A Helpful List of Aquarium Fish Species by Common Name

By Shirlie Sharpe

Updated 03/06/18

Tropical fish swimming in aquarium outside kitchen
Hoxton/Tom Merton / Getty Images

A complete alphabet of all the fish species in the world would have at least 27,300 items, and those are just the official names. Many fish—especially popular varieties for aquariums—also have any number of nicknames. For example, the Corydorus matae, or Bandit Cory, is also known as a Bandit Catfish, Masked Cory, Meta River Catfish, and Rio Meta Cory. The following—obviously partial— list includes many popular aquarium fish, from A to Z.

A

Adolfo's Cory
Adonis Tetra
African Peacock Cichlid
Angel Fish
Archerfish
Atlantic Mudskipper
Auratus
Australian Rainbowfish
Azureus Chiclid

B

C

D

Danio - Pearl
Danio - Zebra
Debauwi Cat
Deepwater Hap
Denison's Flying Fox
Dojo Loach
Dovii
Dragon Fish
Dusky Piranha
Dwarf Croaking Gourami
Dwarf Gourami
Dwarf Pencilfish
Dwarf Snakehead

E

Earth Eater
Eastern Mudminnow
Edible Gourami
Eduard's Mbuna
Ell Loach
Egyptian Mouthbrooder
Eight-Barb Loach
Electric Blue Hap
Electric Catfish
Electric Yellow Hap
Elegant Rasbora
Elephant-Nose Cichlid
Emperor Tetra

F

Fairy Cichlid
False Bumblebee Catfish
Fathead Bichir
Fighting Fish
Figure Eight Puffer
Five-bar Cichlid
Five-stripe Lamprologus

G

H

Harlequin
Haitian Cichlid
Half-Lined Pyrrhulina
Hampala Barb
Harlequin Rasbora
Harlequin Shark
Harrison's Pencilfish
Hatchetfish
Heterotis
Hi-Fin Banded Shark

J

Jack Dempsey
Jae Barb
Jaguar Catfish
Jelly Bean Tetra
Jewel Cichlid
Johanni Mbuna
Jordan's Catfish
Jumping Charcin

K

Kafirnigani Gray Loach
Katangae Nile Bichir
Keyhole Cichlid
Kissing Gourami
Kribensis

L

M

N

Nandus
Needle Fin Eater
Needlefish
Neon Tetra - Black
Nigerian Red Krib
Nile Puffer
Nyerere's Victoria Cichlid

O

Obese Syndontis
Obliquidens Hap
Obscure Snakehead
Ocellated Freshwater Stingray
Ocellated Shell-Dweller
Ocellated Synodontis
Opaline Gourami
Oxeye Herring
Ozola Barb

P

R

S

T

U

Uaru
Unicorn Fish
Upside Down Catfish

V

Vampire Pleco
Variegated Platy
Variegated Shark
Venustus
Violet Goby

W

Wallago Catfish
Warmouth
Weather Fish
Weather Loach
West African Bichir
West Australian Pygmy Perch
White Skirt Tetra
Whiptailed Banjo Catfish

Y

Yellow Banded Moenkhausia
Yellow Julie
Yellow King Piranha
Yellow Kribensis
Yellow Lab
Yellow Regal Peacock Cichlid
Yellow-Finned Xenotilapia
Yellow-Tailed Conga Tetra
Yo-Yo Loach

Z