Search Species
Search for fish species by common or scientific name, or use filters to browse by water type, size, temperament, and difficulty.
Found 654 species
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
Zagadkogobius ourlazon
This is a tiny deep-water wormfish from the South China Sea, topping out around 1.8 cm. It was described from a single specimen taken near the Anambas Islands at about 73 m, so you never see it in the hobby; the giveaway features are a big dark spot under the eye and wispy first-dorsal filaments.
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
Xenisthmus nigrolateralis
Tiny wriggler from Taiwan with a bold dark stripe down its side that makes it easy to pick out when it peeks from the sand. It hugs shallow reef flats and sandy patches and snacks on teeny crustaceans, so in a tank it would do best with plenty of fine sand and microfauna to graze.
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
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
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.
Northern ronquil
Ronquilus jordani
Coldwater little rock-hugger from the eastern North Pacific, hanging around boulders and kelp where it sneaks along the bottom. Males can show subtle orange-yellow highlights while the fish peeks from crevices and ambushes tiny critters. If anyone keeps one, a chilled saltwater setup and tons of rockwork are the move.
Northern smoothtongue
Leuroglossus schmidti
This is a coldwater deep-sea smelt from the North Pacific that spends its days deep and comes up at night to hunt zooplankton. Super cool little "midwater" fish from the dark zone - but its near-freezing temps and deepwater lifestyle mean its basically not an aquarium species at all.
Notched mud carp
Henicorhynchus entmema
This is a small river carp from the Mekong region that spends its life on the move - huge seasonal migrations, with the school basically "taking turns" leading as they push upstream. In the wild it is super important as forage for bigger fish, and it does best in a roomy tank with lots of swimming space and good oxygenation rather than a tiny community setup.