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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

Aquarium fish

Kept in home and public aquariums. 403 fish on EveryFish so far.

Fishkeeping is one of the most popular pet hobbies in the world. Home aquariums hold freshwater fish such as guppies, tetras, barbs, gouramis, cichlids and catfish, and marine tanks keep clownfish, tangs and other reef fish. Public aquariums display sharks, rays and schools of ocean fish. Hundreds of millions of ornamental fish are traded each year, from more than a thousand species.

Where aquarium fish come from

Most freshwater aquarium fish sold today are bred on farms, many in South-East Asia, Florida and in India around Kolkata and Kolathur in Chennai. Goldfish, koi, guppies, mollies, bettas, angelfish and discus have been bred for colour and fin shape for generations. Most marine aquarium fish, by contrast, are still caught from reefs in Indonesia, the Philippines and elsewhere, though clownfish and some others are now bred in captivity.

India's wild ornamentals

India's rivers, especially in the Western Ghats and the North-East, hold many fish valued by aquarists. The Denison barb of Kerala became one of India's best-known aquarium exports, and heavy collection from the wild contributed to its decline before farm breeding took over much of the supply. Releasing aquarium fish into the wild has spread invasive species, such as the Amazon sailfin catfish now found in many Indian waters.

Famous aquarium fish fish

GuppyBred into hundreds of strainsGoldfishThe first domesticated aquarium fishNeon tetraA small, bright fish of the AmazonSiamese fighting fishThe betta, bred in ThailandDiscusA prized Amazon cichlidFreshwater angelfishThe freshwater angelfishOcellaris clownfishThe clownfish of home reef tanksDenison barbAn aquarium fish from Kerala

Further reading

GroupSharkRayCarpCatfishSalmonidHerringCodTunaPerch-likeCichlidReef fishEelFlatfishLivebearerAncientOther
WaterRivers and lakesEstuaries and mangrovesCoasts and shelvesCoral reefsOpen oceanDeep seaPolar and cold seasCaves and springsBetween sea and river
OrderBest knownA to ZOldest firstNewest firstBy size
WorldQueen triggerfish Large, colourful reef fish of the tropical Atlantic.Other · Coasts and shelves · 1758 WorldSpotted scat A spotted, square-bodied fish from Indo-Pacific estuaries.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1766 WorldBlue-spotted grouper A widely distributed Indo-Pacific grouper known for its blue spots and invasive impact in Hawaii.Other · Coasts and shelves WorldBluehead wrasse A small Atlantic reef fish known for changing sex and colour.Other · Coral reefs WorldClown triggerfish A striking black and white reef fish with a locking dorsal spine.Other · Coral reefs · 1801 WorldOriental sweetlips Striped reef fish with swollen lips found in the Indo-Pacific.Other · Coasts and shelves · 1758 WorldSeahorse Small marine fish with horse-like heads and curled tails in the genus Hippocampus.Other · Coasts and shelves 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 🇦🇴 Angola and 3 moreAtlantic mudskipper Semi-aquatic goby that walks on mudflats in West Africa.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1766 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 WorldAnglerfish Ray-finned fish using a modified dorsal fin ray as a lure to catch prey.Other · Coasts and shelves · 1829 South AsiaGreen spotted puffer Small brackish water pufferfish with a tiny genomeOther · Rivers and lakes WorldWrasse A large family of colourful marine fish known for sex change and cleaning symbiosis.Reef fish · Coasts and shelves WorldBoxfish Armoured fish with a box-like body and toxic skin secretions.Other · Coasts and shelves · 1810 Southeast AsiaPygmy seahorse Tiny seahorses with unique brooding and camouflage traits found in Southeast Asian reefs.Other · Coasts and shelves 🇦🇺 AustraliaLeafy seadragon A marine fish from southern Australia known for its leaf-like skin appendages used for camouflage.Other · Coasts and shelves · 1865 🇦🇺 AustraliaCommon seadragon Camouflaged marine fish with leaf-like appendages found in southern Australia.Other · Coasts and shelves WorldLongfin batfish A silver marine fish with elongated juvenile fins found across the Indo-Pacific.Other · Coasts and shelves WorldOrnate ghost pipefish A camouflaged reef fish with variable colours and female brood pouches.Other · Coral reefs WorldOrbicular batfish A round, silvery marine fish native to the Indo-Pacific.Other · Coasts and shelves 🇮🇳 India and 4 moreReef stonefish A highly venomous marine fish known for its rock-like camouflage and potent toxins.Other · Coasts and shelves · 1801 🇺🇸 United StatesSpotted ratfish Cartilaginous fish with a rat-like tail and venomous spineOther · Coasts and shelves WorldJarbua terapon A striped Indo-Pacific fish found in seas and rivers.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1775 WorldGolden trevally A bright yellow juvenile marine fish that turns golden-silvery as an adult.Other · Coasts and shelves · 1775 WorldTank goby Large subtropical goby found in fresh and salt waterOther · Rivers and lakes 🇺🇸 United States and 3 morePorkfish Striped Atlantic grunt found on reefs and in seagrass beds.Other · Coasts and shelves · 1758 🇦🇺 Australia and 1 moreBig-belly seahorse The largest seahorse species, found in southern Australia and New Zealand.Other · Coasts and shelves 🇺🇸 United States and 3 moreLined seahorse A western Atlantic seahorse with white neck lines and male pregnancy.Other · Coasts and shelves · 1810 🇦🇺 Australia and 3 moreSpiny seahorse A small, thorn-covered marine fish from the Indo-Pacific.Other · Coasts and shelves WorldCommon seahorse A small, spotted seahorse found in Indo-Pacific coastal waters.Other · Estuaries and mangroves OceaniaBargibant's seahorse Tiny seahorse camouflaged on sea-fansOther · Coral reefs · 1970 WorldGrouper Marine ray-finned fish in the family Epinephelidae, known for large size and commercial value.Shark · Coasts and shelves 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreStriped bass Anadromous marine fish native to the Atlantic coast of North America, known for sport fishing and culinary use.Other · Rivers and lakes WorldPufferfish Toxic fish that inflate into spiny spheres for defence.Other · Rivers and lakes

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.