Reef fish means any species of living resource predominately inhabit reef areas, the territorial sea, or internal waters excluding bait fish used in the fishery for highly migratory species.

Some of the best reef tank shrimps are members of the genus Lysmata, Periclimenes and Stenopus. There are some shrimps that can even be put to work in the reef aquarium. For example, the Atlantic Peppermint Shrimp (Lysmata wurdemanni) will graze on sea anemones in the genus Aiptasia.

The four largest groups of coral reef fishes that feed on plants are the parrotfishes, damselfishes, rabbitfishes, and surgeonfishes. All feed primarily on microscopic and macroscopic algae growing on or near coral reefs. Algae can drape reefs in kaleidoscopes of colours and shapes.

Fishes populating coral reefs vary greatly in size and what they eat, with some munching corals, others grazing algae, and others picking parasites from fish. Still others are carnivores, consuming invertebrates or other fish in a food chain that ends with top predators, like sharks and humans.