Here’s an additional list of colorful aquarium fishes with wonderful fins. Almost all these fishes occasionally make their way into the aquarium trade.
Scooter Dragonet
Scooter Dragonet (Synchiropus ocellatus) is a colorful fish species with a large-sail like dorsal fin and distinctively beautiful horizontal pectoral fins. This tropical marine fish is endemic to the southwest Pacific Ocean. It can grow up to 8 cm in length and can be found from Japan to Australia.
Mandarinfish Dragonet
The lovely and pretty Mandarin Dragonet (Synchiropus splendidus)or just Dragonet is a small but brilliantly-fish which is well-known as an aquatic pet. It is endemic to the Pacific Ocean from Ryukyu Islands in Japan to Australia. This colorful fish that feed on small crustaceans and invertebrates can reach a length of 6 cm only.
Rhinopias aphanes
One of the most unique-looking fish is the Rhinopias aphanes. This brightly-colored scorpionfish is peculiar for its unique fins and appendages all over its body. It can grow to a length of up to 25 cm. It inhabits the Western Pacific Ocean and occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade.
Oriental Flying Gurnard (Dactyloptena orientalis)
Another fish species that looks awesomely unique and beautiful for having wings is the Oriental Flying Gurnard (Dactyloptena orientalis). This fish can grow up to 40 cm long and lives in the Indo-Pacific region. Its large, round pectoral fins, which are usually held against the body, has a bright blue edge. When excited or threatened the fins are expanded in to scare predators. It can also walk along the bottom of the ocean through its pelvic fins.
Orange M Sarawut – Siamese Fighting Fish (Betta splendens)
The colorful Siamese Fighting Fish with flamboyant fins is a popular freshwater aquarium fish species. The wild ancestors of betas are endemic to the rice paddies of Cambodia, Malaysia and Thailand. It is also known simply as Betta or just Fighter. The name of this well-known aquarium pet is derived from Ikan Bettah, taken from a dialect of Thailand which is formerly known as Siam. This fish is called Trey Krem or Pla-kad in Thailand. Both names mean “fighting Fish”.
Butterfly Tail Goldfish
The Butterfly Tail is a breed of goldfish that is distinguished by the butterfly-shaped caudal fins when viewed from above. The name of this goldfish to extravagant displays of tails that spread 180 degrees is just short for the many names this variety has, such as Butterfly Tail Demekin, Butterfly Tail Telescope, Top View Telescope and Butterfly Tail Moor. This fancy-looking goldfish variety is also called Butterfly Telescope.
Oranda Goldfish
The Oranda, one of the most popular aquarium fish, is a brightly-colored variety of goldfish that is distinguished by the long quadruple tail and by a prominent raspberry-like headgrowth or hood encasing its head. The headgrowth, which is also as wen, is noticeably remarkable because encases the entire head except for the eyes and mouth. Oranda’s four-lobed and contracted tail normally spreads out broadly when it stops swimming. A very rare ‘blue scale’ Oranda have been developed recently.
8.) Banggai Cardinalfish (Pterapogon kauderni)
The Banggai Cardinalfish is an attractive aquarium fish that can be found exclusively in the Banggai Islands of Indonesia. This small tropical fish with a tasseled first dorsal fin, elongated anal and second dorsal fin rays and deeply forked caudal fin, is among the relatively few marine fish to have been bred regularly in captivity.
Check out:
Seven Colorful Aquarium Fishes with Unique Fins Part 1
