Search Species
Search for fish species by common or scientific name, or use filters to browse by water type, size, temperament, and difficulty.
Water Type
Search for fish species by common or scientific name, or use filters to browse by water type, size, temperament, and difficulty.
Found 299 species
Bathyclarias nyasensis
This is one of Lake Malawi's big, weird deepwater air-breathing catfish, and it lives out in deeper open water (not the rocky cichlid zones everyone thinks of). What I love about it is the behavior - it actually cruises in groups and filter-feeds zooplankton like a giant catfish vacuum, but it will still snack on small fish and insect larvae when it feels like it.
Knodus borari
Knodus borari is a tiny, brand-new-to-science (described in 2023) little characin from Brazil's lower Rio Tapajos area. Its wild habitat is a moderately fast stream over rock-gravel-sand, so I'd treat it like an active small schooling tetra that appreciates clean, oxygen-rich water and some current.
Gastromyzon spectabilis
This is one of the true Borneo "suckers" from fast, rocky streams - the kind that park themselves on stones and graze biofilm like a little living coaster. FishBase notes its distinctive live coloration/patterning (the whole reason it got named spectabilis), and it stays small, so its whole vibe is more "stream tank grazer" than "loach that cruises around." If you give it clean, oxygen-rich water and lots of algae-covered rock, it will reward you with nonstop weird, cool hillstream behavior.
Bryconaethiops boulengeri
This is a big, super-active African tetra from the Congo basin that really wants open swimming room and a group of its own kind. It cruises the mid-to-upper water and will absolutely chase down insects at the surface, so a tight lid is smart if you keep it.
Lepidiolamprologus boulengeri
This is one of those really fun Lake Tanganyika shell-and-sand lamprologines that lives as a pair, digs a little pit, and then the female hangs out in snail shells like its a tiny fortress. Give them fine sand and a pile of shells and you will get to watch legit, purposeful cichlid home-building and territory behavior in a small-bodied fish.
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Petitella bleheri (syn. Hemigrammus bleheri)
This is the rummy-nose with the really "full-face" red that runs back past the gill plate, plus that crisp black-and-white tail that flashes when the whole group turns together. When they're happy and the water's clean, they school tight and look like one living fish-when they're stressed, that red head fades fast, so they're basically your tank's mood ring.
Ancistrus cirrhosus
The Bristlenose Pleco is a small catfish with a sucker mouth, armored body, and distinctive bristles on its face, especially in males. It is primarily nocturnal and spends much of its time grazing on biofilm and algae from surfaces, making it a popular, hardy "algae-eater" in community aquariums.
Corydoras aeneus
The Bronze Corydoras is a charming and highly popular freshwater fish known for its peaceful nature and striking bronze coloration. It has a stout body with barbels around its mouth, allowing it to forage effectively on the substrate. Often seen in schools, this species is well-loved for its social behavior and bottom-dwelling habits.
Vaillantella cinnamomea
Vaillantella cinnamomea is a slim little Borneo loach with that cool forked tail and a subtle cinnamon-brown body with a dark eye stripe. It spends most of its time hugging the bottom and weaving through leaf litter and roots, then suddenly darts like a tiny torpedo when food hits the sand. Keep the tank covered tight - these forktails are famous for surprise launches.
Tilapia busumana
Tilapia busumana is a West African cichlid from Ghana/Côte d’Ivoire drainages (including Lake Bosumtwi). It is a pair-bonding, open-substrate spawner with biparental brood guarding.
Paracheirodon axelrodi
The Cardinal Tetra is a small, vibrant freshwater fish known for its striking iridescent blue and red coloring. It is closely related to the Neon Tetra but can be distinguished by the extended red stripe that runs the entire length of its body. People love keeping Cardinal Tetras in their tanks because they're peaceful and great at schooling together.
Enteromius carens
Enteromius carens is a small freshwater cyprinid from West-Central Africa. It is known from the Kouilou basin to the Chiloango basin (Republic of the Congo, Cabinda/Angola, and DR Congo), with a single record from the Foulakari River in the lower Congo basin. Maximum recorded size is about 3.2 cm standard length.