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 249 species
Calloplesiops altivelis
This is the famous "Marine Betta" look-alike: jet-dark with those starry spots, and that wild fake eye near the back that makes predators bite the wrong end. It's a super shy cave-dweller by day and then turns into a sneaky night hunter, cruising out for crustaceans and small fish.
Fusigobius neophytus
This is a tiny reef-associated sand goby that hangs out over sand and rubble patches near coral, usually solo or in loose little groups. Its semi-translucent gray body is peppered with fine spots and it blends in amazingly well, then you catch that little black spot on the first dorsal fin and go, oh there it is. In a tank it is all about having sand to perch on and plenty of calm, peaceful neighbors so it is not bullied.
Foetorepus calauropomus
This is a southern-Australia dragonet with a super long tailfin and a sneaky camouflage look, and the males can actually show some really neat color and filament action when theyre feeling bold. The whole "stinkfish" thing is real too - they have a strong-smelling body slime that can taste bitter and may be toxic, so its not a fish you handle unless you have to.
Centropyge bispinosa
Coral Beauty is that classic little dwarf angel with the purple-blue body and orange striping that looks different from fish to fish. It spends a lot of the day weaving through rockwork and picking at algae and other bits, so a tank with mature live rock really brings out its best behavior. It can be a little bossy (especially with other dwarf angels) and some individuals will nip corals, so it is reef-safe with caution.
Ilyophis robinsae
This is a deep-sea cutthroat eel that lives way down on the seafloor - like, thousands of meters deep. Its whole vibe is "muddy abyss predator/scavenger" with that classic eel-shaped body, and its name honors ichthyologist Catherine Robins. Not an aquarium fish in any realistic sense, but it is a seriously cool species from an extreme habitat.
Upeneus luzonius
This is a small demersal goatfish from the western Pacific associated with muddy coastal substrates. It swims in aggregations (sometimes mixed with similar species) and uses chin barbels to forage. It is silvery with a reddish mid-lateral line that breaks into spots and a red bar below the eye.
Malacocottus zonurus
This is a deep-water North Pacific sculpin that spends its life down on the bottom, basically a cold, dark, high-pressure fish. It can get surprisingly big for something most people never see alive, and its "care" is really more public-aquarium/chiller-system territory than home tanks.
Eustomias decoratus
Eustomias decoratus is a deep-sea dragonfish (family Stomiidae) from the western central Atlantic around Bermuda. Like other Eustomias, it is a pelagic predator built for the dark - long body, big mouth, and a chin barbel used in hunting and signaling. This is absolutely not an aquarium species in any normal sense, since its real habitat is open ocean at depth and it will not tolerate typical captive conditions.
Valenciennea puellaris
This is that sand-sifting goby you'll see cruising the bottom, taking huge mouthfuls of sand and spitting it out like a little construction crew. It's awesome for keeping a sandy substrate looking clean, but it'll also redecorate-so anything sitting on the sand is gonna get buried or undermined sooner or later. Super cool personality too, especially once it picks a favorite burrow and starts "working" all day.
Uroconger drachi
Uroconger drachi is one of those super-obscure conger eels that basically never shows up in the hobby - it is known from just a single collected specimen off the Republic of the Congo. FishBase lists it topping out around 41.5 cm total length, so it is not a giant conger, but its real "thing" is how little we actually know about it.
Zebrias penescalaris
This is a little right-eyed sole from southern Australia that spends its life glued to the sand, basically disappearing until it shuffles off and you notice the faint ladder-like bands. Super cool camouflage fish, but its whole vibe is soft-bottom, cool-to-mild marine water - not really a typical home-aquarium species.
Upeneus parvus
Upeneus parvus is a sand-and-mud bottom goatfish that spends a lot of time prowling the substrate and picking out little critters to eat. In an aquarium it is basically a living metal detector with those chin barbels, and it can absolutely rearrange your sand while it hunts.