Fish That Start With P
Browse all aquarium fish species with common names beginning with "P". Each profile includes care requirements, water parameters, tank size recommendations, and compatibility information for freshwater, marine, and brackish species.
The 'P' species index showcases a diverse range of aquarium fish, from popular community favorites to unique and captivating specimens. Notable species include the vibrant Cardinal Tetra (Paracheirodon axelrodi) and the colorful Guppy (Poecilia reticulata), alongside intriguing options like the Striped Krib (Pelvicachromis taeniatus). Whether you are looking for schooling fish, hardy livebearers, or beautiful cichlids, this selection provides ample choices for aquarists of all levels.
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.
Pacific blue-eye
Pseudomugil signifer
Pacific blue-eyes are tiny Aussie "blue-eye" fish with those unreal electric-blue eyes and a nice little shimmer when they're in a group. Give them plants, gentle flow, and a proper shoal, and the males will posture and flare at each other in this super cool, non-lethal (usually) displayy way. They'll also tolerate a bit of salt (brackish), which is handy if you're doing an estuary-style setup.
Pacific bluestripe pipefish
Doryrhamphus melanopleura
This is one of the little flagtail pipefish with the long snout and that flashy tail fan with orange spots. In a calm reef tank it tends to hover around rock crevices and pick at tiny prey all day, so it is a super cool fish to watch - but it really needs gentle tankmates and frequent small meaty foods.
Pacific rock sole
Lepidopsetta bilineata
This is a cold-water right-eyed flatfish from the North Pacific that lives on sand-and-gravel bottoms and tops out around 2 feet. It is a bottom-hugging predator that munches worms, crustaceans, and other benthic critters, and it is really more of a public-aquarium/sea pen kind of animal than a home-tank fish.
Pajama Cardinalfish
Sphaeramia nematoptera
This little cardinalfish looks like it got dressed in a rush-polka-dot back half, bold stripes up front, and that neon-orange tail spot that really pops under reef lights. It's a super chill, "hang in the shadows" kind of fish that likes to hover around rockwork and just cruise calmly all day. If you keep a small group, they'll often tuck in together and make your tank feel instantly more alive without causing any drama.
Palau grenadier
Ventrifossa macroptera
This is a deepwater rattail (grenadier) that lives way down on the slope - think roughly 685-710 m - so it is absolutely not an aquarium fish in any normal sense. Cool details though: it has a dark first dorsal fin and a blackish pattern on the head, and it tops out around 40 cm (about 16 inches).
Pale-spotted eel
Ophichthus puncticeps
This is a saltwater snake eel from the western Atlantic that spends a lot of its life down on the bottom and will happily disappear into sand. It gets way too large for most home aquariums, and like other burrowing eels it is an escape artist if the lid is not tight.
Panamanian banded knifefish
Gymnotus panamensis
Gymnotus panamensis is a little Central American electric knifefish that cruises around mostly at night, using a weak electric field to navigate and sniff out food. Its banding is more of a mottled, broken-up look than clean zebra stripes, and it really appreciates a dim tank with lots of cover where it can feel secure.
Panamanian lightfish
Yarrella argenteola
Yarrella argenteola is a deep-water lightfish from the Panama Gulf, living way down in the bathypelagic zone. Its whole deal is being a midwater, deep-sea predator-ish micronekton fish with light-organ family vibes - super cool biologically, but basically never an aquarium species because it comes from hundreds of meters down.
Panda Corydoras (Panda Cory)
Corydoras panda
Corydoras panda is a small, bottom-dwelling catfish known for its pale body with distinctive black patches over the eyes and near the tail, resembling a panda's markings. It is a peaceful, social schooling species that does best in groups and appreciates soft substrate and clean, well-oxygenated water. Like other corydoras, it forages constantly and should be offered sinking foods rather than relying on leftovers.
Panda dwarf cichlid
Apistogramma nijsseni
A. nijsseni is one of those apistos that looks like it has face paint on - especially the females when they are fired up and guarding a cave. Give them leaf litter, little hidey-holes, and calm tankmates and they will show off tons of personality, with the female doing most of the up-close fry care while the male patrols the territory.
Panda loach
Yaoshania pachychilus
Hillstream loach from fast, highly oxygenated mountain streams; thrives in a mature, algae/biofilm-rich river-style aquarium with strong flow and smooth rocks. Peaceful but social, and best kept in groups where they become more active and confident.
Panther knifefish
Rhamphichthys pantherinus
This is a weakly-electric South American sand knifefish (family Rhamphichthyidae) with a long tubular snout. It is associated with soft-bottom habitats and is largely bottom-oriented; provide a soft sand substrate and secure cover. Note that some authorities have treated Rhamphichthys pantherinus as a synonym of Rhamphichthys marmoratus (provisionally), so older sources may use different names.
Papilio cichlid
Xenotilapia papilio
Xenotilapia papilio is a small Lake Tanganyika cichlid that feeds by taking in mouthfuls of sediment/sand and filtering out tiny invertebrates. It inhabits rocky areas with sand (rock–sand transition zones) and shows biparental mouthbrooding, with adults forming territories/pairs during reproduction.
Papuan blenny
Rhabdoblennius papuensis
This is a tiny little combtooth blenny from the wave-smacked, super-shallow shoreline around Papua New Guinea. It is the kind of fish that spends its time glued to rocks, picking at film algae and micro-stuff, and wedging itself into tight crevices when it feels like it. Cool pick for a saltwater nano if you can actually source one and give it the right rocky, high-oxygen setup.
Pasca
Paragoniates alburnus
Paragoniates alburnus (often called the pasca) is a slim, silvery Amazon characin that tops out around 6-7 cm. Its vibe is very much "open-water, always on the move," so it does best in a roomy tank with a current and a group of its own kind.
Peacock gudgeon
Tateurndina ocellicauda
Peacock gudgeons are little jewel-fish from eastern Papua New Guinea with that awesome "eye spot" on the tail and a ton of blue/yellow/red speckling. They're gentle most of the time, but the males get pretty into cave/crevice territory when they're thinking about spawning-and watching the male guard and fan eggs is seriously cool.
Pearly hairtail
Trichiurus auriga
This is a real-deal marine cutlassfish - long, silver, and built like a ribbon with a mouth full of grabby teeth. Its care is basically "public-aquarium predator" territory: it wants big open swimming room, strong filtration, and meaty foods, and it will happily eat tankmates that look snack-sized.
Pearly-finned cardinalfish
Jaydia poeciloptera
This is a nocturnal Indo-West Pacific cardinalfish that spends the day tucked away (even hiding in holes in soft mud) and comes out at night to feed. The really cool part is the breeding style - they pair up, and the male mouthbroods the eggs like a little floating nursery.
Pencil catfish
Ituglanis amphipotamus
This is a small, secretive trichomycterid catfish from southeastern Brazil that hugs the bottom and likes to wedge itself into tight spots. It comes from fast-flowing water over rock and sand, so it does best in a well-oxygenated setup with current and lots of little caves or crevices to vanish into.
Peppered moray
Uropterygius polystictus
Uropterygius polystictus (the peppered moray, aka many-spotted moray) is a reef-associated moray from the Eastern Pacific that spends most of its time wedged into rockwork and popping its head out to watch the room. It tops out around 72 cm/28 in, so its "hiding in the rocks" vibe can fool people into under-tanking it - give it serious caves and a truly escape-proof lid.
Persian loach
Oxynoemacheilus persa
This is a little bottom-hugging stone loach from Iran that spends its time cruising the substrate and poking around for food. It does best when you set the tank up like a cool, clean stream - lots of oxygen, flow, smooth rocks, and hiding spots - and you will see way more natural behavior.
Peruvian chromis
Azurina intercrusma
Azurina intercrusma is a bigger, cool-water chromis from the rocky reefs off Peru down into Chile. It spends a lot of time out in the water column grabbing zooplankton, and in the wild the male will guard and fan the eggs after spawning. Not really a typical home-aquarium fish unless you're set up for a temperate marine system (most reef tanks run too warm).
Peruvian tetra
Hyphessobrycon peruvianus
Hyphessobrycon peruvianus is a small Upper Amazon tetra from Peru that really comes alive in a proper group - the shoaling is the whole point with this one. Keep it in soft-ish, slightly acidic water and it will stay active and calm, with that classic Hyphessobrycon vibe of always being in motion without being a jerk.