Fish That Start With Y
Browse all aquarium fish species with common names beginning with "Y". Each profile includes care requirements, water parameters, tank size recommendations, and compatibility information for freshwater, marine, and brackish species.
The letter 'Y' features a diverse range of aquarium species, including the lively Panda loach (Yaoshania pachychilus) and the striking Yellowfin toxic goby (Yongeichthys criniger). With both unique loaches and intriguing eels like Gjellerup's snake eel (Yirrkala gjellerupi), this selection provides options for enthusiasts looking to enhance their tanks with distinctive and captivating fish.
Yangi loach
Yunnanilus yangi
Yunnanilus yangi is a small freshwater stone loach (Nemacheilidae) described in 2024 from Yunnan, China (upper Pearl River/Nanpanjiang drainage). Species-specific aquarium guidance is limited in the literature; husbandry is typically inferred from related small Yunnanilus/Micronemacheilus-type loaches, emphasizing clean, well-oxygenated water, cover, and small foods.
Yellow conger
Rhynchoconger flavus
Rhynchoconger flavus is the yellow conger, a burrowing, soft-bottom conger eel from the western Atlantic (Gulf of Mexico down toward the Amazon mouth). It gets truly huge (up to about 150 cm) and lives in deeper coastal water, so its "cool factor" is more in the wild-ecology/ID side than as an aquarium fish - this is not a realistic home tank species.
Yellow phantom tetra
Hyphessobrycon roseus
Hyphessobrycon roseus is a small phantom-type tetra (syn. Megalamphodus roseus) from the Maroni and Oyapock river basins (French Guiana/Guianas region). It is best kept in a planted, softwater setup in a group, where males may display but are generally peaceful.
Yellow tail polka dot loach
Yasuhikotakia splendida
This is a super active little botiid loach from the Mekong basin that spends its time cruising the bottom, nosing around rocks, and sorting out a pecking order with its buddies. The giveaway look is the yellow fins with polka-dot markings plus that bold dark ring around the tail base - it is a really sharp, weirdly classy pattern for a loach. Not a chill "peaceful community" fish, but in a proper group with hiding spots and flow, they are a blast to watch.
Yellow tang
Zebrasoma flavescens
If you want a fish that actually puts in work, the Yellow tang is a nonstop algae grazer that cruises the rockwork all day. Its bright solid-yellow color is the whole reason people fall in love with it, but the real trick is keeping it well-fed on greens so it stays chunky and less cranky. Give it strong flow, high oxygen, and enough swimming length and it will act like the little yellow boss of the reef.
Yellow-spotted dwarf loach catfish
Zaireichthys flavomaculatus
Zaireichthys flavomaculatus is a truly tiny, bottom-hugging African loach catfish from the Congo basin that spends its time tucked into sand and gaps like a little river goblin. Its yellowish base color with blotchy/marbled spotting is the whole vibe, and it is the kind of fish you keep because you love oddball micro-predators and watching subtle behavior, not because it is always out front.
Yelloweye filefish
Pervagor alternans
This is a little reef filefish with that classic sandpapery skin and a super eye-catching yellow ring around the eye. It spends a lot of time poking around rock and coral, and when it gets spooked it kind of eases back into crevices instead of bolting. Not the most common aquarium fish, but really neat if you can get one that is eating well.
Yellowfin madtom
Noturus flavipinnis
Yellowfin madtoms are tiny, secretive native catfish from the upper Tennessee River system, and they act exactly like little river goblins - hiding under flat rocks all day and cruising around at night. The cool part is the male guards the eggs under cover, and they really appreciate clean, well-oxygenated current and a rock-and-leaf-litter kind of setup.
Yellowfin toxic goby
Yongeichthys criniger
An Indo-Pacific goby found on coastal mud/silty sand flats and in estuary/mangrove-associated habitats. It is documented as poisonous to eat and is known to carry tetrodotoxin; toxicity can be particularly high in the skin and varies by locality. Handle with care (avoid contact with mucus, especially with cuts) and avoid mixing with aggressive/boisterous species.
Yellowmouth jawfish
Opistognathus nothus
This is a deepwater Atlantic jawfish that lives in burrows on sand and rubble, and it has that classic jawfish vibe of popping up like a little periscope from its hole. The yellow edging inside the mouth is the giveaway, plus the spotty head and striped/yellow-edged fins. Because it comes from about 92-100 m depth, it is not something you should treat like a typical warm, shallow-reef jawfish in a home tank.
Yushan river loach
Hemimyzon yushanensis
This is a little Taiwan hillstream loach that lives its whole life clinging to rocks in fast, super-oxygenated streams. In a tank it does best in a "river" setup with smooth stones and lots of flow, where it will spend all day grazing biofilm and cruising the glass like a tiny underwater gecko.