One of the hardiest and easy to raise species of fish for your saltwater aquarium is the damsel fish, which closely resemble the clown fish in their color, size and habitat. A native of the Indo-Pacific region, they are also referred to as the Demoiselle fish, or Anemone fish.

In their natural environment, the damsel often lives amongst the stinging arms of the anemone, and yet is never harmed themselves. And in a quirk of nature for which there seems no rational explanation, certain species of damsel fish will only harbor within certain anemone plants.

Although not an openly aggressive fish in the home aquarium, damsel fish have been known to get possessive of their feeding grounds, which could include patches of algae, since their diet is largely plant-based.

As a species of fish, they are closest to the cichlid, having nasal openings on each side of a short head, and in the majority of varieties, the tail will be forked. A very adaptable fish, you'll find that the damsels, who tend to school, can even survive poor water conditions, which contributes to their longevity.

For your saltwater aquarium, you might choose the Sergeant Major, a white-bodied fish with six vertical brown stripes starting at the base of the tail and running to above the eye. They grow up to 9", and when mating, males turn a dark blue. Another interesting variety is the Yellow Tail, a small damsel at 3", but with a pretty brown/blue body sprinkled with bright blue dots. The dorsal and anal fins carry a similar pattern, while the caudal fin tends to be clear, with yellow lights.