A 100 gallon saltwater aquarium is a lot of space to fill with fish. But it’s not impossible – if you have the time, money, and patience. That being said, what are the best saltwater fish for a 100 gallon tank? To find out keep scrolling to see a list of our favorite 100 gallon saltwater fish ideas:
Best Saltwater Fish for 100 Gallon Tank
Purple Tang (Zebrasoma xanthurum)
Purple Tangs (Buy Online) are the best saltwater fish for a 100-gallon tank because they’re beautiful, easy to care for, and won’t nip at corals or other invertebrates.: If you have a 100-gallon aquarium, then this is definitely the right type of marine fish for you. They look great in an aquarium with lots of open space and hiding spots like caves and rocks. The only time they get aggressive is when another tang tries to move into their territory (which can be avoided by providing them with plenty of space).
Lunare Wrasse
The Lunare Wrasse (Buy Online) is an excellent choice for both beginner and experienced hobbyists alike. This beautiful fish will add color and personality to any aquarium while being peaceful towards its tank mates. It’s best kept in a large community set up with plenty of live rock and hiding places as well as a deep sandy substrate where they prefer digging their burrows at night time.
Blue Hepatus Tang
The Blue Hippo Tang (Buy Online) is one of the most popular saltwater fish for a 100-gallon tank because it does so well in community settings and it is very outgoing and active. They are very easy to care for as long as you keep them in an aquarium with plenty of rockwork where they can dart around in search of food. This beautiful blue tang can grow to 12 inches or more, so make sure you have enough room in your aquarium before adding this magnificent creature into your tank.
Kleins Butterfly
Klein’s Butterfly (Buy Online) is a great alternative to the more common butterfly species because it is much less likely to be aggressive towards other tank mates. They also make an excellent choice for anyone with a 100-gallon tank since they won’t outgrow your aquarium once they reach full size, unlike larger butterflies that need to be kept in a 120-gallon tank.
Longnose Butterfly
The Longnose Butterfly (Buy Online) is a beautiful fish that will add color and personality to any aquarium. But, they can be aggressive and nip at coral and other tank inhabitants. This saltwater fish needs plenty of space, lots of hiding places, and enough room to swim around the tank. They also get pretty large in the wild (up to 9″ long), so you’ll need at least a 100-gallon aquarium if you want to keep one comfortably.
Volitan Lionfish
The Volitan Lionfish (Buy Online) is one of the best saltwater fish for a 100 gallon tank. And it will add color, character, and movement to your aquarium. This species does have venomous spines though so you will get stung if you brush up against them or pick them up. However, they are magnificent saltwater fish that make a great addition to a 100 gallon tank.
Note: If you live in Florida, Lionfish are considered an invasive species so you won’t be able to purchase them locally or ship them into your state.
Cream Angel
The Cream Angelfish (Buy Online) is a great choice if you’re looking to add a beautiful and interesting fish to your home or office aquarium. It has been ranked as one of the most popular saltwater fish by aquarists worldwide because of its striking coloration and ability to thrive in captivity.
Snowflake Eel
The Snowflake Moray (Buy Online) is a beautiful eel with an intricate black and white snowflake pattern that will add some serious style to any tank. In addition, it is relatively easy to care for and hardy enough to live in a wide range of water conditions.
If you’re looking for a large eel that won’t break the bank, then this might be the perfect option. We recommend that you keep them in a large tank with plenty of hiding places like caves or rockwork. And since Snowflake Eels have been known to escape from tanks before we also suggest adding a tight-fitting lid so they can’t easily push their way out of your tank.
Valentini Puffer
The Valentini Puffer (Buy Online) is one of the best saltwater fish for a 100-gallon tank because it’s relatively small, peaceful in nature, and doesn’t cost much money. Valentini puffers are typically safe to keep with most other marine fish, but they will eat invertebrates with abandon, and they have been known to pick at coral colonies too.
Bicolor Angel
The Bicolor Angelfish (Buy Online) is one of the best choices for a 100-gallon tank because it has good compatibility with other peaceful marine fish, though like many other angelfish it should be kept singly and not housed with other angelfish. They are also reef safe as long as you keep them well fed (they will nip at corals if hungry)
Yellow Tang
The Yellow Tang (Buy Online) is an excellent choice for beginners or even advanced hobbyists who are looking for a beautiful and easy-to-care-for addition to their tank. They are active swimmers and have bold colors that make them stand out from other species of tangs making them perfect as show specimens in larger tanks.
Their diet consists mostly of algae, so they won’t disturb corals or rockwork when grazing on algae growth during the day. They are also fairly peaceful towards other tankmates unless threatened by another aggressive fish species. But, they do have razor-sharp tail spines that they will use to defend themselves so care should be taken when handling them.
Bursa Triggerfish
Bursa Triggerfish (Buy Online) are an ideal choice for anyone looking to add some color and personality to their marine life collection. These beautiful creatures are a great addition to a 100-gallon tank because they grow to be 10 inches at maturity. And they are interesting enough on their own or as part of a larger aggressive species show tank
Powder Brown Tang
The Powder Brown Tang (Buy Online) is one of the most beautiful saltwater fish out there, especially when it’s in good health with its vibrant colors shining through. It’s also easy to care for and will get along well with other large fish in your aquarium, making this an excellent choice if you’re looking to start a new reef tank or add some variety into your existing marine ecosystem. However, just keep in mind that you’ll need at least a 100 gallon or larger aquarium with lots of open swimming space if you want to keep a Powder Brown Tang.
Big Eye Black Bar Soldierfish
The Big Eye Soldierfish (Buy Online) is one of the best saltwater fish for your 100-gallon tank because they are large (growing up to 8 inches) and can be kept with other peaceful species. And their diet includes crustaceans, mollusks, worms, shrimp, and squid so there’s no need for special feeding regimens.
Striped Dogface Puffer
The Striped Dogface Puffer (Buy Online) is one of the most outgoing fish you can keep in a 100-gallon tank. However, they do best when kept alone or with similar-sized tank mates such as other puffers or tangs.
Striped Dogface Puffers should never be housed with corals or other delicate inverts because their natural hunting instincts will drive them to eat everything in your tank.
They also have very strong teeth that grow throughout their life span so it’s important to provide them with plenty of hard-shelled foods Calamari Rings, and Oyster Shells.
Pearlscale Butterflyfish
The Pearlscale Butterfly (Buy Online) is the perfect choice for hobbyists looking for a new addition to their tank. They are medium-sized saltwater fish that will grow up into beautiful adults without much maintenance on your part. Just feed them once to three times a day and keep the water clean and you can look forward to years of enjoyment from this stunningly colored butterflyfish.
Lyretail Anthias
A Lyretail Anthias (Buy Online) is a beautiful fish that will bring an exotic look to any tank with its vibrant colors and long flowing fins that shimmer in the light like a rainbow. They’ll work well as part of a reef environment where they can live alongside corals without being bothered by territorial conflicts with other species of fish such as butterflyfish or angelfish.
Red Belted Anthias
Red Belted Anthias (Buy Online) are one of the best saltwater fish available today because they work great in both community and reef aquariums. They get along well with most types of other marine life, including corals and invertebrates like shrimp and crabs. They’re also peaceful enough to live alongside smaller schooling fish like gobies, blennies, clownfish, damselfish, angelfish…the list goes on. And you won’t have any trouble keeping these beautiful little guys happy nipping at coral as long as you provide them with plenty of food
Coral Beauty Angelfish
The Coral Beauty Angelfish (Buy Online) is an excellent choice because it has stunning colors that will draw lots of attention from visitors, and they usually won’t harm any other livestock in your tank. They can grow up to 4 inches long so they need room to swim around but aren’t too big for smaller tanks either.
Lemonpeel Angelfish
Lemonpeel Angelfish (Buy Online) are great beginner marine fish that look good in any size tank, from 75 gallons up to 100 gallons or more. They’re easy to keep and they do well with other peaceful community fish species and they even get along with most invertebrates.
Flame Angelfish
The Flame Angelfish (Buy Online) is one of the easiest and hardiest angelfish to keep in captivity, making them an excellent choice if you’re just starting out with your first aquarium or looking for a new addition to an existing tank. They can be kept singly or in pairs and will do well with other semi peaceful community-type marine life such as clownfish, gobies, blennies, and wrasses.
Rusty Angelfish
The Rusty Angelfish (Buy Online) is one of the most popular saltwater fish for a 100-gallon tank because they are easy to care for and look great in any home aquarium. They’re also very colorful and unique looking, which makes them stand out from other angelfish species.
This beautiful fish is relatively easy to care for as long as you keep their water clean and feed them well. And you’ll need to make sure that there’s enough room in your tank so that they don’t feel threatened by other fish or corals.
