Small: 5 to 20 cm
Sardines, anchovies, most aquarium fish and many reef fish. 175 fish.
GroupSharkRayCarpCatfishSalmonidHerringCodTunaPerch-likeCichlidReef fishEelFlatfishLivebearerAncientOther
WaterRivers and lakesEstuaries and mangrovesCoasts and shelvesCoral reefsOpen oceanDeep seaPolar and cold seasCaves and springsBetween sea and river
🇵🇰 Pakistan and 3 moreGolden barb
Small Asian cyprinid found in rivers and aquariumsCarp · Rivers and lakes
🇲🇾 Malaysia and 1 moreHarlequin rasbora
A small, colourful freshwater fish popular in home aquariums for its distinctive black body marking.Carp · Rivers and lakes
🇲🇲 MyanmarOdessa barb
Small colourful cyprinid from Myanmar popular in home aquariumsCarp · Rivers and lakes · 2008
🇮🇳 IndiaZebra loach
A small, striped freshwater fish from India's Western Ghats, kept in aquariums and eaten locally.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1920
🇧🇷 Brazil and 3 moreBlue leopard corydoras
Small peaceful armoured catfish from South AmericaCatfish · Rivers and lakes
🇬🇹 Guatemala and 4 moreConvict cichlid
Striped Central American cichlid popular in home aquariumsCichlid · Rivers and lakes · 1867
🇹🇿 TanzaniaDemasoni cichlid
Small striped cichlid from Lake MalawiCichlid · Rivers and lakes
WorldAuratus cichlid
Small, colourful cichlid from Lake MalawiCichlid · Rivers and lakes
🇵🇾 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
🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreMexican tetra
A freshwater characin with surface and blind cave forms, studied for evolutionary biology.Other · Rivers and lakes
🇳🇬 NigeriaHingemouth
Small African fish with a unique proboscis-like mouthOther · Rivers and lakes
🇮🇳 India and 4 moreZebrafish
Small striped fish from South Asia kept in aquariums and labsCarp · Rivers and lakes
🇮🇳 IndiaChalakudy barb
Small colourful cyprinid from the Western Ghats rivers.Carp · Rivers and lakes
WorldRasbora
A diverse genus of small freshwater fish native to South and Southeast Asia.Carp · Rivers and lakes · 1822
🇲🇽 Mexico and 3 moreXiphophorus
A genus of small livebearing fish native to Mexico and Central America, known for aquarium use and genetic research.Livebearer · Rivers and lakes
WorldKillifish
Small egg-laying fish known for hardiness and short lifespansLivebearer · Rivers and lakes
🇲🇽 MexicoButterfly splitfin
A critically endangered livebearing fish from Mexico.Livebearer · Rivers and lakes · 1971
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
🇲🇿 MozambiqueBluefin notho
A small annual killifish from Mozambique kept in aquaria.Livebearer · Rivers and lakes · 1926
🇬🇦 GabonLyretail panchax
Small colourful freshwater killifish from GabonLivebearer · Rivers and lakes
🇮🇩 IndonesiaCelebes rainbowfish
A small, transparent silverside from Sulawesi streams.Other · Rivers and lakes
🇳🇬 Nigeria and 1 moreBlue lyretail
A colourful West African killifish kept in home aquariums.Livebearer · Rivers and lakes · 1911
🇨🇩 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
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
🇲🇾 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
WorldCardinalfishes
Small, colourful reef fish known for male mouthbrooding.Reef fish · Coasts and shelves
🇲🇽 Mexico and 2 moreMexican molly
Small livebearing fish from Mexico and Central America.Livebearer · Rivers and lakes
🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreSailfin molly
Small livebearing fish with a large dorsal fin in males.Livebearer · Rivers and lakes · 1821
🇲🇽 Mexico and 1 moreSouthern platyfish
Small live-bearing freshwater fish from Central AmericaLivebearer · Rivers and lakes
🇲🇽 MexicoVariable platyfish
Small livebearing fish from Mexico popular in home aquariumsLivebearer · Rivers and lakes
🇲🇽 Mexico and 1 moreGreen swordtail
A hardy live-bearing fish popular in home aquariums.Livebearer · Rivers and lakes · 1848
WorldWhite spotted cichlid
A small rock-dwelling cichlid from Lake Tanganyika.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes
🇧🇷 Brazil and 3 moreBlue leopard corydoras
Small peaceful armoured catfish from South AmericaCatfish · Rivers and lakes
🇹🇭 Thailand and 2 morePearl gourami
Small Southeast Asian fish with a pearly patternOther · Rivers and lakes · 1852
🇮🇳 India and 4 moreZebrafish
Small striped fish from South Asia kept in aquariums and labsCarp · Rivers and lakes
🇮🇳 IndiaChalakudy barb
Small colourful cyprinid from the Western Ghats rivers.Carp · Rivers and lakes
WorldRasbora
A diverse genus of small freshwater fish native to South and Southeast Asia.Carp · Rivers and lakes · 1822
🇲🇽 Mexico and 3 moreXiphophorus
A genus of small livebearing fish native to Mexico and Central America, known for aquarium use and genetic research.Livebearer · Rivers and lakes
🇲🇽 MexicoButterfly splitfin
A critically endangered livebearing fish from Mexico.Livebearer · Rivers and lakes · 1971
🇨🇳 ChinaButterfly loach
A small, flat freshwater loach from fast Chinese streams.Other · 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
🇮🇩 IndonesiaDwarf rainbowfish
Small, iridescent freshwater fish from West Papua.Other · Rivers and lakes
🇲🇿 MozambiqueBluefin notho
A small annual killifish from Mozambique kept in aquaria.Livebearer · Rivers and lakes · 1926
🇮🇩 IndonesiaCelebes rainbowfish
A small, transparent silverside from Sulawesi streams.Other · Rivers and lakes
🇳🇬 Nigeria and 1 moreBlue lyretail
A colourful West African killifish kept in home aquariums.Livebearer · Rivers and lakes · 1911
🇨🇩 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
🇲🇽 Mexico and 2 moreMexican molly
Small livebearing fish from Mexico and Central America.Livebearer · Rivers and lakes
🇲🇽 MexicoVariable platyfish
Small livebearing fish from Mexico popular in home aquariumsLivebearer · Rivers and lakes
🇲🇽 Mexico and 1 moreGreen swordtail
A hardy live-bearing fish popular in home aquariums.Livebearer · Rivers and lakes · 1848
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Harlequin rasbora: Mattia Nocciola, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Odessa barb: Waitingonthetide, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Zebra loach: Lerdsuwa, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Blue leopard corydoras: NiKo at German Wikipedia, Public domain, source
- Convict cichlid: S. Olkowicz - User Hippocampus on pl.wikipedia, CC BY 2.5, source
- Auratus cichlid: Vlad Butsky, CC BY 2.0, source
- Buenos Aires tetra: Mattia Nocciola, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Pearl gourami: BEDO (Thailand), CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Red rainbowfish: Kyle Weber ( Namcogame at en.wikipedia ), Public domain, source
- Mexican tetra: User:Haplochromis, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Hingemouth: George Albert Boulenger, Public domain, source
- Zebrafish: Roundish, CC0, source
- Rasbora: Captain R C Beavan, Public domain, source
- Xiphophorus: Marrabbio2, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Rainbowfish: Eileen Kortright ( Roan Art ), CC BY 2.5, source
- Killifish: TinoStrauss, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Butterfly splitfin: Przemysław Malkowski, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Headstander: Brian Gratwicke, CC BY 2.0, source
- Butterfly loach: Lerdsuwa, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Green spotted puffer: Starseed, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, source
- Figure 8 puffer: ColdmachineUK, CC BY 2.5, source
- Freshwater butterflyfish: Toniher, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Threadfin rainbowfish: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Dwarf rainbowfish: Raimond Spekking, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Lyretail panchax: Alexander Prokoshev, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Celebes rainbowfish: Shigella dysenteriae at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Blue lyretail: Violaine2, France, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Congo tetra: André Karwath aka Aka, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Black tetra: emptyvi, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Rummy-nose tetra: Gavinevans, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Lemon tetra: Waugsberg, CC BY 2.5, source
- Diamond tetra: SOK, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Three spot gourami: Gourami Watcher, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Moonlight gourami: Photo by Greg Hume ( Greg5030 ), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Paradise fish: Daniella Vereeken, CC BY 2.0, source
- Cardinalfishes: The original uploader was Cesiumfrog at English Wikipedia ., Attribution, source
- Mexican molly: Taken by Darkmax, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Sailfin molly: (c) Nick Tobler (Cowturtle), some rights reserved (CC BY), CC BY 4.0, source
- Southern platyfish: Photograph by Jere Kyyrö. Uploaded by Rasvis ., CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Green swordtail: Bastet78, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- White spotted cichlid: Manfred Werner / Tsui, CC BY-SA 3.0, source