip Anemone stretches its tentacles to increase its chances of capturing a meal. When satiated and content, the tentacles shorten and return to its bulbous shape.

For best care, the Rose Bubble Tip Anemone should be housed in a large, established aquarium system with high water quality achieved through strong filtration and efficient protein skimming. Employ powerheads or wavemakers to provide moderate or medium water movement. An aquarium of at least 30 gallons in size is essential as the Rose Bubble Tip Anemone can grow up to 12" across in diameter. Consider a larger, more spacious system if planning to house the Rose Bubble Tip Anemone with fish or in a mixed reef system.

The Rose Bubble Tip Anemone hosts photosynthetic, symbiotic zooxanthellae algae within its body. Therefore, moderate to high lighting conditions achieved by T-5 fluorescent, powerful LED, or more intense metal halide light fixtures is a must to maintain continued health, bright coloration and its bulbous tips.

Under intense lighting conditions, the Rose Bubble Tip Anemone will typically remain compact, maintaining its bulbous tips. However, if the lighting is insufficient, the Rose Bubble Tip Anemone will expand its entire body, stretching out to make the most of the available light. At times, the tentacles may appear stringy; this may be due to insufficient light or the need for food.

Use gloves and handle this invertebrate, and all Anemones, with care. They can sting other Anemones, as well as Corals.

The diet of the Rose Bubble Tip Anemone should include chopped fish, shrimp, worms or other meaty items.

Mushrooms: 

The Lavender Mushroom is a member of the Rhodactis genus, formerly called Discosoma. It generally grows larger and has shorter tentacles than other mushroom corals.

The Lavender Mushroom is easy to maintain in the reef aquarium, and a good choice for the beginner hobbyist. It is somewhat aggressive, however, and can harm sessile invertebrates and overgrow other inhabitants of the reef. It requires a low to medium light level combined with a medium water movement within the aquarium.

It may reproduce in the home aquarium provided that water conditions are adequate, sometimes causing over-population. A small portion of the base or mouth will separate from the parent polyp and grow into a full sized mushroom within a few months.

The symbiotic algae zooxanthellae hosted within its body provide some of its nutritional requirements, but it also eats plankton and some larger organisms.

Hammer Corals: 

The Hammer Coral is a large polyp stony (LPS) coral and often referred to as Euphyllia Hammer Coral or Anchor Coral. Its common names are derived from the appearance of its hammer-, or anchor-shaped tentacles. Its polyps are visible throughout the day and night and hide its skeletal base. It may be green, tan, or brown in color, with lime green or yellow tips on the ends of its tentacles that glow under actinic lighting. Some varieties may be branched which makes them look similar to a Torch Coral (E. glabrescens).

It is moderately difficult to maintain, but with proper water conditions in the aquarium, it will thrive. It will require moderate lighting combined with moderate water movement within the aquarium. At night, its sweeper tentacles can extend up to six inches in the reef aquarium, stinging other species of corals and animals. Allow plenty of room between it and other neighboring corals. For continued good health, it will also require the addition of calcium, strontium, and other trace elements to the water.

It will benefit from additional food fed weekly in the form of micro-plankton or brine shrimp.

If you are keeping a reef tank, we can almost assure you at one point you will come across an Asterina starfish. It is up to you what to do with them as a consensus has still yet to be reached whether the Asterina is friend of foe. Should a starfish outbreak occur you want to keep monitoring your corals, especially the base of the coral. If you start noticing jagged white marks it’s possible your starfish have gotten a taste for corals polyps and it is best to remove them from your aquarium.

Asterina stars reproduce by fragmentation (fissiparous reproduction) and their bodies will split apart losing one or two legs at a time which regrow as new starfish. The Asterina star can have an asymmetrical appearance, and it could look like your have a bunch of 3 legged starfish crawling around in your tank. This is also why it can seem like suddenly overnight what used to be a handful of tiny starfish are now covering your rock work.