Search Species
Search for fish species by common or scientific name, or use filters to browse by water type, size, temperament, and difficulty.
Found 275 species
Pale Snailfish
Careproctus pallidus
Tiny orange snailfish from the kelp-y shallows of far southern Chile, topping out around 7 cm and clinging to rocks and kelp with its little suction disk. It is a coldwater marine oddball that you almost never see in home aquariums, but it is neat to know it bucks the deep-sea trend most snailfish follow. Reported from Tierra del Fuego and Chilean kelp beds at just a few meters depth, with modeled temps roughly 7-16 C. ([mapress.com](https://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2005f/zt01019p025.pdf))
Panamanian lightfish
Yarrella argenteola
Yarrella argenteola is a deep-water lightfish from the Panama Gulf, living way down in the bathypelagic zone. Its whole deal is being a midwater, deep-sea predator-ish micronekton fish with light-organ family vibes - super cool biologically, but basically never an aquarium species because it comes from hundreds of meters down.
Parva goby
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.
Paxton's slickhead
Conocara paxtoni
Conocara paxtoni is a deep-sea slickhead from the Tasman Sea, and its whole vibe is pure "mystery fish" - its known record is from a single specimen taken around 2450 m deep. It's a fairly big, streamlined bathypelagic/benthopelagic fish (for a slickhead), but it is absolutely not an aquarium species (deepwater pressure/temperature requirements make that a no-go).
Pearly-finned cardinalfish
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.
Peppered catshark
Galeus piperatus
This is a little deepwater catshark from the northern Gulf of California with a cool "peppered" look - fine black dots all over a gray body. It lives way down on the slope (hundreds to over a thousand meters deep), so its real-world conditions are cold, dark, and high pressure, which is why its not an aquarium fish in any normal sense.
Peterson's grenadier
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.
Philippine cardinalfish
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.
Philippine croaker
Johnius philippinus
Johnius philippinus is a tiny little croaker from the Philippines (family Sciaenidae) that lives down near the bottom in marine water. Its known records are super limited (FishBase lists it only from the Davao Gulf area), so its real-life habits in the aquarium trade are basically a mystery - this is more of a scientific/market-fish kind of species than a home-aquarium fish.
Philippine slender flounder
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.
Pinafore goby
Drombus simulus
This is a tiny little drombus goby that hangs out on the bottom in tropical saltwater. It is one of those small, sandy-area gobies that tends to get overlooked because it is subtle rather than flashy, but it is a neat micro-predator for a calm marine setup. The big thing to know is there is basically no solid aquarium-focused care info published for it, so you treat it like a small wild goby and plan around its needs (sand, peaceful tankmates, and meaty foods).
Polynesian chromis
Pycnochromis bami
This is a tiny, reef-associated chromis from the South Pacific that stays out in the water column picking at plankton. It is kind of a sneaky-cool fish: mostly brown, but with a sharp white tail that really pops when it is moving in a little group.