The letter L provides us with many fantastic fish to keep us entertained until the next fish name list installment. There are long-nosed, long-finned, and even leopard-like species on our list, so there’s sure to be one thing about the fish to pique your interest as we quickly go through all the fish that starts with L.
Each of the fish names is followed by their scientific name within parentheses. This will allow you to learn much more about some of the fishes that attract your attention.
Their scientific names are composed of a genus (that always starts with an uppercase letter) and a species (that always begins with a lowercase letter). Hence, while there are numerous fishes in the genus Cichlasoma, each species has a name that is unique to it.
3 Common Fish That Starts With L
Let us begin with three of our fave fish names that start with L. We picked these fishes to teach you more about since we find them intriguing and would like to keep them inside our tank. Which of them is your current fave? To learn more about some other fish names, have a peek at our more extensive lists below
Lace Gourami (Trichogaster leeri)
This lovely multicolored common fish, sometimes called Pearl or Mosaic Gourami, is endemic to Asia, unlike some of its counterparts found in Central America and South America. You can easily care for it, and it could be an excellent first fish. Because they like to breathe from the tank’s top, you might see them trying to take in air when you open your aquarium’s lid, which could be interesting to observe.
The “talking” you may hear emanating from your aquarium adds another string to this Gourami’s amusement bow… well, it’ll be much more of a croaking sound, but we can’t deny the fact that it is still interesting!
Lace Gourami can blend in nicely in a communal tank, although the males could get territorial if put with hostile fish. Keeping numerous Gouramis inside your aquarium is an excellent way to preserve the peace of your tank.
Leaf Fish (Monocirrhus polyacanthus)
No one will fault you for mistaking this fish for a leaf; its serrated teardrop and edges shape give this fish its leafy appearance.
Leaf fish, naturally, prefers an aquarium with a lot of plants, especially huge leafy varieties where it may hide and conceal itself. Also, they prefer to conceal occasionally since they’re frightened, therefore giving a wooden cave or other hiding spots for leaf fish.
Monocirrhus polyacanthus will only consume live food, beginning with bloodworms while they are young and moving to feeder species as they grow older. If the thought of a carnivorous fish seems repulsive to you, you want to consider a fish that eats just plants.
Lemon Cichlid (Neolamprologus leleupi)
Neolamprologus leleupi, also called Lemon tetra, are only found in Lake Tanganyika, and they like to reside near the shorelines amid the rocks. Provide lots of cave-like formations and rocks for these tiny yellow fellows to shelter in when they’re feeling insecure or anxious.
These fishes are only violent while they are reproducing or defending their territory; otherwise, they are calm fish. To prevent conflict in the tank, keep them alongside other similar-sized Tanganyika cichlids.
These cichlids do well in big tanks, and it’s advised that they be maintained in couples of the same breed, except there is enough room in the aquarium for them to enjoy their own area.
List of Fish Beginning With L
We have collected a saltwater and freshwater list of fishes to help you explore further into the universe of fish, starting with L and exploring species from the seas, rivers, and lakes. We hope you’ll find some pleasure reading about some of the strange and beautiful popular names for fish.
Freshwater Fish Beginning With L
- Lace Catfish (Synodontis nigrita)
- Labyrinth Fish (Trichogaster lalius)
- Lake Chub (Couesius plumbeus)
- Ladder Loach (Botia rostrata)
- Lake Kutubu Rainbowfish (Melanotaenia lacustris)
- Lake Chubsucker (Erimyzon sucetta)
- Lake Trout (Salvelinus namaycush)
- Lake Tebera Rainbowfish (Melanotaenia herbertaxelrodi)
- Lamprey (Lampetra fluviatilis)
- Lake Whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis)
- Lapradei Nile Bichir (Polypterus bichir lapradei)
- Lanceolate Whiptail Catfish (Rineloricaria lanceolata)
- Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides)
- Large-Scaled Barb (Acrossocheilus sumatranus)
- Laticeps Stingray (Potamotrygon laticeps)
- Largemouth Buffalo (Ictiobus cyprinellus)
- Le Conte’s Loach (Botia lecontei)
- Laulao Catfish (Brachyplatystoma vaillanti)
- Leleupi (Neolamprologus leleupi)
- Leeri Gourami (Trichogaster leeri)
- Lemon Fin Barb (Barbus daruphani)
- Lemon Algae Eater (Gyrinocheilus aymonieri)
- Lenok (Brachymystax lenok)
- Lemon Tetra (Hyphessobrycon pulchripinnis)
- Leopard Danio (Brachydanio rerio “frankei”)
- Leopard Ctenopoma (Ctenopoma acutirostre)
- Leporinus (Leporinus fasciatus)
- Leopold’s Angelfish (Pterophyllum leopoldi)
- Leptosoma Cichlid (Cyprichromis leptosoma)
- Letourneaux’s Jewel Cichlid (Hemichromis letourneauxi)
- Lesser Bleeding Heart Tetra (Hyphessobrycon socolofi)
- Lifalili Jewel Cichlid (Hemichromis lifalili)
- Licorice Gourami (Parosphromenus deissneri)
- Linam’s Pimelodella (Pimelodella linami)
- Limia (Limia perugiae)
- Lionhead Cichlid (Steatocranus casuarius)
- Linke’s Dwarf Cichlid (Apistogramma linkei)
- Livingstoni (Nimbochromis livingstonii)
- Liver Catfish (Heteropneustes fossilis)
- Loach Catfish (Amphilius grandis)
- Loach (Pangio longimanus)
- Loach Minnow (Rhinichthys cobitis)
- Loach Goby (Rhyacichthys aspro)
- Long-Finned African Tetra (Alestes longipinnis)
- Long-Band Rasbora (Rasbora einthovenii)
- Long-Finned Char (Salvethymus svetovidovi)
- Long-Finned Barb (Barbus arulius)
- Long-Nosed Loach (Acantopsis dialuzona)
- Long-Finned Characin (Alestes chaperi)
- Longfin Smelt (Spirinchus thaleichthys)
- Long-Whiskered Catfish (Pseudoplatystoma tigrinum)
- Longnose Gar (Lepisosteus osseus)
- Longnose Dace (Rhinichthys cataractae)
- Longnose Whiptail Catfish (Sturisoma barbatum)
- Longnose Sucker (Catostomus catostomus)
- Loweye Catfish (Pseudoplatystoma tigrinum)
- Lost River Sucker (Deltistes luxatus)
- Lungfish (Neoceratodus forsteri)
- Lyretail Lamprologus (Neolamprologus brichardi)
- Lyretail Killifish (Cape Lopez Lyretail Killifish)
Saltwater Fish Beginning With L
- Lampfish (Dinoperca petersi)
- Ladyfish (Elops affinis)
- Lanternfish (Myctophum punctatum)
- Lancetfish (Alepisaurus ferox)
- Lefteye Flounder (Arnoglossus laterna)
- Leatherjacket (Oligoplites saurus)
- Lemon Sole (Microstomus kitt)
- Lemon Shark (Negaprion brevirostris)
- Lined Sole (Achirus lineatus)
- Lightfish (Ichthyococcus ovatus)
- Ling Cod (Ophiodon elongatus)
- Ling (Molva molva)
- Lizardfish (Synodus intermedius)
- Lionfish (Dendrochirus barberi)
- Longfin (Plesiops coeruleolineatus)
- Long-Finned Pike (Dinolestes lewini)
- Longfin Escolar (Scombrolabrax heterolepis)
- Longfin Dragonfish (Tactostoma macropus)
- Longneck Eel (Derichthys serpentinus)
- Longjaw Mudsucker (Gillichthys mirabilis)
- Longnose Lancetfish (Alepisaurus ferox)
- Longnose Chimaera (Harriotta raleighana)
- Louvar (Luvaris imperialis)
- Loosejaw (Astronesthes niger)
- Luderick (Girella tricuspidata)
- Lumpsucker (Cyclopterus lumpus)
- Luminous Hake (Steindachneria argentea)
Conclusion
Our post shows that the sheer number of fishes starting with the L letter is enormous. We hope that you’ve found a fish that rocks your boat by reading through our article.
At Aquarium Labs, she's dedicated to assisting more people discover pleasure in fishkeeping and teaching them how to develop into expert pet parents.