Fish Species Starting with A
Browse all aquarium fish species with scientific names beginning with "A". Each profile includes care requirements, water parameters, tank size recommendations, and compatibility information for freshwater, marine, and brackish species.
Welcome to the letter 'A' species index, featuring a diverse selection of aquarium inhabitants. Highlights include the popular Ocellaris clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris) and the unique Bristlenose Pleco (Ancistrus cirrhosus). Whether you prefer community fish like the Banded-tail glassy perchlet (Ambassis urotaenia) or specialized types, this section provides options for all aquarists.
10 species found
Bristletail Filefish (Aiptasia-Eating Filefish)
Acreichthys tomentosus
This little weirdo is one of my favorites because it's got that goofy filefish "face," a knack for wedging itself into rockwork, and a ton of personality once it settles in. People love them for the chance they'll snack on nuisance Aiptasia, but even when they're not on pest patrol they're just fun to watch cruise around and pick at stuff all day.
Banded-tail glassy perchlet
Ambassis urotaenia
This is one of those see-through glassy perchlets where you can literally watch the organs shimmer when it turns-super cool in the right lighting. In the wild it hangs around river mouths and mangroves and cruises in groups, so it does best when you keep a little gang of them and give them some open swimming room.
Dwarf chain loach
Ambastaia sidthimunki
This is the little "Sid" loach people fall in love with once they see a whole group doing their goofy zoomies and clicking at each other. They stay tiny but act like big loaches - always busy, always social, and way more confident when you keep them in a proper gang. Give them sand, hiding spots, and lots of buddies and they really shine.
Randall’s shrimp goby
Amblyeleotris randalli
Randall's shrimp goby is that little candy-cane striped goby you'll see parked at the entrance of a burrow, doing sentry duty like it's getting paid for it. The really fun part is the partnership with a pistol shrimp-goby keeps watch, shrimp does the digging, and they basically run a tiny construction site in your sand bed. Give it a cozy sand area and a few rubble bits and it'll settle in and start acting like it owns the place (in the cutest way).
Gorgeous prawn-goby
Amblyeleotris wheeleri
Amblyeleotris wheeleri is that classic shrimp-goby that picks a sandy spot, makes a burrow, and basically turns your tank into a little nature documentary if you pair it with a pistol shrimp. It hangs at the burrow entrance, does the whole lookout routine, and flashes those red bands and blue speckling when it is settled in.
Ocellaris clownfish
Amphiprion ocellaris
Ocellaris clowns are that classic orange clownfish look-three white bars, a little black edging, and a ton of attitude packed into a small fish. They'll "pick a spot" in the tank (often a corner or a coral) and do that cute hover-wiggle thing, and a bonded pair will usually settle in fast and act like they own the place.
Four-Eyed Fish
Anableps anableps
This is that wild-looking surface cruiser with the "four eyes" - each eye is split so it can watch above and below the water at the same time. It's super active and always patrolling the top, and it really shines in a long tank with room to zoom. Just don't treat it like a regular freshwater fish; it's way happier in brackish water and needs open surface space.
Pacific Four-Eyed Fish
Anableps dowii
This is the goofy, super-cool "four-eyed" fish that cruises the surface and looks like it's wearing little goggles-each eye is split so it can see above and below the water at the same time. They're active, always on the move, and they really shine in a long brackish tank where they can patrol the top like little patrol boats.
Bristlenose Pleco (Common Bristlenose)
Ancistrus cirrhosus
Ancistrus cf. cirrhosus is a small Loricariid catfish known for its sucker mouth, armored body plates, and the distinctive facial bristles (especially prominent in adult males). It is primarily nocturnal and spends much of its time grazing on biofilm and algae from surfaces, making it a popular, hardy "algae-eater" in community aquariums.
Colombian shark catfish
Ariopsis seemanni
This is that slick silver "shark-looking" catfish with the black fins and white tips that cruises around like it owns the place. The big gotcha is it's not a true freshwater community fish long-term-juveniles show up in shops as "freshwater," but as it grows it really wants brackish and eventually full marine conditions, plus a lot of swimming room.