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.

Maximum Size: 3.5"

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.

Maximum Size: 3"

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.

Maximum Size: 9"

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 bristle worms. 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.

Maximum Size: 12"

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.

Maximum Size: 15"

This very unique looking Falco 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.

Maximum Size: 3"

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.

Maximum Size: 12"

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.

Maximum Size: 15"

The Aiptasia eating Filefish is also known as the Bristletail Filefish, Matted Leatherjacket, Tomentosus Filefish, or Matted Filefish. The body is a mottled green, brown, and tan coloration.

It is a shy fish, and rarely aggressive towards other fish except those of its own genus. It is best suited for aquariums 30 gallons or larger that does not contain small invertebrates.

The Aiptasia eating Filefish is known to eat Aiptasia anemone in the home aquarium, but normally nips at soft and stony corals as well. The diet should include shaved shrimp, squid, scallop, mysis shrimp, freeze-dried krill soaked in a vitamin supplement, and frozen marine algae. The Matted Filefish should be fed small quantities of food several times per day.

These fish have been known to spawn in captivity, and males are normally large than the females, having fine bristle-like hairs on each side of their body down the caudal peduncle or base of the tail.

Maximum Size: 5.5"

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.

Maximum Size: 4"

Rolland's Damselfish is also known as the Black Cap Damselfish, and these fishes originate from the South Pacific. They are a beautiful fish colored in yellow, black and white, and are relatively mild mannered for a Damselfish. These fishes will add color and activity to any saltwater community or reef aquarium.

A 30 gallon aquarium or larger with plenty of rock work and décor is ideal. Because it can tolerate less than ideal water parameters, it is a popular fish among beginning hobbyists. A small group of juvenile Black Cap Damsels will add color and drama to most marine aquariums. Maintain this species with other semi-aggressive fish, as they can become territorial as they mature. In larger reef aquariums, this is normally not a problem if plenty of hiding places are provided.

Rolland's Damselfish feeds on a variety of meaty foods such as frozen mysis or brine shrimp, herbivore preparations, and flaked foods.

Maximum Size: 3"

The Bluestreak Cleaner Wrasse, occurs singly, in pairs, and in groups. This unique fish forms a symbiotic relationship with other species by setting up a “cleaning station” to remove unwanted parasites that may have attached themselves. The Cleaner Wrasse will invite fish to their “cleaning station” by performing a calming up and down movement of their tails. These fish may even clean the inside of larger fish’s mouths and gills.

Procured through a short supply chain in the Western Indian Ocean in very small numbers, the African and Maldivian Bluestreak Cleaner Wrasse can thrive in the home aquarium. Requiring advanced care, we recommend this species is only considered by the experienced marine aquarist. The Bluestreak Cleaner Wrasse requires plenty of swimming room as they are very active fish, and should be housed with dissimilar shaped and colored fishes in the community marine aquarium. A tight fitting lid or canopy is a must as they can leap from open topped aquariums or into uncovered overflow boxes in reef ready style displays.

The Bluestreak Cleaner Wrasse must be fed small quantities of fresh, meaty food multiple times per day as they do not have the ability to eat large meals at one sitting. Ideal offerings include small pieces of vitamin enriched frozen mysis shrimp, vitamin enriched frozen brine shrimp, and other smaller, meaty foods. Once fully adjusted to the home aquarium these fishes can also be offered a high quality marine flake and tiny marine pellet food to complement their staple diet of enriched frozen food.

Maximum Size: 5½"

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.

The Astraea Turbo Snail has an attractive shell and a ravenous appetite for algae. Unlike many bottom dwellers that are dressed in drab colors to better camouflage themselves against the sand bottoms, Astraea tecta boasts a pyramid-shape shell with beautiful, olive green coloration. Since some individuals have projections on the shell that give it a star-like outline, the Astraea Turbo is also known as the Astraea Star Snail or Astraea Conehead Snail.

Though interesting to observe in your home aquarium, the Astraea Turbo Snail serves a greater function of cleaning algae-covered live rock. It is very adept at keeping your aquarium clean. In fact, this small herbivore prefers to feed on nuisance hair algae, as well as cyanobacteria and diatoms. Some aquarists also report that the Astraea Turbo Snail actually consumes the entire hair algae structure, which helps prevent immediate further algae growth.

The Astraea Turbo Snail prefers well-established aquariums with ample hiding places and sufficient room to roam. In addition to eating algae off of your live rock, this member of the Astraeinae family will also clean your aquarium glass. However, the Astraea Turbo Snail is not known to be climbers like other smaller-shelled snail species. Care needs to be taken to observe the daily activities of this hungry snail since it has difficulty righting itself if it falls or is knocked upside down.

Like other invertebrates, the Astraea Turbo Snail is sensitive to high nitrate levels and will not tolerate copper-based medications. The Astraea Turbo Snail requires gradual acclimation preferably utilizing the drip acclimation method over the course of several hours, since it cannot tolerate even minute changes in water parameters. If sufficient food levels are not present, supplement the diet with blanched spinach or lettuce and vegetable-based tablet foods.

Maximum Size: 1"

The Cats Eye Turbo Snail is an attractive snail and algae removing powerhouse. Like other members of the Turbinidae family, the Cats Eye Turbo Snail has a voracious appetite for algae.

Naturally occurring in Fiji and Indonesia, Cats Eye Turbo Snails are often found among the structures of the reefs. In the home aquarium, the Cats Eye Turbo Snail prefers ample hiding places and large amounts of room to graze, preferably amongst live rock. They will also feed on the algae covering aquarium glass.

When algae levels are insufficient, supplement their diet with dried seaweed. Keep in mind, that proper calcium levels must be maintained as members of the Turbinidae family use calcium to build their shells. Like many other invertebrates, the Cats Eye Turbo Snail is also very sensitive to copper-based medications and high nitrate levels.

The Cats Eye Turbo Snail is extremely difficult to breed in the home aquarium, especially considering the Cats Eye Turbo Snail has no distinguishing characteristics to help differentiate it from its mate.

Maximum Size: 2"

Our largest reef safe snail, the word "fighting" doesn't refer to its temperament, but rather competitive breeding behavior observed among males who will push rival males away from females. The conchs are not hurt during these matches, it is more like a spirited game of musical chairs. They reach a size of 4-5 inches long, and 3 inches high and can eat a large amount of algae. Because of their size we do not recommend them unless you have a tank 50 gallons or larger. However, you should know they live entirely in the sand. If your substrate is covered with rock you should consider if the conch will have room to move throughout the tank. 

They are an excellent cleaner, and substrate stirrer. You can also feed them fish flake and or spirulina. They are a hardy species, but do best within tanks that are at least a month removed form the end of the cycle. The Florida Fighting Conch feeds through a "trunk" like mouth,  and has eyes that on long stalks that move independently.

These Florida Fighting Conchs are adults, and are usually shipped around 3 inches. 

Maximum Size: 4.5"

Looking for a striking and easy-to-care-for addition to your cleanup crew? The Purple Short Spine Pincushion Urchin will scavenge over rock and substrate for bits of food and algae to eat while adding interest to your home aquarium.

Pincushion Urchins have oval or round bodies covered with hundreds of uniform spines. Though the spines are short, they are still sharp, and can puncture skin. During the day, it will hide among the rocks, in crevices, or under plants in a sandy substrate. At night, it will emerge to graze on the algae present in or near its home.

The Purple Short Spine Pincushion Urchin generally roams alone, but several of them could be housed in the same aquarium if it is large enough to provide them with adequate food (algae) and shelter. It is sensitive to high levels of copper-based medications and it will not tolerate high nitrate levels. If it starts to lose a number of spines, it is often due to poor water conditions.

If algae levels are particularly low, its diet will need to be supplemented with dried seaweed.

Maximum Size: 4"