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 130 species
Indostomus paradoxus
This is that goofy little "freshwater seahorse"-looking fish that just kind of perches and scoots around like a tiny armored twig. Its whole vibe is slow, sneaky micropredator - once its settled in, you will catch it stalking microfoods and doing these subtle little posture displays. The big trick is feeding: they do best when you can provide lots of small live foods in a calm, planted tank.
Iodotropheus sprengerae
This is the classic "rusty" mbuna from Lake Malawi - females and juveniles stay that warm rusty-brown, and grown males often pick up a really nice lavender-purple sheen. Compared to a lot of mbuna, they are pretty chill, but they still do the cichlid thing with little territories and lots of attitude around rocks. They are maternal mouthbrooders too, so watching a holding female is always fun.
Iriatherina werneri
This is the little rainbowfish with the ridiculous, delicate streamers - especially on the males, who love to posture and "dance" at each other in a calm planted tank. Keep them in a real group and they get way braver, cruising the top/midwater under floaters and showing off those thread-like fins. They are peaceful, but they really hate fast flow and rough tankmates that shred fins or outcompete them at feeding time.
Jordanella floridae
Jordanella floridae is that little Florida native with the red-and-cream striping that really does look like a tiny flag once a male colors up. They graze algae like champs (especially stringy/hair algae), but they have a bit of attitude - give them plants and space so the bossy behavior stays manageable. Bonus: the male guards the eggs and will actively fan them, which is pretty fun to watch.
Julidochromis ornatus
Julidochromis ornatus is that sleek little Tanganyikan rock-dweller with the gold body and crisp black stripes that just pops against a pile of limestone. Give it a tight maze of caves and it will pick one like its home base, patrol it, and (once paired up) it is a really fun cave spawner to watch. It is small, but it has big "this is my rock" energy - especially around breeding time.
Julidochromis transcriptus
This is a little Lake Tanganyika rock-dweller with bold black-and-white striping and that cool dark "masked" face. Give it a pile of rocks and tight caves and it will cruise around like it owns the place, especially once it pairs up. Small fish, big attitude - but in a manageable, "fun to watch" way if you plan the tank around territories.
Koumansetta rainfordi
This little goby is a tiny striped hoverer that spends its day scooting between rock crevices and pecking at the sand and micro-stuff on the rocks. In the right setup its a super chill, reef-safe character fish, but the big trick is keeping it well-fed in a mature tank so it doesnt slowly waste away.
Kryptopterus vitreolus
This is the truly transparent "glass" catfish from Thailand - you can literally see the spine and organs when its happy and settled in. The big trick is keeping them in a proper group and giving them calmer, dimmer conditions; once they feel secure, they cruise around together and look unreal in the water column.
Lepidiolamprologus boulengeri
This is one of those really fun Lake Tanganyika shell-and-sand lamprologines that lives as a pair, digs a little pit, and then the female hangs out in snail shells like its a tiny fortress. Give them fine sand and a pile of shells and you will get to watch legit, purposeful cichlid home-building and territory behavior in a small-bodied fish.
Luminichthys noctifera
The Glow Light Tetra, known scientifically as Luminichthys noctifera, is a strikingly vibrant fish renowned for its glowing fluorescence under blue or ultraviolet light. These small, schooling fish exhibit a translucent body that often appears in shades of blue or green, with a horizontal stripe that runs along their side.
Megalamphodus eques
Serpaes are those fiery little red tetras with the black "comma" behind the gill-super eye-catching in a planted tank. They're active and a bit spicy, so they do best in a real group where they'll squabble with each other instead of nipping slower tankmates. When they're settled in, you get this constant cruising-and-chasing vibe that makes the tank feel really alive.
Melanotaenia praecox
These little rainbows are like living sparks-electric blue bodies with those punchy red/orange fins, and they look even better the more you keep together. They're constantly cruising the mid-water, flashing at each other and doing that classic rainbowfish "look at me" shimmy, especially when the lights first come on or at feeding time.