Fish That Start With S
Browse all aquarium fish species with common names beginning with "S". Each profile includes care requirements, water parameters, tank size recommendations, and compatibility information for freshwater, marine, and brackish species.
The letter 'S' features a diverse range of aquarium species, from the vibrant Blue discus (Symphysodon aequifasciatus) to the unique Pajama Cardinalfish (Sphaeramia nematoptera). This section features a mix of popular community fish and interesting rarities, like the Spotted Mandarin Dragonet (Synchiropus picturatus), perfect for hobbyists wanting to enhance their aquariums.
Saadi dwarf stone loach
Turcinoemacheilus saadii
This is a little Iranian stone loach that lives glued to the bottom in fast, rocky streams, kinda like a tiny current-loving goby-but its a loach. The body has 7-9 dark saddle-shaped bands instead of a solid stripe, and it is built for scooting around coarse gravel and boulders in strong flow. Its not really an aquarium trade fish, but if you ever did keep one, you would set it up like a mini river tank with tons of oxygen and current.
Saddle wrasse
Thalassoma duperrey
This is the Hawaiian saddle wrasse - an always-on, cruise-the-rockwork kind of wrasse that constantly hunts little critters. Juveniles will sometimes do cleaner-fish behavior, then as they grow they turn into bold, fast, snack-hunters that can rearrange your clean-up crew.
SAIAB goatfish
Upeneus saiab
Upeneus saiab is a small demersal goatfish from northern Mozambique that cruises sandy bottoms and uses its chin barbels to hunt little critters. In fresh colors it has a subtle pale lateral stripe and a really eye-catching tail pattern (red oblique bars on the upper lobe and a mostly red lower lobe with a dark tip). This one is basically a wild marine fish from deeper water, so its more of a research/taxonomy fish than a realistic home-aquarium species.
Saikai grenadier (rattail)
Ventrifossa saikaiensis
This is a deepwater grenadier (rattail) from the western Pacific - the kind of fish that lives way down on the slope where its "aquarium" is basically cold, dark, and high pressure. It tops out around 25 cm and has that classic rattail look with a chin barbel, plus a ventral light organ. Cool animal, but realistically its not an aquarium species at all unless youre talking public-aquarium level coldwater deep-sea systems.
Sailfin cardinalfish
Quinca mirifica
This is a chunky, almost jet-black cardinalfish with a crisp white tail and an absurdly tall second dorsal fin - it looks like it belongs in a comic book villain lair. It hides in caves and crevices by day and comes out to hunt at night, and the males mouthbrood the eggs (with a wild courtship color change to bright silvery-white). It is a super range-restricted Western Australia species, so you do not see it often in the hobby.
Sailfin Pleco
Pterygoplichthys gibbiceps
The Sailfin Pleco is a large armored catfish from South America, recognizable by its tall, sail-like dorsal fin and the leopard-like pattern on its dark body. It is a hardy algae grazer when young but quickly becomes a very large, heavy-bodied fish that produces significant waste and requires substantial filtration and space.
Saka
Oreochromis saka
Oreochromis saka is a big Lake Malawi tilapia (one of the "chambo" group) that hangs around shallow, weedy shorelines and spends a lot of its time grazing diatoms and picking at bottom debris. Breeding males go very dark and the fish form breeding colonies off reedy shores, so they are way more "cichlid-y" in behavior than people expect from a tilapia. Taxonomy note: some references argue it may actually be the same species as Oreochromis karongae, so you will sometimes see that debate pop up when you research it.
Salt and pepper cory (Habrosus cory)
Corydoras habrosus
This is the tiny "salt and pepper" cory that scoots around the bottom like a little wind-up toy, constantly sifting and picking through the sand. Keep them in a real group and they get way bolder-lots of quick little dashes, little pauses, and then back to foraging. They're also one of those fish that really rewards a soft sandy bottom and calm tankmates.
Salvin's cichlid
Trichromis salvini
Trichromis salvini is that loud, high-contrast Central American cichlid that goes from kind of plain as a juvenile to straight-up neon yellow with blue spangling and a black spot-stripe as it matures. Its attitude ramps up hard once it pairs off, and it will absolutely claim a chunk of the tank like it owns the lease.
Samanti loach
Oxynoemacheilus seyhanensis
Oxynoemacheilus seyhanensis is a small Turkish brook loach from the Seyhan river system area - a bottom-hugger that wants clean, oxygen-rich water and lots of cover down low. In the wild it is a river fish and it's listed as Critically Endangered, so its real "cool factor" is more about being a rare, localized species than something you'll reliably see for sale.
Samoan surf sardine
Iso nesiotes
Iso nesiotes (Samoan surf sardine) is a very small surf-zone marine fish (family Isonidae) reported from places such as American Samoa and Pitcairn Island, inhabiting surf and waves around rocky headlands and reefs. Maximum reported size is about 4 cm TL; detailed life-history and aquarium husbandry information is limited.
San Marcos redtail splitfin
Xenotoca doadrioi
This is a little Mexican goodeid livebearer where the males do that awesome "blue body + orange/red tail" thing when they color up. They're super active, always grazing and pecking at surfaces, and they really appreciate cooler, clean, well-oxygenated water compared to your typical tropical livebearers.
Sanaga elephantnose (elephantfish)
Campylomormyrus phantasticus
This is a big, oddball elephantnose from Cameroon's Sanaga River, and it lives in that dim, sandy-bottom world where it uses a weak electric field to "see" and hunt. The long downturned snout is not just for looks - it is basically a living metal detector for worms and tiny critters in the substrate. Plan around its size and nighttime feeding habits, and it becomes one of those fish you can watch for hours.
Sand catfish
Arius arenarius
Arius arenarius is a small-ish sea catfish from coastal waters around southern China and Taiwan. It is a bottom-hugging brackish-to-marine catfish with the classic ariid look - chunky head shield, whiskers, and nasty fin spines that can absolutely ruin your day if you grab it wrong. This is more of a brackish/marine oddball than a community freshwater catfish, so it really fits best in a proper brackish setup.
Sand submarine
Limnichthys nitidus
Limnichthys nitidus is a tiny marine sandburrower found on surge-swept, coarse-sand patches near reefs (about 4–20 m), where it buries in sand and may occur in small groups. Aquarium suitability is not well documented in authoritative aquarium references; husbandry requirements are therefore uncertain and should be presented as experimental/rarely-kept rather than as established care.
Sandyback stingaree
Urolophus bucculentus
A large offshore stingaree endemic to southeastern Australia, typically found on soft bottoms along the outer continental shelf and upper slope (reported depth range about 65–265 m). Maximum reported length is at least ~80 cm TL (some references report up to ~89 cm TL).
Sangha rough catfish
Trachyglanis sanghensis
Trachyglanis sanghensis is a small African loach catfish (family Amphiliidae) known from the Sangha River near Ouesso in the Congo Basin (Republic of the Congo). Reported maximum size is about 5 cm TL.
Sanzo's goby
Lesueurigobius sanzi
Sanzo's goby is a small offshore goby from the eastern Atlantic and western Mediterranean that lives out on muddy sand/mud bottoms in fairly deep water. Its whole vibe is a subtle, bottom-hugging demersal fish rather than a rockpool goby, so its "best life" is more about open sandy areas than reefy structure.
Sargassum triggerfish
Xanthichthys ringens
Xanthichthys ringens is that slick, open-water-ish Atlantic trigger that looks like it got dusted with tiny freckles, then finished off with a red-trimmed tail. In the wild it hangs on deeper reef slopes and the juveniles cruise around floating Sargassum, which is just a cool life story for a trigger. Its vibe is generally calmer than the really nasty trigger species, but it is still a triggerfish with real teeth and opinions once it settles in.
Saul's whale catfish
Denticetopsis sauli
This is one of those ultra-tiny South American whale catfish that most people will never see in the trade - it tops out around 2 cm. Its whole vibe is "secretive little bottom-hanger" from blackwater-style habitats, so in an aquarium it would spend a lot of time tucked into leaf litter and small caves if you could even source one.
Saw-spined round ray
Urotrygon serrula
Urotrygon serrula is a small round stingray from the Eastern Pacific that spends its time hugging the bottom in coastal waters. It is not really an aquarium species - even though it stays fairly small, it is a marine ray with specialized needs and a venomous spine, so it belongs in professional-scale setups, not a typical home tank.
Saya scaldfish
Arnoglossus sayaensis
Arnoglossus sayaensis is a marine lefteye flounder (Bothidae) described from the Saya de Malha Bank in the western Indian Ocean; FishBase lists a maximum size of 14.7 cm SL. It is reported from deep water (about 191–254 m) and is a bottom-dwelling flatfish.
Scale-eyed flounder
Lepidoblepharon ophthalmolepis
Deepwater bathydemersal citharid flounder from the western Pacific, reported from ~310–428 m on mud bottoms. Notable for very large eyes on the right side that are covered with scales. Rare and apparently not marketed; aquarium husbandry is essentially undocumented and this species is not a practical home-aquarium fish.
Scalycheek shrimpgoby
Vanderhorstia lepidobucca
This is a tiny shrimp-associated goby described from Sulawesi, Indonesia. Like other Vanderhorstia, it is associated with burrows made by alpheid snapping shrimp (Alpheus spp.), where the goby typically hovers/stands guard near the burrow entrance. Maximum reported size is 4.0 cm SL.