Exotically coloured and known for their toughness damsel fish are a popular aquarium choice. However, their natural aggressiveness and need for space can make them difficult to keep successfully.
One of the reasons why damsel fish are popular in reef aquariums is that their grazing habits keep coral free of algae without harming the polyps.

They also eat the zooplankton found in the natural ecosystem, so they should not be kept in an aquarium with aggressive mechanical filtration which may kill these plankton. They will usually accept flakes but, for best results, should be supplied with a variety of foods including freeze dried and live food.

Sometimes damsel fish develop a symbiotic relationship with an anemone or other cnidarian like that for which clown fish are famous. Due to their general fondness for similar hiding places in niches on the reef, and their tendency to be fiercely territorial about them, they should not be kept with clown fish or butterfly fish.

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Following the massive success of Pixar movie Finding Nemo the clown fish must be the most famous of all tropical marine fish. If you have young children, they're bound to be begging for little Nemos of their own. Fortunately, clown fish make excellent aquarium inhabitants. Colourful, curious, and fascinating in their habits, they're also quite hardy and can flourish in a shoal of their own or as part of your community tank.When familiar with their environment, clown fish are quite tough and resistant to disease, but they find moving traumatic and must be treated with extra care at such times.

Clownfish Feeding

This is especially the case with fish taken from the wild, who often find it difficult or impossible to adapt to life in an aquarium. Clown fish are omnivorous and are quite adaptable when it comes to food, enjoying flakes but benefiting from the occasional provision of live food. They are often able to obtain much of their food from waste emitted by their hosts, thus helping to keep the hosts from polluting their environment.

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Among the most famous of reef inhabitants are the bold and brilliant butterfly fish. These should not be confused with the African butterfly fish which lives in fresh water and looks very different. Marine butterfly fish are much easier to keep and are popular with aquarium owners everywhere. Still, their highly specific dietary needs mean that they cannot be recommended for the beginner.

Butterfly Fish Dietary Needs and Care

The dietary needs of butterfly fish are complex and variable. Some will only eat coral polyps and all types need some coral in their diet, so you'll need a well developed reef to support them. Fortunately, most species are solitary or happy to live in mated pairs, so there's no need to struggle to support a shoal. You should expect to have to buy fresh coral on a regular basis to provide proper nutrition for your butterfly fish, especially if you are keeping the more difficult species, so make sure that you can afford this commitment.Butterfly fish need to be fed several times a day. 

Those which are not exclusively coral eaters require a highly varied diet, but this can include most kinds of aquarium food, including flakes, freeze dried food and live brine shrimp and plankton. There are some commercial preparations available which are specifically designed to provide the right balance of nutrients for butterfly fish.

Butterfly fish are particularly vulnerable to parasite infections, so benefit from sharing their environment with cleaner fish. They are generally non-aggressive and easy to keep in a community tank, though they may occasionally nip at other fish. Try to avoid keeping them with other fish of similar appearance. You should make sure that they have plenty of space to swim around and plenty of hiding places.

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