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
Danio margaritatus
This is the little "galaxy fish" everyone stops to stare at-dark bluish body sprinkled with pearly spots and those punchy orange/red fins. They're peaceful but kinda shy, and you'll see the best color and the cutest little male sparring displays when you keep a proper group in a heavily planted tank with gentle flow.
Mylochromis chekopae
This is a Lake Malawi "hap" from the Mylochromis group that hangs out deeper over sand and works the bottom for tiny foods. In the wild its menu is basically little crustaceans plus some algae, so it does best long-term when you feed it like a grazing micro-predator instead of a pure carnivore.
Rohanella titteya
Cherry barbs are small Sri Lankan barbs; males intensify to deep red (especially when breeding). They're generally peaceful and can be shy unless kept in a group, and they look best in planted aquariums with subdued lighting and darker substrate.
Dicrossus filamentosus
Dicrossus filamentosus is that classy little blackwater dwarf cichlid with the crisp "chessboard" pattern and, in mature males, a super cool lyretail with streamers. It's generally mellow and shy, but when a female is guarding eggs/fry she turns into a tiny, fearless bulldozer (and it's honestly awesome to watch). Give them soft, clean water, leaf litter, and calm tankmates and they really settle in and show their best colors.
Jinshaia sinensis
Jinshaia sinensis is one of those slick, fast-water loaches built for life clinging to rocks in strong current - big fins, low profile, and always looking for biofilm to pick at. It can do great in a purpose-built river tank with tons of oxygen and flow, but it is not the kind of loach that tolerates "average community tank" conditions for long.
Rineloricaria lanceolata
This is a slim little whiptail (a Loricariid) that spends most of its time gliding over sand and leaves, picking at biofilm like a tiny vacuum cleaner. Give it driftwood, caves, and calm tankmates and it turns into a super chill, sneaky-bottom-dweller with that awesome long whip tail and high dorsal fin.
Toxotes blythii
This is the freshwater archerfish that does the whole "shoot water at bugs" thing, and it is ridiculously fun to watch once they settle in. They are surface-oriented, quick, and kind of predatory in that "if it fits, it might get eaten" way, so you plan tankmates around their mouth size. Give them clean, well-oxygenated water and a tight lid, and they act like little hunters all day.
Chromobotia macracanthus
Clown loaches are those orange fish with the chunky black bands that act like total goofballs-piling into the same cave, clicking at each other, and sometimes doing that "am I dead?" sideways nap. They stay way calmer and more confident in a proper group, and once they're settled they'll spend all day cruising the bottom and sifting around for snacks.
Stiphodon semoni
Stiphodon semoni is one of those little river gobies that spends its whole day perched on rocks, scooting around, and grazing biofilm/aufwuchs like a tiny underwater goat. Give it clean, oxygen-rich water and a nice algae-y rockscape, and the males especially can look unreal with that blue-green sheen and bands.
Otocinclus vittatus
O. vittatus is that tiny little "oto" you see plastered to plant leaves and the glass, just quietly vacuuming up soft algae and biofilm all day. The big trick with them is they're amazing grazers, but they can absolutely run out of food in a too-clean/new tank, so you've got to plan on supplementing with algae wafers/blanched veg.
Zaireichthys compactus
This is one of those tiny African sand-dwelling loach catfish that likes to hug the bottom and vanish into the substrate. In the wild it comes from fast-flowing, muddy-brown water with mixed sand, mud, and rocky areas, so in a tank it really appreciates flow, oxygen, and a soft sandy spot to scoot around on.
Ichthyborus congolensis
Ichthyborus congolensis is one of those Congo basin oddball characins with that long, predatory-looking snout - built for grabbing smaller fish and bugs in open water. Its a real "niche" species in the hobby, so most of the time youre planning a tank for its size and behavior (active, boisterous, potentially fin-nippy) rather than following a super-established community-fish care recipe.