I'll admit it, this was stolen from RC
Underneath is an explanation of what the brief descriptions in most marine fish guides actually mean.
If your new fish is, It will:
Large, colourfull and cheap: Will eat all your Corals
Large, dull and cheap: Will eat all your fish
Small, colourfull and cheap: Will eat all your Corals
Small colourfull and expensive: Will die in the bag on the
way home
Explanation of the traits of different species found in most books:
Description & Actually means:
Generally Reef Safe: Will Eat most of your Corals
Some individuals will nip at clam mantles: Only eats Clams
May nip at some LPS: Will eat all of your LPS and then dissapear untill
you replace them
May occasionaly nip at SPS polyps and clam mantles: Only eats clam mantles served on a platter of SPS polyps
May be quarrelsome: Heavily tatooed and carries a knife
May jump from open topped aquaria: You'd have more luck keeping a Budgie in there
Occasionaly reclusive: I'm sure I bought a new fish?
Won't bother sessile invertibrates: Scoffs all your hermits