News
SpeciesScientists Discover Mysterious New Fish in the Red Sea – and Have Never Seen It AgainOceanEye to eye with Britain's hidden sharks at SharkAdemy - OceanographicRiversIn October, biologists surveying a New York harbor for invasive fish pulled up a bright yellow one. It wasn't an invasive species at allOceanShedd Aquarium Sends Shark Eggs to Bolster Wild PopulationsSpeciesA rare fish has been found in Lake Ontario, North America, whose entire body is golden. It is a nati..OceanThe Great Sea Reef Is Fiji’s Wildest Dive, and a New Frontier for ConservationOceanEckerd College professor contributes to designating Biscayne Bay an Important Shark and Ray AreaSpeciesRio Verde Grande Survey Identifies Fifty-Three Fish Species Facing Flow ReductionsFisheriesAdams River Salmon Run in Thompson-NicolaIndiaHilsa production dropped 26% in five years, fisheries minister tells parliamentSpeciesScientists Discover Mysterious New Fish in the Red Sea – and Have Never Seen It AgainOceanEye to eye with Britain's hidden sharks at SharkAdemy - OceanographicRiversIn October, biologists surveying a New York harbor for invasive fish pulled up a bright yellow one. It wasn't an invasive species at allOceanShedd Aquarium Sends Shark Eggs to Bolster Wild PopulationsSpeciesA rare fish has been found in Lake Ontario, North America, whose entire body is golden. It is a nati..OceanThe Great Sea Reef Is Fiji’s Wildest Dive, and a New Frontier for ConservationOceanEckerd College professor contributes to designating Biscayne Bay an Important Shark and Ray AreaSpeciesRio Verde Grande Survey Identifies Fifty-Three Fish Species Facing Flow ReductionsFisheriesAdams River Salmon Run in Thompson-NicolaIndiaHilsa production dropped 26% in five years, fisheries minister tells parliament
EveryFish

Small: 5 to 20 cm

Sardines, anchovies, most aquarium fish and many reef fish. 78 fish.

TinySmallMediumLargeVery largeGiant
GroupSharkRayCarpCatfishSalmonidHerringCodTunaPerch-likeCichlidReef fishEelFlatfishLivebearerAncientOther
WaterRivers and lakesEstuaries and mangrovesCoasts and shelvesCoral reefsOpen oceanDeep seaPolar and cold seasCaves and springsBetween sea and river
UseFood fishFarmedAquarium fishSport fishingCulture and faithVenomous or dangerousInvasiveScience and research
OrderBest knownA to ZOldest firstNewest firstBy size
WorldBluehead wrasse A small Atlantic reef fish known for changing sex and colour.Other · Coral reefs 🇵🇾 Paraguay and 3 moreBuenos Aires tetra Hardy silver freshwater fish with red fins and a black tail mark.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1907 🇹🇭 Thailand and 2 morePearl gourami Small Southeast Asian fish with a pearly patternOther · Rivers and lakes · 1852 🇮🇩 IndonesiaRed rainbowfish A bright red freshwater fish from Lake Sentani, Indonesia.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1907 WorldLeaf scorpionfish A small reef fish that mimics a drifting leaf to ambush prey.Other · Coral reefs · 1802 OceaniaMaroon clownfish Large, aggressive anemonefish with a distinctive cheek spine.Other · Coral reefs 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreMexican tetra A freshwater characin with surface and blind cave forms, studied for evolutionary biology.Other · Rivers and lakes WorldMandarinfish A small, brightly coloured Pacific fish kept in saltwater aquariums.Other · Coasts and shelves · 1927 WorldYellow prawn-goby A small, colourful goby that shares burrows with shrimps.Other · Coasts and shelves OceaniaPajama Cardinalfish Small, spotted reef fish known for male mouthbrooding.Other · Coral reefs WorldHeadstander South American freshwater fish known for swimming with their heads pointed downwards.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇨🇳 ChinaButterfly loach A small, flat freshwater loach from fast Chinese streams.Other · Rivers and lakes South AsiaGreen spotted puffer Small brackish water pufferfish with a tiny genomeOther · Rivers and lakes 🇰🇭 Cambodia and 1 moreFigure 8 puffer A small brackish water pufferfish with distinctive eye-like markings.Other · Rivers and lakes Sub-Saharan AfricaFreshwater butterflyfish Surface-dwelling African fish that glides above water.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇮🇩 IndonesiaBoeseman's rainbowfish A colourful freshwater fish from West Papua lakes.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇦🇺 Australia and 1 moreThreadfin rainbowfish Small freshwater fish with long, elegant fins from Australia and New Guinea.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1974 🇮🇩 IndonesiaDwarf rainbowfish Small, iridescent freshwater fish from West Papua.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇮🇩 IndonesiaCelebes rainbowfish A small, transparent silverside from Sulawesi streams.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the CongoCongo tetra A colourful African freshwater fish kept in home aquaria for its bright scales and feathery tail.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1899 🇧🇷 Brazil and 2 moreBlack tetra Small freshwater characin with dark vertical barsOther · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇷 BrazilRummy-nose tetra Small Amazonian characin with a red head and striped tail.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1924 Bleeding heart tetra WorldBleeding heart tetra Small Amazonian fish with a red flank spotOther · Rivers and lakes · 1943 🇧🇷 BrazilLemon tetra Small yellow freshwater fish from the Amazon basin.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇻🇪 VenezuelaDiamond tetra Small Venezuelan freshwater fish with violet finsOther · Rivers and lakes · 1920 🇨🇳 China and 4 moreThree spot gourami Hardy freshwater fish native to Southeast Asia with distinct side spots.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇰🇭 Cambodia and 3 moreMoonlight gourami A small, silvery labyrinth fish native to Southeast Asian rivers and swamps.Other · Rivers and lakes Chocolate gourami 🇲🇾 MalaysiaChocolate gourami Small maternal mouthbrooding fish from Southeast Asian peat swampsOther · Rivers and lakes 🇨🇳 China and 1 moreParadise fish Aggressive freshwater gourami from East AsiaOther · Rivers and lakes WorldBicolor blenny A small Indo-Pacific marine fish popular in home aquariums.Other · Open ocean WorldOrnate ghost pipefish A camouflaged reef fish with variable colours and female brood pouches.Other · Coral reefs

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

The weekly digest

Every Monday: the fish of the day, new pages on EveryFish, and the conferences and anniversaries of the week ahead.