
Carpet Anemone (Stichodactyla haddoni)
Stichodactyla haddoni is a large, sticky saddle carpet anemone up to 80 cm across that hosts clownfish but eats fish too, so it needs a big, mature…
Read more →This Guides hub on Fishy Friends gathers practical aquarium guides guidance for keepers who want clear answers before they change water, livestock, or gear.
Use these articles to match species to tank size, plan filtration and feeding, and troubleshoot water chemistry without guessing. Each guide is written for home aquariums and links to related reading when you need more depth on aquarium guides.
Start with the basics — stable parameters, quarantine habits, and a feeding schedule that matches the livestock — then browse the profiles and how-tos below. When you are ready to branch out, jump into neighbouring topics so your aquarium guides plan stays consistent across the whole tank.
Whether you are stocking a first community tank or refining an established scape, bookmark this page and return as questions come up. Healthy aquariums are built from small, repeatable routines more than one-time upgrades, and aquarium guides success follows the same pattern.
Explore next: Fishy Friends home, freshwater fish, saltwater fish, live plants.
Fishy Friends publishes species care sheets, plant and invertebrate notes, aquascaping ideas, and water-care explainers so aquarium guides advice stays easy to find. Read one guide thoroughly, apply it slowly, and use the linked hubs above when you want a second angle on the same problem.
Before you buy livestock or rethink filtration, skim two or three aquarium guides articles here and write down target numbers for temperature, hardness, and feeding. That short checklist prevents the most common resets and keeps your aquarium closer to the calm, healthy display you are aiming for.
Come back after water changes or new additions: compare what you see in the tank with the aquarium guides checklists below, then follow one recommended next step instead of changing everything at once. Steady improvements compound, and Fishy Friends is built to support that pace.

Stichodactyla haddoni is a large, sticky saddle carpet anemone up to 80 cm across that hosts clownfish but eats fish too, so it needs a big, mature…
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Epicystis crucifer is a colourful, hardy Caribbean anemone that stays put in a rock or sand hole, rarely wanders and suits nano reefs, though it ca…
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Sinularia finger leathers are tough, fast-growing soft corals with swaying finger-like branches that suit beginners, but they release chemicals tha…
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Tubastraea sun corals are bright orange, non-photosynthetic corals with no algae inside, so they live in shade and must be target fed every day or…
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Turbinaria reniformis is a hardy yellow-green plating coral that grows into scrolls and swirls, tolerates a range of conditions and suits beginners…
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Galaxea fascicularis is a hardy, fast-growing stony coral of star-shaped polyps that is easy to keep but has some of the longest, most powerful swe…
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Catalaphyllia jardinei is a large, flowing LPS coral with pink-tipped tentacles and a green centre that lives on the sand, stings hard and needs a…
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Plerogyra sinuosa is an LPS coral covered in grape-like water-filled bubbles by day that extends long stinging sweepers at night, so give it space…
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Seriatopora hystrix is a fast-growing, fine-branched SPS coral in pink, green or cream that is one of the easier small-polyp stony corals for stabl…
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Duncanopsammia axifuga is a hardy, fast-growing LPS coral with large, flowing green-centred polyps that loves target feeding and suits beginners.
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Procambarus alleni is a 10–12 cm electric blue Florida crayfish that is easy to keep but escapes, digs and eats plants and slow fish, so it suits…
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Sabellastarte feather duster worms are 5–10 cm tube worms with a crown of banded feathery radioles that filter food from the water and vanish int…
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Mespilia globulus is a 5–7 cm blue-banded sea urchin that grazes algae, carries shells and bits of debris on its spines, and is one of the most r…
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Stenorhynchus seticornis is a spindly Caribbean crab with a pointed head and 10 cm legs that eats bristleworms but may also hunt small fish and shr…
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Lybia tessellata is a tiny 2 cm boxer crab that carries a sea anemone in each claw like pom poms, ideal for a calm nano reef.
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Alpheus bellulus is a 5 cm digging shrimp that snaps its claw like a gunshot and forms a lifelong partnership with a watchman goby.
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Hymenocera picta is a 5 cm spotted shrimp with paddle-shaped claws that eats only starfish, so it suits a dedicated keeper with a reliable starfish…
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Lysmata debelius is a 5 cm blood-red cleaner shrimp with white spots that hides by day, cleans fish when settled and is reef safe in a mature tank.
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Hippocampus erectus is a hardy 15 cm Atlantic seahorse, widely captive bred, that needs a calm species tank, frozen mysis twice a day and plenty of…
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Calloplesiops altivelis is a shy, 15–20 cm white-spotted reef fish with huge fins and a fake eye on its tail that needs caves, calm tank mates an…
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Valenciennea puellaris is a 12–15 cm orange-spotted sleeper goby that sifts sand all day, keeps the bed clean and needs a mature tank with plenty…
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Centropyge flavissima is a 10–14 cm bright yellow dwarf angelfish with blue eye rings that needs mature rockwork to graze and may nip some corals.
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Oxycirrhites typus is a 13 cm red-checked hawkfish with a long snout that perches on corals and is mostly reef safe, except for small shrimp.
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Canthigaster valentini is a 10 cm saddled sharpnose puffer with lots of personality, best in a fish-only tank because it nips corals and invertebra…
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