News
RiversEl Niño seen disrupting fish migration patternsSpeciesScientists 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-NicolaRiversEl Niño seen disrupting fish migration patternsSpeciesScientists 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-Nicola
EveryFish

Rivers and lakes

Fresh water: rivers, streams, lakes and ponds. 635 fish on EveryFish so far.

Rivers, lakes, streams and ponds hold less than one per cent of the Earth's water, yet about half of all known fish species live in them. Fresh water is broken into separate basins, and fish that cannot cross between them evolve apart, which is why each river system and lake has its own species. The Amazon, Congo, Mekong and Ganges basins and the great lakes of Africa are the richest.

Life in fresh water

A freshwater fish is saltier inside than the water around it, so it must pump salt in through its gills and pass a lot of dilute urine. Freshwater habitats range from torrential Himalayan streams, where loaches cling to rocks, to warm, still swamps where air-breathing snakeheads, catfish and gouramis thrive. Many river fish time their spawning to floods: the Indian major carps spawn in the monsoon floodwaters, and Mekong fish move into flooded forests.

The most threatened fish

Freshwater fish are declining faster than sea fish. A 2021 report by conservation groups found that about a third of freshwater fish species are threatened with extinction and that 80 had already been declared extinct. Dams block migrations, water is drawn off for farms and cities, pollution and sand mining degrade rivers, and introduced species such as tilapia and African catfish compete with native fish. In India, the rivers of the Western Ghats and the North-East hold many endemic fish at risk.

Famous rivers and lakes fish

RohuA river carp of the Indian subcontinentArapaimaAn air-breathing giant of the AmazonMekong giant catfishOne of the largest freshwater fishGolden mahseerThe golden mahseer of Himalayan riversNile perchA huge predator of African lakesRed-bellied piranhaA schooling fish of South American riversZebrafishA small fish of South Asian streams

Further reading

GroupSharkRayCarpCatfishSalmonidHerringCodTunaPerch-likeCichlidReef fishEelFlatfishLivebearerAncientOther
UseFood fishFarmedAquarium fishSport fishingCulture and faithVenomous or dangerousInvasiveScience and research
OrderBest knownA to ZOldest firstNewest firstBy size
🇧🇷 BrazilEmber tetra Tiny orange freshwater fish from BrazilOther · Rivers and lakes · 1987 Bleeding heart tetra WorldBleeding heart tetra Small Amazonian fish with a red flank spotOther · Rivers and lakes · 1943 Latin America and the CaribbeanPenguinfish Small striped characin from South American riversOther · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇷 BrazilLemon tetra Small yellow freshwater fish from the Amazon basin.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇷 Brazil and 1 moreX-ray tetra Small translucent South American freshwater fish popular in home aquariums.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1894 🇨🇴 ColombiaEmperor tetra A small freshwater fish from Colombia, prized in the aquarium trade for its striking colours and distinct sexual dimorphOther · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇷 Brazil and 4 moreMarbled hatchetfish A small South American freshwater fish kept in aquariums for its unique shape and surface-dwelling habits.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1864 🇻🇪 VenezuelaDiamond tetra Small Venezuelan freshwater fish with violet finsOther · Rivers and lakes · 1920 🇧🇴 Bolivia and 3 moreCommon hatchetfish Small freshwater fish from South AmericaOther · Rivers and lakes WorldSplash tetra Small South American fish that lays eggs on leaves above waterOther · Rivers and lakes 🇨🇳 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 Southeast AsiaPygmy gourami A tiny freshwater fish from Southeast Asia known for its iridescent colours and ability to make sounds.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 WorldPeters's elephantnose fish A West African freshwater fish that navigates using weak electric pulses.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇷 Brazil and 2 moreCardinal tetra Small freshwater fish with a bright red belly and iridescent blue stripe.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1956 🇧🇷 BrazilBlack neon tetra Small freshwater characin with white and black stripes, popular in the aquarium trade.Other · Rivers and lakes WorldLoach Small bottom-dwelling freshwater fish found across Eurasia and Africa.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1758 🇮🇩 IndonesiaChili rasbora Tiny red and black fish from Borneo swamps kept in aquariums.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇲🇲 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 🇹🇩 Chad and 2 moreAfrican brown knifefish Nocturnal freshwater fish with a knife-shaped body and fused fins.Other · 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 🇸🇳 Senegal and 4 moreAfrican arowana Plankton-eating bonytongue fish native to African riversOther · 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 WorldGuntea loach A small Asian loach that breathes through its gut to survive in poor water.Other · 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 🇵🇰 Pakistan and 2 moreDwarf gourami Small South Asian freshwater fish with vibrant colours.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇮🇳 India and 1 moreMalabar danio A small, striped freshwater fish from India and Sri Lanka.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1849 🇮🇳 IndiaDwarf pufferfish A tiny freshwater pufferfish from India prized for its bright colours and small size in home aquaria.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1941 WorldJarbua terapon A striped Indo-Pacific fish found in seas and rivers.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1775 Borna snakehead 🇮🇳 IndiaBorna snakehead A rare small snakehead from the Chel River.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇮🇷 Iran and 4 moreDwarf snakehead Small freshwater fish native to southern AsiaOther · Rivers and lakes 🇮🇳 IndiaGangetic leaffish A small Asian fish found in slow rivers and ponds across South Asia.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇮🇳 India and 2 moreFreshwater garfish A slender, toothed needlefish from Asian fresh waters.Other · Rivers and lakes WorldTank goby Large subtropical goby found in fresh and salt waterOther · Rivers and lakes 🇹🇭 Thailand and 4 moreClown featherback Large tropical freshwater fish with a knife-shaped body and spotted pattern.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇱🇦 Laos and 3 moreBronze featherback A freshwater fish from South and Southeast Asia used for food.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 1 moreSpined loach Small European freshwater fish with a defensive eye spineOther · Rivers and lakes 🇬🇾 Guyana and 1 moreGlowlight tetra Small freshwater fish with a bright orange stripeOther · Rivers and lakes 🇻🇪 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 🇦🇺 AustraliaGulf saratoga A large, pearly-scaled freshwater fish from northern Australia and New Guinea.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.