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
Vitiaz wolf-eelpout
Lycenchelys vitiazi
Lycenchelys vitiazi is a tiny deep-sea wolf-eelpout from the Kuril-Kamchatka Trench, and it is one of those weird, super-elongate trench fishes that basically never shows up in the hobby. It has only been recorded from very deep water near Paramushir Island, so its real "care" is more of a science/lab thing than an aquarium fish situation.
Wavyband sole
Zebrias japonicus
This subtropical western Pacific sole lives on sandy-mud bottoms. In aquaria it should be provided with appropriate soft substrate and be fed meaty, benthic-appropriate foods; use caution with tankmates due to its predatory nature.
Weedy cardinalfish
Foa fo
Foa fo is a tiny little Indo-Pacific cardinalfish that hangs around sheltered reefy areas and weedy/mucky spots, usually staying pretty low-key and unobtrusive. Like other cardinalfish, the really cool bit is the breeding behavior - the male mouthbroods the eggs, so you will sometimes see a chunky-looking jaw when he is holding a clutch.
Whiskery shark
Furgaleus macki
A stout houndshark from southern Australia, it has little whisker-like barbels that it uses to nose around rocks and kelp for octopus snacks. It hits about 1.6 m, so this is a public-aquarium-only fish, but it is awesome to watch cruising a cool-water display.
Whitebanded sharpnose wrasse
Wetmorella albofasciata
This is one of those tiny, cryptic wrasses that spends a lot of time weaving through rockwork and poking into little cracks like it is on a constant scavenger hunt. The big eyes and sharp snout give it a weird-cute "mini predator" look, and it really shines in a peaceful reef where it feels safe enough to come out and cruise.
Whitebarred pink wrasse
Pseudocheilinus ocellatus
This is the fish most of us know as the Mystery Wrasse - a shy little reef wrasse with a bright yellow face, faint-to-bold white bars, and that signature eyespot back by the tail. It spends a lot of time weaving through rockwork and popping out to hunt tiny critters, and it can get surprisingly bossy once it feels settled in. Give it caves, a tight lid, and a steady meaty diet and it turns into a really fun, personable showpiece.
White-edged cardinalfish
Jaydia albomarginatus
Jaydia albomarginatus is a small marine cardinalfish from the Western Central Pacific. Like a lot of cardinalfish it is a mouthbrooder, and FishBase notes distinct pairing during courtship and spawning - the kind of behavior thats really fun to watch when a pair settles in. Its not a big open-water swimmer, so it does best with plenty of rockwork and calmer tankmates.
White-patch tuskfish
Choerodon oligacanthus
This is a chunky tuskfish wrasse from the Western Central Pacific with that classic Choerodon vibe - big attitude, big teeth, and a built-for-crunching mouth. Its natural menu is benthic critters, and it tends to live fairly shallow (roughly 2-15 m), so think "reef edge hunter" more than "open-water swimmer". Also worth knowing: there is basically no solid track record of long-term aquarium husbandry specifically for this exact species, so its care is a bit of educated guesswork based on other tuskfish.
Whitespotted stargazer
Uranoscopus polli
Uranoscopus polli is a chunky, bottom-sitting marine stargazer from West Africa that spends a lot of time buried in sand or mud with just its eyes poking up. Its whole deal is ambush hunting - it waits motionless, then snaps up passing prey. Super cool fish to read about, but it is absolutely not a typical home-aquarium species (and like other stargazers, you want to assume it can be a bit of a hazard to handle).
Wicker-work sole
Zebrias craticulus
This is a small striped sole from northern Australia that basically lives life glued to the sand, doing that classic flatfish thing where it vanishes the second it settles in. Those tight cross-bands that run right onto the fins are the whole vibe - it really does look like wicker-work up close. Not an aquarium fish for most people, but it is a super cool species if you are into oddball bottom-dwellers.
Wouter's pygmygoby
Trimma woutsi
Trimma woutsi is a true pygmy reef goby - maxing out around an inch - that spends its life perched close to the rockwork in shallow reef zones. Its tiny size is the whole game here: it is perfect for a peaceful nano reef where it can pick at micro-foods all day and not get bullied off meals.
Wry snailfish
Careproctus staufferi
Careproctus staufferi is a deepwater snailfish (family Liparidae) described from the central Aleutian Islands, Alaska (North Pacific) in 2016. The original description notes an overall red/pale coloration and a distinct lateral yellow slash across the dorsal part of the abdomen and posterior. It is a bathydemersal deep-sea species and is not a typical aquarium fish.