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
Capitlineata silhouette goby
Silhouettea capitlineata
This is a super tiny tropical marine goby that basically lives its life glued to the bottom, blending in and keeping a low profile. The neat name clue is the "head lines" - it was named for dark lines running down from the eye, so its face patterning is part of the whole deal. Because it tops out around an inch, its care info in the aquarium hobby is pretty scarce compared to bigger, commonly-sold gobies.
Cartier's deepwater snake eel
Benthenchelys cartieri
A deepwater marine snake eel (Ophichthidae) known from the Philippines (Western Central Pacific). FishBase notes members of the genus Benthenchelys are pelagic; recorded depth range to 1168 m. Not an established aquarium species.
Chessboard blenny
Starksia sluiteri
A tiny reef-dweller with bold chessboard spots, this little blenny spends most of its time peeking from rubble and rock crevices. It is fun to watch during feeding time as it darts out to snag tiny crustaceans, then zips back to its hidey-hole.
Chikame daruma-garei
Engyprosopon multisquama
This is a small lefteye flounder from sandy-muddy bottoms around Japan and Taiwan. Its vibe is classic flatfish - it buries in the substrate and vanishes until food shows up, and the long, filament-y pectoral fin rays are a neat little detail you do not see on every flounder.
Chinese zebra goby
Ptereleotris zebra
Ptereleotris zebra is one of those slick, torpedo-shaped dartfish that likes to hover in the water column, then instantly zip back into a bolt-hole when it gets spooked. In the wild it hangs out on exposed seaward reefs in groups, often in current, and in a tank the big thing is giving it open swim room plus tight cover because it is absolutely a jumper.
Circular stingaree
Urolophus circularis
This is a small-ish temperate Australian stingray that likes rocky reef and kelp zones, so it tends to stay tucked in and out of sight. The really cool bit is the dorsal pattern - pale spots and rings plus a dark central circle of spots - it looks like someone hand-painted it. Also worth respecting: it has a venomous tail spine, so its "hands-off" by nature.
Citrine goby
Bollmannia litura
Bollmannia litura (citrine goby) is a western Atlantic goby associated with soft substrates; published records place it over mud and mixed-mud bottoms at roughly 12.8–71 m depth in the western Caribbean.
Codheaded rattail
Bathygadus cottoides
This is a true deep-sea rattail that lives way down the continental slope - like 1000+ meters deep. In the wild its cruising cold, dark bottom water from Mozambique over toward Australia and New Zealand, topping out around 24 cm. Neat fish, but its basically impossible to keep long-term in a normal aquarium because it needs near-freezing temps and deepwater conditions.
Comb flounder
Marleyella bicolorata
Marleyella bicolorata is a small, bottom-hugging marine flatfish from the western Indian Ocean that spends its life laid up on sand or mud. Its eyed side is dark with blotches and bars, so it blends in really well, and it can handle cooler-to-warm tropical temps depending on where it settles. This is a deepwater demersal species, so its needs line up way more with a chilled, specialized marine setup than a typical home reef tank.
Common fusegoby
Fusigobius neophytus
This is a tiny reef-associated sand goby that hangs out over sand and rubble patches near coral, usually solo or in loose little groups. Its semi-translucent gray body is peppered with fine spots and it blends in amazingly well, then you catch that little black spot on the first dorsal fin and go, oh there it is. In a tank it is all about having sand to perch on and plenty of calm, peaceful neighbors so it is not bullied.
Common stinkfish
Foetorepus calauropomus
This is a southern-Australia dragonet with a super long tailfin and a sneaky camouflage look, and the males can actually show some really neat color and filament action when theyre feeling bold. The whole "stinkfish" thing is real too - they have a strong-smelling body slime that can taste bitter and may be toxic, so its not a fish you handle unless you have to.
Compressed ilisha
Ilisha compressa
Ilisha compressa (compressed ilisha) is a Persian Gulf pristigasterid (longfin herring relative) described from the Persian Gulf and generally associated with coastal pelagic/neritic habitats.