Southeast Asia
The Mekong, Chao Phraya, and the rivers of Borneo, Sumatra, and Java — home to bettas, gouramis, rasboras, barbs, and many iconic community fish.
439 species · fish
Other regions in Asia
Lizard Loach
FishHomaloptera leonardi
A tiny hillstream crawler that clings to rocks and hops across the riverbed.
Lizard Loach
FishHomaloptera smithi
A fast-water hillstream loach that crawls and hops across rocks like a tiny lizard.
Lizard Loach
FishHomaloptera zollingeri
A flattened, rock-clinging stream dweller that crawls and hops like a lizard.
Lizard Loach
FishHomalopteroides smithi
A rock-clinging hill stream loach that crawls and hops like a tiny lizard.
Lizard Loach
FishHomalopterula gymnogaster
A tiny Sumatran hillstream loach that crawls and hops across rocks like a lizard.
Lizard Loach
FishNeohomaloptera johorensis
A tiny, orange hillstream loach that crawls and hops rather than swims.
Lizard Loaches
FishHomaloptera parclitella
A flat-bodied Malay hillstream loach that crawls and hops across rocks like a tiny lizard.
Long-faced Loach
FishAcantopsis octoactinotos
A slender, sand-diving loach with a distinctively elongated snout.
Longfin Betta
FishBetta enisae
A mouthbrooding wild betta from Borneo's leaf-littered forest streams.
Long whiskers catfish
FishMystus gulio
A schooling brackish catfish that grows surprisingly large and breathes air.
Mad Barb
FishLeptobarbus hoevenii
A river giant with a wild reputation for eating intoxicating seeds
Maeklong Chameleon Catfish
FishAcrochordonichthys septentrionalis
A skin-shedding hill stream catfish that keeps its tankmates on their toes.
Mahachai Betta
FishBetta mahachaiensis
A nipa palm specialist from coastal Thailand with iridescent blue-green armor.
Malayan Leaffish
FishPristolepis fasciata
A bold, deep-bodied predator from Southeast Asian floodplains with real personality.
Malayan Loach
FishPangio semicincta
The fish sold as kuhli loach is almost certainly this one instead.
Malay glass catfish
FishOmpok eugeneiatus
A shy, schooling catfish from Southeast Asian peat swamps and flooded forests.
Mandor
FishBetta mandor
A small, secretive Bornean mouthbrooder best kept in quiet, species-focused setups.
Marbled Goby
FishOxyeleotris marmorata
A motionless giant that eats anything fitting in its enormous mouth.
Meklong Spiny Eel
FishMacrognathus meklongensis
A secretive Thai spiny eel that comes out of hiding when hunger calls.
Mekong Bumblebee Goby
FishBrachygobius mekongensis
A pint-sized brackish goby with bold banded markings and a big personality.
Mekong Croaking Gourami
FishTrichopsis schalleri
The tiny gourami that actually produces sounds to resolve conflicts and court mates.
Mekong Freshwater Stingray
FishDasyatis laosensis
A true river stingray from the Mekong, built for life on sandy bottoms.
Mekong Giant Catfish
FishPangasianodon gigas
One of the largest freshwater fish on Earth, and critically endangered.
Mekong Giant Salmon Carp
FishAaptosyax grypus
A rare, river-running predator from the Mekong that grows to epic proportions.
Mekong Ricefish
FishOryzias mekongensis
A tiny Mekong native with vivid fin markings and surprisingly easy breeding habits.
Mekong Tiger Perch
FishDatnioides undecimradiatus
A boldly barred Mekong predator with a long memory and a short temper.
Merah Dwarf Barb
FishBoraras merah
Thumbnail-sized Borneo native that rewards patience with vivid schooling displays.
Moonlight Gourami
FishTrichogaster microlepis
A silver-scaled Southeast Asian gourami with a gentle nature and labyrinth breathing.
Moonspot Licorice Gourami
FishParosphromenus linkei
A pint-sized blackwater gourami with head-down courtship displays unlike any other.
Mottled Loach
FishAcanthocobitis botia
A peaceful, quirky bottom-dweller with a false eye that fools predators.
Mystic Mystus
FishMystus mysticetus
A gregarious Southeast Asian catfish with a uniquely lateral-eyed look.
Neon Blue Rasbora
FishSundadanio axelrodi
Tiny blackwater gem that rewards patient keepers with dazzling group behavior.
Neon Dwarf Rainbowfish
FishMelanotaenia praecox
Tiny rainbowfish that turns up the color when kept in a proper shoal.
Neon Goby
FishStiphodon ornatus
A tiny, colorful stream goby from Sumatra that rewards patient observers.
Ocellated Featherback
FishChitala ornata
A prehistoric river predator that grows far larger than most tanks can handle.
Ocellated Snakehead
FishChanna pleurophthalma
Bold ocellus markings and predatory charisma from the peat swamps of Borneo.