Coral reef fish depend on their live coral for survival. Different species obviously rely on different types of coral. When building your fish tank, it is important to make sure that you know the basics of coral reef fish and which types of coral live well with those fish. The more you know beforehand, the better off you are in being able to create a coral reef that survives, and survives well. This means that there actually are wrong ways to set up a coral reef that will only hurt the corals and coral reef fish.
Certain types of coral are territorial and will not survive well with other types of coral within their living space. The same thing holds true for coral reef fish. Some of them cannot be in the tank with certain other species, or even other fish within the same species. Coral reef fish are often picky when it comes to behavior patterns, which is why only certain species should live within one tank. Some coral reef fish will not get along with fish of the same species, so it is important to make sure that this doesn't happen so that the coral reef lives in harmony.
As you are adding coral reef fish and types of coral, try to choose the best species that will get along with each other or at least will not affect another species' survival. There are many places that you can go to find more information on how to create a coral reef that thrives and will last for years. Many species that you can add to the coral reef will live for a long time, but only with the proper care and maintenance. Get as much information as you can before you begin adding to your fish tank to guarantee yourself a successful coral reef.