Most coral reef fishes pass through a pelagic larval stage, varying from a few weeks to months duration. During this period, some larvae travel considerable distances in the pelagic environment, others remaining at their natal reefs. Following the pelagic stage, individuals settle into coral reef and/or surrounding habitats, thereafter entering the benthic juvenile stage. One of the great challenges in coral reef fish ecology is how the young, pelagic stages locate the habitat they settle. At large spatial scales, some larvae detect their settlement reefs by chemical signals of the reefs and/or reef noise, and the good swimming abilities in some reef fish taxa facilitate their navigation to suitable post-larval habitats through long distances. After arriving a reef, individuals make a choice for settlement habitat on the presence of specific benthic substrates, conspecifies and/or heterospecifies. Such fishes may either attempt to settle or reject the habitat and move away in search of a more suitable settlement site, with the habitat choice which strongly affects subsequent growth and survival of individuals. Many studies have indicated that settlement strategies could be a prominent factor determining the distribution of some fish species, as well as post-settlement processes including predation and subsequent stage movements.
