Search Species
Search for fish species by common or scientific name, or use filters to browse by water type, size, temperament, and difficulty.
Found 289 species
Kryptos banjo catfish
Xyliphius kryptos
Xyliphius kryptos is one of those super-weird little banjo catfish that basically disappears into sand and leaf litter and acts like a living chunk of driftwood. It comes from the Lake Maracaibo basin in Venezuela, stays fairly small (around 11 cm), and spends most of its time hiding and cruising the bottom after dark.
Lais kuning
Kryptopterus schilbeides
Kryptopterus schilbeides is a slim sheatfish from Southeast Asia that looks super "knife-like" because it has no dorsal fin, plus a neat narrow pink stripe along the side. In the wild it cruises rivers, canals, and swamps and even pushes into flooded forests when the water is high, picking off little fish, prawns, and insect larvae. Its not really a standard aquarium fish, so most people who want a "glass catfish" vibe are actually thinking of other Kryptopterus species.
Lambari (Mimagoniates rheocharis)
Mimagoniates rheocharis
This is a tiny, stream-dwelling Brazilian characin that likes cooler, super-oxygenated water and some current - think clear Atlantic Forest creeks. In the right setup it stays busy and hangs mid-to-upper water, and it does best when you keep a little group so it feels secure.
Lambari de adiposa preta
Diapoma itaimbe
This is a tiny southern Brazilian characin (a lambari) that comes from clear, cooler waters in the Tramandai-Mampituba region. In a tank it acts like a little open-water micro-predator/omnivore - happiest in a small group with plants and gentle flow. The big gotcha is temperature: its natural range is more subtropical than "hot tropical," so it does best kept cooler and stable.
Lambchop rasbora
Trigonostigma espei
This is that tiny coppery-orange rasbora with the sharp "lambchop" black wedge on its side-super slick-looking in a planted tank. Keep a proper little gang of them and they'll cruise the midwater together, flashing color way more than when they're kept in a sad little trio. They're gentle, easy to feed, and honestly one of my favorite small-school fish for calmer community setups.
Lang Tso naked carp
Gymnocypris chui
Gymnocypris chui is a high-altitude Tibetan "naked carp" from cold endorheic lakes, and it gets that name because its body is largely scaleless. Its whole vibe is built for chilly, oxygen-poor plateau water - not your typical tropical aquarium fish, but super interesting if you're into oddball cyprinids.
Largescale chela
Chela macrolepis
Chela macrolepis is a tiny, super-sleek Indian danionid from Chembarampakkam Lake near Chennai. Its whole claim to fame is right in the name - it has noticeably larger scales than close relatives, and it has that fast, open-water "minnow" vibe that makes these fish fun to watch in a group. Its wild range is extremely limited, so it is not something you should expect to see regularly in the aquarium trade.
Large-scale Yunnan loach
Yunnanilus macrolepis
This is a little Chinese stream loach from Yunnan that spends its time down low, cruising the bottom and picking at tiny foods like a mini vacuum. It is not super common in the hobby, and it tends to get mixed up with close relatives (some references even treat it as the same species as Yunnanilus paludosus), so good ID matters if you ever see one for sale.
Large-spotted Yunnan loach
Yunnanilus macrositanus
Yunnanilus macrositanus is a little Chinese stone loach from the Heilongtan (Black Dragon Pool) area in Yunnan. Its wild biology is barely documented in the hobby, so I would treat it like a small, cool-water to mid-temp Nemacheilid: lots of oxygen, hiding spots, and a peaceful setup where it can poke around the bottom without getting bullied.
Least pencilfish
Nannostomus minimus
Think of these as tiny floating dashes of color that cruise just under the surface in a loose group. They stay under an inch, show a crisp dark stripe with little red flecks, and really come into their own in soft, tea-colored water with plants and leaves. Super chill, but they do best in a decent-sized group so they feel secure.
Lemon Tetra
Hyphessobrycon pulchripinnis
Lemon tetras are one of those fish that look kind of subtle at first, then you catch the light and the whole body glows yellow with those punchy black-and-yellow fins. Get them in a proper little group and they're constantly cruising together, super active but not obnoxious. I also love how their red eyes pop when they're settled in and feeling good.
Leopard dace
Rhinichthys falcatus
Leopard dace is a little cool-water river minnow from the Pacific Northwest that hangs around gravel runs and flowing pools, and it spends a lot of its day picking at insect larvae. Its speckly, "leopard" look is subtle but really nice in person, and it does best in a tank that feels like a stream - lots of oxygen, clean water, and some current.