Not all saltwater fish are created equal and with that being the case their required care is not a level playing field either. There are typically 3 levels referred to when speaking about saltwater fish care. They are as follows:
- Beginner/Easy
- Moderate/Intermediate
- Expert/Hard
Today we are taking a look at expert level saltwater fish. Don’t worry, just because we are talking about expert level fish does it mean (if you’re not an expert) you should leave. It’s incredibly important for all hobbyist to have an understanding of the fish that they potentially could find at a local fish store (so you can avoid them).
So, what makes a fish expert level? The shortest answer possible (in most cases) is it feeding habits. That’s it… These feeding requirements range from everything to very established systems with huge copepod populations, to multiple feedings of live foods per day.
Top 10 Expert Level Saltwater Fish
So the title of this video can be on a little of the miscellaneous side… It was actually requested of me from a young hobbyist stop by my store corals unlimited. I had to do right by the young man.
One of the saltwater fish we took a look at in this top 10 was the Moorish idol. The reasons that this fish falls into the expert category is because it is a large fish, it prefers to school in the wild and it requires a large amount of algae and sponges in its diet. Can be hard to re-create even in a large aquarium.
So what makes a Saltwater Fish Expert Level?
There are a few things that go into labeling a fish “expert level”. The subject goes a little bit further than just talking about the success rate of keeping that fish in captivity.
- Feeding requirements
- Feeding frequency
- Habitat requirements
- Tank Mates
The most important of Reef keeping when it comes to saltwater fish, is doing a research understanding the requirements of that fish and creating the right type of saltwater aquarium so that fish can thrive.
That is something that I cover in great detail in my article titled “Selecting Fish for Your Reef Tank“. Was a period of time where I did not do any research at all about the fish I wanted to keep. That type of behavior definitely did not lead to a successful aquarium.
Are Expert Level Saltwater Fish a Good Fit For Your Aquarium?
So if you are the beginning stages of your Reef keeping journey I urge you to do as much research as possible (before you even pick out your size aquarium). Obviously, people have limitations on how big of a tank that they can have, or how elaborate of a system they can maintain.
Money doesn’t grow on trees and people often concerned with the cost of a reef tank but you need to understand how much money you could waste by buying an animal that doesn’t survive (not to mention the loss of life).
So, take a look at the type of fish that you may want to keep practice some of the topics that we talked about in the article on selecting fish and you’re gonna be much better off for.
Fear Not… reef tanks are not as hard to maintain as you may think, but if you find yourself in need of help. Check out Maine Aquarium Maintenance.
