Fish That Start With D
Browse all aquarium fish species with common names beginning with "D". Each profile includes care requirements, water parameters, tank size recommendations, and compatibility information for freshwater, marine, and brackish species.
The letter 'D' features a diverse range of aquarium species, from popular community fish to intriguing predators. You'll find striking species like the vibrant Celestial Pearl Danio (Danio margaritatus) and the hardy Zebra Danio (Danio rerio), along with unique pufferfish like the Green Spotted Puffer (Dichotomyctere nigroviridis). This variety helps aquarists find the right choices for their tanks.
Danube delta dwarf goby
Knipowitschia cameliae
This is a tiny little bottom-dwelling goby from a single lagoon system near the Danube Delta in Romania. It stays under about an inch and a half, and the males can show dark barring when in breeding colors. Honestly, it is more of a conservation-interest species than an aquarium fish - it is Critically Endangered and may even be possibly extinct in the wild.
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.
Darkspotted catfish
Aspidoras fuscoguttatus
Think of this one like a tiny Cory cousin with a busier little spot pattern and a ton of "shuffle and sift" energy on the bottom. It is happiest when you keep a proper little group and give it sand, plants, and some cover so it feels secure enough to cruise around in the open.
Darwin's knifefish
Gymnotus darwini
Gymnotus darwini is a smaller banded knifefish from coastal river drainages in Pernambuco, northeastern Brazil. Like other Gymnotus, it navigates and hunts using a weak electric field and tends to be most active after lights-out, cruising along the bottom and through cover. It is a cool oddball fish, but its exact aquarium needs are not well documented because it is a recently described species and not common in the trade.
Datangzi Marsh Yunnan loach
Yunnanilus macrogaster
This is a little Chinese stone loach from a weedy marsh system in Yunnan, and it tops out around 7 cm (under 3 inches). Its name literally points at the chunky, swollen-belly look (macrogaster = large stomach), and it is an insect-and-worm picker that hangs along the bottom.
Day's catfish
Nedystoma dayi
Nedystoma dayi is a small ariid catfish from turbid freshwater rivers in central-southern New Guinea. Its whole vibe is lurking along the bottom in murky water and picking off aquatic insect larvae, so its look and lifestyle are very much a "river-bottom" fish rather than a showy planted-tank centerpiece.
Declivitas mbuna
Iodotropheus declivitas
Iodotropheus declivitas is a little Lake Malawi mbuna that hangs around rocky reefs and spends a lot of its day picking at algae and tiny bits of food off the rocks. It stays pretty small for an mbuna, but it still does that classic cichlid thing of claiming a cave and showing off once it settles in. The big catch is its ID and availability - its often discussed alongside (and sometimes confused with) Iodotropheus sprengerae.
Decorated dragonfish
Eustomias decoratus
Eustomias decoratus is a deep-sea dragonfish (family Stomiidae) from the western central Atlantic around Bermuda. Like other Eustomias, it is a pelagic predator built for the dark - long body, big mouth, and a chin barbel used in hunting and signaling. This is absolutely not an aquarium species in any normal sense, since its real habitat is open ocean at depth and it will not tolerate typical captive conditions.
Decorated ponyfish
Nuchequula gerreoides
This is a little Indo-West Pacific ponyfish that hangs around coastal bottoms and wanders into estuaries, so it is a saltwater fish that can handle brackish too. In the wild it hunts tiny crustaceans when young and shifts into a more mixed, grab-what-you-can menu as it grows, which is very "estuary survivor" behavior. Cool little silvery fish, but its need for marine/brackish conditions (and the fact FishBase lists the family as basically not an aquarium fish) makes it a pretty niche, specialist keep.
Deepwater airbreathing catfish
Bathyclarias atribranchus
This is one of Lake Malawi's weird, deep-living clariid catfish, hanging out on the bottom below about 70 m in the wild. What makes it extra cool is the dark, almost black gill filaments and suprabranchial (air-breathing) organ that the species is named for. Not really an aquarium fish in any normal sense - it gets big and comes from deep water.
Deep-water arrowtooth eel
Dysomma intermedium
Dysomma intermedium is a marine cutthroat eel from the South China Sea off Vietnam, described in 2024 and currently only known from its type series. It is an eel-shaped, bottom-associated fish that lives around 50-80 m depth, so its "aquarium care" is basically not a normal home-hobby species situation. Cool bit of trivia: FishBase lists no established common name for it, which is pretty typical for newly described deepwater eels.
Demon Stingerfish
Inimicus caledonicus
This is that sand-burying, venom-spined ambush predator you sometimes see labeled as a demon stinger or goblinfish. It literally "walks" on its front fin rays and will sit camouflaged until a shrimp or small fish wanders too close. Awesome to watch, but very much a specialist fish that needs careful handling and the right tankmates.
Denison barb
Sahyadria denisonii
This is that sleek "torpedo" barb with the red racing stripe and black line-built for constant cruising in the middle of the tank. They're happiest in a proper group with lots of open swim room and really clean, oxygen-rich water with some flow. Get a school going and they look like a little pack of mini river missiles.
Densely scaled Yunnan loach
Yunnanilus polylepis
Yunnanilus polylepis is a tiny, newly-described stone loach from Yunnan, China that lives over plants in a deep pool, not a raging riffle. Males and females even look different (males show a dark side stripe), and the species name is literally about having lots of scales, which is a fun oddball trait for this group.
Diamond Barb (trade name; confirm ID carefully—name is inconsistently applied)
Hypsibarbus pierrei
This is one of those barbs that starts out looking fairly "normal" as a youngster, then turns into a big, fast river fish with a really cool diamond-sheen when it colors up. It does best in a big, well-oxygenated setup and really looks its best when you keep it in a proper group instead of a pair or solo.
Diamond Tetra
Moenkhausia pittieri
Diamond tetras are one of those fish that look kind of plain in the bag, then you get them settled in and they start throwing off this glittery, diamond-like shine when the light hits them-super satisfying to watch. They're active, always cruising around the midwater, and in a nice little school they'll do that tight, synchronized swimming thing that makes the tank feel alive.
Diamond Watchman Goby
Valenciennea puellaris
This is that sand-sifting goby you'll see cruising the bottom, taking huge mouthfuls of sand and spitting it out like a little construction crew. It's awesome for keeping a sandy substrate looking clean, but it'll also redecorate-so anything sitting on the sand is gonna get buried or undermined sooner or later. Super cool personality too, especially once it picks a favorite burrow and starts "working" all day.
Dianchi stone loach
Sphaerophysa dianchiensis
This is a tiny Chinese nemacheilid (stone loach) that lived on the bottom in Lake Dianchi, Yunnan. Sadly, its whole story in the hobby is basically that it is a super-local endemic that is listed as Critically Endangered and may even be gone from the wild, so it is not something you should expect to ever see for sale.
Disalvo's goby
Kelloggella disalvoi
Kelloggella disalvoi is a tiny little marine goby from Easter Island that tops out at just a couple centimeters, the kind of fish that can disappear in a rockscape if you blink. It is more of a cryptic, tidepool-style goby than a "show fish," so the fun is watching it perch, scoot, and hug the bottom like a little living punctuation mark.
Discolored Yunnan loach
Yunnanilus discoloris
A small nemacheilid (stone loach) endemic to Yunnan, China, known from a single tributary spring (White Dragon Spring) in the Lake Dianchi drainage. The species is named for strong sexual dimorphism in coloration and is assessed as Critically Endangered, with threats including habitat modification and introduced species; it is not a standard aquarium-trade species and species-specific husbandry information is scarce.
Distant goby
Lythrypnus insularis
Lythrypnus insularis is a tiny little reef goby from the Revillagigedo Islands (Mexico) that hangs tight to rocky reef crevices and walls. Its reddish body with lots of narrow blue bars is super slick up close, and because it is only about an inch long, it lives a very "hide, peek, and dart" kind of life in the rocks.
Distichodus brevipinnis
Distichodus brevipinnis
This is one of those West African river bruisers that looks kind of "tinfoil barb-ish" when its young, then just keeps growing and growing. As it gets size on it, it turns into a seriously chunky, fast swimmer that will redecorate your tank the way it wants, especially if you try to keep plants.
Doce River moenkhausia (lambari)
Moenkhausia doceana
Moenkhausia doceana is a Brazilian characin from the Doce and Mucuri river basins - basically a regional "lambari" type tetra. In the wild it hangs in the water column of clear, moving streams and picks off insect larvae and other little buggy bits, so it tends to do best in a roomy tank with good flow and a group of its own kind.