Search ReefScales
Que buscas hoy?
Browse launch-approved Reefapedia knowledge, then refine by type, category, and sort order.
Discovery stream
ARTICLE
Mandarin Dragonet (Synchiropus splendidus)
A stunning, peaceful, reef-safe fish that constantly hunts copepods and microfauna. Advanced mainly due to feeding requirements. Best in a mature 75+ gallon tank...
ARTICLE
Percula Clownfish (Amphiprion percula)
A reef-safe clownfish with bold coloration and strong personality, the Percula Clownfish is hardy, adaptable, and well suited for both new and experienced reef...
ARTICLE
Ocellaris Clownfish
A hardy, reef-safe clownfish that adapts well to home aquariums, the Ocellaris Clownfish is an excellent choice for beginners and experienced reef keepers alike....
ARTICLE
Royal Gramma Basslet (Gramma loreto)
The Royal Gramma is a classic reef fish: small, colorful, hardy, and full of personality. It’s best known for its stunning purple-to-yellow gradient and...
ARTICLE
Firefish Goby
A reef-safe, peaceful fish that’s easy to keep and fun to watch—as long as your tank is covered. Provide rockwork with a bolt hole,...
ARTICLE
Foxface Rabbitfish
A larger, reef-compatible herbivore known for algae grazing and calm cruising behavior. Best in 125+ gallons with strong filtration and daily algae-based feeding. Usually...
ARTICLE
Neon Goby
A small, peaceful, reef-safe goby known for occasional cleaner behavior. Great for beginners and community tanks, as long as it isn’t housed with fish...
ARTICLE
Diamond Watchman Goby
A reef-safe sand-sifting goby that turns over the sand bed and adds constant bottom activity. Best in 40+ gallons with a mature sand bed,...
ARTICLE
Midas Blenny
A reef-safe blenny with big personality that often swims in the open like a small schooling fish. Easy to feed and generally community-friendly, but...
ARTICLE
Flame Angelfish
A vibrant dwarf angelfish with big personality and strong reef presence. Best kept in 55+ gallons (75+ preferred) with mature rockwork and a varied...
ARTICLE
Blue-Green Chromis
A reef-safe, active schooling fish that adds constant motion to the upper water column. Easy to feed and generally peaceful with other species, but...
ARTICLE
Coral Beauty Angelfish
A colorful, active dwarf angelfish that can be a reef tank centerpiece. Best kept in 55+ gallons with mature rockwork and a varied omnivore...
ARTICLE
Kole Tang
A reef-safe bristletooth tang known for excellent film algae and biofilm grazing. Best kept in 70–75+ gallons with strong filtration, stable conditions, and daily...
ARTICLE
Yellow Tang
An iconic reef-safe grazer that adds constant movement and bright color. Best kept in 75+ gallons with plenty of swimming space and daily algae-based...
ARTICLE
Six-Line Wrasse
A colorful, energetic wrasse that patrols rockwork all day and is usually easy to feed. Reef safe, but temperament can become aggressive over time—especially...
ARTICLE
Lawnmower Blenny
A classic algae-grazing blenny with big personality. Best in 40+ gallon tanks with mature rockwork and steady grazing opportunities. Supplement with algae-based foods so...
ARTICLE
Tailspot Blenny
A tiny, reef-safe fish packed with personality. Best kept singly with plenty of rockwork and perches. Easy to feed and may graze lightly, but...
ARTICLE
Pajama Cardinalfish
A peaceful, reef-safe cardinalfish with a quirky spotted pattern and calm hovering behavior. Easy to feed, beginner-friendly, and often suitable for pairs or small...
ARTICLE
Banggai Cardinalfish
A peaceful, reef-safe cardinalfish with bold striping and a calm hovering behavior. Great for community reefs, especially smaller tanks, as long as it isn’t...
ARTICLE
Birdsnest Coral
A popular branching SPS coral that forms a dense “nest” structure. Best in stable tanks with moderate-to-high light and strong, turbulent flow. More forgiving...
ARTICLE
Peppermint Shrimp
Peppermint shrimp are hardy, opportunistic scavengers that fit well into many reef tanks when expectations are set correctly. They’re mostly nocturnal, tend to stay...
ARTICLE
Skunk Cleaner Shrimp
Skunk cleaner shrimp are hardy, reef-safe scavengers that also happen to clean fish when given the chance. They’re active, visible, and beginner-friendly in stable...
ARTICLE
Fire Shrimp
Fire (Blood) shrimp are peaceful, reef-safe cleaner shrimp with a more reserved personality than skunk cleaners. They’re naturally shy, often more active in the...
ARTICLE
Pistol Shrimp
Pistol shrimp are burrowing engineers that reshape the sandbed, move rubble, and make their presence known with characteristic snapping. They aren’t cleanup crew and...
ARTICLE
Trochus Snail
Trochus snails are reliable, reef-safe algae grazers that work on both glass and rock without needing constant attention. They’re especially valued for their ability...
ARTICLE
Nassarius Snail
Nassarius snails are sandbed scavengers that specialize in cleaning up leftover meaty food, not algae. They live buried in the sand and rely on...
ARTICLE
Turbo Snail
Turbo snails are powerful algae grazers best used as a targeted response when algae needs to be knocked back quickly. They’re reef safe biologically,...
ARTICLE
Cerith Snail
Cerith snails are versatile, reef-safe grazers that work across rock, glass, and sandbed edges, making them one of the most useful cleanup crew snails...
ARTICLE
Astraea Snail
Astraea snails are reef-safe algae grazers that clean film algae and biofilm from rock and glass. Their main downside is that many can’t flip...
ARTICLE
Scarlet Hermit Crab
Scarlet hermit crabs are one of the most reef-friendly hermits available, known for grazing algae and biofilm without causing much trouble. They do best...
ARTICLE
Blue-Leg Hermit Crab
Blue-leg hermits are active, hardy scavengers that help with algae and leftover food, but they’re more aggressive than scarlet hermits. Their biggest downside is...
ARTICLE
Porcelain Crab
Porcelain crabs are peaceful filter feeders that rely on moderate flow and suspended food rather than scavenging. They do best in established reefs with...
ARTICLE
Emerald Crab
Emerald crabs are opportunistic algae grazers that can be very effective when algae is present, especially bubble algae. They’re reef safe with conditions, but...
ARTICLE
Anemone Crab
Anemone crabs are specialized, symbiotic crabs that depend on a healthy host anemone to thrive. They do best in stable, established tanks where food...
ARTICLE
Pincushion Urchin
Pincushion urchins are small, reef-friendly algae grazers that work well in mixed reefs when given enough food. They’re generally gentle but can knock over...
ARTICLE
Tuxedo Urchin
Tuxedo urchins are small, reef-friendly algae grazers that excel at controlling film algae and biofilm in mixed reefs. They’re generally gentle, but will move...
ARTICLE
Longspine Urchin
Longspine urchins are powerful algae grazers best suited for large, well-secured reef tanks. They’re reef safe biologically, but their size, spines, and strength make...
ARTICLE
Pencil Urchin
Pencil urchins are strong, opportunistic algae grazers that work best in rugged, well-secured systems. They’re reef safe with caution, not because they eat corals,...
ARTICLE
Collector Urchin
Collector urchins are effective algae grazers with a lot of personality, but they’re mechanically disruptive by nature. They’re reef safe biologically, yet will pick...
ARTICLE
Derasa Clam
Derasa clams are one of the more forgiving giant clams, but they still require a stable, mature reef with consistent lighting and chemistry. They...
ARTICLE
Maxima Clam
Maxima clams are high-light, light-driven clams that do best in mature, stable reef systems. They need strong, consistent lighting, steady alkalinity and calcium, and...
ARTICLE
Crocea Clam
Crocea clams are high-light, rock-dwelling giant clams that demand stable chemistry and strong, consistent lighting. They’re sensitive to alkalinity swings, poor placement, and system...
ARTICLE
Squamosa Clam
Squamosa clams are one of the more forgiving giant clams, but they still require a stable, mature reef with consistent lighting and chemistry. They...
ARTICLE
Tridacna Clam
Tridacna clams are light-driven reef animals that thrive only in stable, mature systems. Strong, consistent lighting and steady alkalinity and calcium matter far more...
ARTICLE
Brittle Star
Brittle stars are reef-safe scavengers that live in rockwork and help clean up leftover food before it becomes a nutrient problem. They’re mostly hidden...
ARTICLE
Serpent Star
Serpent stars are hardy, reef-safe scavengers that live in rockwork and clean up leftover food before it becomes a nutrient issue. They’re mostly nocturnal...
ARTICLE
Sand-Sifting Starfish
Sand-sifting starfish clean sand by consuming the life within it, which makes them one of the most common slow-failure inverts in reef tanks. While...
ARTICLE
Fromia Starfish
Fromia starfish are beautiful but demanding invertebrates that rely on mature reef surfaces for food. They require large, well-established tanks with abundant biofilm and...
ARTICLE
Asterina Starfish
Asterina starfish are common hitchhikers that usually act as harmless algae and biofilm grazers. In balanced tanks they stay in low numbers and do...
ARTICLE
Gracilaria
Gracilaria is a reef-friendly macroalgae that provides steady nutrient export, pod habitat, and natural food for herbivores without becoming invasive. It grows best with...
ARTICLE
Chaeto (Chaetomorpha)
Chaeto (Chaetomorpha) is a utility macroalgae used almost exclusively for nutrient export and pod habitat in refugiums. It needs strong, consistent light, good flow,...
ARTICLE
Dragon’s Tongue (Halymenia)
Dragon’s Tongue (Halymenia) is a display-friendly macroalgae that offers light nutrient export without aggressive growth. It does best in stable systems with moderate–high light,...
ARTICLE
Ulva (Sea Lettuce)
Ulva (Sea Lettuce) is a fast-growing macroalgae used primarily for nutrient export and food web support. It thrives with moderate–high light, moderate flow, and...
ARTICLE
Copepods
Copepods are foundational micro-crustaceans that support biodiversity and provide natural live food in reef tanks. They thrive in stable systems with structure, food, and...
ARTICLE
Amphipods
Amphipods are beneficial micro-crustaceans that support reef stability by recycling waste and serving as natural live food for fish. They thrive in tanks with...
ARTICLE
Phytoplankton
Phytoplankton isn’t livestock—it’s food web support. Its main value is feeding pods and filter feeders and strengthening the base of the reef ecosystem. When...
ARTICLE
Majano Anemone
Majano anemones are pest hitchhikers that can sting corals and spread quickly in reef tanks. Remove or control them early—once established, they’re difficult to...
ARTICLE
Acropora-Eating Flatworm
AEFW are Acropora-specific flatworms that eat coral tissue, causing bite marks, poor polyp extension, and slow SPS decline. They spread mainly through unvetted Acropora...
ARTICLE
Montipora-Eating Nudibranch (Phestilla subodiosus)
Montipora-eating nudibranchs are tiny coral predators that chew Montipora tissue, causing “nibbled” edges and scraped white bite patches. They hide on undersides and lay...
ARTICLE
Mantis Shrimp (Stomatopoda)
Mantis shrimp are predatory hitchhikers that often reveal themselves through clicking sounds and disappearing snails or hermits. They’re fascinating animals, but not reef-safe in...