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 255 species
Rhabdoblennius papuensis
This is a tiny little combtooth blenny from the wave-smacked, super-shallow shoreline around Papua New Guinea. It is the kind of fish that spends its time glued to rocks, picking at film algae and micro-stuff, and wedging itself into tight crevices when it feels like it. Cool pick for a saltwater nano if you can actually source one and give it the right rocky, high-oxygen setup.
Valenciennea parva
Valenciennea parva is a little sand-flat sleeper goby (a Valenciennea "glidergoby") that hangs around clean sand patches near reefs, often as a bonded pair. In the wild it uses burrows and does this neat rocking/back-and-forth motion near the burrow, plus it will constantly sift and inspect the sand for tiny food.
Trichiurus auriga
This is a real-deal marine cutlassfish - long, silver, and built like a ribbon with a mouth full of grabby teeth. Its care is basically "public-aquarium predator" territory: it wants big open swimming room, strong filtration, and meaty foods, and it will happily eat tankmates that look snack-sized.
Jaydia poeciloptera
This is a nocturnal Indo-West Pacific cardinalfish that spends the day tucked away (even hiding in holes in soft mud) and comes out at night to feed. The really cool part is the breeding style - they pair up, and the male mouthbroods the eggs like a little floating nursery.
Uropterygius polystictus
Uropterygius polystictus (the peppered moray, aka many-spotted moray) is a reef-associated moray from the Eastern Pacific that spends most of its time wedged into rockwork and popping its head out to watch the room. It tops out around 72 cm/28 in, so its "hiding in the rocks" vibe can fool people into under-tanking it - give it serious caves and a truly escape-proof lid.
Azurina intercrusma
Azurina intercrusma is a bigger, cool-water chromis from the rocky reefs off Peru down into Chile. It spends a lot of time out in the water column grabbing zooplankton, and in the wild the male will guard and fan the eggs after spawning. Not really a typical home-aquarium fish unless you're set up for a temperate marine system (most reef tanks run too warm).
Ventrifossa petersonii
Deepwater marine bathydemersal grenadier (family Macrouridae) from the Indian Ocean region; reported depth range about 296–1019 m (often ~350–700 m). Not a practical aquarium species due to deepwater capture/handling constraints and cold, dim habitat requirements.
Brotula phenax
Brotula phenax is a marine cusk-eel (brotula) from Vietnam waters in the western-central Pacific. Its species name basically means "imposter" because it looks super close to the better-known Brotula multibarbata, and honestly thats a good hint that this one is still pretty poorly documented in the hobby.
Ostorhinchus mydrus
Ostorhinchus mydrus is a little marine cardinalfish from the Philippines that hangs around coral reefs and comes alive at night. Like a lot of cardinals, its claim to fame is the male carrying the eggs in his mouth - super cool behavior if you ever get to see a pair settle in and spawn.
Japonolaeops gracilis
Japonolaeops gracilis (syn. Laeops gracilis) is a marine bathydemersal lefteye flounder (Bothidae) recorded from sandy/muddy bottoms in deep water (reported roughly ~180-500 m; FishBase records ~197-216 m). Maximum size reported up to about 20 cm SL (also reported ~16-16.5 cm TL). It is a deepwater species and is not an established aquarium fish.
Eustomias precarius
Eustomias precarius is a deep-sea dragonfish from the open ocean off the western central Atlantic (Caribbean area). Its whole deal is the classic dragonfish vibe - bioluminescent light organs and a mouth built for grabbing whatever drifts by in the dark. This is strictly a wild, deepwater animal, not something that can be kept alive long-term in a normal aquarium.
Zebrasoma xanthurum
This is the deep-purple tang with the bright yellow tail - it cruises the rockwork all day picking at algae like a little lawnmower. It has that classic Zebrasoma "sailfin" shape and a real attitude if you crowd it with other tangs, so give it room and let it be the boss (or at least think it is).