Why is saltwater marine life usually so much more colorful and vibrant?
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In addition to the other answers (it’s reef fish only), it’s a similar reason to why many birds are very colourful – it’s a sign to the opposite sex that they’re so good at getting food and avoiding being food, that they don’t have to worry about being seen.
A slow fish has to hide, whether it’s to ambush others or to avoid being eaten. The faster you are, the less you have to hide from everyone else, so being colourful sends a signals to mates that you’re a good partner.
But there are other types of camouflage as well. Lots of stripes are actually a way to hide, the same way a spotted cheetah is actually less visible than a solid-coloured one.
Then there are fish like the [Four eye butterfly fish](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foureye_butterflyfish) that has eye spots like a butterfly, which leads predators to think the head is at the wrong end, and will assume it will flee the opposite way.
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