Search Species
Search for fish species by common or scientific name, or use filters to browse by water type, size, temperament, and difficulty.
Found 528 species
Needlespine coral goby
Gobiodon acicularis
This is that tiny, jet-dark coral goby with the cool needle-like first dorsal spine - it basically lives tucked into branching corals and just perches all day like it owns the place. Super cryptic and chill, but it is way happier (and easier to keep eating) when it has a real coral head or tight branching structure to call home.
New Zealand rough skate
Zearaja nasuta
Zearaja nasuta is a big, cold-water skate from New Zealand that spends its time on the bottom, often half-buried in sand. It is an egg-layer that drops those classic "mermaid's purse" capsules in sandy or muddy areas, and it hunts down fish, crabs, shellfish, and worms. Super cool animal, but not something that belongs in a normal home aquarium due to its size and cold marine needs.
no established common name
Zagadkogobius ourlazon
This is a tiny deep-water wormfish from the South China Sea, topping out around 1.8 cm. It was described from a single specimen taken near the Anambas Islands at about 73 m, so you never see it in the hobby; the giveaway features are a big dark spot under the eye and wispy first-dorsal filaments.
No established common name
Zebrias maculosus
Zebrias maculosus is a deepwater sole from the Arabian Sea off southwest India, and it is hardly ever seen even by scientists. It reaches about 12-13 cm standard length and lives down around 225-275 m where the water sits roughly 13-16 C, so it is not an aquarium fish unless you have a chilled marine setup.
No established common name
Ventrifossa macrodon
A deep-sea rattail from the Sala y Gomez Ridge in the southeast Pacific, this fish lives way down in near-freezing water and reaches around 40 cm with that classic long whiptail profile. It is a cold, high-pressure environment specialist and really more of a research subject than something for home aquariums.
No established common name
Xenisthmus nigrolateralis
Tiny wriggler from Taiwan with a bold dark stripe down its side that makes it easy to pick out when it peeks from the sand. It hugs shallow reef flats and sandy patches and snacks on teeny crustaceans, so in a tank it would do best with plenty of fine sand and microfauna to graze.
none
Dysomma fuscoventralis
A deep Red Sea cutthroat eel that lives way below normal diving depths, so it is very much a look-dont-keep species. Adults get to around 26 cm and likely snack on small fishes and crustaceans in the dark. If you are planning a tank, skip this one - you just cant recreate true deep-water conditions at home.
Northern ronquil
Ronquilus jordani
Coldwater little rock-hugger from the eastern North Pacific, hanging around boulders and kelp where it sneaks along the bottom. Males can show subtle orange-yellow highlights while the fish peeks from crevices and ambushes tiny critters. If anyone keeps one, a chilled saltwater setup and tons of rockwork are the move.
Northern smoothtongue
Leuroglossus schmidti
This is a coldwater deep-sea smelt from the North Pacific that spends its days deep and comes up at night to hunt zooplankton. Super cool little "midwater" fish from the dark zone - but its near-freezing temps and deepwater lifestyle mean its basically not an aquarium species at all.
Oblique-swimming triplefin
Forsterygion maryannae
A small New Zealand triplefin found over rocky reefs (reported ~1–50 m). It is unusual among triplefins for schooling in the water column above reefs and feeding on planktonic crustaceans (e.g., copepods/euphausiids), often holding an oblique body posture.
Oceanic lightfish
Vinciguerria nimbaria
Oceanic lightfish is a tiny silvery glowbug that spends the day deep and then rides up toward the surface at night in big schools. It tops out around 5.5 cm and stuffs itself with copepods, making it prime fuel for tuna and other predators. Super cool pelagic fish, but it is a true open-ocean species and not a home-aquarium candidate.
Ocean surgeonfish
Acanthurus tractus
Acanthurus tractus is a Western Atlantic tang that cruises reefs in little groups, spending most of the day mowing down benthic algae. It is got that classic surgeonfish attitude (and the tail scalpel to match), so it likes real swimming room and steady, clean reef conditions.