Search Species
Search for fish species by common or scientific name, or use filters to browse by water type, size, temperament, and difficulty.
Found 556 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.
Wataka
Ischikauia steenackeri
Wataka is a temperate Japanese freshwater cyprinid that tops out around 30 cm (about 12 inches), so it is way more of a pond or public-aquarium fish than a typical home-tank species. In the wild it is tied to the Lake Biwa-Yodo River system, and it is actually listed as Endangered, which is pretty wild for a fish that looks like a sleek, silver "river carp".
Water hyacinth pencil catfish
Ituglanis eichhorniarum
Ituglanis eichorniarum is a tiny, secretive trichomycterid (pencil catfish) from the Paraguay-Parana system, the kind of fish that spends its time nosing through plants and leaf litter instead of cruising the open water. The species name comes from Eichhornia (water hyacinth), which is a fun clue to the sort of weedy habitat it was found in.
Wave Striped Oto
Otocinclus caxarari
Otocinclus caxarari is a very small Loricariid catfish from South America, recorded from the upper Madeira River basin (including the Guaporé area). In aquaria it is typically kept like other Otocinclus species: in mature, well-oxygenated tanks with abundant biofilm/algae and supplemental foods.
Weed cardinalfish
Foa brachygramma
This is a tiny Hawaiian cardinalfish that hangs around sheltered shallows - think seagrass, algae, and rubble - and it even wanders into brackish and sometimes fresh water. Its vibe is classic cardinalfish: mellow, a little shy, and way more interesting once the lights go down. Also cool trivia: the males mouthbrood the eggs.
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.
Whiptail catfish
Rineloricaria henselii
Rineloricaria henselii is a small loricariid (whiptail) catfish from southern Brazil (reported from the Cubatão River, Santa Catarina) reaching about 7.5 cm standard length.
Whiptail catfish (Twig catfish)
Farlowella acus
Farlowella acus is that classic twig-looking whiptail that can sit on wood and basically disappear - it really does look like a little stick with fins. It is super chill and spends most of its time grazing and picking at surfaces, so it does best in a mature tank with stable water and plenty of stuff to cling to.
White Cloud Mountain Minnow
Tanichthys albonubes
White Clouds are tiny little stream minnows with that neat glowing stripe and red-tipped fins, and they look way better the cooler you keep them. They're super active in a group and do this constant "busy schooling" thing in the top/middle of the tank-really fun fish when you give them space to zip around.
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.
White-Edged (Albimarginata) Betta
Betta albimarginata
This is one of those wild bettas that feels more like a tiny aquarium predator than a "fancy fin" betta-sleek, quick, and always watching what's going on. The males are awesome with that crisp white edging on the fins, and the coolest part is the dad carries the eggs in his mouth, so you'll sometimes see him just chilling and not eating for a bit while he incubates.
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.