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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. 305 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

GoldfishThe first domesticated aquarium fishDiscusA prized Amazon cichlid

Still to be written: Guppy, Neon tetra, Siamese fighting fish, Pterophyllum scalare, Ocellaris clownfish, Denison barb.

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
WorldSpotted eagle ray Tropical ray with white spots and a long tail.Ray · Coasts and shelves · 1790 🇦🇺 AustraliaDwarf sawfish Smallest sawfish species, native to tropical Australia and New Guinea.Ray · Estuaries and mangroves WorldGiant oceanic manta ray The world's largest ray, a massive filter-feeding predator of tropical oceans.Ray · Coasts and shelves · 1827 WorldLionfish Venomous marine fish of the genus Pterois known for striking stripes and invasive spread.Ray · Coral reefs · 1900 North AmericaYellow stingray Small, camouflaging stingray of the western Atlantic.Ray · Coasts and shelves · 1816 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreBat ray A large eagle ray with wing-like fins found in the eastern Pacific.Ray · Coasts and shelves 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreCownose ray A migratory coastal ray with a distinctive head shape.Ray · Coasts and shelves 🇺🇸 United States and 2 moreRound stingray A small coastal ray from the eastern Pacific known for its painful tail spine.Ray · Coasts and shelves WorldManta ray Large filter-feeding rays in the genus MobulaRay · Open ocean 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreAtlantic stingray Small stingray found in Atlantic coastal waters and fresh rivers.Ray · Rivers and lakes · 1824 WorldSouthern stingray A large, flat whiptail ray of the Western Atlantic.Ray · Coasts and shelves WorldBluespotted ribbontail ray A small, colourful reef stingray with electric blue spots.Ray · Coasts and shelves · 1775 WorldBowmouth guitarfish A large, thorny ray with a W-shaped mouth found in the western Indo-Pacific.Ray · Coasts and shelves · 1801 🇺🇸 United StatesBig skate Largest skate in North American Pacific watersRay · Coasts and shelves · 1855

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.