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
Vanuatu goatfish
Upeneus vanuatu
Upeneus vanuatu is a small deep-water goatfish from off Vanuatu that lives way down around 191-321 m, so its natural water is cooler and darker than typical reef goatfish. Like other goatfish it has the little chin barbels for rooting around for food, but honestly this one is more of a scientific oddball than a realistic aquarium fish because of the depth it comes from.
Variable blenny
Starksia variabilis
Tiny Caribbean blenny that hangs out right on the rock, peeking from little cracks like a curious periscope. The lips have neat black bars and the patterning shifts a bit, which is where the whole variable thing comes from. Give it lots of nooks and it will put on fun perch-and-dart antics all day.
Variable platyfish
Xiphophorus variatus
Think of this as the cooler-water cousin of the regular platy that comes in all kinds of colors and patterns. They are lively little livebearers that cruise the whole tank, pick at algae, and pop out fry without much fuss. Give them some plants and a bit of flow and they are a joy to watch.
Variegated cardinalfish
Fowleria variegata
This is a small, mottled reddish-brown cardinalfish that likes to hang around rockwork and rubble and really comes into its own once the lights dim. In a calm reef tank its a super chill, slow swimmer, and if you keep a small group they tend to hover together and look way more natural.
Vaubans gurnard
Lepidotrigla vaubani
Lepidotrigla vaubani is a small, bottom-dwelling marine gurnard (sea robin) from the western Pacific. Like other gurnards its "walking" pectoral fin rays are the fun part - it creeps along the seafloor poking around for little crustaceans and worms, way more personality than you would expect from a bycatch-type fish.
Veilfin tetra
Hyphessobrycon elachys
This is one of those tiny Paraguay-basin tetras that looks kind of understated until the males mature and start throwing those longer, flowy fins - then it gets really classy. Keep them in a proper little group and theyll spend the whole day hovering and cruising the midwater, looking extra sharp over dark substrate and plants.
Velvety sole
Brachirus villosus
This is a true freshwater sole from New Guinea that spends most of its life glued to the bottom and buried in soft sand. It is one of those blink-and-you-miss-it fish during the day, then you catch it cruising the substrate at feeding time looking for meaty bits.
Vermiculated croaker
Ophioscion vermicularis
Eastern Pacific marine demersal croaker found over sandy and muddy bottoms in shallow waters; feeds on benthic invertebrates and is common in local markets. Aquarium care information is limited compared with typical ornamental marine species.
Vietnamese bitterling
Acheilognathus fasciodorsalis
Acheilognathus fasciodorsalis is a freshwater bitterling endemic to Vietnam. Like other bitterlings (Acheilognathidae), reproduction involves females using an ovipositor to deposit eggs in freshwater mussels.
Violet goby
Gobioides broussonnetii
This is the long, eel-y "dragon goby" you see at shops sometimes-looks scary with that toothy face, but it's actually a chill mud-and-sand sifter. In nature it hangs around muddy estuaries and river mouths, and that's the trick in aquariums too: soft sand, brackish-ish water, and food it can actually find (they're not great hunters).
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".