Fish That Start With P - Page 2 of 2
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.
Peterson's grenadier
Ventrifossa petersonii
Deepwater marine bathydemersal grenadier (family Macrouridae) from the Indian Ocean region; reported depth range about 296–1019 m (often ~350–700 m). Not a practical aquarium species due to deepwater capture/handling constraints and cold, dim habitat requirements.
Pfeffer's cichlid
Jabarichromis pfefferi
This is a Lake Tanganyika predator that cruises the sand-rock transition zones and picks off shrimp and other little inverts. It is not a neon show-fish - more of a subtle, tough, hunting-style cichlid with a cool mouthbrooding setup. Give it space, hard alkaline water, and a sandy bottom and it will act like it owns a big chunk of the tank.
Phenax brotula
Brotula phenax
Brotula phenax is a marine cusk-eel (brotula) from Vietnam waters in the western-central Pacific. Its species name basically means "imposter" because it looks super close to the better-known Brotula multibarbata, and honestly thats a good hint that this one is still pretty poorly documented in the hobby.
Philippine cardinalfish
Ostorhinchus mydrus
Ostorhinchus mydrus is a little marine cardinalfish from the Philippines that hangs around coral reefs and comes alive at night. Like a lot of cardinals, its claim to fame is the male carrying the eggs in his mouth - super cool behavior if you ever get to see a pair settle in and spawn.
Philippine slender flounder
Japonolaeops gracilis
Japonolaeops gracilis (syn. Laeops gracilis) is a marine bathydemersal lefteye flounder (Bothidae) recorded from sandy/muddy bottoms in deep water (reported roughly ~180-500 m; FishBase records ~197-216 m). Maximum size reported up to about 20 cm SL (also reported ~16-16.5 cm TL). It is a deepwater species and is not an established aquarium fish.
Poso halfbeak
Nomorhamphus celebensis
This is a cool little Sulawesi halfbeak that spends most of its time cruising the surface and picking food right off the top. They do best in a small group with lots of surface cover (floating plants are perfect), and they really reward you if you keep the water clean and stable. Also worth knowing: a lot of info online mixes up their exact habitat, and that can lead people to keep them too warm.
Pseudomussullah barb
Hypselobarbus pseudomussullah
This is a Western Ghats river barb from India that gets to a solid hand-sized fish, built for cruising midwater in current. Its whole claim to fame is how close it looks to Hypselobarbus mussullah - it was literally described as the 'pseudo' mussullah - so it is the kind of fish that can be mis-ID'd in the trade if it ever shows up.
Punk pleco
Neblinichthys pilosus
This is that weirdly awesome little pleco with the punk-rock bristles - mature males get those spiky odontodes on the head and snout that make it look like it rolled out of a 1980s show. It stays pretty small for a pleco, but it is a true wild-type fish from remote Venezuela, so it does best in a clean, oxygen-rich setup with lots of flow and hiding spots.
Purple tang
Zebrasoma xanthurum
This is the deep-purple tang with the bright yellow tail - it cruises the rockwork all day picking at algae like a little lawnmower. It has that classic Zebrasoma "sailfin" shape and a real attitude if you crowd it with other tangs, so give it room and let it be the boss (or at least think it is).
Pygmy corydoras
Corydoras pygmaeus
Pygmy cories are tiny little armored catfish that do this super-cool thing most cories don't: they'll cruise around in the midwater in a loose school instead of just shuffling along the bottom. Give them a soft sandy substrate, lots of plants to weave through, and a proper group, and they turn into nonstop little busybodies.
Pygmy filefish
Stephanolepis setifer
Stephanolepis setifer (pygmy filefish) is a Western Atlantic filefish often found over seagrass beds and sandy/muddy bottoms; juveniles commonly associate with floating seaweeds/sargassum. It has variable coloration for camouflage, reaches about 18–20 cm total length, and likely feeds on plants/algae and small invertebrates.
Pürzl's killifish
Fundulopanchax puerzli
Fundulopanchax puerzli is a freshwater killifish from western Cameroon (Lower Wouri system), inhabiting small rainforest streams and swampy/slow-moving waters. It reaches about 8 cm TL, and is typically maintained in soft water (around 2–5 dGH) with slightly acidic to near-neutral pH (around 6.8), subdued lighting, and dense cover/spawning mops or fine plants.