Search Species
Search for fish species by common or scientific name, or use filters to browse by water type, size, temperament, and difficulty.
Found 419 species
Spotted robust triplefin
Forsterygion capito
This is a little New Zealand triplefin that hangs out in rock pools and shallow sheltered reefs, perched on rocks and scooting around to hunt tiny critters. The cool part is the breeding behavior - the male sets up and guards a nest under a rock, and they can darken up a lot in season.
Spotted spikefish
Hollardia meadi
Hollardia meadi is a tiny deepwater spikefish from the western Atlantic with a super cool pink-and-spot pattern and those lockable spines that make the whole family look like little armored oddballs. Its a rocky-bottom, reef-associated fish that lives way deeper than typical reef tank temps, so its basically a no-go for normal home aquariums unless youre set up for chilled deepwater marine.
Stareater
Astronesthes zetgibbsi
A small pelagic-oceanic marine snaggletooth (family Stomiidae) known from the South Pacific high seas, reported from roughly 40–120 m depth and reaching about 10.3 cm SL (female).
Steindachner's drum
Umbrina steindachneri
Umbrina steindachneri is a West African marine croaker/drum that hangs around sandy-mud bottoms in deeper coastal water. It tops out around 47 cm (about 18.5 inches), so its size alone is the big reason it is not really an aquarium fish even though it is super cool as a real-deal saltwater surf and shelf species.
Stippled spoon-nose eel
Echiophis punctifer
Echiophis punctifer (stippled spoon-nose eel) is a large marine snake eel that burrows in soft substrates such as sand or mud. Reported maximum length is up to about 180 cm TL; due to size and burrowing behavior, it is best suited to very large, escape-proof marine systems and a carnivorous diet.
Striated blenny
Hypsoblennius striatus
Hypsoblennius striatus (striated blenny) is a small combtooth blenny from the eastern-central Pacific (around Costa Rica and Panama). Like other blennies, it is associated with shallow rocky/reef habitats, and its eggs are demersal and adhesive, attached to the substrate.
Striped clingfish
Derilissus vittiger
This is a tiny little Western Atlantic clingfish that lives down on deeper reefs and clings to hard stuff with its belly suction disk. Its whole vibe is cryptic and hidey, more like a micro-predator you would spot while peering into reef rockwork than a fish that cruises around the tank. Honestly, it is super cool biologically, but it is not a realistic home-aquarium species for most people.
Striped goby
Gobius vittatus
A small Mediterranean marine goby found mainly on coralligenous/rocky bottoms (often ~15-50+ m), known for its pale body with a dark lateral stripe; it is shy and retreats quickly to crevices. In aquaria it is a cool-water Mediterranean species rather than a typical tropical reef goby.
Striped weever
Trachinus lineolatus
Trachinus lineolatus (striped weever) is a small marine demersal weeverfish from the eastern Atlantic off West Africa, reaching about 15 cm. Like other weevers (Trachinidae), it has venom-associated spines (first dorsal and opercular) that can inflict very painful stings; extreme caution is required if handled.
Stripefin ronquil
Rathbunella hypoplecta
This is a little bottom-hugging California coast fish that hangs around rocky and sandy spots and spends a lot of time tucked into structure. It eats small invertebrates and the male actually guards the eggs, which is pretty cool if you are into fish with real parenting behavior.
Stripefin ronquil
Rathbunella alleni
Rathbunella alleni is a little bottom-hugging coastal marine fish from California down into Baja, the kind that spends its time tucked around structure and cruising the seafloor. Its claim to fame is that slick blue stripe running along the anal fin (especially noticeable on males), plus that blenny-ish, prickleback vibe that makes it look like it belongs in a tidepool documentary.
Suborbital lanternfish
Diaphus suborbitalis
This is a little deep-sea lanternfish from the Indo-West Pacific that spends its life way down in the dark and uses photophores (light organs) like a built-in nightlight. It tops out around 7.3 cm standard length and is a true pelagic ocean fish, not something you will realistically see in the aquarium trade.