Search Species
Search for fish species by common or scientific name, or use filters to browse by water type, size, temperament, and difficulty.
Found 285 species
Tussy's small red fighter
Betta tussyae
Betta tussyae is a tiny little blackwater betta from peat swamp forests in Pahang, Malaysia, and it stays small enough that you can really do it justice in a compact, heavily planted tank. It likes soft, very acidic water and a calm setup with lots of leaf litter and cover, and it will absolutely use the labyrinth organ to gulp air like other bettas.
Twig catfish
Farlowella knerii
A true twig impersonator from the Ecuador-Peru headwaters, Farlowella knerii spends its days clinging to wood and plant stems while grazing on biofilm. Peaceful and shy, it looks like a stick with fins, and males will even guard neat rows of eggs on glass or driftwood if conditions are right.
Twosaddle Corydoras
Corydoras weitzmani
Weitzman's cory is one of those super sleek Corydoras that looks like it's wearing a little mask-clean lines, subtle patterning, and that classic cory "busy little vacuum" vibe. The best part is watching a whole group cruise the bottom together, then suddenly zip to the surface for a gulp of air like tiny torpedoes.
Uaru (Triangle cichlid)
Uaru amphiacanthoides
Uaru are big, mellow Amazon cichlids with that neat disc-and-triangle body shape and a surprisingly "gentle giant" vibe. They graze and pick at food all day, act super social when kept in a group, and they are famous for serious parent duty when they breed (both parents guard and tend the young).
Ubirajara rivulus (killifish)
Melanorivulus ubirajarai
This is a tiny Cerrado rivulus from central Brazil - the males show off neat red chevron-like markings, and they are always cruising the top and edges looking for snacks. Like a lot of Melanorivulus, it is a jumpy little personality fish that does best in a tight-lidded, plant-heavy setup with gentle flow.
Upside-down Catfish
Synodontis nigriventris
The upside-down catfish is a small African mochokid catfish famous for swimming and feeding belly-up, especially under cover and along the water's surface. It has a light belly (often with darker spotting), a darker back, and prominent barbels, and it is most active at dusk and night. Peaceful overall, it does best in groups with plenty of hiding places like driftwood and caves.
Validus barb
Enteromius validus
Enteromius validus is a little Congo Basin barb that stays under 4 inches, with a chunky, sturdy body and proper barbels. Its wild diet is basically "whatever shows up" (insects, plant bits, seeds), so it is built for picking and browsing all day. This one is pretty obscure in the aquarium hobby, so most people keeping it are kind of blazing their own trail.
Vanmanenia gymnetrus (hillstream loach)
Vanmanenia gymnetrus
This is one of those true hillstream loaches built to live plastered onto rocks in fast current. It spends its time scooting around surfaces and grazing biofilm, and it really comes alive in a high-oxygen "river tank" setup. Not a "warm, still community tank" fish - it wants flow and clean water to look its best.
Veilfin tetra
Hyphessobrycon elachys
This is one of those tiny Paraguay-basin tetras that looks kind of understated until the males mature and start throwing those longer, flowy fins - then it gets really classy. Keep them in a proper little group and theyll spend the whole day hovering and cruising the midwater, looking extra sharp over dark substrate and plants.
Velvety sole
Brachirus villosus
This is a true freshwater sole from New Guinea that spends most of its life glued to the bottom and buried in soft sand. It is one of those blink-and-you-miss-it fish during the day, then you catch it cruising the substrate at feeding time looking for meaty bits.
Vietnamese bitterling
Acheilognathus fasciodorsalis
Acheilognathus fasciodorsalis is a freshwater bitterling endemic to Vietnam. Like other bitterlings (Acheilognathidae), reproduction involves females using an ovipositor to deposit eggs in freshwater mussels.
Wataka
Ischikauia steenackeri
Wataka is a temperate Japanese freshwater cyprinid that tops out around 30 cm (about 12 inches), so it is way more of a pond or public-aquarium fish than a typical home-tank species. In the wild it is tied to the Lake Biwa-Yodo River system, and it is actually listed as Endangered, which is pretty wild for a fish that looks like a sleek, silver "river carp".