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Freshwater fishes

The fish list

499 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.

EndangeredRarePopularPeacefulSmall (6 cm or less)Calm water✓ Strong flowSchoolingL-numbersWith photo Basic profiles too

The fishes 33 fish · new every day

Blue phantom

L128
Blue phantom ≈

Plecos · HemiancistrusRare

  • 26–30°C
  • pH 5.5–7.5
  • Strong!
  • 8 in!
  • Bottom
  • Mixed
  • Territorial!

Blue-grey with fine white dots.

Upper Orinoco, Venezuela

Blue phantom

L128

Upper 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
Omnivore
Breeding
Moderate–hard
Typical price
$80–200
In Canada
Occasional
Rarity
Rare or hard to breed

Blue-grey with fine white dots. Grows larger than it looks in the store.

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Photo: EnjiBenji, CC0

Three-beacon vampire

L091
Give us a picture and get credit! ≈

Plecos · LeporacanthicusRare

  • 26–30°C
  • pH 5.5–7.5
  • Strong!
  • 8 in!
  • Bottom
  • Meat
  • Territorial!

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.

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Mega clown

L340
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Plecos · HypancistrusUncommon

  • 27–30°C!
  • pH 5.5–7.5
  • Strong!
  • 5 in
  • Bottom
  • Meat
  • Peaceful

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

Tapajós basin, Brazil

Mega clown

L340

Tapajós basin, Brazil · rapids

Temperature
27–30°C
pH
5.5–7.5
Adult size
5 in · 12 cm
Flow
Strong
Swims
Bottom
Temperament
Peaceful
Diet
Carnivore
Breeding
Moderate
Typical price
$40–120
In Canada
Occasional
Rarity
Uncommon

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

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King tiger

L066
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Plecos · HypancistrusStaple

  • 26–30°C
  • pH 5.5–7.5
  • Strong!
  • 5 in
  • Bottom
  • Meat
  • Peaceful

Bold cream worm-lines on black.

Rio Xingu, Brazil

King tiger

L066

Rio Xingu, Brazil · rapids

Temperature
26–30°C
pH
5.5–7.5
Adult size
5 in · 12 cm
Flow
Strong
Swims
Bottom
Temperament
Peaceful
Diet
Carnivore
Breeding
Easy
Typical price
$40–80
In Canada
Common
Rarity
Pet-store staple

Bold cream worm-lines on black. Every fish is different, and it breeds readily.

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Snowball

L102
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Plecos · HypancistrusUncommon

  • 26–29°C
  • pH 5.5–7.5
  • Strong!
  • 6 in
  • Bottom
  • Meat
  • Peaceful

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
26–29°C
pH
5.5–7.5
Adult size
6 in · 15 cm
Flow
Strong
Swims
Bottom
Temperament
Peaceful
Diet
Carnivore
Breeding
Easy
Typical price
$40–80
In Canada
Occasional
Rarity
Uncommon

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

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King tiger (Xingu)

L333
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Plecos · HypancistrusStaple

  • 26–30°C
  • pH 5.5–7.5
  • Strong!
  • 5 in
  • Bottom
  • Meat
  • Peaceful

Yellow-cream maze that changes from fish to fish.

Rio Xingu and Rio Iriri, Brazil

King tiger (Xingu)

L333

Hypancistrus seideli

Rio Xingu and Rio Iriri, Brazil · rapids

Temperature
26–30°C
pH
5.5–7.5
Adult size
5 in · 13 cm
Flow
Strong
Swims
Bottom
Temperament
Peaceful
Diet
Carnivore
Breeding
Easy
Typical price
$40–150
In Canada
Common
Rarity
Pet-store staple

Yellow-cream maze that changes from fish to fish. High-grade fish cost more. Very productive, so fry are easy to rehome.

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Dwarf snowball

L471
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Plecos · HypancistrusUncommon

  • 26–30°C
  • pH 5.5–7.5
  • Strong!
  • 3 in
  • Bottom
  • Meat
  • Peaceful

A small, white-spotted Hypancistrus.

Unknown origin

Dwarf snowball

L471

Unknown origin · rapids

Temperature
26–30°C
pH
5.5–7.5
Adult size
3 in · 8 cm
Flow
Strong
Swims
Bottom
Temperament
Peaceful
Diet
Carnivore
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.

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Rio Curuá pleco

L401
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Plecos · HypancistrusUncommon

  • 26–30°C
  • pH 5.5–7.5
  • Strong!
  • 4 in
  • Bottom
  • Meat
  • Peaceful

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
5.5–7.5
Adult size
4 in · 11 cm
Flow
Strong
Swims
Bottom
Temperament
Peaceful
Diet
Carnivore
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.

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Angelicus

L136
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Plecos · HypancistrusUncommon

  • 26–30°C
  • pH 5.5–7.5
  • Strong!
  • 5 in
  • Bottom
  • Meat
  • Peaceful

Sold as L136a, b and c.

Middle Rio Negro, Brazil

Angelicus

L136

Middle Rio Negro, Brazil · rapids

Temperature
26–30°C
pH
5.5–7.5
Adult size
5 in · 12 cm
Flow
Strong
Swims
Bottom
Temperament
Peaceful
Diet
Carnivore
Breeding
Easy–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.

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Spotted zebra

L174
Give us a picture and get credit! ≈

Plecos · HypancistrusUncommon

  • 27–30°C!
  • pH 5.5–7.5
  • Strong!
  • 4 in
  • Bottom
  • Meat
  • Peaceful

Small, with dense fine gold dots on black.

Rio Xingu, Brazil

Spotted zebra

L174

Rio Xingu, Brazil · rapids

Temperature
27–30°C
pH
5.5–7.5
Adult size
4 in · 10 cm
Flow
Strong
Swims
Bottom
Temperament
Peaceful
Diet
Carnivore
Breeding
Moderate
Typical price
$60–150
In Canada
Occasional
Rarity
Uncommon

Small, with dense fine gold dots on black. Patterns vary, so check photos before buying.

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Queen arabesque

L260
Give us a picture and get credit! ≈

Plecos · HypancistrusUncommon

  • 27–30°C!
  • pH 5.5–7.5
  • Strong!
  • 4 in
  • Bottom
  • Meat
  • Peaceful

Fine white maze lines on black.

Rio Tapajós, Brazil

Queen arabesque

L260

Rio Tapajós, Brazil · rapids

Temperature
27–30°C
pH
5.5–7.5
Adult size
4 in · 11 cm
Flow
Strong
Swims
Bottom
Temperament
Peaceful
Diet
Carnivore
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.

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Galaxy vampire

L029
Give us a picture and get credit! ≈

Plecos · LeporacanthicusRare

  • 26–30°C
  • pH 5.5–7.5
  • Strong!
  • 10 in!
  • Bottom
  • Meat
  • Aggressive!

The vampire pleco.

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.

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Super white

L236
Give us a picture and get credit! ≈

Plecos · HypancistrusRare

  • 28–31°C!
  • pH 5.5–7.5
  • Strong!
  • 4 in
  • Bottom
  • Meat
  • Peaceful

Grading is by how much white shows, and the whitest fish sell for the most.

Rio Xingu, Pará, Brazil

Super white

L236

Rio Xingu, Pará, Brazil · rapids

Temperature
28–31°C
pH
5.5–7.5
Adult size
4 in · 9 cm
Flow
Strong
Swims
Bottom
Temperament
Peaceful
Diet
Carnivore
Breeding
Moderate, slow
Typical price
$200–1000
In Canada
Rare
Rarity
Rare or hard to breed

Grading is by how much white shows, and the whitest fish sell for the most. Best at 29–30°C with strong flow and protein-heavy food.

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Colombian zebra

L129
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Plecos · HypancistrusStaple

  • 26–30°C
  • pH 5.5–7.5
  • Strong!
  • 4 in
  • Bottom
  • Meat
  • Peaceful

Small and busy, with thin black-and-white stripes.

Rio Guaviare and upper Orinoco, Colombia

Colombian zebra

L129

Hypancistrus debilittera

Rio Guaviare and upper Orinoco, Colombia · rapids

Temperature
26–30°C
pH
5.5–7.5
Adult size
4 in · 9 cm
Flow
Strong
Swims
Bottom
Temperament
Peaceful
Diet
Carnivore
Breeding
Easy
Typical price
$35–70
In Canada
Common
Rarity
Pet-store staple

Small and busy, with thin black-and-white stripes. Easy to breed.

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Moon pleco

L368
Give us a picture and get credit! ≈

Plecos · ScobinancistrusRare

  • 27–31°C!
  • pH 5.5–7.5
  • Strong!
  • 12 in!
  • Bottom
  • Meat
  • Territorial!

Large white spots on black.

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.

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Big white spot

L142
Give us a picture and get credit! ≈

Plecos · BaryancistrusRare

  • 27–30°C!
  • pH 5.5–7.5
  • Strong!
  • 10 in!
  • Bottom
  • Mixed
  • Territorial!

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.

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Showing 32 of 33