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
Philippine slender flounder
Japonolaeops gracilis
Japonolaeops gracilis (syn. Laeops gracilis) is a marine bathydemersal lefteye flounder (Bothidae) recorded from sandy/muddy bottoms in deep water (reported roughly ~180-500 m; FishBase records ~197-216 m). Maximum size reported up to about 20 cm SL (also reported ~16-16.5 cm TL). It is a deepwater species and is not an established aquarium fish.
Philippine snake eel
Yirrkala philippinensis
Yirrkala philippinensis is a little tropical snake eel from the Philippines that lives on the bottom and does that classic eel thing of vanishing into sand. It is not really an aquarium-trade fish, so most of what we know is scientific-record stuff rather than hobby care notes.
Pinafore goby
Drombus simulus
This is a tiny little drombus goby that hangs out on the bottom in tropical saltwater. It is one of those small, sandy-area gobies that tends to get overlooked because it is subtle rather than flashy, but it is a neat micro-predator for a calm marine setup. The big thing to know is there is basically no solid aquarium-focused care info published for it, so you treat it like a small wild goby and plan around its needs (sand, peaceful tankmates, and meaty foods).
Plainfin grenadier
Ventrifossa divergens
This is a deep-sea rattail from the Indo-West Pacific that cruises slopes 183-772 m down, so you will never see it in home aquariums. It reaches about 30 cm and has a plain dark first dorsal fin instead of the pale blotch a lot of its cousins show. Cool fish to read about, but it needs near-freezing water and deepwater conditions that we just cannot provide in tanks.
Polynesian chromis
Pycnochromis bami
This is a tiny, reef-associated chromis from the South Pacific that stays out in the water column picking at plankton. It is kind of a sneaky-cool fish: mostly brown, but with a sharp white tail that really pops when it is moving in a little group.
Powell's False Moray
Powellichthys ventriosus
Powell's False Moray is a tiny, cave-loving eel from the Cook Islands that tops out around 5 inches. It spends most of the day tucked in rock nooks and comes out at night to pick off tiny crustaceans and little fishes - a neat oddball you almost never see for sale.
Precarious dragonfish
Eustomias precarius
Eustomias precarius (Gomon & Gibbs, 1985) is a deep‑sea barbeled dragonfish (family Stomiidae) known from the western central Atlantic off Puerto Rico. It is a pelagic‑oceanic predator with bioluminescent organs and enlarged jaws/teeth typical of stomiids; FishBase lists a maximum size of about 13.8 cm SL. As a pressure‑adapted deep‑sea species, it is not suitable for home aquaria.
Promethean goby
Varicus prometheus
Tiny deep-reef goby with a bright yellow body and chunky brown saddle markings that pop in photos. It was only just described in 2023 from 247 m off Roatan, so it is a true unicorn for hobbyists and basically never seen in the trade. If anyone ever tried it, think cold, dim, super-stable conditions more like a chilled deepwater setup than a warm reef tank.
Pullus viviparous brotula
Nielsenichthys pullus
This is a tiny little livebearing brotula from reefy coastal waters around Bali, Indonesia, topping out at only about 3.8 cm standard length. It is basically a secretive, bottom-hugging marine fish you would expect to live tucked into cracks and crevices, and its whole genus is just this one species.
Purple puffer
Takifugu porphyreus
A big, cool-water marine puffer from Japan down to the East China Sea, this chunky fish crunches crabs and clams like a champ and tops out around 20 inches. It is a true temperate fugu, so it needs chilly, super-clean saltwater and a ton of swimming room. Gorgeous in its own understated way, but very much a specialist fish for a serious setup.
Purple tang
Zebrasoma xanthurum
This is the deep-purple tang with the bright yellow tail - it cruises the rockwork all day picking at algae like a little lawnmower. It has that classic Zebrasoma "sailfin" shape and a real attitude if you crowd it with other tangs, so give it room and let it be the boss (or at least think it is).
Pygmy filefish
Stephanolepis setifer
Stephanolepis setifer (pygmy filefish) is a Western Atlantic filefish often found over seagrass beds and sandy/muddy bottoms; juveniles commonly associate with floating seaweeds/sargassum. It has variable coloration for camouflage, reaches about 18–20 cm total length, and likely feeds on plants/algae and small invertebrates.