Fish That Start With S - Page 4 of 4
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.
Spottedfin sand cichlid
Xenotilapia spilopterus
Xenotilapia spilopterus is a Lake Tanganyika sand-sifter that spends its day cruising over open sand, scooping mouthfuls and filtering out tasty bits like insect larvae. They are at their best in a small group where you get to watch the schooling vibe, then pairs peel off to mouthbrood when they are ready. Give them fine sand and stable, hard alkaline water and they really settle in.
Steindachner's drum
Umbrina steindachneri
Umbrina steindachneri is a West African marine croaker/drum that hangs around sandy-mud bottoms in deeper coastal water. It tops out around 47 cm (about 18.5 inches), so its size alone is the big reason it is not really an aquarium fish even though it is super cool as a real-deal saltwater surf and shelf species.
Stellate tadpole-goby
Benthophilus stellatus
This is one of those weird little bottom-huggers from the Black Sea/Azov/Caspian region - big head, narrow tail, and a body covered in tiny bony bumps. It spends its time on mud and sand in cooler water, picking at small invertebrates, and it is way more of a coldwater/brackish oddball than a typical tropical aquarium goby.
Stippled studfish
Fundulus bifax
Fundulus bifax is a native Alabama-Georgia studfish with a really slick stippled (spotty) pattern, and breeding males can get some wild blue and red-orange tones. Its also a serious jumper and an absolute rocket when it spooks, so a tight lid is non-negotiable.
Striped Krib / Nigerian Red Krib
Pelvicachromis taeniatus
P. taeniatus is one of those West African dwarf cichlids that'll act totally chill most of the time, then flip the switch into "serious cave owner" the moment it wants to spawn. The fun part is the local color forms ("Nigeria Red", "Moliwe", etc.) and the pair-bonding-when they settle in, you really get to watch a little cichlid soap opera play out around their cave.
Striped blenny
Chasmodes bosquianus
This is the little oyster-bed blenny from the US Atlantic coast - it hangs out on hard bottom and in shell rubble, peeking from crevices like a tiny grumpy bouncer. In an aquarium it tends to perch, dart, and investigate everything, and it can get pretty territorial if you try to cram it in tight with other blennies. The big “gotcha” is people treat it like a tropical reef blenny, but its natural temps run cool to mild and it shows up in brackish estuaries too.
Striped goby
Gobius vittatus
A small Mediterranean marine goby found mainly on coralligenous/rocky bottoms (often ~15-50+ m), known for its pale body with a dark lateral stripe; it is shy and retreats quickly to crevices. In aquaria it is a cool-water Mediterranean species rather than a typical tropical reef goby.
Stripefin ronquil
Rathbunella alleni
Rathbunella alleni is a little bottom-hugging coastal marine fish from California down into Baja, the kind that spends its time tucked around structure and cruising the seafloor. Its claim to fame is that slick blue stripe running along the anal fin (especially noticeable on males), plus that blenny-ish, prickleback vibe that makes it look like it belongs in a tidepool documentary.
Suborbital lanternfish
Diaphus suborbitalis
This is a little deep-sea lanternfish from the Indo-West Pacific that spends its life way down in the dark and uses photophores (light organs) like a built-in nightlight. It tops out around 7.3 cm standard length and is a true pelagic ocean fish, not something you will realistically see in the aquarium trade.
Sumatra barb (Tiger barb)
Puntigrus tetrazona
Tiger barbs are little chaos nuggets in the best way-super active, always zipping around, and they look awesome with those four bold black bars and orange fins. The big trick is keeping them in a proper-sized group so they roughhouse with each other instead of shredding a slow, long-finned tank mate's fins.
Syi mandi catfish
Iheringichthys syi
Iheringichthys syi is a medium-sized pimelodid catfish from the upper Rio Parana in Brazil. Its body pattern is more of a fine, scattered spotting (especially toward the front half), and it has those classic pimelodid whiskers plus a chunky, fleshy-lipped mouth that hints at a bottom-feeding lifestyle. This one is basically a wild river catfish rather than an "aquarium species," so most of what we know is from scientific collection data, not hobby care guides.