Fish That Start With H
Browse all aquarium fish species with common names beginning with "H". Each profile includes care requirements, water parameters, tank size recommendations, and compatibility information for freshwater, marine, and brackish species.
The letter 'H' in our aquarium species index showcases a diverse range of vibrant and popular community fish, including the striking Ember Tetra (Hyphessobrycon amandae) and the distinct Silver Tip Tetra (Hasemania nana). From the lively Black Neon Tetra (Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodi) to the charming Lemon Tetra (Hyphessobrycon pulchripinnis), these species are perfect for hobbyists looking to enhance their freshwater aquariums with colorful schooling fish.
Hairy blenny
Labrisomus nuchipinnis
This is a chunky little rock-dweller that basically lives in holes and crevices and zips to the next hideout when it gets spooked. Males can show reddish color on the lower head and belly, and they are territorial spawners with the male guarding the eggs. Super cool fish to watch if you like cryptic, perch-and-pounce hunters more than open-water swimmers.
Hairy pipefish
Urocampus carinirostris
This is a tiny, stick-thin pipefish that lives in seagrass and algae beds and uses its prehensile tail to hang on like a little underwater chameleon. The coolest part is the "hairy" fringing (little filaments) all over the body that breaks up its outline, and like other syngnathids the male carries the eggs in a brood pouch under the tail.
Half-banded kuhli loach
Pangio semicincta
Pangio semicincta is one of those classic "striped kuhli" loaches that spends the day wedged in plants and caves, then comes out at lights-down to wiggle around like a tiny eel. They're super social once you keep a proper group, and they're famous for piling into the same hidey-hole together. Also: they're one of the species that gets mixed up/mislabeled in the trade a lot, so buying from a shop that IDs them carefully is a win.
Harelip sucker
Moxostoma lacerum
Moxostoma lacerum (the harelip sucker, also called the hairlip redhorse) was a temperate North American sucker with a really odd split lower lip and a specialized bottom-feeding setup. Sadly its whole story is basically a cautionary tale - it was sensitive to silt and habitat changes, and it is now listed as Extinct (IUCN assessed August 4, 2012).
Harlequin Rasbora
Trigonostigma heteromorpha
Harlequin rasboras are those little coppery-orange fish with the bold black "wedge" on their sides that somehow look even better once they're cruising in a group. Give them a nice school and some plants to weave through and they'll do this tight, synchronized swimming thing that's honestly kind of hypnotic.
Harlequin filefish
Oxymonacanthus longirostris
This is that super-cool orange-spotted, long-snouted filefish that hangs tight in branching Acropora like it's part of the coral. In the wild it's basically an Acropora-polyp specialist and usually lives in pairs, which is exactly why it's so tricky in home aquariums unless you're ready for the feeding challenge.
Hartt's banjo catfish
Bunocephalus hartti
Bunocephalus hartti is a tiny little banjo catfish from the Sao Francisco basin in Brazil that lives its best life looking like a dead leaf and pretending it does not exist. Give it sand and leaf litter and it will vanish for days, then suddenly pop out at night like a little cryptid vacuuming up food off the bottom.
Head-and-Tail Light Tetra
Hemigrammus ocellifer
This little tetra does a neat trick in the light-there's a shiny "headlight" spot near the gills and a glowing "taillight" at the base of the tail, so the whole school kind of sparkles as they turn. They're super chill in a group, and they look way better the bigger the shoal is and the more plants you give them to cruise through.
Hermaphroditus mangrove killifish
Kryptolebias hermaphroditus
This is one of those weirdly amazing little mangrove killifish where most individuals are self-fertile hermaphrodites, so a single fish can produce eggs on its own. In the wild its tied to Brazilian mangroves and coastal canals, and it tends to live a pretty secretive, solo life in shallow, mucky, low-oxygen spots.
Hewett's coris
Coris hewetti
Coris hewetti is a smaller Coris wrasse that (as far as records show) is only known from the Marquesas Islands in the eastern central Pacific. It cruises mixed sand-and-rubble areas picking at tiny bottom critters, and the males do a pretty wild little courtship display where they flare fins and even shift color.
Hexi stone loach
Triplophysa hexiensis
This one is a little taxonomic curveball: Triplophysa rossoperegrinatorum (Prokofiev, 2001) is treated as a synonym of Triplophysa hexiensis in major references, so in the hobby you will basically want to think of it as T. hexiensis. Its a bottom-dwelling river loach from northern China that likes clean, well-oxygenated water and spends a lot of time hugging the substrate and darting between rocks.
Highfin sand perch
Diplectrum labarum
Diplectrum labarum is a small serranid (sea bass relative) from the Tropical Eastern Pacific that hangs around sandy-muddy bottoms and eats meaty stuff like crustaceans and small fish. The cool part is the look: those tall, filament-y front dorsal spines plus the bold bars and tail-spot make it stand out fast when you see one.
Highland swordtail
Xiphophorus malinche
Xiphophorus malinche is a smaller, cooler-water swordtail from fast, clear rivers in Mexico, and the males can show a really neat golden-brown look with blue/purple sheen plus a short yellow sword. It is a livebearer, but it is not the "toss it in a warm community tank" kind of swordtail - it does best kept cool with very clean, oxygen-rich water.
Hoki
Macruronus novaezelandiae
This is hoki (also sold as blue grenadier) — a deepwater, slope-associated marine fish found around New Zealand and southern Australia (and also off South America). It reaches about 1.2–1.3 m and lives in deep, cool waters, making it unsuitable for home aquaria.
Honey gourami
Trichogaster chuna
Honey gouramis are those little chill labyrinth fish that spend a lot of time cruising the upper half of the tank and "feeling" around with their long thread-like belly fins. Give them plants (especially floaters) and calm tankmates and they really settle in-males can glow that warm honey/orange color and will build bubble nests at the surface.
Howes' prodontocharax
Prodontocharax howesi
This is a tiny Amazon-basin cheirodontine characin associated with unusual jaw/tooth morphology in the Prodontocharax/Amblystilbe group. Recent revisionary work revalidated the genus Amblystilbe and treats Amblystilbe howesi as distinct; older secondary sources may list the fish under Prodontocharax howesi, so identification and naming can be inconsistent in non-specialist contexts.
Hubei sharpbelly
Xenocypris hupeinensis
Xenocypris hupeinensis is a freshwater sharpbelly (family Xenocyprididae) endemic to China, reported from the middle and upper reaches of the Changjiang (Yangtze) River system, with a maximum recorded length of about 25.6 cm TL. Aquarium husbandry information appears scarce in mainstream hobby references; any care guidance should be treated as extrapolation from similar open-water cypriniform fishes rather than species-specific data.
Humpbacked cardinalfish
Yarica hyalosoma
This is a chunky little cardinalfish that hangs out in mangrove creeks and river mouths, often in small groups in shallow, shady water. The look is super distinctive - pale/translucent body, and that bold black spot at the base of the tail - and like a lot of cardinalfish, the males mouthbrood the eggs.
Hung's silvermouth cardinalfish
Jaydia hungi
Jaydia hungi is a little marine cardinalfish from the western Indian Ocean (including the Red Sea) that spends its time down near the bottom and comes alive more at night. Like a lot of cardinalfish, the cool party trick is the male mouthbroods the eggs, so breeding behavior is way more interesting than you would guess from a small, silvery fish.
Hyaline cardinalfish
Foa hyalina
This is a tiny little reef cardinalfish that looks almost glass-clear with a few reddish-brown stripes, so it kind of vanishes when it hangs in soft corals. In the wild it tends to be solitary and it tucks itself into Sinularia-type soft coral for cover, then comes alive more at night like a lot of cardinals do. Like other apogonids, it is a mouthbrooder, so once you see a male holding, he will go off food for a bit.
Hypostomus scaphyceps (suckermouth armored catfish)
Hypostomus albopunctatus
This one is a wild Brazilian Hypostomus from the Paranapanema River basin - basically a true armored suckermouth catfish, not something you usually see labeled clearly in shops. One big gotcha: the often-quoted max size of 3.5 cm is very likely based on a juvenile record, so I would not plan a tiny tank around it.
Hyrtl's catfish
Neosilurus hyrtlii
This is an Aussie eel-tail catfish that looks like a sleek little catfish-meets-eel, especially when it flashes those yellow fins. It spends a lot of time cruising the bottom and hoovering up meaty bits, and it can get way bigger than people expect if you keep it well fed and give it swimming room.