Search Species
Search for fish species by common or scientific name, or use filters to browse by water type, size, temperament, and difficulty.
Found 419 species
Comb flounder
Marleyella bicolorata
Marleyella bicolorata is a small, bottom-hugging marine flatfish from the western Indian Ocean that spends its life laid up on sand or mud. Its eyed side is dark with blotches and bars, so it blends in really well, and it can handle cooler-to-warm tropical temps depending on where it settles. This is a deepwater demersal species, so its needs line up way more with a chilled, specialized marine setup than a typical home reef tank.
Comet
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.
Common fusegoby
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.
Common stinkfish
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.
Compressed ilisha
Ilisha compressa
Ilisha compressa (compressed ilisha) is a Persian Gulf pristigasterid (longfin herring relative) described from the Persian Gulf and generally associated with coastal pelagic/neritic habitats.
Confused lanternfish
Diaphus confusus
Diaphus confusus is a small lanternfish (family Myctophidae) known from the southeastern Pacific, recorded from deep mesopelagic/bathypelagic depths around 545–560 m near the Sala y Gómez Ridge. It is a wild, deepwater species and not realistically maintained as a typical home-aquarium fish due to capture/shipping and pressure/light/feeding constraints.
Conger
Japonoconger sivicolus
Japonoconger sivicolus is a deepwater conger eel from the Northwest Pacific (Japan and nearby waters), the kind of fish you basically never see in the aquarium hobby because it lives way down on sandy-muddy bottoms. It tops out around 57 cm and is more of a science-and-fisheries-records eel than a home tank animal.
Cookiecutter shark
Isistius brasiliensis
This is the little deep-water shark that takes neat, round "cookie" plugs out of bigger animals - tuna, whales, even other sharks - then disappears back into the dark. It is got a stubby cigar-shaped body with a dark "collar" behind the head, and it does nightly vertical migrations up toward the surface. Not an aquarium fish in any normal sense, but an absolute legend of the open ocean.
Coral Beauty Angelfish
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.
Cutthroat eel (Ilyophis robinsae)
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.
Dark-barred goatfish
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.
Darkfin sculpin
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.