Top 7 HARDEST To Keep Saltwater Fish (And The Closest EASY Substitutes)

This is a list of the HARDEST to keep marine fish... that are not for you!
A thank you to @JoshSils for providing the awesome thumbnail photo! Follow him on Instagram for more pro level salty photos.
Find my best fishy photos on Instagram - search 'Reef Dork'.
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0:00 Intro
0:34 Number 7
1:24 Number 6
2:12 Number 5
3:10 Number 4
3:57 Number 3
4:47 Number 2
5:42 Number 1
6:55 Key to success
7:20 Acknowledgements
7:51 Watch next

[@ReefDork]

Here's an excellent guide on keeping some of the fish in this video kzbin.info/www/bejne/qX2somp5mr2fq80

[@_amon_amarth_8764]

My LFS has a moorish idol in the main display tank that actually eats prepared foods, he's had it for 10 years or so

[@giovannielefante4655]

You just named one fish out of a million. His point exactly

[@saibotyurico]

I do have a Moorish Idol, he eats everything, from nori algae, to flakes, pellets, mysis, and microfauna. Though I have a 10-ft long mature system so I would strongly recommend begginers or non-mature tanks the Bannerfish, they look pretty similar and they are much much easier to keep.

[@superdragon3060]

good comment leave moorish idols to huge mature tanks and get a bannerfish

[@so_so_reef]

I’m always surprised that leopard wrasse are classified as difficult. I added one to a fairly young aquarium and it’s always eaten well and going strong a year later. It even readily takes flakes and pellets now.

[@terrimccullough724]

Funny that my leopard wrasse was the first fish I added to my tank. Had no clue he was hard to keep. He’s 4 yrs old now. Lol

[@Ankaru1320]

Yep leopard wrasses are one of the easiest wrasse to keep.

[@lundiboy8]

Yeah mine is going on 4 yrs old. Plopped it in. Ate right away. Going strong.

[@jeand5910]

@@terrimccullough724 Yup. This guy just has no clue what hes talking about. Theyre actually labelled "expert only" on online retailers with the only reason that they dont handle shipping very well. Theyre very hardy fish if you see them eating at the LFS just like any fish. Idk who buys fish that dont eat...... (aside from mandarins)

[@somuluck]

Mine too

[@andhyhermawan8500]

I have a Moorish idol, and now he's 5 months old, hopefully he can live long

[@Richs_reef]

Great video Alex, love the fact you included alternative options.

[@Greenereefs]

I’ve kept moorish idol for years. They are very hard but mine went through a full tank WS outbreak and went through QT with copper. The key I found was feeding 6-8 times a day. If you can’t commit to that then don’t bother. They are like anthis and need food all the time.

[@keithwicks9103]

How are your parameters feeding that often?

[@Greenereefs]

@@keithwicks9103 struggling to keep NO3 and PO4 up. But I have very heavy coral stocking, refuge, siporax, x-filter, skimmer. The system is run as a high energy system. Heavy in, heavy out.

[@keithwicks9103]

@@Greenereefs how big is your system? And how old was the tank when you added the moorish idol?

[@Greenereefs]

@@keithwicks9103 The system is about 650ltrs and was probably a couple of years old. I QTed the idol for about 8 weeks and had it feeding on everything from mysis to pellets. It was a very good specimen and was eating on day one it came into the shop. From what I've heard they are not too difficult to get to feed. Just very hard to keep healthy and fat. Worming is a must. My idol passed away after 18 months while my wife was looking after the system and I was abroad for work for 5 weeks. I had a full tank crash and lost all my coral and half my fish. It was due to rubber leaching from a well known brand of powerhead.

[@Lewbis2kwhenever]

Another cracking video Alex! Actually got back into saltwater tanks over the Covid lockdown in Ireland tanks to your videos. Tank is running 7/8 months now and have many of the fish recommend in your videos!

[@ReefDork]

Great to hear! Enjoy 🙂

[@faiz_latif]

What you said about leopards was surprising! I got mine 3 months into my tank and had no issues with him eating. It's mostly about feeding at a time where they are out of the sand as for the first few weeks they basically will have jet lag while they get used to your lighting schedule. They might burrow in the sand for a few days so don't worry! Mine still wont eat flakes tho, only frozen so maybe they are picky for some people.

[@reefer_finn6677]

Completely agree with this video. I have a leopard wrasse but I bought him and he was already eating frozen so it make my life a lot easier. He has bean in the tank for 4 months and is doing great.

[@animalsaroundustv5410]

it's interesting, I saw your channel, I subscribed to your channel, the video is great, thank you for taking the time to make the video, I support you ❤️❤️❤️

[@mrsupersym]

Where I live, LFS have mostly new stock of fishes. There's no fish that stay in the tank for weeks, either were sold to customers or died. Therefore it's hard to rely on LFS to train new fish to accept prepared food.

[@yaksyousuf6156]

Where do you live

[@mrsupersym]

@@yaksyousuf6156 Indonesia

[@stevemunn367]

Great list Alex 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@jxj5924]

My LFS has a display tank with a bunch of leopard wrasses. They’re gorgeous fish

[@PhiCongDoan7587]

Alex! I would love to get my hands on one of those Earmuff Wrasse! I also think a Bannerfish is great alternative to the Moorish Idol. That Rowa Butterflyfish shall be on the list to get along with the Longnose Butterfly.

[@jaysrealreefuk]

Well that scared me to death. I've just purchased a flame scooter blenny, which was in the intro and I thought it was going to be in the top 10😬🤣 the longer it went on the my worried I became 🤣🤣. Brilliant video as always.

[@ReefDork]

😅 I've lost a few of them to be fair! Awesome fish though and the one in the intro started eating frozen 🙂

[@spacepug1246]

nice alternative suggestions.. never considered springeris for a shoal! another good alternative for the moorish idol could be a heniochus butterfly

[@layoanimals6201]

I love it!! could you please make a video onhow to make a reef tank loook good?

[@johngalactus4014]

To me, Mandarin Dragonet and Powder Blue Tang comes to mind when I think of the hardest saltwater fish to keep. Mandarin Dragonets - I got mine eating bloodworms (and it ate only that) but sadly it didn't put on 'weight' and eventually died. As for the Powder Blue, they are notorious for not playing well with other fishes especially Tangs, and they are like a 'gauge' for how healthy other fishes are... basically PBTs will be the first to get Ich or disease before any other fish. They are Ich magnets, even a Blue Tang would be a better choice. There's one fish, that I think is impossible no matter how expert you are. They are called 'Razor fish' (Aeoliscus strigatus). They are extremely picky eaters and even if they do eat, it will never be enough.

[@rudra7615]

I would also suggest a tail spot wrasse. Absolutely stunning once it is a big size

[@annebartells777]

I bought a leopard wrasse when I first started reefing. It ate well, but only lived a month. I would consider myself an expert fresh water aquarist and thought reefing wouldn't be difficult. I did very little research in the beginning and my bubble was popped real fast. After a couple of years and 3 attempts I would consider myself intermediate. I still refuse to purchase a fish that is considered an expert. I wish I wasn't so sure of myself in the beginning because I lost a lot livestock learning.

[@ReefDork]

All part of the process, sadly

[@AbsoluteZero6714]

Multibar Angelfish- Bali Aquarich breeds them. :) Biota sometimes offers them. Go captive bred. Goldflake Angel- Bali Aquarich breeds them too. :) Go captive bred.

[@tricky20005]

never had issues with wrasses - decent sand bed and a deep tank. I had a mated pair of Leopard wrasses and used to love them do their mating dance

[@gap9992]

I'm a newbie and to me it seems quite an unethical hobby that takes fish from the wild knowing their chance of survival is virtually zero, just to feed the ego / curiosity of reefers! People seem to dismiss failures (deaths) as just "one of those things that happen" Any chance of a quick video covering the best tank bred fish to buy?

[@-Wreckanize-]

I agree with you. I have a copper band that is doing quite well (knock on wood) but I do feel guilty knowing that statistically 9 others died for this one to live. With that being said, they're starting to be captive bred. Also climate change is destroying reefs, so maybe aquariums might be the only oasis left for corals and reef fish.

[@kiddt1999]

My leopard wrasse was shipped from new york to louisiana. It was laying on its side when i opened the box. I called the store and they said it is common for them to do this while stressed. I put it in my tank and it burrowed under a rock and was swimming and eating everything i threw at it the next day. Tank had only been running for a month when i got it. Been having it for 4 months now. Eats like a horse and even nips at the seaweed when i feed my tangs.

[@jasepoag8930]

I used to have a leopard wrasse. I didn't know they were supposed to be a challenge until after I bought him. He ate frozen day one, and never gave me an issue for a few years. Unfortunately he got himself caught in my overflow and died. I feel like a melanurus wrasse is a good alternative.

[@keithwicks9103]

How is the alternative to moorish idol nit the heniochas butterfly?

[@the_SAMLA_reefer]

Actually there is another alternative to the copperband that is the Deepwater longnose, Forcipiger Longirostris, it looks almost identical to the yellow longnose but with a very very long snout, it’s reef safe, much hardier than the copperband and helps clear aiptasia as well

[@johnhoot8336]

I have an earmuff and a vermiculate leopard wrasse. Honestly..both are incredibly easy? Just get your LFS to hold them for a week or two, pop by every couple of days to have the store feed them mysis or whatever in front of you so you know they are healthy and already taking to frozen. :) I friggin love both of them to death and took up the challenge of keeping both of them with a ruby dragonet. (I have resorted to breeding my own pods, which is honestly pretty simple, inexpensive and WORTH IT)

[@alexesco1521]

eyy whatch out with my uptishia is so nice when change colors

[@jeremyspiteribailey8156]

I’ve noticed a harlequin tusk in your tank. Does it eat your corals? Sps/lps? Also do you have clams with that fish? I can consider sacrificing crustaceans for that fish but I love my clams.

[@ReefDork]

I moved it on after it ate a jawfish and bullied a wrasse to death. Also ate a cleaner shrimp. But never touched any corals. Can't remember if I had it at the same time as my clam...

[@wernerwagner8279]

We had an lepord wrasse and it was easy to keep

[@kylewright9768]

I would say that a heneocas butterfly is a good alternative to a morrish idol

[@crisantodteano3273]

I live in an island in the west pacific and ive kept a moorish idol for months until i had to change address. they are easy fish to keep. they even eat goldfish food when i dont have the time to collect food from the beach. I think its the long travel that damages them irreversibly.

[@freakygoblin3068]

Seems there are a lot of different experiences with leopard wrasses. I'm no means an expert but have had one of these from the start a couple of years ago. Maybe I have simply been lucky. As a general note, may be useful to take notice that some adult and juvenile wrasses can look a lot different. Dragon Wrasse immediately springs to mind but so to the leopard wrasse. I'd imagine a lot of people see them as juveniles and may be useful to show the different ages as well as sexes when looking at them for identification.

[@Cookiebit21]

So how did the dentist in Finding Nemo manage to keep Gill alive for so long??

[@enzomontini758]

We he kept it alive for the 96 minutes run time of the film 😟

[@pauldillingham6316]

I had a leopard wrasse when I was younger and my impression of that fish was that it was indestructible. I had zero problems with it. It ate everything I fed it. On the other hand, I had a moorish idol that lasted exactly 1 week. It started out eating well, but stopped within a few days and died soon after.

[@leeandmandybattersby5958]

hi how many of the springers dansels would you reccomend keeping .. its a 70 gallon they would be going in

[@ReefDork]

5-7 maybe

[@TheMushroomTech]

Great vid

[@BrendanC-ru9zi]

My leopard wrasse was my 2nd fish after my 3 chromis.. I’ve had him 4 years now and he is the most active every day😂

[@ReefDork]

Leopard wrasse are the main fish people replying to this thread find easy to keep! I'm genuinely amazed but now I want one 🤣

[@davidhills7986]

I have three springeri damsels. They are quite territorial. Not as bad as other damsels but still have moments when they are total douche bags. Gorgeous blue colouring though. Makes a regal tang look pale.

[@lisafoster4468]

Multibars are now available captive-bred, accepting a lot more foods :)

[@SwagZilla_69_]

I have a moorish idol now an I don't believe there that hard at all. Mines eats frozen brine/mysis, flake food, clams, and nori. I've had him for at least 8 months now an I started this wonderful Hobbie back in December.

[@-Wreckanize-]

does he eat coral?

[@junito1957]

I AGREE IS HOW THE CAPTURE HIM AND SHIP HIM THAT THE MAIN PROBLEM

[@MrLunchpale]

I had a leopard wrasse. i had to give him to my buddy because I moved.. still alive and eats more than any other fish! lol

[@chrisaceves5091]

I knew a guy that had a moorish idol that was an amazing eater. The owner of my local fish store and I have been friends for years and he said this guy was the only person he has ever known to have one that eats. Knowing what I know now about saltwater fish and specifically the moorish idol I will probably never witness that again.

[@mr.t-bagyou3529]

The wrasse eat the crap outta pods until they are big enough to eat mysis shrimp. I have a few of them bad boys

[@the_SAMLA_reefer]

I have to say that moorish idols are the easiest fish to get eating as long you choose a medium to high quality specimen, but maintaining them is the hardest part

[@jessecowling4104]

What is the clear fish with the red dot on the tail at the beginning of the video?

[@ReefDork]

I haven't re watched the video but from your description I'd say red spot cardinalfish...

[@wowowowowowow9734]

The Goldflake is even better than the multi imo. It might be my favorite fish.

[@alecburris4225]

I have a pair of leopards in a 29 gal eating flakes, they've been in there for a month and they get fat after each feeding

[@sunnygoold9449]

Awesome stream... and I need to know who's ahead of me - sometimes I like to make a comment but mostly I do it because I think content creators put in a heap of work and it helps them ;)

[@ProxoDJ]

Seen as we're on the topic of fish :D what would you guys keep in a tank that's roughly 140L - 800mm(L)x400mm(W)x450mm(H)? I can't seem to make my mind up lol, it's currently housing 2 clowns, royal gramma, 3 green chromis, cleaner shrimp, urchin.

[@i_cant_think8947]

Honestly, I would say that’s it just about at its max, maybe a small wrasse (Possums/Pink streaked)

[@ProxoDJ]

@@i_cant_think8947 Thanks for the reply, what if there wasn't 3 chromis?

[@i_cant_think8947]

@@ProxoDJ Possibly a small fairy wrasse (C. lubbocki, C. majorie, ect..)

[@blunderbuss1395]

get a single chromis and quarantine it well, they are great fish to keep solo and have lots of character

[@philipsnyman1407]

I raised my orante leopard for months from small, had him on a flake and frozen diet and i have a healthy copepod colony but enter my sixline and after few months he turns around and bullies my leopard to death..

[@ericgasparro2545]

I have a leopard wrasse and all I can say is she eats like a pig and eats anything I put in the tank. She had a slightly damaged beak when I got her but it healed up quickly. Presume it was was from dove bombing into the sand for sleep. Took her a while to get used to me as they’re easily spooked but she’s now hand feeding from me. Got her to replace a psychotic six line and I’ve never made such a good decision 😂

[@fishfan2]

You guys have aggresive 6 line wrasse? Mines was super nice

[@jackiekearney]

My leopard wrasse is eating anything. Pellets, frozen, live brine shrimp and of course pods.

[@user-rk3id2zf8c]

I find it odd that you used meter instead of feet while living in UK xD

[@bummbrotha1065]

Oh yeah there's some butterflyfish like the orvate and chevron that are impossible to keep for even a short time

[@blunderbuss1395]

some guy i know has a moorish idol, and he told me he has had it for like 2 years and that they need "dirty" live rock full of whatever goop grows on it, though do not quote me on that

[@jonathanlim7804]

Actaully a great alternative to the Moorish Idol is the Banner fish! Really east to feed and practically looks the same as a Moorish Idol

[@whynot1289j]

My dad got a orange spotted filefish frozen foods

[@MrCites1]

Moorish Idols are easy to keep, they just need a large open enclosure. They will start eating from an open Mussel shell.

[@pauldillingham6316]

Would 400 gallons be big enough?

[@MrCites1]

@@pauldillingham6316 borderline

[@David-world559]

I have a moorish idol that eats anything I throw in the tank and has survived 3 tank upgrades

[@hakman239]

Seen a few people on fb saying there moorish idols eating nori and other things

[@vacoombs]

What kind of fish is at 0:22?

[@ReefDork]

red spot cardinalfish

[@vacoombs]

@@ReefDork thank you 🙏

[@saramarie516]

In a way, I am glad to hear resplendent anthias fight to the death. I recently lost two and now, only the male remains. I was troubled, trying to figure out what happened. I think I might know now.

[@ReefDork]

He'll be fine for a long time on his own now on the plus side...

[@lilfishreef7979]

Honestly, it’d be better if we could start to try to do more captive bred fish

[@ReefDork]

100%

[@ricodegallo3060]

👍

[@turnerstanks2624]

I was about to buy a Copperband yesterday, got a salfin instead thank god my pet store told me it’s hard to care for

[@alexesco1521]

no question about it butlerfly fish are buatiful but avoid any

[@aquamaaannnnn5956]

Get a goldflake angel you'll be fine. Meanwhile the checkout process that'll be 600 dollars

[@ReefDork]

🤣

[@aldrinpolar]

i think blueback angel fish is bery difficult to catch😅

[@mattb2906]

Munchin expensive quirrels

[@-Wreckanize-]

Natures cruelest joke for reefers, the most prettiest fish are the hardest to keep: orange spotted filefish, butterflyfish, moorish idol,

[@keithwicks9103]

I've tried a couple copperbands. The 2nd one was going very well. I would spot feed it at first with a turkey battery for the first couple weeks, then I just broadcast fed the entire tank and it would continue eating when I did that. It stopped eating after awhile and I went back to spot feeding and it wouldn't eat when I spot fed either anymore. Eventually starved himself as they all seem to do in many threads I've read online

[@i_cant_think8947]

Anampses wrasse are always better if they’ve been in the LFS for over two weeks

[@pauldeacon8764]

😀👍

[@christophereschbacher424]

It is too bad that it seems for most of these fish are harvested from the wild. It seems you are probably better off buying breeds in captivity such as clownfish or some types of seahorses.

[@sharkboibjskitsplushiesstu3645]

Yeah moorish idols are pretty hard to keep

[@brianstockhall3871]

Leopard wrasse hard or expert level to keep 🤔 no wrasse is hard to keep 😂

[@zacharyscott1264]

DUDE, a poop-brown leaf-shaped fish is not a substitute for a gorgeously bright blue and orange wonder of nature. C'mon

[@ReefDork]

🤣

[@Ankaru1320]

5 and 4 are one of the easiest fish.

[@jeand5910]

You should do more research on leopard wrasses. They acclimate fairly easy, eat a ton of flakes, pellets and frozen food (mine even nibbles on nori sometimes). in a 2 month old tank using dry rock.... Theyre labeled *EXPERT ONLY* online because they dont handle shipping well. If you buy it at the LFS its a breeze. You just lost another viewer.

[@ReefDork]

Agree to disagree 🙂

[@Messier87_M87]

I know a few people who have tried keeping these fish, sometimes with multiple attempts and had no luck.

[@jeand5910]

@@Messier87_M87 I had more trouble keeping 6 line wrasses than my leopard wrasse. If you cant keep a mandarin forget keeping a wrasse... Ive successfully kept a mandarin in a 2 month old tank that was started with dry rock with 10 min of monthly work to produce pods on the side until the tank was deemed to have enough pods. All you need is a bubbler, a jar and live phyto which you feed once or twice a month. My leopard wrasse was not a new shipment at the LFS. It was literally there for 2-3 months and I decided if it didnt die on them it wont die on me. Like I said, they dont transport well and need the bare minimum of pods just like any wrasse. You cant say a fish isnt hardy because it doesnt ship well and you buy it as soon as the store receives it.

[@jeand5910]

@@ReefDork Theres countless documentation on this. I suggest you get informed. Any r2r thread will tell you how any newbie can keep them if they eat at the LFS and if theyre not bought online. Its basically the wrasse equivalent of a longnose butterflyfish. Did you recommend that one in your video?

[@sagarkgear]

Hardest butterfly fish should be the melon butterfly fish