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
Niulan Yunnan loach
Yunnanilus niulanensis
Yunnanilus niulanensis is a small freshwater stone loach (Nemacheilidae) described from the upper Niulanjiang River (a branch of the Jinsha River) in Songming County, Yunnan, China. It is characterized by large brown spots on the upper two-thirds of the body and head; aquarium availability and husbandry are not well-documented in authoritative sources.
no common name
Trichomycterus trefauti
This is a tiny stream-dwelling pencil catfish from the upper Sao Francisco basin in Minas Gerais, Brazil. It tops out around 5 cm and comes from cool, shallow riffles with pebbles and strong flow, with a neat oval spot at the tail base and a little filament on the first pectoral ray. Super cool oddball, but it really appreciates clean, highly oxygenated water and current.
no established common name
Aphanotorulus phrixosoma
This is a super obscure Peruvian loricariid that is only known from a single specimen and is thought to be a hybrid, so you will not run into it in shops. If you are into sleek, fast river plecos, its close relatives like Aphanotorulus emarginatus scratch the same itch. Treat any husbandry as a best guess based on congeners rather than nailed-down rules.
No established common name
Phenacogrammus urotaenia
Think of this as a shy little African tetra with a bold dark band near the tail and a soft pink tint on the fins. It comes from shady blackwater forest creeks in Cameroon and Gabon, so it looks happiest in tea-colored, gentle-flow tanks and in a good-sized group.
No established common name
Megalamphodus khardinae
Tiny rosy-tetra relative from the lower Purus blackwaters in Brazil with a neat triangular shoulder spot and red-tipped dorsal and adipose fins. Keep a good-sized group and they will glow over leaf litter and show off those subtle oranges. They appreciate soft, acidic water like their slow, tea-colored home creeks.
No established common name
Labeobarbus girardi
Labeobarbus girardi is a cyprinid endemic to Angola, recorded from the Lucala River in the Cuanza (Kwanza) basin; the type locality is Lucala River at Lucala. Reported maximum size is around 30 cm (FishBase 30 cm TL; a WRC compilation notes 300 mm SL). It is poorly known scientifically and assessed as Data Deficient; aquarium husbandry information specific to this species is not established.
No established common name
Knodus alpha
Think of this one as a sleek little Orinoco stream tetra. It is active in a group and loves picking off tiny bugs and inverts drifting by, so a bit of current and clean, well-oxygenated water really brings it to life. Not a flashy show fish, but super fun to watch once a shoal settles in.
No established common name
Jupiaba potaroensis
This is a little Guyanese characin from the Potaro River blackwaters. It stays small and really shows off when kept as a group in soft, tea-colored water with leaf litter. Give it a calm, shaded tank and it will cruise midwater all day.
No established common name
Salvelinus maxillaris
This is a small Scottish char with a long lower jaw on big males and those crisp white fin edges that make chars look sharp. It grows to about 27 cm, cruises cold, highly oxygenated lake water, and would need a serious chiller and tons of flow in captivity. The orange belly on mature males is stunning, but this one really suits big, cool-water setups or public aquaria.
Nomi stone loach
Schistura nomi
Schistura nomi is one of those little river loaches that wants brisk, clean, oxygen-rich water and a bottom full of rounded gravel and stones to poke around in. Its whole vibe is hanging in riffles and darting between rock cracks, so it really shines in a high-flow, hillstream-style setup.
North Baikal yellowfin
Cottocomephorus alexandrae
A true coldwater Baikal sculpin that cruises from the shallows down into deep, icy water and snacks on zooplankton and amphipods. Breeding males get bold with black bodies and yellow-striped pectoral fins, which looks wild in the clear Baikal water. Super niche fish that really needs near-ice temps and roaring oxygenation, so not a home aquarium candidate.
Northern blue melanochromis
Melanochromis kaskazini
This is a Lake Malawi mbuna with a really slick look: males go a deep cobalt blue without the usual light stripes, and the females stay pale/whitish with a yellow-orange anal fin. In the wild they cruise the intermediate rocky zones in small foraging groups, picking off bigger inverts and even small fish, so they have that busy, prowling mbuna vibe in the tank too.