Sometimes, fish species are correctly identified with their scientific names.
A scientific name is the same as the Latin name of the fish. It distinguishes the species from similar species in the same family and genus.
But hobbyists broadly identify fishes with their common names. A scientific name will be crucial when a particular species is essential.
Researching fish names that start with C? This article lists them in two categories.
You can also check out our top 5 picks of fish that start with C!
Our Top 5 Fish Names Beginning With Letter C
Chocolate Cichlid (Hypselecara coryphaenoides)
This large aquarium fish is larger than many other Cichlids, only followed by the Cuban Cichlid.
Notwithstanding its massive size in the aquarium, it is more peaceful than the Cupid Cichlids (Biotodoma cupido), Cutter’s Cichlid (Cichlasoma septemfasciatum) and the Wolf Cichlid (Parachromis dovii).
Although they are usually very peaceful, they may become aggressive if you introduce other Chocolate Cichlids to the tank. This fish does not like intraspecies companionship.
Some individual Chocolate Cichlids may also have an aggressive personality. Limited space in the aquarium due to their growth and the addition of other tankmates may also make them aggressive.
But other than those reasons, they are are a very peaceful fish.
However, it would be best not to house them in the same tank with other smaller fish like the Cockatoo dwarf cichlid.
Although their peaceful nature makes them ideal, your Chocolate Cichlids may eat your smaller fish.
Convict Cichlid (Cichlasoma nigrofasciatum)
This charming fish is called Convict Cichlid because of its remarkable appearance.
The vertical black stripes on its typical gray body are similar to the striped uniforms of British convicts. This appearance is what earned the fish that name.
Zebra cichlid is another name that people and even hobbyists call the fish, presumably because the black stripes on its gray body are similar to those on a zebra’s gray body.
Convict cichlid is aggressive like many other cichlids. Breeding them is not a problem at all.
All you need to breed Convict Cichlid is a mate and an earthenware pot in your aquarium.
They will typically lay their eggs on the surface of the earthenware or stone and fiercely protect their eggs until they hatch.
It is one of the many egg-layer fishes that make an excellent choice for beginner hobbyists.
Other great choices are the Copper Mouthbrooder (Pseudocrenilabrus philander), Cosby Gourami (Trichogaster trichopterus), Common Hatchetfish (Gasteropelecus sternicla), Compressed Cichlid (Altolamprologus compressiceps) and the Channel catfish.
Cobalt Cichlid (Melanochromis johannii)
Cobalt cichlid is one of the most stunning aquatic creatures in the hobby.
It has an aggressive personality but will do well with other aggressive fishes. Never put them in the same tank with peaceful fish species.
They grow up to 13 cm (5.5″), and they have a rich blue color.
Cobalt Cichlids usually have a very vibrant blue-colored skin that makes them exceptionally appealing for display even though they do not have flowing wings like Betta.
They are territorial, and they like to have a lot of hiding places in the tank. So you want to provide them with lots of covers in the tank.
Tankmates Cobalt cichlids should be other aggressive cichlids of the same size and similar aggression.
This will limit the chances of bullying in the tank. You want to avoid slow-moving fish. and fish that are small
They’re omnivores, but it would be ideal to feed them more plant matter than live food.
You, however, want to balance the feeding ratio by scarcely providing some protein.
You may be tempted to feed them heavily as they are ravenous eaters.
But it would be best to provide them small quantities of the day’s ration several times than in a single feeding time.
Cuban Cichlid (Cichlasoma tetracanthus)
Cuban Cichlids, like many other cichlids, is an aggressive fish.
It is not easy to care for. Unlike the Crystal eyed catfish (Mystus wyckii), the Cuban cichlid is a carnivorous fish with an attitude.
This fish is a large territorial fish and is the most challenging of all cichlids to care for.
It is not a good fish to start the hobby with as it is best left for experienced hobbyists.
A fascinating observation about this fish is its penchant for rearranging the tank’s decoration to its liking.
You want to avoid too many ornaments to limit the chances of an “avalanche” in your aquarium.
Cardinal Tetra (Paracheirodon axelrodi)
Cardinal tetra is a lovely and colorful but territorial fish.
They are cute schooling fish that should be kept in groups of at least 5-6 in a community tank.
It would be best not to keep them in a tank with predatory fish as they are small.
Cardinal tetra nips the fins of other fish for many reasons. They may engage in fin nipping due to stress, territory defense, food scarcity, etc.
It is recommended that you keep the water parameters stable at the correct range and provide food as to when due to limit their fin nipping behavior.
If you do not, your cardinal tetra might inflict severe damage to the fins of tank mates. They may even cause the death of other fish or make them vulnerable to infections.
List of Fish Beginning with C
While this list may not be exhaustive, as many newer species are being discovered each day, it is an excellent place to start if you are researching fish names that begin with the letter C.
The following lists below have the scientific names next to their common names.
Check them out.
Freshwater Fish Beginning with C
- Caeruleus (Labidochromis caeruleus)
- Callolepis Cichlid (Cichlasoma callolepis)
- Calophysus Catfish (Calophysus macropterus)
- Campbell’s Tigerfish (Datnioides campbelli)
- Candiru (Vandellia cirrhosa)
- Candy Stripe Goby (Awaous strigatus)
- Cape Lopez Lyretail (Aphyosemion australe)
- Cape York Rainbowfish (Melanotaenia splendida)
- Cardinalfish (Pterapogon kauderni)
- Carolina Pigmy Sunfish (Elassoma boehlkei)
- Carp (Cyprinus carpio)
- Carpsucker (Carpiodes carpio)
- Catfish (Corydoras semiaquilus)
- Catla (Labeo catla)
- Cavefish (Phreatichthys andruzzii)
- Celebes rainbowfish (Marosatherina ladigesi)
- Central Mudminnow (Umbra limi)
- Chain Loach (Botia sidthimunki)
- Chain Pickerel (Esox niger)
- Chankaensis Bitterling (Acheilognathus chankaensis)
- Channel Catfish (Ictalurus punctatus)
- Char (Salvelinus alpinus alpinus)
- Checkerboard Cichlid (Crenicara punctulatum)
- Chessboard Cichlid (Dicrossus filamentosa)
- Chinese Algae Eater (Gyrinocheilus aymonieri)
- Chinese Paradise Fish (Macropodus ocellatus)
- Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha)
- Chipokae Mbuna (Melanochromis chipokae)
- Chocolate Cichlid (Hypselecara coryphaenoides)
- Chocolate Gourami (Sphaerichthys osphromenoides)
- Chrysonotus Cichlid (Copadichromis chrysonotus)
- Chub (Squalius cephalus)
- Chubsucker (Erimyzon claviformis)
- Chunky Hap (Protomelas annectens)
- Cichlid (family: Cichlidae)
- Cigar Shark (Leptobarbus hoevenii)
- Cinnamon Killifish (Aphyosemion cinnamomeum)
- Cinnamon Loach (Pangio pangia)
- Cisco (Coregonus artedi)
- Clarias Catfish (Clarias batrachus)
- Climbing Catfish (Astroblepus sabalo)
- Climbing Gourami (Anabas testudineus)
- Cloudy Doradid (Rhinodoras dorbignyi)
- Clown Barb (Barbus everetti)
- Clown Knifefish (Chitala chitala)
- Clown Loach (Botia macracanthus)
- Cobalt Cichlid (Melanochromis johannii)
- Cobbler (Pangasius bocourti)
- Coccina Betta (Betta coccina)
- Cochliodon Pleco (Cochliodon cochliodon)
- Cochu’s Blue Tetra (Boehlkea fredcochui)
- Cockatoo Dwarf Cichlid (Apistogramma cacatuoides)
- Codlet (Bregmaceros atlanticus)
- Coley (Pollachius virens)
- Colombian Blue Tetra (Hyphessobrycon ecuadoriensis)
- Colombian Shark (Arius seemani)
- Colombian Tetra (Hyphessobrycon columbianus)
- Colorado Squawfish (Ptychocheilus lucius)
- Commerson’s Glassfish (Ambassis commersoni)
- Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio)
- Common Gourami (Osphronemus gorami)
- Common Hatchetfish (Gasteropelecus sternicla)
- Compressed Cichlid (Altolamprologus compressiceps)
- Congicus Saddled Bichir (Polypterus endlicheri congicus)
- Congo Citharin (Citharinus congicus)
- Congo Puffer Fish (Tetraodon murius)
- Congo Tetra (Phenacogrammus interruptus)
- Coolie Loach (Pangio kuhlii)
- Copper Mouthbrooder (Pseudocrenilabrus philander)
- Cosby Gourami (Trichogaster trichopterus)
- Costa Rican Blue Eyed Cichlid (Cichlasoma sajicai)
- Craggy-Headed Banjo Catfish (Bunocephalichthys verrucosus)
- Crappie (Paralabrax clathratus)
- Creek Chub (Semotilus atromaculatus)
- Croaking Gourami (Trichopsis vittata)
- Crucian Carp (Carassius carassius)
- Crystal Tetra (Hemigrammus unilineatus)
- Crystal-Eyed Catfish (Mystus wyckii)
- Cuban Cichlid (Cichlasoma tetracanthus)
- Cuban Gar (Atractosteus tristoechus)
- Cuckoo Synodontis (Synodontis multipunctatus)
- Cupid Cichlid (Biotodoma cupido)
- Cutter’s Cichlid (Cichlasoma septemfasciatum)
- Cuvier’s Pike Characin (Boulengerella lucia)
- Cyan Hap (Pseudotropheus cyaneus)
Freshwater Fish Beginning with C
- California Flyingfish (Cheilopogon pinnatibarbatus californicus)
- California Halibut (Paralichthys californicus)
- Canary Rockfish (Sebastes pinniger)
- Candlefish (Thaleichthys pacificus)
- Capelin (Mallotus villosus)
- Carpetshark (Rhincodon typus)
- Cat shark (Scyliorhinus hesperius)
- Catalufa (Heteropriacanthus cruentatus)
- Channel Bass (Sciaenops ocellatus)
- Cherry salmon (Oncorhynchus masou)
- Cherubfish (Centropyge argi)
- Chimaera (Hydrolagus colliei)
- Chum Salmon (Oncorhynchus keta)
- Clay Hoplo (Hoplosternum littorale)
- Climbing Perch (Anabas testudineus)
- Clingfish (Aspasmichthys ciconiae)
- Clown Fish (Amphiprion ocellaris)
- Clown Triggerfish (Balistoides conspicillum)
- Cobia (Rachycentron canadum)
- Cod (Gadus morhua)
- Coelacanth (Latimeria chalumnae)
- Coffinfish (Chaunax endeavouri)
- Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch)
- Collared Carpetshark (Parascyllium collare)
- Combfish (Coris picta)
- Combtooth Blenny (Scartella cristata)
- Common Tunny (Thunnus thynnus)
- Conger Eel (Conger oceanicus)
- Convict Blenny (Pholidichthys leucotaenia)
- Cookiecutter Shark (Isistius brasiliensis)
- Cornetfish (Fistularia tabacaria)
- Cow Shark (Heptranchias perlo)
- Cowfish (Lactophrys bicaudalis)
- Cownose Ray (Rhinoptera bonasus)
- Crestfish (Lophotus capellei)
- Crevice Kelpfish (Gibbonsia montereyensis)
- Croaker (Micropogonias undulatus)
- Crocodile Icefish (Chionodraco hamatus)
- Crocodile Shark (Pseudocarcharias kamoharai)
- Cuckoo wrasse (Labrus mixtus)
- Cusk (Brosme brosme)
- Cusk-eel (Spectrunculus grandis)
- Cutlassfish (Evoxymetopon taeniatus)
- Cutthroat Eel (Ilyophis brunneus)
- Cutthroat Trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii)
At Aquarium Labs, she's dedicated to assisting more people discover pleasure in fishkeeping and teaching them how to develop into expert pet parents.