Search Species
Search for fish species by common or scientific name, or use filters to browse by water type, size, temperament, and difficulty.
Found 665 species
Danube delta dwarf goby
Knipowitschia cameliae
This is a tiny little bottom-dwelling goby from a single lagoon system near the Danube Delta in Romania. It stays under about an inch and a half, and the males can show dark barring when in breeding colors. Honestly, it is more of a conservation-interest species than an aquarium fish - it is Critically Endangered and may even be possibly extinct in the wild.
Darkspotted catfish
Aspidoras fuscoguttatus
Think of this one like a tiny Cory cousin with a busier little spot pattern and a ton of "shuffle and sift" energy on the bottom. It is happiest when you keep a proper little group and give it sand, plants, and some cover so it feels secure enough to cruise around in the open.
darter characin
Melanocharacidium rex
A chunky little bottom-hopper from the upper Amazon, this species perches on stones and makes short dashes to snatch drifting insects. It grows bigger than most of its relatives, so it really shines in a longer tank with good flow and a sandy, rock-strewn layout. Watching a group scoot and perch in the current is half the fun.
Darwin's knifefish
Gymnotus darwini
Gymnotus darwini is a smaller banded knifefish from coastal river drainages in Pernambuco, northeastern Brazil. Like other Gymnotus, it navigates and hunts using a weak electric field and tends to be most active after lights-out, cruising along the bottom and through cover. It is a cool oddball fish, but its exact aquarium needs are not well documented because it is a recently described species and not common in the trade.
Datangzi Marsh Yunnan loach
Yunnanilus macrogaster
This is a little Chinese stone loach from a weedy marsh system in Yunnan, and it tops out around 7 cm (under 3 inches). Its name literally points at the chunky, swollen-belly look (macrogaster = large stomach), and it is an insect-and-worm picker that hangs along the bottom.
Declivitas mbuna
Iodotropheus declivitas
Iodotropheus declivitas is a little Lake Malawi mbuna that hangs around rocky reefs and spends a lot of its day picking at algae and tiny bits of food off the rocks. It stays pretty small for an mbuna, but it still does that classic cichlid thing of claiming a cave and showing off once it settles in. The big catch is its ID and availability - its often discussed alongside (and sometimes confused with) Iodotropheus sprengerae.
Decorated dragonfish
Eustomias decoratus
Eustomias decoratus is a deep-sea dragonfish (family Stomiidae) from the western central Atlantic around Bermuda. Like other Eustomias, it is a pelagic predator built for the dark - long body, big mouth, and a chin barbel used in hunting and signaling. This is absolutely not an aquarium species in any normal sense, since its real habitat is open ocean at depth and it will not tolerate typical captive conditions.
Deep-sea cutthroat eel
Dysommina rugosa
This is a true deep-sea eel that hangs out along continental slopes hundreds of meters down, topping out around a foot long. The wild footage from American Samoa is wild - big swarms of these little cutthroats tuck into crevices around the Nafanua cone at Vailulu'u volcano, a spot scientists nicknamed Eel City. Super cool animal, but not one for home tanks.
Deep-sea dragonfish
Bathophilus kingi
Bathophilus kingi is a small bathypelagic barbeled dragonfish (family Stomiidae) recorded from the Western Central Pacific (Papua New Guinea) and the Southeast Pacific (Chile). It inhabits deep open water from near the surface to about 1,100 m and is a predatory species. It is not suitable for aquaria; deep‑sea pressure, cold, and darkness are beyond home‑tank conditions and survival typically requires specialized systems used by research/public aquaria.
Densely scaled Yunnan loach
Yunnanilus polylepis
Yunnanilus polylepis is a tiny, newly-described stone loach from Yunnan, China that lives over plants in a deep pool, not a raging riffle. Males and females even look different (males show a dark side stripe), and the species name is literally about having lots of scales, which is a fun oddball trait for this group.
Diamond Tetra
Moenkhausia pittieri
Diamond tetras are one of those fish that look kind of plain in the bag, then you get them settled in and they start throwing off this glittery, diamond-like shine when the light hits them-super satisfying to watch. They're active, always cruising around the midwater, and in a nice little school they'll do that tight, synchronized swimming thing that makes the tank feel alive.
Diamond Watchman Goby
Valenciennea puellaris
This is that sand-sifting goby you'll see cruising the bottom, taking huge mouthfuls of sand and spitting it out like a little construction crew. It's awesome for keeping a sandy substrate looking clean, but it'll also redecorate-so anything sitting on the sand is gonna get buried or undermined sooner or later. Super cool personality too, especially once it picks a favorite burrow and starts "working" all day.