Fish That Start With W
Browse all aquarium fish species with common names beginning with "W". Each profile includes care requirements, water parameters, tank size recommendations, and compatibility information for freshwater, marine, and brackish species.
Welcome to the 'W' species index page, a section dedicated to the diverse world of aquarium fish whose scientific names start with this letter. Here, you can discover notable species such as the Warrior Tetra (Tanichthys albonubes) and the Whitetailed Wrasse (Coris aygula), which showcase a range of behaviors and care requirements. Whether you’re after vibrant community fish or unique specimens, this index is here to help every aquarium enthusiast.
Wallace's dwarf pike cichlid
Wallaciia wallacii
A small "dwarf" pike cichlid (genus Wallaciia) from South America. Maximum recorded size is about 8.5 cm standard length; provide ample cover/structure and expect territorial behavior, especially around spawning.
Wataka
Ischikauia steenackeri
Wataka is a temperate Japanese freshwater cyprinid that tops out around 30 cm (about 12 inches), so it is way more of a pond or public-aquarium fish than a typical home-tank species. In the wild it is tied to the Lake Biwa-Yodo River system, and it is actually listed as Endangered, which is pretty wild for a fish that looks like a sleek, silver "river carp".
Water hyacinth pencil catfish
Ituglanis eichhorniarum
Ituglanis eichorniarum is a tiny, secretive trichomycterid (pencil catfish) from the Paraguay-Parana system, the kind of fish that spends its time nosing through plants and leaf litter instead of cruising the open water. The species name comes from Eichhornia (water hyacinth), which is a fun clue to the sort of weedy habitat it was found in.
Wave Striped Oto
Otocinclus caxarari
Otocinclus caxarari is a very small Loricariid catfish from South America, recorded from the upper Madeira River basin (including the Guaporé area). In aquaria it is typically kept like other Otocinclus species: in mature, well-oxygenated tanks with abundant biofilm/algae and supplemental foods.
Wavyband sole
Zebrias japonicus
This subtropical western Pacific sole lives on sandy-mud bottoms. In aquaria it should be provided with appropriate soft substrate and be fed meaty, benthic-appropriate foods; use caution with tankmates due to its predatory nature.
Weed cardinalfish
Foa brachygramma
This is a tiny Hawaiian cardinalfish that hangs around sheltered shallows - think seagrass, algae, and rubble - and it even wanders into brackish and sometimes fresh water. Its vibe is classic cardinalfish: mellow, a little shy, and way more interesting once the lights go down. Also cool trivia: the males mouthbrood the eggs.
Weedy cardinalfish
Foa fo
Foa fo is a tiny little Indo-Pacific cardinalfish that hangs around sheltered reefy areas and weedy/mucky spots, usually staying pretty low-key and unobtrusive. Like other cardinalfish, the really cool bit is the breeding behavior - the male mouthbroods the eggs, so you will sometimes see a chunky-looking jaw when he is holding a clutch.
Western roeboides (scale-eating characin)
Roeboides occidentalis
Roeboides occidentalis is a wild characin from the Pacific-slope rivers of Panama down through Colombia into northern Ecuador, topping out around 13 cm (about 5 inches). The really interesting (and kinda spicy) thing about Roeboides as a group is the scale-eating tendency, so its tankmate choices need to be made with that in mind.
Whale catfish
Rita rita
Rita rita is a big, predatory river catfish from South Asia that spends most of its time cruising the bottom and waiting to ambush food. Juveniles can look kind of "cute and manageable" in the shop, but this fish is basically a tank-buster that will eventually want serious space and will absolutely snack on anything it can fit in its mouth.
Whiptail catfish
Rineloricaria henselii
Rineloricaria henselii is a small loricariid (whiptail) catfish from southern Brazil (reported from the Cubatão River, Santa Catarina) reaching about 7.5 cm standard length.
Whiptail catfish (Twig catfish)
Farlowella acus
Farlowella acus is that classic twig-looking whiptail that can sit on wood and basically disappear - it really does look like a little stick with fins. It is super chill and spends most of its time grazing and picking at surfaces, so it does best in a mature tank with stable water and plenty of stuff to cling to.
Whiskery shark
Furgaleus macki
A stout houndshark from southern Australia, it has little whisker-like barbels that it uses to nose around rocks and kelp for octopus snacks. It hits about 1.6 m, so this is a public-aquarium-only fish, but it is awesome to watch cruising a cool-water display.
White Cloud Mountain Minnow
Tanichthys albonubes
White Clouds are tiny little stream minnows with that neat glowing stripe and red-tipped fins, and they look way better the cooler you keep them. They're super active in a group and do this constant "busy schooling" thing in the top/middle of the tank-really fun fish when you give them space to zip around.
Whitebanded sharpnose wrasse
Wetmorella albofasciata
This is one of those tiny, cryptic wrasses that spends a lot of time weaving through rockwork and poking into little cracks like it is on a constant scavenger hunt. The big eyes and sharp snout give it a weird-cute "mini predator" look, and it really shines in a peaceful reef where it feels safe enough to come out and cruise.
Whitebarred pink wrasse
Pseudocheilinus ocellatus
This is the fish most of us know as the Mystery Wrasse - a shy little reef wrasse with a bright yellow face, faint-to-bold white bars, and that signature eyespot back by the tail. It spends a lot of time weaving through rockwork and popping out to hunt tiny critters, and it can get surprisingly bossy once it feels settled in. Give it caves, a tight lid, and a steady meaty diet and it turns into a really fun, personable showpiece.
White-cheeked goby
Rhinogobius duospilus
This is one of those little stream gobies that acts like it's glued to the rocks-its pelvic fins form a suction-cup so it can hang out in flow. Males can color up really nicely and they'll claim a favorite cave/stone like a tiny bouncer, but in a well-structured tank they're super fun to watch cruise the bottom and perch.
White-Edged (Albimarginata) Betta
Betta albimarginata
This is one of those wild bettas that feels more like a tiny aquarium predator than a "fancy fin" betta-sleek, quick, and always watching what's going on. The males are awesome with that crisp white edging on the fins, and the coolest part is the dad carries the eggs in his mouth, so you'll sometimes see him just chilling and not eating for a bit while he incubates.
White-edged cardinalfish
Jaydia albomarginatus
Jaydia albomarginatus is a small marine cardinalfish from the Western Central Pacific. Like a lot of cardinalfish it is a mouthbrooder, and FishBase notes distinct pairing during courtship and spawning - the kind of behavior thats really fun to watch when a pair settles in. Its not a big open-water swimmer, so it does best with plenty of rockwork and calmer tankmates.
White-patch tuskfish
Choerodon oligacanthus
This is a chunky tuskfish wrasse from the Western Central Pacific with that classic Choerodon vibe - big attitude, big teeth, and a built-for-crunching mouth. Its natural menu is benthic critters, and it tends to live fairly shallow (roughly 2-15 m), so think "reef edge hunter" more than "open-water swimmer". Also worth knowing: there is basically no solid track record of long-term aquarium husbandry specifically for this exact species, so its care is a bit of educated guesswork based on other tuskfish.
Whitespotted stargazer
Uranoscopus polli
Uranoscopus polli is a chunky, bottom-sitting marine stargazer from West Africa that spends a lot of time buried in sand or mud with just its eyes poking up. Its whole deal is ambush hunting - it waits motionless, then snaps up passing prey. Super cool fish to read about, but it is absolutely not a typical home-aquarium species (and like other stargazers, you want to assume it can be a bit of a hazard to handle).
Wicker-work sole
Zebrias craticulus
This is a small striped sole from northern Australia that basically lives life glued to the sand, doing that classic flatfish thing where it vanishes the second it settles in. Those tight cross-bands that run right onto the fins are the whole vibe - it really does look like wicker-work up close. Not an aquarium fish for most people, but it is a super cool species if you are into oddball bottom-dwellers.
Williaminae glass fish
Parachela williaminae
Parachela williaminae is one of those sleek, silvery river "glass fish" types from the Mekong/Chao Phraya systems - built for current and open-water cruising. It is not a tiny rasbora-style fish at all (it can hit around 12 cm/4.7 in), so think "active river minnow" and plan space and flow accordingly.
Wouter's pygmygoby
Trimma woutsi
Trimma woutsi is a true pygmy reef goby - maxing out around an inch - that spends its life perched close to the rockwork in shallow reef zones. Its tiny size is the whole game here: it is perfect for a peaceful nano reef where it can pick at micro-foods all day and not get bullied off meals.
Wrestling halfbeak
Dermogenys pusilla
This is that quirky little surface-dweller with the long lower "beak" that's always cruising the top and snapping at food. The males do these goofy jaw-locking sparring matches (that's where the "wrestling" name comes from), so you'll want space and lots of floaters to keep everyone chill. They're also famous jumpers-tight lid is non‑negotiable.