Search Species
Search for fish species by common or scientific name, or use filters to browse by water type, size, temperament, and difficulty.
Found 83 species
Striped blenny
Chasmodes bosquianus
This is the little oyster-bed blenny from the US Atlantic coast - it hangs out on hard bottom and in shell rubble, peeking from crevices like a tiny grumpy bouncer. In an aquarium it tends to perch, dart, and investigate everything, and it can get pretty territorial if you try to cram it in tight with other blennies. The big “gotcha” is people treat it like a tropical reef blenny, but its natural temps run cool to mild and it shows up in brackish estuaries too.
Stripe-face Calamiana
Eugnathogobius mindora
This is a teeny-tiny estuary goby that hangs out on the bottom in mangrove and tidal creek habitats. Its little striped face and speckly fins are the main "wow" factor, but the real charm is watching it perch and scoot around like a mini dragon. Not something you see in the aquarium trade much, and it is easy to mis-ID as other small brackish gobies.
Tidewater mojarra
Eucinostomus harengulus
Tidewater mojarras are those sleek, silvery little estuary fish with the crazy-protrusible mouth they use to pick and vacuum tiny critters out of sand and mud. They show up around seagrass, mangroves, and shallow muddy flats, and theyll even push up into lower-salinity creeks and tributaries when conditions are right.
Tiger dwarf goby
Mugilogobius tigrinus
This is a tiny little mangrove goby with crisp black banding that really does look tiger-striped when it colors up. In a calm brackish setup with sand and lots of little hides, the males will posture and flare at each other like they own the place, which is half the fun of keeping them.
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).
Weed cardinalfish
Foa brachygramma
This is a tiny Hawaiian cardinalfish that hangs around sheltered shallows - think seagrass, algae, and rubble - and it even wanders into brackish and sometimes fresh water. Its vibe is classic cardinalfish: mellow, a little shy, and way more interesting once the lights go down. Also cool trivia: the males mouthbrood the eggs.
Wrestling halfbeak
Dermogenys pusilla
This is that quirky little surface-dweller with the long lower "beak" that's always cruising the top and snapping at food. The males do these goofy jaw-locking sparring matches (that's where the "wrestling" name comes from), so you'll want space and lots of floaters to keep everyone chill. They're also famous jumpers-tight lid is non‑negotiable.
Wu's goby
Wuhanlinigobius polylepis
This is a tiny mangrove-and-mudflat goby from the western Pacific that spends its time on the bottom, often in really shallow brackish areas. The cool part is how "muddy" its lifestyle is - it gets found in puddles on exposed mud at low tide and can even be partly buried, so it appreciates a soft substrate and lots of cover if you ever try one.
X-ray tetra
Pristella maxillaris
This is that little see-through tetra where you can kinda make out the spine inside the body, and then it tops it off with those sharp black/yellow/white fin markings and a reddish tail. Super chill schooling fish, and it's one of those rare tetras that doesn't freak out if your water isn't "perfect Amazon blackwater" 24/7.
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.
Zamboanga priapiumfish
Neostethus zamboangae
Neostethus zamboangae is a tiny priapiumfish (family Phallostethidae) native to the Philippines, known for males having a reproductive/copulatory organ located under the chin/throat region; it occurs in freshwater and brackish habitats.