Search Species
Search for fish species by common or scientific name, or use filters to browse by water type, size, temperament, and difficulty.
Found 232 species
Dwarf stingray
Urotrygon nana
This is a tiny tropical round stingray from the eastern Pacific that spends its time cruising and burying in soft sand in very shallow water. It stays relatively small for a stingray (still a real ray, not a "mini" aquarium species), and it does carry a venomous tail spine, so it is absolutely a hands-off animal.
East Indies siltgoby
Amblygobius cheraphilus
This is a tiny little sand-and-silt goby from the western Pacific that hangs around soft-bottom areas near reefs and spends its time picking/sifting for small critters. Its look is super clean and subtle - grayish with two reddish-brown stripes and a dark spot on the gill cover - and it is one of those fish that really wants a fine, mature substrate to graze on. Because it is not a standard-import aquarium fish, most of the hard care numbers you see for it are best treated as 'typical Amblygobius/sand-sifting goby' rather than species-proven.
Eastern longfin goby
Favonigobius lentiginosus
This is a little sand-loving coastal goby that hangs around estuaries, mangroves, tidepools, and sandy flats, and it does that classic goby thing of perching and scooting along the bottom. Color-wise its pretty subtle but really neat up close - sandy brown with distinct bars and head striping - and it spends a lot of time hunting tiny crustaceans in the substrate.
Elongate shore-eel
Alabes elongata
Alabes elongata is a tiny, eel-shaped marine shore fish from Western Australia that lives right in the shallow reef and seagrass zone. It looks like a little slippery noodle with reduced fins, and it spends its time tucked into weed/reef structure rather than cruising the open water. This is the kind of oddball you appreciate for its weird body plan and secretive lifestyle, not because its going to be out front begging for food.
Evermann's cardinalfish
Zapogon evermanni
This is a reef cave-dwelling cardinalfish that likes to hang way back in the shadows and will even cruise the cave ceilings upside-down, which is super fun to watch. It is more of a dusk/night kind of fish, usually seen alone or in pairs, and it is a mouthbrooder like a lot of cardinalfish.
Exquisite wrasse
Cirrhilabrus exquisitus
This is one of those fairy wrasses that looks like it was painted with highlighters - males can shift through greens, reds, blues, and purples depending on mood and whether they are showing off. In a reef tank its usually out and cruising the water column, grabbing tiny meaty foods, and doing little display flare-ups at its own reflection or other wrasses. Biggest real-world gotcha is they are jumpers, so a tight lid or mesh top is basically mandatory.
Falcate snailfish
Careproctus cypselurus
Careproctus cypselurus (falcate snailfish) is a marine, bathydemersal snailfish (Liparidae) from the North Pacific (off Japan and from the Sea of Okhotsk to off Washington, USA), recorded from deep water (about 35–1993 m). It is not a typical aquarium species due to its deep-sea/coldwater ecology and specialized life-support needs.
Faustino's lanternfish
Diaphus faustinoi
Diaphus faustinoi is a marine lanternfish (family Myctophidae) reported from the Philippines and the western-central Pacific. Like other myctophids it is a deep/mesopelagic open-ocean fish with photophores and diel vertical migration behavior, and it is not a practical home-aquarium species.
Few-pored wriggler
Xenisthmus oligoporus
This is a teeny little Red Sea reef wriggler that lives down in sandy spots and stays pretty secretive. At barely around an inch long, its whole vibe is "blink and you miss it" - more of a cool oddball micro-predator than a display fish.
Fijian zebra dwarfgoby
Eviota pseudozebrina
This is a true micro-reef goby from Fiji that hangs tight to rockwork and algae-covered spots in super shallow water. It is one of those blink-and-you-miss-it fish, but once you start watching, you will see it perching, hopping, and picking at tiny foods all day. The big catch is keeping it well-fed and not letting bigger tankmates intimidate it or outcompete it at mealtime.
Finspot wrasse
Xenojulis margaritacea
This little wrasse is basically a nonstop grazer - it cruises the rockwork all day hunting tiny critters, then dives into the sand to sleep. Adults can get really flashy (especially males) with that signature black fin spot, and it is one of those fish that will absolutely remind you why lids matter because it can jump.
Firefish (Fire Goby / Fire Dartfish)
Nemateleotris magnifica
This is that little "hover-and-dart" reef fish with the yellow face and the white-to-red fade that looks like it was airbrushed on. It'll pick a bolt-hole in the rockwork, hang in the water column facing the current, and do that cute little flag-flick with the tall first dorsal fin when it's feeling bold.