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 365 species
Polyipnus oluolus
Polyipnus oluolus is a tiny deepwater marine hatchetfish from the Marshall Islands that lives out in the open ocean and uses little light organs (photophores) on its body for camouflage and signaling in the dim water. It is super cool from a biology standpoint, but its pelagic deep-sea lifestyle makes it basically a non-aquarium species for normal hobby setups.
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.
Notopogon fernandezianus
Notopogon fernandezianus is the orange bellowfish, a weird little deepwater "trumpet fish" with a long snout and a tall, humped body. It lives way down on the continental shelf and slope (roughly 150-580 m), so its natural world is cold, dark, and high-pressure - basically the opposite of a home aquarium. Super cool to look at, but not a realistic species to keep alive long-term in normal hobby setups.
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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.
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.
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.
Lepidopsetta bilineata
This is a cold-water right-eyed flatfish from the North Pacific that lives on sand-and-gravel bottoms and tops out around 2 feet. It is a bottom-hugging predator that munches worms, crustaceans, and other benthic critters, and it is really more of a public-aquarium/sea pen kind of animal than a home-tank fish.
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.
Ventrifossa macroptera
This is a deepwater rattail (grenadier) that lives way down on the slope - think roughly 685-710 m - so it is absolutely not an aquarium fish in any normal sense. Cool details though: it has a dark first dorsal fin and a blackish pattern on the head, and it tops out around 40 cm (about 16 inches).
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.
Corydoras panda
Corydoras panda is a small, bottom-dwelling catfish known for its pale body with distinctive black patches over the eyes and near the tail, resembling a panda's markings. It is a peaceful, social schooling species that does best in groups and appreciates soft substrate and clean, well-oxygenated water. Like other corydoras, it forages constantly and should be offered sinking foods rather than relying on leftovers.
Yaoshania pachychilus
Hillstream loach from fast, highly oxygenated mountain streams; thrives in a mature, algae/biofilm-rich river-style aquarium with strong flow and smooth rocks. Peaceful but social, and best kept in groups where they become more active and confident.