Don’t know which fish to catch next? Let’s take a look at the alphabet and look at every fish that starts with each letter. Finally, you will end up at the letter P.
fish names beginning with p ! Many of the most colorful but hardy fish start with the letter P, so you might not get to Q too quickly – trust us, this doesn’t offer many options. Some of the top fish species that begin with the letter P may be found here at fishtankenthusiast.com, along with a few less well-known species.
7 fish names beginning with p
The following is a complete list of popular fish names beginning with P along with a few others you may not have heard of or considered keeping in your freshwater or saltwater aquarium.
Pearl gourami fish
Scientific name: Trichopodus leerii
Fish family: Osphronemidae
Water type: Fresh water
Personality: Peaceful
Care level: Medium
Size range: 4-5 inches
Outstanding features: Bright spots
The pearl gourami is a simple fish that fits perfectly into planted community tanks. These fish are medium sized with shiny blue-white spots all over their bodies. Like other gouramis, they have long sensors that extend forward to help navigate their surroundings and find food.
Pearl gourami fish are quite easy to raise. They are slightly larger than most other freshwater fish and require a 30 or 40 gallon aquarium. Although they are very good swimmers, pearl gourami fish need plenty of hiding space and tank mates that suit their calm personality.
Guppies
Scientific name: Xiphophorus maculatus
Fish family: Poeciliidae
Water type: Fresh water
Personality: Peaceful
Care level: Easy
Size range: 2-3 inches
Outstanding features: Many different types and colors
Platy fish are one of the most popular freshwater fish in the aquarium hobby. These fish are relatively small but colorful. There are many types of Platy fish, with long or short fins and almost every color and pattern imaginable.
Guppies are one of the easiest fish to care for, starting with P. They need a 10-gallon tank and tropical conditions but will adapt to the right water and tank conditions. Some aquarists find this fish a nuisance because of its high survival rate.
Pigeon blood plate
Scientific name: Symphysodon spp.
Fish family: Cichlidae
Water type: Fresh water
Personality: Peaceful
Level of care: Intermediate to expert
Size range: 8-12 inches
Outstanding characteristics: Bright red and blue white
Pigeon blood discus fish is a special breed of discus fish. This freshwater fish is recognized by its distinctive plate-like body with bright red and blue-white spots.
Discus fish are one of the most difficult fish to care for in an aquarium. They need warmer water temperatures of 82° to 86° F and large tanks over 75 gallons. As they are not hardy, discus hobbyists frequently discover that daily water changes are necessary for their discus tanks to flourish. Despite this, many discus breeders successfully raise these fish with minimal maintenance.
Catfish can talk
Scientific name: Acanthodoras cataphractus
Fish family: Doradidae
Water type: Fresh water
Personality: Semi-aggressive
Care level: Medium
Size range: 2-4 inches
Special features: Night
Also known as spiny catfish or chocolate catfish, talking catfish ( video source ) are not commonly found in the aquarium hobby. These striped fish can be confused with striped Raphael catfish (Platydoras armatulus) but are still a bit smaller.
The capacity to produce noises is what gave rise to the label “talking fish”. Like other catfish species, they have long antennae and nocturnal behavior. They mainly eat detritus but may try to eat small fish. The minimum recommended tank size is 40 gallons.
Paradise Fish
Scientific name: Macropodus opercularis
Fish family: Osphronemidae
Water type: Fresh water
Personality: Generally peaceful
Care level: Easy
Size range: 2-3 inches
Special features: Bright colors
Once a very popular freshwater fish, paradise fish can still bring vibrant colors to the aquarium. These orange and blue fish are usually peaceful species that thrive in planted aquariums. These are some essential considerations when planning for general keeping as these fish can be aggressive towards similar looking species. Like other gouramis, paradise fish are easy to keep. They need a 20 gallon aquarium with tropical water conditions.
Cá Plecostomus
Scientific name: Hypostomus plecostomus
Fish family: Loricariidae
Water type: Fresh water
Personality: Semi-aggressive
Care level: Medium
Size range: 12-15 inches
Special characteristics: Large mouth sucker fish
The common plecostomus fish is probably the first fish that comes to mind that begins with the letter P. These freshwater fish have been in the aquarium hobby for a long time and are much talked about. These are large fish that require a lot of space, but they are often sold at beginner-friendly prices for just a few inches in length.
In fact, common plecos require an aquarium of over 100 gallons to keep long term. These fish are not only large but also live up to 15 years. Ideally, only common plecos should be kept in ponds or lakes; If keeping plecos outdoors, make sure the area is off-limits as common plecos are becoming an increasingly invasive species.
Cá cầu vồng Praecox
Scientific name: Melanotaenia praecox
Fish family: Melanotaeniidae
Water type: Fresh water
Personality: Peaceful but active
Care level: Easy
Size range: 2-3 inches
Special features: Brilliant iridescent colors
Most rainbowfish grow to a medium size, but praecox rainbowfish, also known as dwarf neon rainbowfish, still grow to a moderate size. Due to their small potential size, praecox rainbows only require a 20-gallon school but need to be kept in groups.
Praecox rainbowfish (also known by the common name Dwarf rainbowfish) are very active fish and require a long aquarium. Tankmates should also have similarly active behavior so they don’t get stressed or competitive during feeding time.
