Fish That Start With Z
Browse all aquarium fish species with common names beginning with "Z". Each profile includes care requirements, water parameters, tank size recommendations, and compatibility information for freshwater, marine, and brackish species.
Welcome to the 'Z' species index on Piscora, where you'll find a unique array of aquatic life. Though we don’t have any species listed under this letter right now, you might think of the Zebra Danio (Danio rerio), a popular community fish, and the Zapata Cichlid (Parachromis managuensis), beloved by cichlid enthusiasts. We encourage you to explore the diversity in our other indexes, covering both well-known favorites and rare encounters.
Zebra Danio
Danio rerio
Zebra danios are those nonstop little stripey rockets that zip around the top and middle of the tank like they've had three espressos. They're super fun in a group because they chase, spar, and "race" each other without really meaning harm, and that constant motion makes the whole tank feel alive.
Zebra Mayan cichlid
Mayaheros zebra
Mayaheros zebra is one of those Yucatan Peninsula "Mayan cichlid group" fish that looks like a smaller, striped version of the better-known Mayan cichlid. The big gotcha is that a lot of modern checklists treat "zebra" as a form/synonym within Mayaheros urophthalmus rather than a clearly separate aquarium species, so you will almost always see it discussed under the Mayan cichlid umbrella.
Zebra pleco
Hypancistrus zebra
This is the famous black-and-white striped L-number pleco (L046) from the Rio Xingu, and it really does look like a little underwater zebra. Its best traits are how cavey and secretive it is by day, then it pops out at night to hunt meaty foods - and the male will guard eggs in a cave if you ever breed them. It is not an algae-cleaner pleco, so think of it more like a tiny, warm-water, rock-dwelling catfish with attitude over caves.
Zebra sole
Zebrias crossolepis
Zebrias crossolepis is a small marine sole with bold zebra-like bands, the kind of flatfish that spends its life glued to the bottom and trying to vanish into sand. It is a subtropical, demersal species from the northwest Pacific (reported from Guangdong, China) and tops out at around 14 cm standard length, so it stays pretty compact for a flatfish.
Zetgibbs snaggletooth
Astronesthes zetgibbsi
This is a deep-sea snaggletooth/dragonfish relative from the South Pacific high seas, built for life in the dark with that classic long, toothy mouth shape. Its "aquarium" needs are basically impossible at home because it naturally lives pelagic in cool ocean water and is usually only seen in scientific collections.
Zucchini catfish
Isorineloricaria spinosissima
This is a truly giant Ecuadorian pleco that can end up longer than your forearm - it is basically a river bulldozer that spends its time grazing algae and plant growth off hard surfaces. The cool (and kind of wild) part is the strong sexual dimorphism with extra-long odontodes, plus those sharp gill-area spines that can snag nets, so you have to handle it with respect.