Fish That Start With K
Browse all aquarium fish species with common names beginning with "K". Each profile includes care requirements, water parameters, tank size recommendations, and compatibility information for freshwater, marine, and brackish species.
The letter 'K' features some interesting aquarium fish. Notable species include the Kribensis (Pelvicachromis pulcher), a popular community fish known for its vibrant colors, and the Killifish (various genera), which are often sought after for their unique breeding behaviors. While our current database does not include species starting with 'K', this letter showcases a diverse range of captivating fish, from peaceful community dwellers to more specialized varieties.
Kaie's shield pleco
Corymbophanes kaiei
Small loricariid catfish from the Upper Potaro (Potaro River drainage above Kaieteur Falls) in Guyana; described as having distinct alternating light/dark bands on the caudal fin and diagnostic armored-pleco morphology.
Kamdem's killifish
Fundulopanchax kamdemi
This is a rainforest Fundulopanchax from western Cameroon, found in shallow swampy pools and tiny forest creeks. Males get a really striking red band along the belly area and are classic "surface killi" escape artists, so a tight lid is non-negotiable. It's not a hard fish once settled, but it appreciates very soft, acidic-leaning water and some cover so the female can get breaks from a pushy male.
Kampen's ilisha
Ilisha kampeni
Kampen's ilisha is a small, silvery coastal herring-relative that cruises nearshore waters and will also push into rivers when it feels like it. Its whole vibe is fast, open-water, plankton-and-small-fish hunting - not really a cozy planted-tank fish, more like a little pelagic sprinter that wants room and current.
Kanabo Badis
Badis kanabos
Kanabo Badis is a slender little chameleonfish from Indias Brahmaputra system that stays tiny and loves sneaking through plants and leaf litter. Males flash mood colors and posture over small patches, but most of the time they are busy stalking tiny live foods and making quick ambush dashes.
Kaup's pipefish
Enneacampus kaupi
Enneacampus kaupi is a skinny little West African pipefish that likes to lurk through algae and basically cosplay as a piece of vegetation. Its whole vibe is slow, sneaky, and ultra-picky at feeding time - super cool if you enjoy target-feeding and watching hunting behavior up close. It shows up from brackish estuaries and coastal rivers, so a slightly brackish setup is often the safest long-term direction.
Kaup's snake eel
Yirrkala kaupii
Yirrkala kaupii is a skinny little snake eel that spends a lot of its time down on the bottom, and its whole vibe is more "hide and cruise" than "swim around for show". FishBase lists it as a freshwater-brackish, demersal tropical species from Indonesia and the Philippines, topping out around 35 cm (about 14 inches), so it is not really a standard home-aquarium fish.
Kelp gunnel
Ulvicola sanctaerosae
This is a skinny little kelp-forest perch that literally hangs out up in the kelp canopy and chills on the fronds. One of the coolest bits is how it uses its tail to wrap onto kelp like a grip, then picks off tiny crustaceans drifting by. Not really an aquarium trade fish, but its a super neat West Coast oddball if you ever see one while diving.
Kerala sole
Zebrias keralensis
This is a small, sand-hugging marine sole from the Kerala coast area, with that classic zebra-style banding that helps it vanish the second it settles onto the bottom. Its whole deal is staying low, burying in fine sand, and picking off tiny bottom critters - super cool fish, but not really something you see in the aquarium trade.
Kermadec dwarfgoby
Eviota kermadecensis
This is a true micro-goby from the Kermadec Islands (Raoul Island area) - the kind of tiny reef fish that basically lives in the nooks and crannies and makes you stare at your rockwork more. Its whole vibe is cryptic and subtle, but that is exactly why dwarfgobies are so addicting once you start noticing them.
Kimura's sole
Aseraggodes kimurai
Aseraggodes kimurai is a tiny little marine sole (flatfish) from the western Pacific that spends its life glued to the bottom, blending into sand and rubble like a living leaf. Its whole vibe is stealth and camouflage, and it is the kind of fish you forget is even there until it scoots and re-buries itself. Super cool animal, but honestly not really an aquarium fish because it is a specialized bottom-dweller that wants live micro-food and a mature sandbed.
Kingi dragonfish
Bathophilus kingi
Bathophilus kingi is a tiny deep-sea dragonfish that lives way down in the dark, with that classic stomiid vibe: slim body, big teeth, and built for hunting in open water. It is not an aquarium fish in any realistic sense - it is a bathypelagic marine species that comes from extreme depths where pressure and conditions are totally different from home tanks.
Knight Goby
Stigmatogobius sadanundio
Knight gobies are those chunky, spotty "estuary" gobies that perch on the bottom, scoot between caves, and then suddenly dash out like little predators. They're super fun to watch because they're territorial in a goby way (lots of posturing) and they'll even breed in caves when they're happy. They do best long-term when you treat them like an estuary fish: hard, alkaline water and (often) a bit of salt.
Kobe flounder
Crossorhombus kobensis
This is a tiny little lefteye flounder that lives out on deeper sandy or shelly bottoms, and it has that classic flatfish vibe where it just vanishes into the substrate. One really cool quirk: males can show a dark-blue stain/pattern on the blind side, and the pectoral fin can be drawn out into a long filament. Its a true marine, demersal fish - not really an aquarium-trade species, more of a neat oddball you read about than one you run into for sale.
Kocha garua
Clupisoma montanum
Clupisoma montanum is a freshwater schilbeid catfish from India and Nepal that occurs in rapid rivers/streams and hill streams; it is best maintained with high oxygenation, strong filtration, and very clean water.
Kribensis
Pelvicachromis pulcher
Kribensis are one of those dwarf cichlids that pack a ton of personality into a small fish-especially once they pick a cave and start acting like proud homeowners. The female's purple/red belly when she's in breeding mode is the real show-stealer, and the pair will do seriously impressive parent-care if they spawn.
Kryptos banjo catfish
Xyliphius kryptos
Xyliphius kryptos is one of those super-weird little banjo catfish that basically disappears into sand and leaf litter and acts like a living chunk of driftwood. It comes from the Lake Maracaibo basin in Venezuela, stays fairly small (around 11 cm), and spends most of its time hiding and cruising the bottom after dark.
Kuiter's deepsea clingfish
Kopua kuiteri
Kopua kuiteri is a tiny deepwater clingfish from southern Australia that lives way down on the seafloor, not in the usual home-aquarium world. It is the kind of fish that sticks to hard surfaces with a suction disc and is basically a cool biology oddball rather than something you will realistically keep at home.
Kulbicki's pipefish
Festucalex kulbickii
This is a tiny reef pipefish from the western-central Pacific that hangs around coastal reefs and blends in with bands and ridges like a little living piece of reef debris. Like other syngnathids, the male broods the eggs in a pouch, which is honestly one of the coolest fish-family flexes in the hobby. It is not a commonly kept aquarium fish, and there are basically no solid reports of long-term captive success for this exact species, so I would treat it as a specialist-only pipefish.
Kurua jupiaba
Jupiaba kurua
Jupiaba kurua is a clearwater Xingu-basin characin that gets a lot bigger than your typical little tetra, with a cool speckled look on the scales and a solid dark spot on the tail base. Its a busy, midwater swimmer and an omnivore that will happily chase down insects and also pick at plant/algae bits, so it acts more like a chunky river tetra than a delicate community nano fish.