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You are here: Home / Beginners Education / What Does “Reef-Safe” Even Mean?

What Does “Reef-Safe” Even Mean?

by Kenneth Wingerter

Nature is cruel. An ecosystem is, essentially, a bunch of different kinds of organisms trying to eat each other. We might envision this vicious free-for-all as a series of smaller animals getting consumed by progressively larger animals. But it’s not that simple. For instance, even the largest and mightiest of creatures can get taken out by the smallest parasite (at least if there are enough of them). 

Coral reef environments are especially cut-throat. Here, more than anywhere else, predators are specialized to hunt and devour their prey. For example, a particular crab may be specially adapted to feed on corals or even very specific types of corals. Maybe even a particular species of coral. For sure, no animal is safe on an actual reef.

Things are not so different in a reef aquarium. Indeed, it’s pretty likely that at some point one of your pets will eat one of its tankmates. That’s Nature.

Hedging bets

Reef aquarium livestock is generally pricey, right? They are either hand-caught in the ocean and transported through long supply chains or they are farmed in technologically advanced facilities by trained professionals. So regardless of their source, they simply are too valuable to use as pawns in “reef tank survival of the fittest” games. Thus, smart aquarists pay close attention to interspecies “compatibility” as they stock their systems. One market-ready designation, “reef-safe,” is applied to those species that usually don’t kill much stuff in an aquarium. But since all reef animals kill and get killed by other animals on a natural reef, what does that term actually mean in practice? Depends on who you ask. 

It’s that “depends on who you ask” part that causes problems for poorly informed hobbyists on occasion. Why? For some, “reef-safe” means (and reasonably so) that a particular animal will not eat the reef itself–that is, will not eat corals. A lionfish would fit this description quite well; a lionfish would never, ever, under any conceivable circumstances eat a single coral polyp. 

Yet, lionfish are generally regarded as not reef-safe–at least per most hobbyists’ understanding of the meaning of the term. Here, “reef-safe” is taken to mean that an animal is unlikely to harm any desirable tankmates (more about that in a second). As most of us know, a lionfish will happily swallow up any fish or shrimp it can get down its throat. 

Unnatural selection

So then consider a wrasse that doesn’t eat corals nor bother other fish/inverts except for certain flatworms that prey on corals. Since this predator is specifically targeting an undesirable organism, it is still deemed reef-safe. Similarly, we like tangs because they eat undesirable algae; but are they not reef-safe simply because they would eat your highly desirable Dragon’s Breath macro?

To make things yet more complicated, in many cases, reef-safeness can be a matter of degree. Sometimes, a popular type of animal will find itself in some shady area of the reef-safe spectrum. Coral beauty angelfish for example are much beloved by reef aquarists despite their habit of occasionally “nipping at” corals. Many of those who covet this species accept the risk of introducing this pretty fish to reef aquaria as “reef-safe with caution.” We all say “caution” out of the sides of our mouths because there’s practically nothing we can do to prevent any bad behavior; we thus won’t know whether or not a particular individual will cause harm until after it’s caused harm! 

Aside from mere prettiness, some “reef-safe with caution” species have attributes that can outweigh the risk they pose. For example, a tank that is heavily infested with aiptasia anemones will overall benefit tremendously from the addition of an aiptasia-eating filefish–whether or not the file takes an occasional nip at your bubble coral.

Reef-safe for whose what

Alright, so is there at least some basic, yet authoritative, definition of “reef-safe” to use? Well, if we are to trust Wikipedia, we can all agree to agree that “Reef-safe is a distinction used in the saltwater aquarium hobby to indicate that a fish or invertebrate is safe to add to a reef aquarium. There is no fish that is completely reef safe. Every fish that is commonly listed as reef safe are species that usually do not readily consume small fish or invertebrates. Fish listed as reef safe also do not bother fellow fish unless in some cases, for instance tangs, they do not get along with conspecifics and sometimes fish with similar color or body shape.” Whew!

Maybe “reef-safe” is an outdated term that is in desperate need of revision or clarification? Maybe it was a bad term to begin with; perhaps we should have just started out using more descriptive terms like “coral-safe” or “shrimp-safe” from the very beginning? Problem is, it’s too vague from a practical sense to describe reef aquarium animal compatibility in terms of what specifically can (rather than cannot) go together. 

In the end, aquarists should never rely exclusively on simplistic or generalistic terms to guide them when selecting livestock. Instead, it is best to fully research the compatibility of each prospective species using trustworthy sources. Sorry, nothing comes easy in life–especially when reefing!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Ricks Garage says

    February 14, 2022 at 4:30 pm

    I always look forward to reading up cause one person’s appinion is different than what a live stock store will tell you

    Reply
    • billy.t.williams12 says

      February 28, 2022 at 2:26 pm

      I do enjoy hearing peoples opinions on what go well in a tank.

      Reply
    • Dennis Ramirez says

      March 1, 2022 at 4:34 am

      I agree lots of opinions in this hobby. There’s different ways to do things sometimes you learn easier way

      Reply
  2. Robert says

    February 14, 2022 at 6:49 pm

    I here so much back and forth of reef safe. What really is”safe” anyways. It’s all in the habit I guess

    Reply
    • Matt Armstrong says

      June 19, 2022 at 2:17 pm

      lots of different opinions in this hobby.

      Reply
    • Tyler says

      December 19, 2022 at 5:03 pm

      I have this problem as some things work and sometime it doesn’t

      Reply
  3. Andres Uribe says

    February 14, 2022 at 8:45 pm

    Going to have to check this out

    Reply
  4. Cory Schmidt says

    February 14, 2022 at 9:19 pm

    I feel like we as a hobby need to designate some sort of better codification then ‘reef safe’, ‘reef safe w/ caution’, etc… Some LFSs use a red, yellow, green type color coding which helps but it’s not standardized across stores with any standards…

    Reply
    • Wendy says

      March 19, 2022 at 12:03 pm

      Great read! Thanks for the info

      Reply
      • dgbsmb says

        April 16, 2022 at 9:44 am

        Good read, informative

        Reply
  5. gerrynator4 says

    February 14, 2022 at 11:48 pm

    “Reef-safe” seems to be a weird term. In my experience, my BTA has touched my corals and nothing happened, although they are considered to be reef-safe with caution. Also, some people have problems with emerald crabs but I never had an issue with them.

    Reply
  6. Beth S says

    February 15, 2022 at 11:50 am

    I have had a concern with verified reef safe peppermint shrimp, as well as a reef save cowrie that developed a taste for my xenia.

    Reply
  7. jhoffman says

    February 16, 2022 at 6:54 pm

    Great read!

    Reply
  8. tbrown3589 says

    February 16, 2022 at 8:49 pm

    I guess it’s all up to interpretation anyway since sometimes a particular species may be generally reef safe but an individual within that species may destroy your corals. It’s like a chicken that decides it wants to eat eggs.

    Reply
  9. alenm826 says

    February 16, 2022 at 10:50 pm

    Its how ever you interpret it.

    Reply
  10. alenm826 says

    February 16, 2022 at 10:50 pm

    Its how ever you interpret it.

    Reply
  11. Alexandra Gulledge says

    February 16, 2022 at 11:29 pm

    Had the main fish person at Petco tell me that all fish were reef safe one time.

    Reply
  12. psgolf4fun says

    February 19, 2022 at 9:29 am

    verry cool

    Reply
  13. ply5757 says

    February 20, 2022 at 1:20 pm

    Great article to read.

    Reply
  14. James Bradshaw says

    February 21, 2022 at 2:59 pm

    Imagine if everything was reef safe

    Reply
    • Carlos Matias-Tejada says

      March 9, 2023 at 4:27 pm

      that would be awesome!

      Reply
  15. CHRIS GODFREY says

    February 21, 2022 at 3:27 pm

    Good article

    Reply
  16. Alan Biddle says

    February 21, 2022 at 5:20 pm

    I believe in researching all additions to my tank regardless if it is labeled reef safe.

    Reply
  17. danielstrahan.11 says

    February 21, 2022 at 8:52 pm

    I’m always one to push the limits and hedge those bets

    Reply
  18. ROBERT SEYFARTH says

    February 22, 2022 at 7:36 am

    I agree that reef safe in one aquarium does not mean reef safe in all aquariums. Likewise, “peaceful” fish, like wrasses, can turn into demons if they decide they don’t like another fish in your tank.

    Reply
  19. nicole navarro says

    February 23, 2022 at 1:53 am

    Great information

    Reply
  20. Rick says

    February 24, 2022 at 11:42 am

    Nice

    Reply
  21. jason_lifted35 says

    February 28, 2022 at 10:28 pm

    So many species that get the “with caution” most of the time the colors, patterns and character of the animal far out weigh the cons.

    Reply
  22. teresaannehand says

    March 1, 2022 at 3:24 am

    That looks like a spider. Creepy.

    Reply
  23. Raven says

    March 3, 2022 at 7:34 pm

    does reef safe even mean reefs good for environment that won’t damage the ecosystems of reefs like over harvest that might effect ocean reefs and reefs that are safe for aquatic animals also reefs that won’t be harmed by other animals pretty informative article

    Reply
  24. Raven says

    March 3, 2022 at 7:34 pm

    does reef safe even mean reefs good for environment that won’t damage the ecosystems of reefs like over harvest that might effect ocean reefs and reefs that are safe for aquatic animals also reefs that won’t be harmed by other animals pretty informative article

    Reply
  25. Peter says

    March 5, 2022 at 8:10 am

    Great read.

    Reply
  26. thook30 says

    March 6, 2022 at 4:00 am

    Great read!

    Reply
  27. drcjperry16 says

    March 7, 2022 at 8:16 pm

    Good article

    Reply
  28. chrisddavis79 says

    March 8, 2022 at 2:58 am

    No. 1 question to ask when buying fish. Unless you like your tank destroyed every morning.

    Reply
  29. chrisddavis79 says

    March 8, 2022 at 2:58 am

    No. 1 question to ask when buying fish. Unless you like your tank destroyed every morning.

    Reply
  30. rocco.paul says

    March 9, 2022 at 3:42 am

    Nice Article.

    Reply
  31. chrisddavis79 says

    March 15, 2022 at 3:36 am

    It is sooo important to vet what you put in the tank.

    Reply
  32. George S says

    March 15, 2022 at 4:10 am

    great read

    Reply
  33. sharkbaitsnyder says

    March 20, 2022 at 9:15 pm

    very interesting perspective, and always a good read!

    Reply
  34. sharkbaitsnyder says

    March 20, 2022 at 9:15 pm

    very interesting read, and very well worded!

    Reply
  35. sharkbaitsnyder says

    March 20, 2022 at 9:16 pm

    Always love reading your articles.

    Reply
  36. James Walker says

    March 23, 2022 at 3:22 pm

    Like with anything else there are exceptions but Reef Safe should be just that. Safe for your reef. Your own corals may encroach on each other and choke off some. So what is true reef safe?

    Reply
  37. Cody Reed says

    March 24, 2022 at 4:59 pm

    Good read, never even knew this was a creature, I’m learning so much with this hobby

    Reply
  38. deltaechosix says

    March 25, 2022 at 5:01 pm

    This article speaks the truth

    Reply
  39. kevin.t1680 says

    March 28, 2022 at 3:07 pm

    Going to have to check this out

    Reply
  40. Cristobal Barraza says

    March 29, 2022 at 6:53 am

    Im glad I found all this info, thanks

    Reply
  41. Cristobal Barraza says

    March 29, 2022 at 6:53 am

    Im glad I found all this info, thanks

    Reply
  42. Cristobal Barraza says

    March 29, 2022 at 6:54 am

    Awesome

    Reply
  43. b_burnett90 says

    April 3, 2022 at 6:08 pm

    Also some are more reef safe in a larger tank, where smaller tank they may not get along with other fish

    Reply
  44. kathyl.mitchum says

    April 3, 2022 at 7:21 pm

    Iteresting

    Reply
  45. patscheuplein says

    April 4, 2022 at 6:27 pm

    Interesting

    Reply
  46. Joe Smith says

    April 4, 2022 at 10:47 pm

    Reef keeping is an adventure and everyone will have unique experiences. Considering what is reef safe will vary with each hobbyist.

    Reply
  47. Joe Smith says

    April 4, 2022 at 10:47 pm

    Reef keeping is an adventure and everyone will have unique experiences. Considering what is reef safe will vary with each hobbyist.

    Reply
  48. Jeff Carr says

    April 5, 2022 at 3:30 am

    Ok. Interesting article

    Reply
  49. gmale789 says

    April 6, 2022 at 12:47 am

    ?

    Reply
  50. titanicwilliam says

    April 6, 2022 at 9:49 am

    Great Info!

    Reply
  51. Andrew Pellegrino says

    April 6, 2022 at 12:02 pm

    Setting up a reef ecosystem
    Is one of the most interesting tasks someone can take on

    Reply
  52. ekersd says

    April 10, 2022 at 12:14 pm

    Reef Safe is a worse than useless label.
    Everything on the reef eats something…what each animal eats — most of the time is the most useful information.

    Reply
  53. Jonathan Morera says

    April 12, 2022 at 7:10 am

    I think “reef safe” is a way to attract the newer reefer. If you’ve been in the hobby, after a while, we learn that some things are safer than others and in what conditions and circumstances, but ultimately we redefine what we consider “reef safe”

    Reply
  54. Jonathan Morera says

    April 12, 2022 at 7:11 am

    Great article!

    Reply
  55. blackadonai says

    April 14, 2022 at 9:19 am

    I don’t even bother checking if something is listed as reef safe. I just research the animal and decide for myself if it’s diet and behavior will be an issue in my tank or not. So far it’s worked out well for me. So far I’ve only had 1 fish, an orchid psuedochromis, that wanted to chase and nip the fins of the 2 mollies I had. I moved him to my sump for a week and seem to have solved that problem. I’m not positive on that though because the mollies jumped out of the tank about 2 days before my screen tops were delivered. Now the worst thing he does is spit a mouthful of sand at the other fish if they hang around him too long

    Reply
  56. bmxxmikexx says

    April 14, 2022 at 2:40 pm

    nice article

    Reply
  57. Jessica Ramirez says

    April 15, 2022 at 2:14 am

    Good article

    Reply
  58. Jessica Ramirez says

    April 15, 2022 at 2:14 am

    Good article

    Reply
  59. whittaker217 says

    April 16, 2022 at 4:56 am

    I just decide what is best for my tank. I’ve had several live stock that’s consider not reef safe and never had an issue but I do believe it’s because I am heavy feeder with a diverse range of food for my tank. I don’t starve my tank or under feed. I just vacuum my sand more frequently than most.

    Reply
  60. mariahdavila says

    April 16, 2022 at 9:04 pm

    IMO anything is possible. Even as a non reef safe fish there is always the chance you get one that is a model citizen.

    Reply
  61. mariahdavila says

    April 16, 2022 at 9:04 pm

    IMO anything is possible. Even as a non reef safe fish there is always the chance you get one that is a model citizen.

    Reply
  62. Chris Briggs says

    April 18, 2022 at 6:37 am

    Great read! Thanks for the info

    Reply
  63. Dallas says

    April 18, 2022 at 8:24 pm

    Reef-Safe is a good guide to follow, but I do find that reading up on others experiences is the best guide.

    Reply
  64. grammy6851 says

    April 19, 2022 at 5:59 am

    Good to know

    Reply
  65. sourdog22 says

    May 29, 2022 at 3:01 am

    Good read

    Reply
  66. cranescoop says

    May 29, 2022 at 10:02 pm

    I asked a very similiar question when I started reefing.

    Reply
  67. cranescoop says

    May 29, 2022 at 10:02 pm

    I asked a very similiar question when I started reefing.

    Reply
  68. cranescoop says

    May 29, 2022 at 10:02 pm

    I asked a very similiar question when I started reefing.

    Reply
  69. cranescoop says

    May 29, 2022 at 10:02 pm

    I asked a very similiar question when I started reefing.

    Reply
  70. cranescoop says

    May 29, 2022 at 10:02 pm

    I asked a very similiar question when I started reefing.

    Reply
  71. ernie.alvarez0325 says

    May 30, 2022 at 4:47 pm

    Very interesting article. But what’s reef safe to some isnt reef safe to others. Good reading.

    Reply
  72. Jonathan Luna says

    June 2, 2022 at 3:59 pm

    Interesting product

    Reply
  73. Daniel Olguin says

    June 3, 2022 at 10:00 am

    Great read! Thanks for the info.

    Reply
  74. Mark's fish tank says

    June 5, 2022 at 3:32 pm

    Good read

    Reply
  75. billandambermags says

    June 5, 2022 at 3:56 pm

    Almost everything is actually reef safe with caution

    Reply
  76. perru380 says

    June 6, 2022 at 5:06 am

    That’s some good info!!

    Reply
  77. markwdunlap88 says

    June 6, 2022 at 2:50 pm

    I love to read through comments! It’s where I learn a lot

    Reply
  78. mybuddykosar says

    June 6, 2022 at 3:15 pm

    Ya reef save is to loose of a term

    Reply
  79. Steven says

    June 7, 2022 at 4:09 pm

    Swallow tail angelfish are reef safe and nice

    Reply
  80. crplcarott says

    June 8, 2022 at 12:42 pm

    Very interesting article.

    Reply
  81. Griffin A says

    June 8, 2022 at 8:55 pm

    my hermits be sketch but wth

    Reply
  82. Menezes Industries says

    June 13, 2022 at 8:47 am

    good to know

    Reply
  83. Donald says

    June 13, 2022 at 2:56 pm

    I gave up on reef safe designation. I just research each fish carefully before deciding on what to put in my tank. So far for the most part it works.

    Reply
  84. joshuastevens930 says

    June 13, 2022 at 8:19 pm

    Very informative article

    Reply
  85. Andrea McCue says

    June 14, 2022 at 5:46 am

    “reef-safe” is certainly a loose term at best. I have had reef safe critters that munched on my corals! Mainly the peppermint shrimp – the little devil – loves the torch corals.

    Reply
  86. sclarke_o says

    June 16, 2022 at 5:50 am

    There are quite a few show pieces that are reef safe

    Reply
  87. paulmatthewguilliam says

    June 17, 2022 at 9:31 am

    Very good information

    Reply
  88. dengwilliam96 says

    June 20, 2022 at 8:51 pm

    Great piece and analysis of how the marine ecosystem works in our tanks.

    Reply
  89. tcobosco says

    June 22, 2022 at 1:28 am

    Research lots of research

    Reply
  90. robert.lowell says

    June 25, 2022 at 6:31 pm

    I’ve learned nothing has a reef safe guarantee

    Reply
  91. fedexman47 says

    June 29, 2022 at 12:07 pm

    So cool

    Reply
  92. Jason Larawan says

    July 5, 2022 at 1:57 pm

    i love these!

    Reply
  93. matthew.k.wyatt says

    July 6, 2022 at 3:27 pm

    reef safe is such a broad term in this hobby.

    Reply
  94. Alan J. Tomasetti says

    July 8, 2022 at 5:02 pm

    Working on my first tank and trying to make everything invert and coral safe!

    Reply
    • Raven Scholtz says

      July 13, 2022 at 8:52 am

      It makes it easier in the long run when planning ahead and doing research! 🙂

      Reply
  95. Christopher Hooks says

    July 12, 2022 at 12:32 pm

    Great information here

    Reply
  96. Rob says

    October 29, 2022 at 1:48 pm

    No, especially with a Jewel Puffer.

    Reply
  97. Christopher Johnson says

    October 31, 2022 at 3:11 am

    If i could do it over i would have 2 tanks instead of one massive one. One tank would be fish only and the other coral only (maybe a pair of clowns

    Reply
  98. KiltedReefer says

    November 5, 2022 at 2:47 pm

    The term reef safe is something you can not take to heart. Each fish, invert, nem and coral all have their funny and sometimes frustrating personalities.

    Reply
  99. scott says

    November 8, 2022 at 11:39 pm

    Good To Know!

    Reply
  100. eric says

    November 24, 2022 at 9:15 am

    Good article

    Reply
  101. Botzz28 says

    November 26, 2022 at 11:52 pm

    Reef safe = a safe reef !

    Reply
  102. jackbauer24.1 says

    November 27, 2022 at 10:25 am

    You can learn a lot from this article.

    Reply
  103. Pete Tellers says

    November 29, 2022 at 4:21 pm

    interesting perspective… good article!

    Reply
  104. blindfish21melon says

    December 6, 2022 at 10:17 pm

    Recommend reading

    Reply
  105. zdunbar8515 says

    December 19, 2022 at 7:21 am

    Very good article. Thank you for this!

    Reply
  106. Andrew says

    December 20, 2022 at 12:49 pm

    I keep a blue throat trigger in my reef, totally worth the risk for me!

    Reply
  107. chriscatherman says

    December 20, 2022 at 1:21 pm

    I take each thing with a grain of salt… Whats reef safe for one might not be for another…

    Reply
  108. Marijane Stevens says

    December 23, 2022 at 8:27 am

    I would love a flame angel, just have to factor in the risk versus reward…

    Reply
  109. joshaz85203 says

    January 10, 2023 at 1:23 pm

    Its how ever you interpret it

    Reply
  110. Mason says

    January 24, 2023 at 10:07 pm

    Nice

    Reply
  111. Keara Sheehan says

    January 25, 2023 at 5:07 pm

    Depends

    Reply
  112. Christian Mandilawi says

    January 30, 2023 at 12:03 pm

    Great

    Reply
  113. Menerd The Menace says

    February 5, 2023 at 1:28 pm

    I need all reef safe critters

    Reply
  114. Eddie Fleetwood says

    February 6, 2023 at 9:14 am

    One of the hardest things for me as a beginner is this. One person says not to get fish x due to reef safety while another person says they’ve had no problems with fish x.

    Reply
  115. CORY SANCECIZ says

    February 18, 2023 at 8:54 am

    Good read

    Reply
  116. Leon Henson says

    February 18, 2023 at 9:59 pm

    NICE

    Reply
  117. Premchander Reddy says

    February 27, 2023 at 8:24 am

    Informative !!

    Reply
  118. Cary Waterhouse says

    March 5, 2023 at 11:06 am

    Good read

    Reply
  119. Joshua Valladolid says

    March 14, 2023 at 6:02 am

    The moral of the story no matter what you put in your tank keep a eye and pay attention to your tank

    Reply
  120. Kedron Davis says

    March 17, 2023 at 6:53 pm

    It meas it should not harm your reef

    Reply

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