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
Ocular coralblenny
Ecsenius oculatus
Ecsenius oculatus is a tiny little reef-percher from the Christmas Island/Western Australia area that spends its day scooting between holes and ledges and watching you like it owns the place. It is an algae-and-film grazer by nature, so in a mature reef it will constantly pick at rocks and glass and do that classic blenny hover-and-hop routine.
Okhotsk Hookear Sculpin
Artediellus ochotensis
A tiny coldwater sculpin from the Okhotsk and Bering side of the North Pacific, it spends life parked on the bottom waiting to pounce on snacks. The hooked spine on the gill cover gives it a tough look, and it perches and scoots around rocks with a lot of personality for such a small fish.
Onesided livebearer
Jenynsia lineata
A quirky South American livebearer that hugs the mid-to-top of the tank and shows off broken stripe patterns. Females get much bigger than the little males, and their odd one-sided mating gear is a fun bit of fish trivia to share. Give them cooler, clean water and a small group and they settle in nicely.
One-spot Jupiaba tetra
Jupiaba mucronata
Jupiaba mucronata is a little Guyana characin that tops out around 4 cm SL, and it fits that classic "busy, always on the move" tetra vibe. Its claim to fame in a lot of checklists is the single prominent shoulder (humeral) spot, and it does best when you lean into a roomy, current-friendly setup and keep it in a proper group.
Onestriped livebearer
Jenynsia unitaenia
Jenynsia unitaenia is a small freshwater onesided livebearer from coastal rivers/streams in southern Brazil (Santa Catarina and northeastern Rio Grande do Sul). It is identified by a single midlateral stripe.
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Orange chromide
Pseudetroplus maculatus (syn. Etroplus maculatus)
This is that cute little Indian/Sri Lankan cichlid with the big black "shoulder" spot and a warm gold/orange glow when it's happy. It'll do the classic cichlid thing where it gets a bit pushy when breeding, but most of the time it's pretty chill-especially if you keep a small group. Super cool bonus: the parents actively tend the eggs and fry, and the babies even graze on the parents' skin mucus for a bit.
Orestias ctenolepis
Orestias ctenolepis
A small Andean killifish that lives in the chilly, high-altitude waters of Lake Titicaca. It prefers hard, alkaline water and genuinely cool temps, so it is more of a specialist project than a community fish. If you like oddball fish with a wild backstory, this little pupfish is pretty neat.
Ouachita shiner
Lythrurus snelsoni
This is a little Ouachita Mountains native shiner that stays genuinely small (around 2 inches max), so its all about a tight school and lots of open swimming room. Like other Lythrurus, it can really color up when its happy and settled, especially if you keep it cool, clean, and in a group. Its not a hard fish once established, but its way less forgiving of warm, low-oxygen, dirty conditions than most beginner tropicals.
Pacific blue-eye
Pseudomugil signifer
Pacific blue-eyes are tiny Aussie "blue-eye" fish with those unreal electric-blue eyes and a nice little shimmer when they're in a group. Give them plants, gentle flow, and a proper shoal, and the males will posture and flare at each other in this super cool, non-lethal (usually) displayy way. They'll also tolerate a bit of salt (brackish), which is handy if you're doing an estuary-style setup.
Pacific bluestripe pipefish
Doryrhamphus melanopleura
This is one of the little flagtail pipefish with the long snout and that flashy tail fan with orange spots. In a calm reef tank it tends to hover around rock crevices and pick at tiny prey all day, so it is a super cool fish to watch - but it really needs gentle tankmates and frequent small meaty foods.
Pajama Cardinalfish
Sphaeramia nematoptera
This little cardinalfish looks like it got dressed in a rush-polka-dot back half, bold stripes up front, and that neon-orange tail spot that really pops under reef lights. It's a super chill, "hang in the shadows" kind of fish that likes to hover around rockwork and just cruise calmly all day. If you keep a small group, they'll often tuck in together and make your tank feel instantly more alive without causing any drama.
Palawan lentipes goby
Lentipes palawanirufus
Tiny river goby from Palawan where the males sport a fiery red head and a bold red band along the body. It lives in fast, sparkling streams and spends its day scooting over rocks to graze on biofilm, so in a tank it really shines with strong flow and algae-covered stones.