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
Sheepshead swordtail
Xiphophorus birchmanni
A wild swordtail from eastern Mexico that loves fast, splashy streams and shows off bold vertical bars and a big, yellow-speckled dorsal. Males barely carry a sword at all, which always surprises folks, but they make up for it with tons of personality when kept in a roomy, well-oxygenated tank.
Shiner anchovy
Encrasicholina intermedia
Encrasicholina intermedia is a tiny, open-water anchovy from the western Indian Ocean that spends its life cruising the coastal shallows in big, nervous schools. In the wild it is basically bite-sized forage fish, constantly picking off plankton and flashing around near the surface - super cool behavior, but it is not really a normal home-aquarium species.
Shortband herring
Jenkinsia stolifera
Jenkinsia stolifera is a tiny, super-flashy little round herring from Florida and the Caribbean that spends its life in tight, nervous schools near the surface. In the wild it is basically living fish confetti - tons of silver, constant motion, always picking at zooplankton - and that "always on the move" vibe is what makes it so cool. It is not really an aquarium species though; most setups cannot provide the huge swimming room, flow, and constant live plankton-style feeding it does best with.
Short-bodied white-armored fish
Onychostoma breve
Onychostoma breve is a small river carp from the Yangtze River system in China, topping out around 14.6 cm standard length. Its whole vibe is a streamlined, current-loving minnow that wants lots of oxygen and moving water, so it is way happier in a river-style setup than a typical calm community tank.
Shorthead sole
Brachirus breviceps
Brachirus breviceps (the shorthead sole) is a little bottom-hugging flatfish from Australia that lives right on soft sand or mud in shallow coastal water. Its whole thing is staying camouflaged and half-buried, so it is more of a "you spot it and smile" fish than a constant swimmer. Also worth knowing up front: there is basically no solid aquarium-care info published specifically for this exact species, so any tank recommendations are best treated as cautious, general "small sole" guidelines.
Shortjaw goatfish
Upeneus brevignathus
Upeneus brevignathus is a marine goatfish (family Mullidae) described in 2024 and currently known from the NW Indian Ocean (off SE Yemen). Like other goatfishes it has chin barbels used to locate benthic prey; captive suitability is not specifically documented for this species and would be inferred from general goatfish husbandry.
Shortspine cardinalfish
Ostorhinchus brevispinis
This is a small deepwater cardinalfish from French Polynesia. It has alternating brown/golden-brown and whitish longitudinal stripes and a dark mark on the caudal peduncle; the name refers to its very short first dorsal-fin spine.
Short-sword platyfish
Xiphophorus continens
Xiphophorus continens is a tiny little wild-type livebearer from the Rio Panuco drainage in Mexico, and the males have just a short "stub" sword instead of the big flowing one you see on common swordtails. They really shine in a planted, oxygen-rich tank with some current, where you can watch the males do their low-key "sneaker" style mating behavior and the females quietly cruise the plants.
Short-tail lanternfish
Gymnoscopelus opisthopterus
This is a coldwater deep-sea lanternfish from the Southern Ocean that spends its life way down in the dark and uses photophores (light organs) like a little living constellation. Its habitat is near-freezing and very deep, so it is really a research-specimen kind of fish rather than something that can be kept in a normal aquarium.
Short Zaireichthys (dwarf loach catfish)
Zaireichthys brevis
Zaireichthys brevis is a tiny little African loach catfish from the Congo River basin - think "micro catfish" that spends its time down on the bottom. Its wild habitat is sandy stretches of big river, so it tends to appreciate fine sand and some rocks/cover, and it is more of a look-and-enjoy species than an interactive pet.
Siberian dace
Leuciscus baicalensis
Siberian dace are zippy silver minnows from Siberia and Mongolia that really come alive in cool, fast water. They school tightly and spend the day cruising midwater and over gravel, picking at insect bits in the flow. They can look awesome in a big, chilled river-style setup with strong oxygenation and plenty of swimming room.
Sicklefin chub
Macrhybopsis meeki
Sicklefin chub is a sleek Midwestern river minnow with a neat sickle-shaped dorsal fin. It hugs sandy runs in fast, turbid water and relies on taste more than sight to pick off tiny drifting insects. If you ever keep it, plan on cool, high-oxygen flow and a soft sand river setup.