Search Species
Search for fish species by common or scientific name, or use filters to browse by water type, size, temperament, and difficulty.
Found 33 species
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Figure 8 Puffer (Eyespot puffer)
Dichotomyctere ocellatus (syn. Tetraodon biocellatus)
This is the small "Figure 8"/eyespot puffer with two bold eyespots and a yellow-green maze-like pattern. They're interactive and can be fin-nippy and territorial, especially toward other puffers. Husbandry advice on salinity varies by source: FishBase lists it as a freshwater species, while many aquarium references recommend low-end brackish (often around SG ~1.005-1.008) for long-term keeping, with very clean, stable water.
Four-Eyed Fish
Anableps anableps
This is that wild-looking surface cruiser with the "four eyes" - each eye is split so it can watch above and below the water at the same time. It's super active and always patrolling the top, and it really shines in a long tank with room to zoom. Just don't treat it like a regular freshwater fish; it's way happier in brackish water and needs open surface space.
Four-eyed sleeper
Bostrychus sinensis
This is one of those chunky "sit-and-watch" gobies that looks like it's always plotting something-big head, tough little body, and a real ambush-predator vibe. It'll perch on the bottom like a log and then suddenly lunge when food comes by, which is honestly super fun to watch. Just don't expect it to play nice with tiny tankmates-anything that fits in its mouth is basically on the menu.
Green chromide
Etroplus suratensis
This is that big, chunky Indian/Sri Lankan cichlid that looks like it's sprinkled with little "pearl" flecks on each scale once it colors up. It's a brackish-leaning grazer that loves to pick at algae/plant matter and it gets way more interesting in a group-plus the parents do classic cichlid guard-the-eggs-and-fry behavior.
Green Spotted Puffer
Tetraodon nigroviridis
Green spotted puffers are little water puppies with fins-super curious, always watching you, and they'll beg like they've never been fed in their life. The bright green-and-black spotting stays eye-catching, and they've got that classic puffer "I'm plotting something" face. Just know they're not a true freshwater fish long-term, and they really do need crunchy foods to keep their teeth worn down.
Hairy pipefish
Urocampus carinirostris
This is a tiny, stick-thin pipefish that lives in seagrass and algae beds and uses its prehensile tail to hang on like a little underwater chameleon. The coolest part is the "hairy" fringing (little filaments) all over the body that breaks up its outline, and like other syngnathids the male carries the eggs in a brood pouch under the tail.
Iranian cichlid
Iranocichla hormuzensis
A tough little desert cichlid from southern Iran that lives in warm, slightly salty streams and oases. Males turn dark with speckles during breeding, and the females mouthbrood small clutches. It is fascinating to keep because it tolerates heat and brackish water that most freshwater fish would hate.
Knight Goby
Stigmatogobius sadanundio
Knight gobies are those chunky, spotty "estuary" gobies that perch on the bottom, scoot between caves, and then suddenly dash out like little predators. They're super fun to watch because they're territorial in a goby way (lots of posturing) and they'll even breed in caves when they're happy. They do best long-term when you treat them like an estuary fish: hard, alkaline water and (often) a bit of salt.
Milkspotted puffer
Chelonodontops patoca
This is that chunky, curious puffer with the milky white spots and big "what are you doing?" eyes that follows you around the glass like a little water puppy. It's a super fun fish to watch-always cruising, inspecting everything, and begging for food-but it's also one of those puffers that really needs the right setup as it grows (and it grows a lot).
Milkspotted puffer
Chelonodon patoca
This is the big milk-spotted brackish puffer that cruises estuaries and mangroves and sometimes wanders a little way into fresh water. It gets chunky (over a foot) with those clean white spots, and it has that classic puffer personality - curious, food-motivated, and sometimes a bit too interested in other fish's fins. Long-term it really does best as a brackish-to-marine fish with hard, alkaline water and lots of crunchy shell-on foods to keep the beak worn down.
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Orange chromide
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.
Pacific Four-Eyed Fish
Anableps dowii
This is the goofy, super-cool "four-eyed" fish that cruises the surface and looks like it's wearing little goggles-each eye is split so it can see above and below the water at the same time. They're active, always on the move, and they really shine in a long brackish tank where they can patrol the top like little patrol boats.