Search Species
Search for fish species by common or scientific name, or use filters to browse by water type, size, temperament, and difficulty.
Water Type
Search for fish species by common or scientific name, or use filters to browse by water type, size, temperament, and difficulty.
Found 351 species
Orestias tomcooni
Orestias tomcooni is a little high-altitude killifish from the Lake Titicaca basin, built for chilly, oxygen-rich water. It is one of those super-niche Andean natives you almost never see in the trade, and the big "gotcha" is that it wants cool temps long-term, not a standard tropical setup.
Etheostoma lachneri
This is a tiny Gulf Coastal Plain darter from the Tombigbee drainage, and the males get seriously wild in breeding colors - green/turquoise with orange and blue patterning. In the wild they hang around that stream transition zone from pools into riffles, sticking close to the bottom around sand-gravel, rubble, and snag cover. Think of it as a little bottom-perching insect-hunter that really wants clean, well-oxygenated flowing water.
Exoglossum laurae
Exoglossum laurae (tonguetied minnow) is a freshwater leuciscid minnow of cool, clean, rocky streams in parts of the eastern United States. It has a distinctive ventral mouth adapted for benthic feeding, and it is associated with pebble/rock nest spawning behavior documented for Exoglossum in scientific literature.
Alestopetersius tumbensis
This is one of those lesser-seen Congo Basin African tetras, a small, silvery shoaler that really comes alive when you keep it in a proper group. It is from the Lake Tumba/Malebo Pool area, and like a lot of alestids it is an active midwater swimmer that appreciates space and clean, well-oxygenated water.
Betta tussyae
Betta tussyae is a tiny little blackwater betta from peat swamp forests in Pahang, Malaysia, and it stays small enough that you can really do it justice in a compact, heavily planted tank. It likes soft, very acidic water and a calm setup with lots of leaf litter and cover, and it will absolutely use the labyrinth organ to gulp air like other bettas.
Corydoras weitzmani
Weitzman's cory is one of those super sleek Corydoras that looks like it's wearing a little mask-clean lines, subtle patterning, and that classic cory "busy little vacuum" vibe. The best part is watching a whole group cruise the bottom together, then suddenly zip to the surface for a gulp of air like tiny torpedoes.
Melanorivulus ubirajarai
This is a tiny Cerrado rivulus from central Brazil - the males show off neat red chevron-like markings, and they are always cruising the top and edges looking for snacks. Like a lot of Melanorivulus, it is a jumpy little personality fish that does best in a tight-lidded, plant-heavy setup with gentle flow.
Synodontis nigriventris
The upside-down catfish is a small African mochokid catfish famous for swimming and feeding belly-up, especially under cover and along the water's surface. It has a light belly (often with darker spotting), a darker back, and prominent barbels, and it is most active at dusk and night. Peaceful overall, it does best in groups with plenty of hiding places like driftwood and caves.
Wallaciia urosema (S. O. Kullander, 1990)
Rheophilic (current-loving) dwarf pike cichlid from Brazil’s Tapajós system; a small, territorial predator (to ~6.8 cm SL) that benefits from strong filtration/oxygenation, broken sightlines, and plenty of bottom cover (wood/rocks/caves).
Enteromius validus
Enteromius validus is a little Congo Basin barb that stays under 4 inches, with a chunky, sturdy body and proper barbels. Its wild diet is basically "whatever shows up" (insects, plant bits, seeds), so it is built for picking and browsing all day. This one is pretty obscure in the aquarium hobby, so most people keeping it are kind of blazing their own trail.
Vanmanenia gymnetrus
This is one of those true hillstream loaches built to live plastered onto rocks in fast current. It spends its time scooting around surfaces and grazing biofilm, and it really comes alive in a high-oxygen "river tank" setup. Not a "warm, still community tank" fish - it wants flow and clean water to look its best.
Fowleria variegata
This is a small, mottled reddish-brown cardinalfish that likes to hang around rockwork and rubble and really comes into its own once the lights dim. In a calm reef tank its a super chill, slow swimmer, and if you keep a small group they tend to hover together and look way more natural.