Save the Little Fish

Freshwater fishes

The fish list

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.

Rapids 27 fish

Galaxy vampire

L029

Plecos · LeporacanthicusRare

Rio Tocantins and nearby Pará rivers, Brazil

Galaxy vampire

L029

Leporacanthicus galaxias

Rio Tocantins and nearby Pará rivers, Brazil · rapids

Temperature
26–30°C
pH
5.5–7.5
Adult size
10 in · 25 cm
Flow
Strong
Swims
Bottom
Temperament
Aggressive
Diet
Carnivore
Breeding
Hard
Typical price
$60–200
In Canada
Occasional
Rarity
Rare or hard to breed

The vampire pleco. Beautiful, but it gets large and bullies smaller plecos.

Three-beacon vampire

L091

Plecos · LeporacanthicusRare

Eats snails and holds a cave firmly.

Orinoco, Venezuela

Three-beacon vampire

L091

Leporacanthicus triactis

Orinoco, Venezuela · rapids

Temperature
26–30°C
pH
5.5–7.5
Adult size
8 in · 20 cm
Flow
Strong
Swims
Bottom
Temperament
Territorial
Diet
Carnivore
Breeding
Hard
Typical price
$60–150
In Canada
Occasional
Rarity
Rare or hard to breed

Eats snails and holds a cave firmly. Can be rough with smaller plecos.

Snowball

L102

Plecos · HypancistrusLC

Bigger, sparser white spots than L201, and a bigger fish overall.

Upper Rio Negro and Casiquiare, Venezuela and Brazil

Snowball

L102

Hypancistrus inspector

Upper Rio Negro and Casiquiare, Venezuela and Brazil · rapids

Temperature
22–30°C
pH
5–7.5
Adult size
6 in · 16 cm
Flow
Strong
Swims
Bottom
Temperament
Peaceful
Diet
Omnivore
Breeding
Moderate
Typical price
$40–80
In Canada
Occasional
Status in the wild
Least concern

Bigger, sparser white spots than L201, and a bigger fish overall.

Angelicus

L136

Plecos · HypancistrusUncommon

Sold as L136a, b and c.

Middle Rio Negro, Brazil

Angelicus

L136

Middle Rio Negro, Brazil · rapids

Temperature
23–29°C
pH
5–7
Adult size
4 in · 9 cm
Flow
Gentle
Swims
Bottom
Temperament
Peaceful
Diet
Omnivore
Breeding
Moderate
Typical price
$40–120
In Canada
Occasional
Rarity
Uncommon

Sold as L136a, b and c. Keep one variant per breeding pair so fry stay true.

Big white spot

L142

Plecos · BaryancistrusRare

Big white spots on black with white fin edges.

Xingu and Tapajós basins, Brazil

Big white spot

L142

Xingu and Tapajós basins, Brazil · rapids

Temperature
27–30°C
pH
5.5–7.5
Adult size
10 in · 25 cm
Flow
Strong
Swims
Bottom
Temperament
Territorial
Diet
Omnivore
Breeding
Hard
Typical price
$80–200
In Canada
Rare
Rarity
Rare or hard to breed

Big white spots on black with white fin edges. Striking, but big and territorial.

Queen arabesque

L260

Plecos · HypancistrusUncommon

Fine white maze lines on black.

Rio Tapajós, Brazil

Queen arabesque

L260

Rio Tapajós, Brazil · rapids

Temperature
24–30°C
pH
5.5–7.5
Adult size
4 in · 9 cm
Flow
Gentle
Swims
Bottom
Temperament
Peaceful
Diet
Omnivore
Breeding
Moderate
Typical price
$60–150
In Canada
Occasional
Rarity
Uncommon

Fine white maze lines on black. One of the most refined patterns in the genus.

Mega clown

L340

Plecos · HypancistrusUncommon

Thick, irregular white bands on black, like a coarse zebra.

Tapajós basin, Brazil

Mega clown

L340

Tapajós basin, Brazil · rapids

Temperature
25–29°C
pH
6–7.2
Adult size
4 in · 10 cm
Flow
Gentle
Swims
Bottom
Temperament
Peaceful
Diet
Omnivore
Breeding
Moderate
Typical price
$40–120
In Canada
Occasional
Rarity
Uncommon

Thick, irregular white bands on black, like a coarse zebra.

Moon pleco

L368

Plecos · ScobinancistrusRare

Unknown origin

Moon pleco

L368

Unknown origin · rapids

Temperature
27–31°C
pH
5.5–7.5
Adult size
12 in · 30 cm
Flow
Strong
Swims
Bottom
Temperament
Territorial
Diet
Carnivore
Breeding
Rarely
Typical price
$150–400
In Canada
Rare
Rarity
Rare or hard to breed

Large white spots on black. A big snail-eater that grows to about 30 cm, so it needs a large tank.

Rio Curuá pleco

L401

Plecos · HypancistrusUncommon

Dark with a golden net pattern.

Rio Curuá, Iriri–Xingu basin, Brazil

Rio Curuá pleco

L401

Rio Curuá, Iriri–Xingu basin, Brazil · rapids

Temperature
26–30°C
pH
6–7
Adult size
6 in · 14 cm
Flow
Gentle
Swims
Bottom
Temperament
Peaceful
Diet
Omnivore
Breeding
Moderate
Typical price
$50–100
In Canada
Occasional
Rarity
Uncommon

Dark with a golden net pattern. It can cross with L236, so only mix them in a tank you won’t sell fry from.

Dwarf snowball

L471

Plecos · HypancistrusUncommon

A small, white-spotted Hypancistrus.

Unknown origin

Dwarf snowball

L471

Unknown origin · rapids

Temperature
26–30°C
pH
6–7
Adult size
2.8 in · 7 cm
Flow
Gentle
Swims
Bottom
Temperament
Peaceful
Diet
Omnivore
Breeding
Easy–moderate
Typical price
$25–60
In Canada
Occasional
Rarity
Uncommon

A small, white-spotted Hypancistrus. It can cross with L236, so only mix them in a tank you won’t sell fry from.

Showing 27 of 27