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. 168 fish.

🇹🇭 Thailand and 4 moreSiamese fighting fish A small, colorful freshwater fish native to Southeast Asia, famous as a pet and for male aggression.Livebearer · Rivers and lakes · 1910 Golden barb 🇵🇰 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 Demasoni cichlid 🇹🇿 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 Chalakudy barb 🇮🇳 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 Bluefin notho 🇲🇿 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 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 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

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.