You can’t deny the beauty of these fish, regardless of your personal preferences. From the precision of the lines on an Indian Ocean Oriental Sweetlips to the indescribable hues of the Rusty Parrotfish. Join me as we discover 15 of the world’s most beautiful fish.
1. Mandarinfish
Mandarinfish are one of those pet fish that change color. Technically, they don’t exactly change color by going from blue to purple for instance, but their hues change according to their environment and health. All mandarinfish produce cyanophores, which are blue pigments that give them their color and pattern. However, different varieties have different colors.
They may look bigger in a photograph, but mandarinfish are actually quite small. Males only grow up to be 2.75 inches, which in addition to their bottom-feeding habits, make them hard to spot. They live in shallow lagoons and reefs in the Indo-Pacific zone, where they hide in staghorn corals in groups of 2 to 5. They come out at dusk when they mate, which is a daily (or nightly) ritual.
2. Betta Fish
Betta fish, also known as Siamese fighting fish, are a really colorful pet fish species native to Southeast Asia. These freshwater beauties were domesticated in Thailand to be used in contests, which is why we call them fighting fish. Today, the Siamese fighting fish is the national aquatic animal of Thailand, the primary breeder and exporter of these fish.
There are many misconceptions about Betta fish, like that they’re great starter fish. You may be wondering if Betta fish make good pets. The answer is, maybe. They’re inexpensive and beautiful, but they also need a lot of care and attention. Unfortunately, they’re listed as vulnerable in the wild due to pollution and habitat loss.
3. Flame Angelfish
Flame angelfish, also known as flame angels, flaming angelfish, and Japanese pygmy angelfish, are dichromatic. Thus, you can clearly spot the difference between a male and female. Males are bigger, while females have blue streaks on their dorsal fins and more apparent anal fins. They’re also omnivores, so they feed on algae and small crustaceans. These fish, who live in the Pacific Ocean, only live for 5 to 7 years at most.
4. Moorish Idol
The Moorish Idol also lives on reefs in the Indo-Pacific region. They got their name from the respect and honor that fishermen showed to them when catching fish. Apparently, when they caught a Moorish Idol, they would honor them with a bow and then release them. Moor refers to Amazigh people from Morocco, where, ironically enough, there are no Moorish Idols.
5. Clownfish
If you’ve seen Finding Nemo, you’ll know that clownfish are fish with huge personalities, along with angelfish and betta fish. They’re also called anemonefish and there are 30 recognized species fo clownfish. They’re pretty small, with the smallest reaching 2.75 to 3.15 inches and the largest barely surpassing 6 inches.
Clownfish live in the Indian Ocean, Red Sea, Pacific Ocean, Great Barrier Reef, USA, Indo-Malaysian region, Japan, Southeast Asia, North America, and Hawaii. They live right at the bottom of shallow seas and lagoons, and you won’t find one of them in the Atlantic. They’ve got a strict hierarchy which is led by a dominant female, who happens to be the most aggressive gal in the group.
6. Emperor Angelfish
Emperor angelfish change both color and pattern as they age. Juvenile fish have a dark blue body and curving lines, while adults have more uniform stripes. They live in the Indian and Pacific Oceans and they’re lucky enough to be completely safe from any extinction threats. Adults live in clear lagoons, channels, and reefs with an abundance of corals, while juveniles hide below ledges and other sheltered areas.
7. Yellow Tang
We all love Dory, right? It may be a controversial preference, but I like the bold and bright yellow tang more than the common blue tang. They’re also called the lemon sailfin, yellow sailfin tang, or somber surgeonfish and they belong to the same family as unicornfishes. They’re one of the most popular marine aquarium fish because they can brighten up any tank, but they actually live in reefs.
8. Lionfish
Lionfish, or Pterois, are honestly fish that don’t look like fish. They look like many things, from broken Autumn leaves to cracked seashells, but fish isn’t one of those things. And yes, they’re just as dangerous as they look because lionfish are the deadliest pet fish, in addition to stonefish and surgeonfish. These extra venomous marine fish live in the Indo-Pacific region, and they attack with their dorsal spines.
9. Red Discus
The red discus is a cichlid family freshwater fish that originated from the Amazon River Basin. They’re very social and mostly peaceful until breeding time comes along and they start getting territorial. Their menu includes insects, insect larvae, and small invertebrates and they need to live with at least 5 or 6 friends to thrive.
10. Copperband Butterflyfish
The beaked coralfish, or copperband butterflyfish, form monogamous pairs while breeding. They also look the same whether they’re juveniles or adults and they prefer to live in coral reefs and rocky shorelines. Copperband butterflyfish are also very territorial, and they’ll also settle for estuaries and inner reefs.
11. Royal Gramma
The fairy basslet, or royal gramma – which is a much funner name in my opinion – lives in the reefs of the tropical western Atlantic Ocean. They remind me of those sourworms that are two different colors, and their size fits that image, since they rarely surpass 3.1 inches.
They’re planktivores, so they live off zooplankton and crustaceans. They’re also cleaner fish, so if you see a purple and yellow tag on a bigger fish, it’s a royal gramma removing its ectoparasites.
12. Candy Basslet
Candy basslets are closely related to the other 2 basslets in this list. They prefer the deepest of deep habitats, so don’t feel like you missed out if you’ve never spotted one. They’re used in ornamental fish trading because of their beauty, but fortunately they’re smart enough to stay far away from the surface. Candy basslets eat crustaceans that are both close enough to catch without leaving their deep habitat and small enough to fit in their small mouths.
13. Blackcap Basslet
The blackcap basslet, or blackcap gramma, lives in the tropical western Atlantic. They roam around vertical surfaces until trouble arises, which is when they scurry to hide in crevices big enough to fit their maximum length of 3.9 inches. The name choice is fairly obvious, since they look like they’re wearing a little black cap on their bright purple bodies.
14. Indian Ocean Oriental Sweetlips
Of all the fish in this list, this one is without a doubt my personal favorite. The Indian Ocean oriental sweetlips is also known as the oriental sweetlips or oriental blubberlips. Despite their restrictive name, these marine ray-finned fish are also native to the western Pacific Ocean. They mostly live in shallow coastal coral reefs, seaward reefs, and lagoons. They only forage at night, making them nocturnal, and their menu of choice includes crustaceans, gastropods, and small fish.
15. Rusty Parrotfish
Finally, we have the gorgeous rusty parrotfish from the north western Indian Ocean and Red Sea. They’re generally common and you’ll spot them easily as they’re not only beautiful, but they also grow up to be up to 16 inches long. Rusty parrotfish in the terminal phase are multicolored, but those in the initial phase are a rusty brown with yellow tails.
