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

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
🇲🇲 Myanmar and 1 moreCelestial pearl danio A tiny, brightly coloured freshwater fish from Myanmar and Thailand, popular in the aquarium trade.Carp · Rivers and lakes · 2006 🇲🇲 Myanmar and 2 morePearl danio Small tropical freshwater fish with an iridescent sheen.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇮🇩 IndonesiaKuhli loach A slender, nocturnal freshwater fish from Southeast Asia popular in aquariums.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1846 🇮🇩 IndonesiaClown loach Striped tropical freshwater fish from IndonesiaOther · Rivers and lakes · 1852 🇺🇸 United States and 2 moreFathead minnow Small North American freshwater fish used as bait and in toxicity studies.Carp · Rivers and lakes 🇹🇭 Thailand and 4 moreTinfoil barb A large Southeast Asian freshwater fish known for its red fins and silvery body.Carp · Rivers and lakes · 1853 🇹🇭 Thailand and 4 moreJava barb A silvery freshwater fish farmed across Southeast Asia.Carp · Rivers and lakes 🇮🇩 Indonesia and 1 moreTiger barb Active striped freshwater fish popular in home aquariums.Carp · Rivers and lakes 🇹🇿 TanzaniaRedtail notho A small annual killifish from ZanzibarLivebearer · Rivers and lakes 🇯🇵 JapanKoi Ornamental carp varieties bred in Japan for decorative ponds.Carp · Rivers and lakes 🇨🇳 ChinaGoldfish A domesticated freshwater carp from China, kept worldwide as a pet and aquarium fish.Carp · Rivers and lakes WorldTench Slippery freshwater fish with olive-green skin and red eyes.Carp · Rivers and lakes · 1758 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreAtlantic stingray Small stingray found in Atlantic coastal waters and fresh rivers.Ray · Rivers and lakes · 1824 🇹🇩 Chad and 2 moreAfrican brown knifefish Nocturnal freshwater fish with a knife-shaped body and fused fins.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇹🇭 Thailand and 3 moreGiant freshwater stingray The widest freshwater fish in the world, found in Southeast Asian rivers.Ray · Rivers and lakes · 1852 🇧🇷 Brazil and 1 moreOcellate river stingray A widespread freshwater stingray from South America known for its spotted disc and popularity in large aquaria.Ray · Rivers and lakes WorldArcherfish Tropical fish family that shoots water jets to catch prey from above the surface.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1767 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo and 3 moreSix-banded distichodus A striped African freshwater fish popular in aquariums.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇿🇦 South Africa and 4 moreMozambique tilapia A hardy cichlid from southeastern Africa, now farmed globally and listed as a major invasive species.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes 🇵🇪 Peru and 3 moreFreshwater angelfish Popular aquarium fish from the Amazon BasinCichlid · Rivers and lakes · 1823 🇦🇺 Australia and 4 moreLargetooth sawfish A critically endangered ray with a toothed rostrum that enters rivers.Ray · Rivers and lakes 🇸🇪 Sweden and 3 moreIde A freshwater cyprinid native to Europe and Asia, widely kept in ornamental ponds.Carp · Rivers and lakes · 1758 🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 1 moreSpined loach Small European freshwater fish with a defensive eye spineOther · Rivers and lakes Latin America and the CaribbeanCorydoras catfish Small armoured freshwater catfish from South AmericaCatfish · Rivers and lakes · 1803 Sub-Saharan AfricaMany-banded shell dweller Tiny cichlid from Lake Tanganyika that lives in snail shellsCichlid · Rivers and lakes 🇵🇪 Peru and 1 moreCockatoo dwarf cichlid Small South American cichlid with colourful malesCichlid · Rivers and lakes 🇬🇾 Guyana and 1 moreGlowlight tetra Small freshwater fish with a bright orange stripeOther · Rivers and lakes Flagfish 🇺🇸 United StatesFlagfish Small Florida pupfish with a US flag patternLivebearer · Rivers and lakes · 1879 🇻🇪 Venezuela and 3 moreBlack ghost knifefish Nocturnal electric fish from South American riversOther · Rivers and lakes · 1766 🇮🇩 Indonesia and 4 moreGourami A family of freshwater labyrinth fish native to Asia, known for their air-breathing organ and varied parental care.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1832 🇦🇺 AustraliaMurray cod Large Australian freshwater predator of the Murray-Darling basinPerch-like · Rivers and lakes · 1838 🇦🇺 AustraliaGulf saratoga A large, pearly-scaled freshwater fish from northern Australia and New Guinea.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇦🇺 AustraliaSouthern saratoga A primitive freshwater fish native to Queensland rivers.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇦🇺 AustraliaMurray River rainbowfish Colourful freshwater fish from southeastern Australia.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇦🇺 AustraliaSpangled grunter Hardy Australian freshwater fish with reddish spotsOther · Rivers and lakes · 1859 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo and 2 moreOrnate bichir Large air-breathing fish from Lake Tanganyika and the Congo basin.Ancient · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇯 Benin and 2 moreReedfish A lung-breathing, snake-like fish from West Africa.Ancient · Rivers and lakes 🇸🇳 Senegal and 4 moreAfrican arowana Plankton-eating bonytongue fish native to African riversOther · Rivers and lakes 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka and 2 moreCherry barb Small tropical freshwater fish from Sri Lanka, popular in aquariums for its bright red colour.Carp · Rivers and lakes · 1929 🇱🇰 Sri LankaVateria Flower Rasbora Small freshwater fish from Sri Lanka streamsCarp · Rivers and lakes 🇱🇰 Sri LankaCeylonese combtail Aggressive labyrinth fish from Sri LankaOther · Rivers and lakes 🇱🇰 Sri LankaOrnate paradisefish A tiny carnivorous gourami from Sri Lankan streams.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇮🇳 India and 4 moreAsian stinging catfish A small freshwater catfish with a painful stingCatfish · Rivers and lakes 🇮🇳 India and 1 moreChaca chaca A burrowing angler catfish from South Asian rivers with a flattened body and ambush hunting style.Catfish · Rivers and lakes WorldGuntea loach A small Asian loach that breathes through its gut to survive in poor water.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇵🇰 Pakistan and 4 moreSwamp barb Small tropical freshwater fish from South AsiaCarp · Rivers and lakes 🇮🇳 India and 1 moreHoney gourami Small orange freshwater fish from India and BangladeshOther · Rivers and lakes 🇵🇰 Pakistan and 3 moreGiant danio Large, active freshwater fish from South and Southeast Asia.Other · Rivers and lakes
PreviousMore fish

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.