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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
🇧🇷 Brazil and 3 moreFlag cichlid A South American cichlid from river basins in Brazil and Bolivia.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇷 BrazilPterophyllum A genus of laterally compressed freshwater cichlids known as angelfish.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes · 1824 🇻🇪 Venezuela and 2 moreAltum angelfish Large freshwater angelfish from the Orinoco Basin.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes 🇵🇪 Peru and 1 moreGreen terror A large, aggressive South American cichlid kept in aquariums.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇷 BrazilDiscus Round, colourful cichlids from the Amazon basin.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes · 1840 🇧🇷 Brazil and 3 moreOscar Large South American cichlid popular in aquariumsCichlid · Rivers and lakes · 1831 🇲🇽 Mexico and 4 moreJack Dempsey Aggressive cichlid native to Central AmericaCichlid · Rivers and lakes 🇲🇽 Mexico and 2 moreFiremouth cichlid Central American cichlid with a bright red throatCichlid · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇷 Brazil and 3 moreSpeckled peacock bass A large South American cichlid prized for sport and food.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes WorldBlood parrot cichlid A bright orange hybrid cichlid bred for the aquarium trade.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes · 1986 🇻🇪 Venezuela and 1 moreRam cichlid Small colourful freshwater fish from South AmericaCichlid · Rivers and lakes · 1948 WorldHeros efasciatus A fruit-eating cichlid from the Amazon basin.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes 🇳🇬 Nigeria and 1 moreKribensis Small colourful cichlid from West AfricaCichlid · Rivers and lakes · 1901 Sub-Saharan AfricaElectric yellow cichlid Bright yellow cichlid from Lake Malawi popular in home aquariums.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes Livingston's cichlid Sub-Saharan AfricaLivingston's cichlid A predatory cichlid from Lake Malawi that feigns death to hunt.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes WorldHypostomus plecostomus A tropical armored catfish from South America, kept in aquariums for algae control.Catfish · Rivers and lakes · 1758 Sub-Saharan AfricaFrontosa cichlid Large deep-water cichlid from Lake Tanganyika with a prominent forehead hump.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇴 Bolivia and 1 moreBolivian ram A small, peaceful cichlid from the Amazon basin.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇷 Brazil and 4 moreAmazon sailfin catfish A large freshwater armored catfish from South America, often kept in aquariums and known as an invasive pest elsewhere.Catfish · Rivers and lakes 🇻🇪 Venezuela and 1 moreOtocinclus Small South American armored catfishes known for algae eating and air breathing.Catfish · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇷 BrazilZebra pleco Striped catfish from the Rio XinguCatfish · Rivers and lakes · 1991 WorldBarb A common name for various ray-finned cyprinid fish, especially in the genera Barbus and Puntius.Carp · Rivers and lakes Asian redtail catfish 🇹🇭 Thailand and 1 moreAsian redtail catfish Large Asian bagrid catfish with a bright red tail.Catfish · Rivers and lakes Sub-Saharan AfricaCuckoo catfish A brood-parasitic catfish from Lake TanganyikaCatfish · Rivers and lakes Latin America and the CaribbeanBanjo catfish A South American family of scaleless, benthic catfish with a distinctive banjo-shaped body.Catfish · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇴 Bolivia and 4 moreRipsaw catfish Large thorny catfish native to South American rivers.Catfish · Rivers and lakes WorldWhiskered twig catfish Slender South American armored catfish genusCatfish · Rivers and lakes WorldPangasius A genus of shark catfishes from South and Southeast Asia, widely farmed for food.Catfish · Rivers and lakes · 1822 WorldLoach Small bottom-dwelling freshwater fish found across Eurasia and Africa.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1758 🇹🇭 Thailand and 2 moreGiant pangasius A large freshwater catfish from Southeast Asia, now critically endangered due to overfishing and habitat loss.Catfish · Rivers and lakes · 1931 🇺🇦 Ukraine and 4 moreWels catfish A large freshwater catfish native to Europe and Western Asia, known for its size and bottom-feeding habits.Catfish · Rivers and lakes · 1758 🇧🇷 BrazilPiraíba A massive Amazonian catfish known for its long barbels and role as an apex predator.Catfish · Rivers and lakes WorldUpside-down catfish A small African catfish known for swimming on its back to feed.Catfish · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇷 Brazil and 4 moreTiger shovelnose catfish Large striped South American river catfishCatfish · Rivers and lakes · 1862 🇳🇬 Nigeria and 1 moreElectric catfish African catfish that generates strong electric shocksCatfish · Rivers and lakes 🇹🇭 ThailandGlass catfish A small, transparent freshwater catfish from Thailand.Catfish · Rivers and lakes · 2013 WorldBronze corydoras Small armored catfish popular in home aquariumsCatfish · Rivers and lakes · 1858 🇧🇷 Brazil and 2 morePygmy corydoras A tiny armored catfish from South America kept in community aquariums.Catfish · Rivers and lakes · 1966 🇧🇷 Brazil and 1 moreAncistrus A genus of small, nocturnal freshwater catfish native to South America and Panama.Catfish · Rivers and lakes 🇵🇪 Peru and 1 morePanda corydoras Small armoured catfish with distinctive black eye patchesCatfish · Rivers and lakes · 1971 Southeast AsiaSiamese algae-eater A bottom-dwelling freshwater fish from Southeast Asia known for eating red algae in aquariums.Carp · Rivers and lakes Southeast AsiaRainbow shark A Southeast Asian freshwater cyprinid kept as a popular but aggressive aquarium fish.Carp · Rivers and lakes 🇹🇭 ThailandRed-tailed black shark A critically endangered Thai carp kept widely in aquariums for its black body and red tail.Carp · Rivers and lakes · 1931 Southeast AsiaClown barb A spotted freshwater fish from Borneo and Sumatra.Carp · Rivers and lakes Sub-Saharan AfricaVictoria tilapia A cichlid native to Lake Victoria with unique colour patterns.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes 🇹🇭 Thailand and 1 moreBala shark A large, silver cyprinid often kept in aquariums despite its size.Carp · Rivers and lakes 🇨🇳 ChinaWhite Cloud Mountain minnow A small, hardy freshwater fish native to China, popular in aquariums for its cold tolerance and peaceful nature.Carp · Rivers and lakes · 1930 🇮🇩 IndonesiaChili rasbora Tiny red and black fish from Borneo swamps kept in aquariums.Other · Rivers and lakes
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The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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