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
Yellowfin madtom
Noturus flavipinnis
Yellowfin madtoms are tiny, secretive native catfish from the upper Tennessee River system, and they act exactly like little river goblins - hiding under flat rocks all day and cruising around at night. The cool part is the male guards the eggs under cover, and they really appreciate clean, well-oxygenated current and a rock-and-leaf-litter kind of setup.
Yellowfin toxic goby
Yongeichthys criniger
An Indo-Pacific goby found on coastal mud/silty sand flats and in estuary/mangrove-associated habitats. It is documented as poisonous to eat and is known to carry tetrodotoxin; toxicity can be particularly high in the skin and varies by locality. Handle with care (avoid contact with mucus, especially with cuts) and avoid mixing with aggressive/boisterous species.
Yellow-lined shrimpgoby
Vanderhorstia flavilineata
This is a tiny sand-dwelling shrimp goby from Papua New Guinea that likes to hover right at the front door of a burrow and bolt inside when it gets spooked. In the wild it hangs out with an alpheid (pistol) shrimp in a rubble-lined burrow, which is exactly why it does best in a tank with a sand bed and some small rubble pieces it can use as "building material." Those yellow lines and little head spots pop way more than you'd expect from a fish that barely breaks an inch.
Yellowmouth jawfish
Opistognathus nothus
This is a deepwater Atlantic jawfish that lives in burrows on sand and rubble, and it has that classic jawfish vibe of popping up like a little periscope from its hole. The yellow edging inside the mouth is the giveaway, plus the spotty head and striped/yellow-edged fins. Because it comes from about 92-100 m depth, it is not something you should treat like a typical warm, shallow-reef jawfish in a home tank.
Yellownose skate
Zearaja chilensis
This is a big, cold-water skate from Chilean waters that lives on sandy and muddy bottoms and lays those classic horned skate egg cases. It gets seriously large (around 1.5 m max reported on FishBase), so it is more of a fisheries and public-aquarium animal than a home-aquarium fish.
Yellow phantom tetra
Hyphessobrycon roseus
Hyphessobrycon roseus is a small phantom-type tetra (syn. Megalamphodus roseus) from the Maroni and Oyapock river basins (French Guiana/Guianas region). It is best kept in a planted, softwater setup in a group, where males may display but are generally peaceful.
Yellow-spotted dwarf loach catfish
Zaireichthys flavomaculatus
Zaireichthys flavomaculatus is a truly tiny, bottom-hugging African loach catfish from the Congo basin that spends its time tucked into sand and gaps like a little river goblin. Its yellowish base color with blotchy/marbled spotting is the whole vibe, and it is the kind of fish you keep because you love oddball micro-predators and watching subtle behavior, not because it is always out front.
Yellowtip halfbeak
Hemiramphus marginatus
This is a true marine halfbeak - it cruises right under the surface in open water and that goofy half-length lower jaw is exactly as cool in person as it sounds. Adults get pretty long (about 10 inches), so its more of a big, fast, jumpy schooling fish than a typical home-aquarium species.
Yunnanilus longibulla
Yunnanilus longibulla
Tiny stone loach from Yunnan’s Lake Chenghai with a neat party trick - that long swim bladder helps it hover and make quick dashes along the bottom. Think cool, very hard, alkaline water and lots of sand and pebbles to nosh through. It is rarely seen in the trade, so plan for a careful, species-focused setup.
Yunnan jieyu (云南结鱼)
Folifer yunnanensis
A rare freshwater cyprinid endemic to Lake Fuxian (Yunnan, China). Reported maximum length is about 21.5 cm standard length (SL). IUCN status: Endangered (assessment date 19 January 2011). Aquarium care information appears scarce in mainstream hobby references.
Yunnan loach
Eonemachilus altus
A petite stone loach from Yunnan, China, often listed in older books as Yunnanilus altus. It hangs around the bottom sifting for tiny bites and really perks up in a scape with smooth sand, pebbles, and steady current.
Yushan river loach
Hemimyzon yushanensis
This is a little Taiwan hillstream loach that lives its whole life clinging to rocks in fast, super-oxygenated streams. In a tank it does best in a "river" setup with smooth stones and lots of flow, where it will spend all day grazing biofilm and cruising the glass like a tiny underwater gecko.