The Americas
From the Amazon's blackwater basins to Caribbean reefs — the Americas hold the most popular freshwater biotopes and a wealth of Atlantic and Pacific saltwater life.
765 species · freshwater
Sub-regions
Parrot Doradid
FishRhynchodoras woodsi
A rarely seen Amazonian catfish with a mysterious bony beak-like projection
Parrot Pacu
FishOssubtus xinguense
A plant-munching Xingu oddity that surprises keepers with its feisty personality.
Pastaza Corydora
FishCorydoras pastazensis
A long-lived Ecuadorian armored catfish with a fascinating air-breathing trick.
Patrick's Acara
FishAequidens patricki
A rarely traded Peruvian cichlid with a feisty personality and serious collector appeal.
Patwa
FishKrobia guianensis
A sleek Guianan cichlid that rewards patient keepers with real personality.
Payara
FishHydrolycus scomberoides
Vampire-fanged characin that's surprisingly peaceful with fish too big to eat.
Peacock Bass
FishCichla kelberi
A hard-hitting Amazonian predator that rewards patient keepers with bold personality.
Peacock Bass
FishCichla ocellaris
A river predator that grows to nearly three feet and eats anything it can catch.
Peacock Bass
FishCichla orinocensis
A river predator that grows to nearly two feet and eats its tankmates.
Pearl Cichlid
FishGeophagus brasiliensis
Iridescent eartheater with big personality and bigger territorial instincts.
Peckoltia pankimpuju
FishHemiancistrus pankimpuju
A rugged Peruvian boulder-dweller with a surprising ability to breathe air.
Pencilfish
FishNannostomus grandis
The largest pencilfish, rarely seen but worth the search.
Pencilfish
FishNannostomus minimus
Tiny, timid, and barely an inch long. A pencilfish for the dedicated nano keeper.
Penguin Fish
FishThayeria obliqua
The original penguin tetra, now overshadowed by its more common cousin.
Peppered Cory
FishCorydoras paleatus
Hardy, armored, and social. A true workhorse of the community tank.
Perruno
FishPerrunichthys perruno
A little-known giant catfish from Venezuela's Lake Maracaibo basin.
Peru black cory
FishCorydoras semiaquilus
A long-lived Amazonian bottom-dweller with a surprisingly expressive face.
Peru Piraíba
FishBrachyplatystoma capapretum
A large Amazonian catfish that lurks in deep river channels far from shore.
Peruvian King Pleco
FishPterygoplichthys scrophus
A hefty Amazonian armored catfish that breathes air when conditions demand it.
Peruvian Longfin
FishAphyolebias peruensis
A rare Amazonian killifish with an extraordinarily long egg incubation period.
Peruvian Tetra
FishHyphessobrycon peruvianus
A slender Upper Amazon tetra often misidentified but worth tracking down properly.
Peruvian Whiptail Catfish
FishRineloricaria morrowi
A slender Peruvian whiptail catfish that rewards patient keepers with fascinating paternal care.
Petracini's cory
FishCorydoras petracinii
A tiny Argentine cory built for rocky currents, rarely if ever seen in the hobby.
Phantom Headstander
FishCharax condei
A secretive little predator that sneaks into shipments of other characins.
Phoenix Tetra
FishHemigrammus filamentosus
A slender Brazilian tetra with a filamentous tail fin twist.
Picotee Livebearer
FishPhallichthys fairweatheri
A gentle little livebearer from Central America's marshy backwaters.
Pictus Catfish
FishPimelodus pictus
A spotted, whiskered speedster that will eat anything small enough to swallow.
Pike Characin
FishAcestrorhynchus microlepis
A sleek, toothy predator that schools as a juvenile and hunts like a pike.
Pike Characin
FishAcestrorhynchus pantaneiro
A sleek river predator that plays surprisingly well with the right tankmates.
Pike Characin
FishBoulengerella cuvieri
A surface-hunting predator that outgrows almost every home aquarium.
Pike cichlid
FishCrenicichla albopunctata
A compact, manageable pike cichlid with serious predator personality.
Pike cichlid
FishCrenicichla johanna
A big-mouthed Amazon predator that means business in any large cichlid setup.
Pike Cichlid
FishCrenicichla lepidota
A torpedo-shaped predator that brings serious personality to a South American biotope.
Pike Cichlid
FishCrenicichla lugubris
A deceptively pretty juvenile that grows into a large, predatory tank-buster.
Pike killifish
FishBelonesox belizanus
A surface-hunting predator built like a pike, from Central American wetlands.
Pinch Piranha
FishSerrasalmus eigenmanni
A sleek Amazon predator that's surprisingly manageable for first-time piranha keepers.