Freshwater fishes
542 species, each with the water it needs, who it gets along with, and where it comes from. Find one, or browse by family, genus or river.
Hypancistrus14 fish
Peckoltia5 fish
Ancistrus4 fish
Corydoras4 fish
Panaqolus4 fish
Apistogramma3 fish
Poecilia3 fish
Danio2 fish
Hemigrammus2 fish
Hyphessobrycon2 fish
Melanotaenia2 fish
Mikrogeophagus2 fish
Paracheirodon2 fish
Trichogaster2 fish
Beaufortia1 fish
Boraras1 fish
Carassius1 fish
Caridina1 fish
Carnegiella1 fish
Chromobotia1 fish
Cleithracara1 fish
Crossocheilus1 fish
Herotilapia1 fish
Neocaridina1 fish
Neritina1 fish
Otocinclus1 fish
Pangio1 fish
Pethia1 fish
Phenacogrammus1 fish
Placidochromis1 fish
Pterygoplichthys1 fish
Puntius1 fish
Rineloricaria1 fish
Sewellia1 fish
Symphysodon1 fish
Tanichthys1 fish
Trichopodus1 fish
Trichopsis1 fish
Trigonostigma1 fish
Southeast Asia9 fish
Xingu7 fish
Amazon6 fish
East Asia5 fish
Rio Negro5 fish
South Asia5 fish
Orinoco4 fish
Mexico & Central America3 fish
Rio Madeira3 fish
Tapajós3 fish
Africa2 fish
Caribbean coast2 fish
Curuá2 fish
Guianas2 fish
New Guinea2 fish
Rio Tapajós2 fish
South America (widespread)2 fish
Tocantins2 fish
Lake Malawi1 fish
Nanay1 fish
Paraná & Paraguay1 fish
Rio Tocantins1 fish
Upper Amazon1 fish
Unknown origin6 fishPterygoplichthys joselimaianus
Tocantins–Araguaia basin, Brazil · river
A sailfin that grows to about 30 cm and makes a lot of waste. Big tanks only.
Photo: 5snake5, CC BY-SA 4.0
Peckoltia vittata
Lower Amazon and Xingu basins, Brazil · river
A small Peckoltia with bold yellow and dark bands. Peaceful, and a different genus from L236.
Photo: Gabriel Lelis Togni, CC BY 3.0
Panaqolus maccus
Orinoco basin, Venezuela and Colombia · river
A small wood-eater with orange bands. Needs driftwood to rasp and tops out around 28°C.
Photo: Jarne Colman, CC0
Peckoltia compta
Rio Tapajós, Brazil · river
Yellow with black saddles. A different genus from L236, so no hybrid risk in the display.
Photo: Frank M Greco, CC BY 3.0
Aquarium-bred strain. Its wild origin isn’t well documented. · river
Yellow bristlenose with blue eyes. Easy and cheap, but happier below 28°C. L144a is the longfin form.
Photo: Corydoras-adolfoi, CC BY-SA 4.0
Ancistrus dolichopterus
Rio Negro, Brazil · river
Black with white stars and white fin edges. The prettiest bristlenose, but it prefers cooler, soft water.
Photo: Alberto Mejia-Paniagua, CC BY NC SA
Hypancistrus cf. contradens
Middle Orinoco, Venezuela · rapids
Crisp white dots and white fin edges. A classic first Hypancistrus.
Photo: thepigeongirl, CC BY NC
Panaqolus albivermis
Peruvian Amazon · river
White vermiculation with orange-red fin edges. A wood-eater, so add driftwood and vegetables.
Photo: Hantanplan, CC0
Near Alenquer, lower Amazon, Brazil · river
Orange-and-dark banded Panaqolus, also sold as the Alenquer tiger. Needs driftwood.
Photo: Fish Tank Society, CC BY-SA 4.0
Caridina multidentata
Coastal streams of Japan and Taiwan · stream
Invertebrate. Many fish will eat it, so choose tank mates with care.
Photo: Jolielover, CC BY 4.0
Melanotaenia boesemani
Ayamaru Lakes, West Papua · lake
Photo: H. Zell, CC BY-SA 3.0
Corydoras aeneus
Widespread in South America · stream
Photo: Andrew Keller, CC0
Chromobotia macracanthus
Rivers of Borneo and Sumatra · river
Photo: Tommy Kronkvist, CC BY-SA 4.0
Phenacogrammus interruptus
Congo River basin, DR Congo · river
Photo: André Karwath aka Aka, CC BY-SA 2.5
Melanotaenia praecox
Mamberamo River basin, New Guinea · stream
Photo: Raimond Spekking, CC BY-SA 4.0
Neritina natalensis
East African coastal rivers and estuaries · brackish estuary
Invertebrate. Many fish will eat it, so choose tank mates with care.
Photo: Evan Baldonado, CC BY 4.0
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