Search Species
Search for fish species by common or scientific name, or use filters to browse by water type, size, temperament, and difficulty.
Found 275 species
Bob Ward's bluespotted maskray
Neotrygon bobwardi
A bluespotted maskray (Neotrygon bobwardi) described as part of the former Neotrygon kuhlii species complex, reported from Indonesia in the eastern Indian Ocean (notably western Sumatra).
Bradbury's batfish
Coelophrys bradburyae
A tiny deep-sea batfish (family Ogcocephalidae) known from deep water off Japan; the original description was based on a single specimen collected at 557–595 m, and the species remains poorly known.
Brazilian batfish
Ogcocephalus vespertilio
Wild-looking bottom-walker that shuffles around on its fins and flicks a little fishing-rod lure to snag snacks. It gets dinner-plate big, so it needs a big footprint tank and gentle tankmates that will not nip or outcompete it. Super cool to watch once it learns hand-feeding.
Brazilian Chromis
Chromis jubauna
Picture a little reef surfer from Brazil with a dark chocolate body and a bright yellow tail and dorsal that really pop under lights. It hovers midwater picking plankton and looks coolest in a roomy setup with good flow, though like all chromis they can squabble if cramped. Hardy and easy to feed once settled.
Bristlemouth
Gonostoma denudatum
Gonostoma denudatum is a deep-sea bristlemouth that spends its life out in the dark, open ocean and does that classic daily up-and-down migration (deeper in the day, shallower at night). It has silvery flanks, a darker back, and light-producing photophores that start showing up as it grows - super cool biology, but not something you would ever realistically keep in a home aquarium.
Bristletail Filefish (Aiptasia-Eating Filefish)
Acreichthys tomentosus
This little weirdo is one of my favorites because it's got that goofy filefish "face," a knack for wedging itself into rockwork, and a ton of personality once it settles in. People love them for the chance they'll snack on nuisance Aiptasia, but even when they're not on pest patrol they're just fun to watch cruise around and pick at stuff all day.
Butterfly stingaree
Urolophus papilio
This is a deepwater little stingray from the Chesterfield Islands area (Coral Sea), with a super wide, diamond-shaped disc that earned it the butterfly name. It is a bathydemersal species recorded around 330 m deep, so its needs are basically the opposite of a normal home aquarium ray - cold, high pressure habitat, and not something the hobby can realistically support.
Cameroon goby
Wheelerigobius wirtzi
This is a tiny little marine goby from the Gulf of Guinea that hangs out shallow on rocky faces. Its whole vibe is "small, shy, and clingy to cover," so it does best when you give it lots of rockwork and calm tankmates. Not something you see in shops often, but its micro-goby size and habitat style make it a really interesting oddball.
Canarytop wrasse
Halichoeres leucoxanthus
Bright yellow up top with a clean white belly, this wrasse has that lemon-meringue vibe, and mature males show slick violet lines on the face. It sleeps buried in the sand and spends the day cruising the rockwork picking off tiny pests - super active but easygoing. Give it a secure lid because they can launch when startled.
Candy Hogfish
Bodianus bimaculatus
Think of this little hog as a bright-yellow torpedo with pink-red candy stripes and two telltale black dots. It zips around the rockwork all day, nosing and even blowing into crevices for snacks, and it stays small enough to fit a modest reef as long as you plan around tiny shrimp.
Candystick goby
Vanderhorstia delagoae
This is a shrimp-associated sand goby from the western Indian Ocean and Red Sea area, and it spends its life hovering right by a burrow (usually shared with a snapping shrimp). In a tank it is all about a fine sand bed and feeling secure - when its setup is right, you get that cool watchman-style behavior and constant "standing guard" at the entrance.
Cantor's croaker
Johnius cantori
Johnius cantori is a tiny little tropical croaker from the eastern Indian Ocean, and its whole claim to fame is how obscure it is - FishBase lists it as known only from the holotype collected in Malaysia. Like other croakers, it lives near the bottom in coastal waters, making it unlikely to be found in aquarium trade.