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
Pasca
Paragoniates alburnus
Paragoniates alburnus (often called the pasca) is a slim, silvery Amazon characin that tops out around 6-7 cm. Its vibe is very much "open-water, always on the move," so it does best in a roomy tank with a current and a group of its own kind.
Pataxo killifish
Xenurolebias pataxo
A tiny annual killie from tea-colored puddles in Brazil, this fish stays small but males show sharp bars and a lance-like tail that looks wild in person. It lives fast and breeds in the substrate, with eggs that wait out the dry season, so the real joy is setting it up to complete that cycle at home.
Peacock gudgeon
Tateurndina ocellicauda
Peacock gudgeons are little jewel-fish from eastern Papua New Guinea with that awesome "eye spot" on the tail and a ton of blue/yellow/red speckling. They're gentle most of the time, but the males get pretty into cave/crevice territory when they're thinking about spawning-and watching the male guard and fan eggs is seriously cool.
Pencil catfish
Cambeva zonata
A tiny riffle‑lover from southeastern Brazil, Cambeva zonata inhabits cool, fast, highly oxygenated streams in the Ribeira de Iguape basin (Betari and Iporanga sub‑basins). It bears an irregular mottled/blotched pattern that can align into bars, and forages diurnally on aquatic invertebrates over gravel and stones.
Pencil catfish
Ituglanis amphipotamus
This is a small, secretive trichomycterid catfish from southeastern Brazil that hugs the bottom and likes to wedge itself into tight spots. It comes from fast-flowing water over rock and sand, so it does best in a well-oxygenated setup with current and lots of little caves or crevices to vanish into.
Peracuca
Kalyptodoras bahiensis
A chunky, armored doradid from Bahia, Brazil, this catfish cruises the bottom at night and uses those bony scutes like built‑in plating. It grows to about 10 inches and loves rooting around for crunchy inverts, so think sturdy decor and meaty sinking foods. Super cool if you are into rare, locality fish with a bit of mystery to their behavior.
Perak river sprat
Clupeichthys perakensis
Tiny, silvery river sprats that zip around midwater in tight groups and pick at zooplankton all day. They come from the Perak River system (and nearby peat-stained tributaries), top out at about 4 cm, and do best in soft, slightly acidic, well-oxygenated water with plenty of open swimming space. They are rarely seen in the hobby and tend to do best in big, settled shoals with fine live foods.
Peridot tetra
Jupiaba acanthogaster
This is a small South American characin that does its best work in a real group - once you have a bunch of them together they stay active and hang in the midwater like classic dither fish. The neat little twist with this species is the spine-like pelvic bones that can stick forward along the belly, which is where the name comes from.
Persian loach
Oxynoemacheilus persa
This is a little bottom-hugging stone loach from Iran that spends its time cruising the substrate and poking around for food. It does best when you set the tank up like a cool, clean stream - lots of oxygen, flow, smooth rocks, and hiding spots - and you will see way more natural behavior.
Peruvian tetra
Hyphessobrycon peruvianus
Hyphessobrycon peruvianus is a small Upper Amazon tetra from Peru that really comes alive in a proper group - the shoaling is the whole point with this one. Keep it in soft-ish, slightly acidic water and it will stay active and calm, with that classic Hyphessobrycon vibe of always being in motion without being a jerk.
pescada
Plagioscion montei
Plagioscion montei is a freshwater croaker from the Amazon basin (Brazil and Peru) that grows into a sleek, silvery predator with that classic Sciaenidae shape. Its whole family is famous for making croaking/drumming sounds (swim bladder stuff), so its close relatives are pretty fun fish behavior-wise even if this exact species is rarely seen in the aquarium trade.
Peten tetra
Astyanax petenensis
This is a chunky little Central American Astyanax that tops out around 11 cm and spends most of its time cruising midwater in open areas. Think of it like a tougher, more "river fish" tetra vibe - active, always moving, and it eats like it means it. It is not super common in the hobby, but if you ever run into them, give them room and keep them in a proper group so the attitude stays spread out.