Search Species
Search for fish species by common or scientific name, or use filters to browse by water type, size, temperament, and difficulty.
Found 541 species
Manglolo
Sicydium bustamantei
This is a rock-hugging stream goby from the Gulf of Guinea islands that lives in clear, fast water and sends its larvae out to sea before they return upstream. It scrapes algae and diatoms off stones with its sucker mouth and will clamber around rocks all day, but it almost never shows up in the hobby and really needs a high-flow river setup to do well.
Manyara tilapia
Oreochromis amphimelas
Manyara tilapia is a Tanzanian Rift Valley tilapia endemic to closed-basin saline/alkaline (soda) lakes such as Lakes Manyara, Eyasi, Kitangiri and Singida. Territorial males can show dark/black underside and fins with pinkish-red on the flank and caudal fin, and the species is a mouthbrooder (reported primarily maternal).
Marche's spiny eel
Mastacembelus marchei
A Congo-basin spiny eel with a slim, mottled body and a curious personality once it feels safe. It burrows into fine sand and prowls at night for worms and small crustaceans, topping out around 15 inches. Give it a tight lid and plenty of hidey-holes and it settles in nicely
Marlier's julie
Julidochromis marlieri
Julidochromis marlieri is a rock-dwelling Lake Tanganyika cichlid with that awesome checkerboard pattern that looks like it was painted on. Give it a maze of rocks and tight caves and you will get to watch real cave-spawning, territory-guarding cichlid behavior up close. They can be absolute jerks to other Julidochromis, so plan the tank around that and they are a blast.
Marsh Yunnan loach
Yunnanilus paludosus
A neat little stone loach from marshes in Yunnan, China, it tops out around 3 inches and spends its time nosing through plants and leaf litter for tiny critters. It is a coolwater, subtropical fish from calm vegetated marshes rather than a high-flow hillstream, so it appreciates gentle flow, clean water, and a soft sandy bottom. Keep a small group and it will settle in nicely once it feels safe.
Mary River cod
Maccullochella mariensis
Mary River cod is a big, thick-bodied Australian freshwater predator with that awesome dark mottled patterning and white-edged fins. Its basically a sit-and-wait ambush fish that likes deep pools and heavy cover (snags, undercut banks), and it gets way too large for normal home aquariums.
Masked julie
Julidochromis transcriptus
This is a little Lake Tanganyika rock-dweller with bold black-and-white striping and that cool dark "masked" face. Give it a pile of rocks and tight caves and it will cruise around like it owns the place, especially once it pairs up. Small fish, big attitude - but in a manageable, "fun to watch" way if you plan the tank around territories.
Matthes' synodontis
Synodontis matthesi
Synodontis matthesi is a chunky little African squeaker catfish from Tanzania's Rufiji River system that tops out around 12 inches. Expect a shy, cave-loving daytime hider that comes alive at feeding time, and like most Synodontis it can wedge itself into the tightest spot you thought was impossible.
Medem's brycon
Brycon medemi
Brycon medemi is a small-ish Brycon from Colombia's Atrato River basin. It is basically a streamlined, open-water characin with that classic Brycon look (built to cruise and grab food), but the hobby reality is: there is almost no solid aquarium-specific info published for this exact species, so you treat it like a fast, jumpy, river fish and give it space and clean water.
Megasema eartheater
Geophagus megasema
Geophagus megasema is one of those classic sand-sifting eartheaters that spends all day taking mouthfuls of sand, filtering out snacks, then "spitting" the clean sand back out. Give it a soft sandy bottom and roomy floor space and it really comes alive, plus that big side spot is a dead giveaway when you see one in person.
Mekong sheatfish
Kryptopterus paraschilbeides
Kryptopterus paraschilbeides is a small Mekong River sheatfish that does the whole sleek, no-dorsal-fin Kryptopterus look, but its body is more "normal catfish" than the super see-through glass catfish you usually see in shops. In the wild it moves with the flood cycle - heading into flooded forest at high water, then back to the main river seasonally - which is a pretty cool bit of behavior for a little catfish.
Melanorivulus ivinhemensis
Melanorivulus ivinhemensis
Tiny Cerrado stream killie from the upper Parana basin, with males showing a yellow tail marked by fine red bars that pop in a planted setup. It is lively, inquisitive, and a skilled jumper, so a tight lid is a must. Keep it in a calm, leaf-littered tank and it will reward you with neat courtship displays.