Nano Fish Listed By Tank Size
Key
Green = Beginner (Ideal for first time fish owners and or new tanks)
Black = Intermediate (Ideal for hobbyists with established tanks)
Red = Difficult (Ideal for experience hobbyists who can meet the special needs of these fish)
** = Available Tank Raised (Please let me know if I am missing any)
V = Venomous
Note: There is a lot of controversy around the idea of keeping saltwater fish in tanks under 10g. Whether or not it is ethical will be up to you to decide and not something I'm going to get into. Like it or not, the fact is there are going to be people who do it. Therefore, I would rather at least provide those people with some guidance to make good choices instead of just leaving them in the dark.
Note Mandarins/Dragonets: There is a lot of controversy around the idea of keeping fish from the Dragonet family in nano tanks. Whether or not it is ethical will be for you to decide and not something I'm going to get into. I personally do not encourage people to keep dragonets in nano tanks, however, despite my feelings there a many who have successfully kept them in smaller tanks, there for I will include them in this guide.
0.5g Pico (1.9 L) (Includes Red Sea 0.5g Deco Art) (1 extra small fish)
-Blue Neon Goby**
-Catalina Goby [cold water]
-Clown Gobies**
-Eviota Gobies
-Panda (Clown) Goby
-Redhead Goby**
-Trimma Goby
-Yellow Neon Goby**
2.5g Pico - 5g (9.46 - 18.93 L) (Includes 2.5g Minibow, Eclipse Explorer, JBJ 3g Pico) (1 fish)
All of the above plus:
-Citron Goby
-Green Banded Goby (added by c'est ma)**
7g (26.5 L) (Includes 7g Minibow, 6g Eclipse, 6g CPR, 6g Nano Cube, 8g Aquawave) (1-2 fish)
Note: Keep in mind that the display area of all-in-one tanks hold less water than the total tank since some of that water is in the filtration area. When picking out fish, pick fish based on the display area volume, not the total tank volume.
All of the above plus:
-Ocellaris Clownfish (False Percula)** (1, if you want a pair, move up to 10g+)
-Percula Clownfish (True Percula)** (1, if you want a pair, move up to 10g+)
10g (38 L) (Includes 12g Aquapod, 12g Nano Cube, 12g Eclipse, 11g Via Aqua, 12g Biocube) (2-3 fish)
Note: Keep in mind that the display area of all-in-one tanks hold less water than the total tank since some of that water is in the filtration area. When picking out fish, pick fish based on the display area volume, not the total tank volume.
All of the above plus:
-Atlantic Pygmy/Cherub Angelfish
-Yellow Assessor**
-Blue Assessor
-Tailspot Blenny
-Threadfin Cardinalfish
-Green Chromis Damsel
-Yellow Tail Blue Damsel
-Three Spot Damsel
-Talbot's Damsel
-Three Stripe Damsel
-Firefish Goby
-Helfrich's Firefish [$$$$!]
-Purple Firefish Goby
-Bicolor Psuedochromis
-Diadem Pseudochromis
-Fridmani (Orchid) Pseudochromis**
-Purple Pseudochromis
-Springeri Pseudochromis**
-Scooter Blenny [with caution, not for beginners]
-Red Scooter Blenny [with caution, not for beginners]
-Painted Frogfish
-Wartskin Frogfish
-Blackray Shrimp Goby
-Orange Stripe Goby
-Orangespotted Goby
-Randall's Shrimp Goby
-Yasha Hasha Goby
-Wheeler's Shrimp Goby
-Yellow Watchman Goby
-Rainfordi Goby
-Royal Gramma
-Falco Hawkfish
-Flame Hawkfish
-Pearly (Yellowhead) Jawfish
-Possum Wrasse
-Sixline Wrasse (note: some believe 20g+ may be more suitable, if you buy one for a 10g, get it small)
20g (76 L) (Includes 24g Aquapod, 24g Nano Cube, 20g Finnex M Tank) (3-5 fish)
Note: Keep in mind that the display area of all-in-one tanks hold less water than the total tank since some of that water is in the filtration area. When picking out fish, pick fish based on the display area volume, not the total tank volume.
All of the above plus:
-Coral Beauty Angelfish
-Flame Angelfish
-Halfblack Angelfish
-Potter's Angelfish
-Rusty Angelfish
-Chalk Bass
-Lantern Bass
-Bicolor Blenny
-Midas Blenny
-Redspotted Blenny
-Redlip Blenny
-Yellowtail Fang Blenny (V)
-Bangaii Cardinalfish**
-Orangestriped Cardinalfish
-Flame Cardinalfish
-Pajama Cardinalfish
-Clarki Clownfish **
-Maroon Clownfish **
-Orange Skunk Clownfish **
-Pink Skunk Clownfish **
-Tomato Clownfish **
-Dwarf Golden Moray Eel
-Bar Goby
-Blue Gudgeon Goby
-Green Mandarin Goby [with caution, not for beginners]
-Yellow Target Mandarin [with caution, not for beginners]
-Blackcap Basslet **
-Arc Eye Hawkfish
-Longnose Hawkfish
-Bluespot Jawfish
-Dusky Jawfish
-Fu Manchu Lionfish (V)
-Fuzzy Dwarf Lionfish (V)
-Dragon Pipefish [with caution, not for beginners]
-Banded Pipefish [with caution, not for beginners]
-Bluestripe Pipefish [with caution, not for beginners]
-Bennett's Toby
-Valentini (Saddleback) Toby (placement in 20g min suggested by Bread)
-White Spot Toby
-Carpenter Flasher Wrasse
-Filamented Flasher Wrasse
-Fourline Wrasse (placement in 20g min suggested by Travis)
-Longfin Fairy Wrasse
-Redfin Fairy Wrasse
-Tricolor (Lubbock's) Fairy Wrasse
-Twinspot Hogfish
30g (114 L) (Includes 32g Finnex M Tank) (4-6 fish)
All of the above plus:
-Ebli's Angelfish
-Lemonpeel Angelfish
-Dispar Anthias [with caution, not for beginners]
-Fathead (Sunburst) Anthias [not for beginners] (added by Pili)
-Longfin Anthias [w/ caution, not for beginners]
-Convict Blenny (Note: These guys do not stay 5 inches like many books say. I have handled many that were 12"+)
-Lawnmower Blenny [mega herbivore, keep in mind]
-Snowflake Eel
-Giant Frogfish
-Blue Spot Puffer
-Yellow Choris (Canary) Wrasse
Key
Green = Beginner (Ideal for first time fish owners and or new tanks)
Black = Intermediate (Ideal for hobbyists with established tanks)
Red = Difficult (Ideal for experience hobbyists who can meet the special needs of these fish)
** = Available Tank Raised (Please let me know if I am missing any)
V = Venomous
Note: There is a lot of controversy around the idea of keeping saltwater fish in tanks under 10g. Whether or not it is ethical will be up to you to decide and not something I'm going to get into. Like it or not, the fact is there are going to be people who do it. Therefore, I would rather at least provide those people with some guidance to make good choices instead of just leaving them in the dark.
Note Mandarins/Dragonets: There is a lot of controversy around the idea of keeping fish from the Dragonet family in nano tanks. Whether or not it is ethical will be for you to decide and not something I'm going to get into. I personally do not encourage people to keep dragonets in nano tanks, however, despite my feelings there a many who have successfully kept them in smaller tanks, there for I will include them in this guide.
0.5g Pico (1.9 L) (Includes Red Sea 0.5g Deco Art) (1 extra small fish)
-Blue Neon Goby**
-Catalina Goby [cold water]
-Clown Gobies**
-Eviota Gobies
-Panda (Clown) Goby
-Redhead Goby**
-Trimma Goby
-Yellow Neon Goby**
2.5g Pico - 5g (9.46 - 18.93 L) (Includes 2.5g Minibow, Eclipse Explorer, JBJ 3g Pico) (1 fish)
All of the above plus:
-Citron Goby
-Green Banded Goby (added by c'est ma)**
7g (26.5 L) (Includes 7g Minibow, 6g Eclipse, 6g CPR, 6g Nano Cube, 8g Aquawave) (1-2 fish)
Note: Keep in mind that the display area of all-in-one tanks hold less water than the total tank since some of that water is in the filtration area. When picking out fish, pick fish based on the display area volume, not the total tank volume.
All of the above plus:
-Ocellaris Clownfish (False Percula)** (1, if you want a pair, move up to 10g+)
-Percula Clownfish (True Percula)** (1, if you want a pair, move up to 10g+)
10g (38 L) (Includes 12g Aquapod, 12g Nano Cube, 12g Eclipse, 11g Via Aqua, 12g Biocube) (2-3 fish)
Note: Keep in mind that the display area of all-in-one tanks hold less water than the total tank since some of that water is in the filtration area. When picking out fish, pick fish based on the display area volume, not the total tank volume.
All of the above plus:
-Atlantic Pygmy/Cherub Angelfish
-Yellow Assessor**
-Blue Assessor
-Tailspot Blenny
-Threadfin Cardinalfish
-Green Chromis Damsel
-Yellow Tail Blue Damsel
-Three Spot Damsel
-Talbot's Damsel
-Three Stripe Damsel
-Firefish Goby
-Helfrich's Firefish [$$$$!]
-Purple Firefish Goby
-Bicolor Psuedochromis
-Diadem Pseudochromis
-Fridmani (Orchid) Pseudochromis**
-Purple Pseudochromis
-Springeri Pseudochromis**
-Scooter Blenny [with caution, not for beginners]
-Red Scooter Blenny [with caution, not for beginners]
-Painted Frogfish
-Wartskin Frogfish
-Blackray Shrimp Goby
-Orange Stripe Goby
-Orangespotted Goby
-Randall's Shrimp Goby
-Yasha Hasha Goby
-Wheeler's Shrimp Goby
-Yellow Watchman Goby
-Rainfordi Goby
-Royal Gramma
-Falco Hawkfish
-Flame Hawkfish
-Pearly (Yellowhead) Jawfish
-Possum Wrasse
-Sixline Wrasse (note: some believe 20g+ may be more suitable, if you buy one for a 10g, get it small)
20g (76 L) (Includes 24g Aquapod, 24g Nano Cube, 20g Finnex M Tank) (3-5 fish)
Note: Keep in mind that the display area of all-in-one tanks hold less water than the total tank since some of that water is in the filtration area. When picking out fish, pick fish based on the display area volume, not the total tank volume.
All of the above plus:
-Coral Beauty Angelfish
-Flame Angelfish
-Halfblack Angelfish
-Potter's Angelfish
-Rusty Angelfish
-Chalk Bass
-Lantern Bass
-Bicolor Blenny
-Midas Blenny
-Redspotted Blenny
-Redlip Blenny
-Yellowtail Fang Blenny (V)
-Bangaii Cardinalfish**
-Orangestriped Cardinalfish
-Flame Cardinalfish
-Pajama Cardinalfish
-Clarki Clownfish **
-Maroon Clownfish **
-Orange Skunk Clownfish **
-Pink Skunk Clownfish **
-Tomato Clownfish **
-Dwarf Golden Moray Eel
-Bar Goby
-Blue Gudgeon Goby
-Green Mandarin Goby [with caution, not for beginners]
-Yellow Target Mandarin [with caution, not for beginners]
-Blackcap Basslet **
-Arc Eye Hawkfish
-Longnose Hawkfish
-Bluespot Jawfish
-Dusky Jawfish
-Fu Manchu Lionfish (V)
-Fuzzy Dwarf Lionfish (V)
-Dragon Pipefish [with caution, not for beginners]
-Banded Pipefish [with caution, not for beginners]
-Bluestripe Pipefish [with caution, not for beginners]
-Bennett's Toby
-Valentini (Saddleback) Toby (placement in 20g min suggested by Bread)
-White Spot Toby
-Carpenter Flasher Wrasse
-Filamented Flasher Wrasse
-Fourline Wrasse (placement in 20g min suggested by Travis)
-Longfin Fairy Wrasse
-Redfin Fairy Wrasse
-Tricolor (Lubbock's) Fairy Wrasse
-Twinspot Hogfish
30g (114 L) (Includes 32g Finnex M Tank) (4-6 fish)
All of the above plus:
-Ebli's Angelfish
-Lemonpeel Angelfish
-Dispar Anthias [with caution, not for beginners]
-Fathead (Sunburst) Anthias [not for beginners] (added by Pili)
-Longfin Anthias [w/ caution, not for beginners]
-Convict Blenny (Note: These guys do not stay 5 inches like many books say. I have handled many that were 12"+)
-Lawnmower Blenny [mega herbivore, keep in mind]
-Snowflake Eel
-Giant Frogfish
-Blue Spot Puffer
-Yellow Choris (Canary) Wrasse