MARINE FISH AND INVERTEBRATES TO AVOID
While selecting good quality animals and then properly quarantining them is vital for acquiring long-lived specimens for your aquarium, some species start the process with one or more strikes against them. Knowing which species have extra challenges helps home aquarists avoid heartbreak down the road. The following are some species that may pose problems for you, despite the level of care that you offer them.
This list only includes fish known to have specific issues that affect their longevity in aquariums. Any fish, poorly handled, or for which you are not prepared to properly care for, is not going to thrive for you.
Before getting to the full list, the following species, while commonly sold in the trade, have some specific health issues that show up with more frequency than in other fish. That does not rule these out completely, just that you need to be aware of the added risks.
Banggai cardinalfish, Pterapogon kauderni – wild caught Banggai cardinalfish frequently develop an incurable viral disease. Mortality rates from this seem to be higher than 80% in affected fish. If tank raised fish are housed with wild ones, the disease can transfer to them.
Blonde Naso tang, Naso elegans – For unknown reasons, this species has shown declining durability in the past four or five years. What happens is the fish arrive and either do not start feeding, or begin feeding, but die from unknown causes in a few weeks to months.
Blue-spotted jawfish, Opistognathus rosenblatti – This species does not thrive at tropical temperatures and is prone to developing severe external bacterial infections.
Cirrhilabrus fairy wrasses or flasher wrasses, Pseudocheilinus – some of these fish will develop the incurable, “Unknown Neurological Wrasse Disease” (UNWD). The rate of infection of this is not known, but may run about 5 to 10% of these fish. https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/unknown-neurological-wrasse-disease-unwd.901856/
Clownfish, Amphiprion sp. – all wild caught clownfish are prone to developing Brooklynella hostilis, an external protozoan disease that is difficult to treat without resorting to formalin. Even captive raised clownfish can develop this malady if housed with wild caught clownfish at some point.
Green chromis, Chromis viridis – this species commonly develops incurable Uronema infections when first acquired. Additionally, because they are low value fish, they tend to be handled poorly while in the supply chain.
Orange anthias, Anthias squamipinnis – this species commonly develops incurable Uronema infections when first acquired.
Yellow “Coris” wrasse, Halichoeres chrysus – This species commonly develops Uronema infections that are usually incurable. They also can develop the “Unknown Neurological Wrasse Disease”.
There are other species of marine fish that are more delicate, or that adapt poorly to captivity no matter their source. The following tables identify most of these “poor doers” that are currently found in the trade. These listings are for typical wild caught fish. Tank raised fish of the same species often fare better, as well as wild caught fish from short supply chain sources.
Anampses sp. Red Tamarin wrasse
Aspidontus sp. False cleaner fish
Chaetodon austriacus Exquisite butterflyfish
C. baronessa Triangular butterflyfish
C. melapterus Arabian butterflyfish
C. meyeri Meyer’s butterflyfish
C. ornatissimus Clown butterflyfish
C. triangulum Triangle butterflyfish
C. trifasciatus Red-fin butterflyfish
Exallias brevis Leopard blenny
Labroides phthirophagus Hawaiian cleaner wrasse (wild caught)
Plagiotremus sp. Mimic blenny
Pseudanthias pascalis Forktail anthias
Solenostomus spp. Ghost pipefish
Stethojulis spp. Orange shoulder Wrasse
Marine fishes that almost never survive past the year mark in closed system aquariums
Centropyge (Paracentropyge) multifasciatus Many banded angelfish
Chaetodon citrinellus Citron butterflyfish
C. lavartus Masked butterflyfish
C. reticulatus Reticulated butterflyfish
Doryrhamphus sp. Banded pipefish
Holocanthus tricolor Rock beauty angelfish
Gorgasia preclara Gold-banded garden eel
Macropharyngodon sp. Ornate wrasse (may be hardier once established)
Ostracion sp. Boxfish (some cowfish as well)
Oxymonacanthus longirostris Orange-spot filefish
Platax pinnatus Red-rimmed batfish
Pseudanthias tuka Tuka anthias
Pygoplites diacanthus Regal angelfish (Except Red Sea)
Rhinomuraena quaesita Ribbon eel
Scarus sp. (large specimens) Parrotfish (except bicolor)
Marine fishes that rarely survive past the two year mark in typical home aquariums
Chromodoris, Phyllidia & related sp. Nudibranchs
Dendronephthya (Roxasia) sp. Soft coral
Goniopora sp. Flowerpot coral (wild)
Hapalochlaena sp. Blue ringed octopus
Iodictyum sp. Lace bryozoan
Lamprometra and related spp. Crinoids
Lima sp. Flame scallop
Pseudocolochirus violaceus Sea Apple
Spondylus sp. Thorny oyster
Trikentrion flabelliforme with Zoanthid Red spider sponge
Invertebrates that rarely survive past the year mark in closed system aquariums.
Cone shell - Conus spp.
Blue ring octopus - Hapalochlaena spp.
Stonefish - Synanceia spp.
Many other scorpionfish have toxins in their spines that are unknown in their effect on humans – treat ALL unknown scorpionfish as if they are as toxic as stonefish!
Species capable of causing serious harm/death to humans through true venom.
While selecting good quality animals and then properly quarantining them is vital for acquiring long-lived specimens for your aquarium, some species start the process with one or more strikes against them. Knowing which species have extra challenges helps home aquarists avoid heartbreak down the road. The following are some species that may pose problems for you, despite the level of care that you offer them.
This list only includes fish known to have specific issues that affect their longevity in aquariums. Any fish, poorly handled, or for which you are not prepared to properly care for, is not going to thrive for you.
Before getting to the full list, the following species, while commonly sold in the trade, have some specific health issues that show up with more frequency than in other fish. That does not rule these out completely, just that you need to be aware of the added risks.
Banggai cardinalfish, Pterapogon kauderni – wild caught Banggai cardinalfish frequently develop an incurable viral disease. Mortality rates from this seem to be higher than 80% in affected fish. If tank raised fish are housed with wild ones, the disease can transfer to them.
Blonde Naso tang, Naso elegans – For unknown reasons, this species has shown declining durability in the past four or five years. What happens is the fish arrive and either do not start feeding, or begin feeding, but die from unknown causes in a few weeks to months.
Blue-spotted jawfish, Opistognathus rosenblatti – This species does not thrive at tropical temperatures and is prone to developing severe external bacterial infections.
Cirrhilabrus fairy wrasses or flasher wrasses, Pseudocheilinus – some of these fish will develop the incurable, “Unknown Neurological Wrasse Disease” (UNWD). The rate of infection of this is not known, but may run about 5 to 10% of these fish. https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/unknown-neurological-wrasse-disease-unwd.901856/
Clownfish, Amphiprion sp. – all wild caught clownfish are prone to developing Brooklynella hostilis, an external protozoan disease that is difficult to treat without resorting to formalin. Even captive raised clownfish can develop this malady if housed with wild caught clownfish at some point.
Green chromis, Chromis viridis – this species commonly develops incurable Uronema infections when first acquired. Additionally, because they are low value fish, they tend to be handled poorly while in the supply chain.
Orange anthias, Anthias squamipinnis – this species commonly develops incurable Uronema infections when first acquired.
Yellow “Coris” wrasse, Halichoeres chrysus – This species commonly develops Uronema infections that are usually incurable. They also can develop the “Unknown Neurological Wrasse Disease”.
There are other species of marine fish that are more delicate, or that adapt poorly to captivity no matter their source. The following tables identify most of these “poor doers” that are currently found in the trade. These listings are for typical wild caught fish. Tank raised fish of the same species often fare better, as well as wild caught fish from short supply chain sources.
Anampses sp. Red Tamarin wrasse
Aspidontus sp. False cleaner fish
Chaetodon austriacus Exquisite butterflyfish
C. baronessa Triangular butterflyfish
C. melapterus Arabian butterflyfish
C. meyeri Meyer’s butterflyfish
C. ornatissimus Clown butterflyfish
C. triangulum Triangle butterflyfish
C. trifasciatus Red-fin butterflyfish
Exallias brevis Leopard blenny
Labroides phthirophagus Hawaiian cleaner wrasse (wild caught)
Plagiotremus sp. Mimic blenny
Pseudanthias pascalis Forktail anthias
Solenostomus spp. Ghost pipefish
Stethojulis spp. Orange shoulder Wrasse
Marine fishes that almost never survive past the year mark in closed system aquariums
Centropyge (Paracentropyge) multifasciatus Many banded angelfish
Chaetodon citrinellus Citron butterflyfish
C. lavartus Masked butterflyfish
C. reticulatus Reticulated butterflyfish
Doryrhamphus sp. Banded pipefish
Holocanthus tricolor Rock beauty angelfish
Gorgasia preclara Gold-banded garden eel
Macropharyngodon sp. Ornate wrasse (may be hardier once established)
Ostracion sp. Boxfish (some cowfish as well)
Oxymonacanthus longirostris Orange-spot filefish
Platax pinnatus Red-rimmed batfish
Pseudanthias tuka Tuka anthias
Pygoplites diacanthus Regal angelfish (Except Red Sea)
Rhinomuraena quaesita Ribbon eel
Scarus sp. (large specimens) Parrotfish (except bicolor)
Marine fishes that rarely survive past the two year mark in typical home aquariums
Chromodoris, Phyllidia & related sp. Nudibranchs
Dendronephthya (Roxasia) sp. Soft coral
Goniopora sp. Flowerpot coral (wild)
Hapalochlaena sp. Blue ringed octopus
Iodictyum sp. Lace bryozoan
Lamprometra and related spp. Crinoids
Lima sp. Flame scallop
Pseudocolochirus violaceus Sea Apple
Spondylus sp. Thorny oyster
Trikentrion flabelliforme with Zoanthid Red spider sponge
Invertebrates that rarely survive past the year mark in closed system aquariums.
Cone shell - Conus spp.
Blue ring octopus - Hapalochlaena spp.
Stonefish - Synanceia spp.
Many other scorpionfish have toxins in their spines that are unknown in their effect on humans – treat ALL unknown scorpionfish as if they are as toxic as stonefish!
Species capable of causing serious harm/death to humans through true venom.
