There are many fish names that start with R, from the familiar common names like the Red Congo tetra, the Rainbow Cichlid, and the Red Tailed Rasbora to the bizarre names like the Red Breast Acara, Rusty Frogmouth Catfish, and the Red Fin Pickerel.
Some with funny names include the Red Tuxedo platy, which does not wear a tux, and the Red finned cigar shark, which does not smoke cigars. But these names are usually in reference to body features that make them stand out.
There are also others with names that hint at what they do. An excellent example is the Russian weather loach. They are called weather loaches because they become very active when a storm is approaching.
They sense the changes in barometric pressure. They are “living barometers.” It is reported that they are more effective than barometers.
The list is endless, but this article lists some fish names that start with R.
Our Top 5 Fish Names Beginning With Letter R
Red Tailed Catfish (Phractocephalus hemioliopterus)
This freshwater fish is a South American long whiskered catfish. It usually has a very long body that grows as long as 51 inches.
It is a colorful fish with yellow sides, a brownish back, a somewhat white belly, and a red caudal fin. These fish typically stay motionless during the day, but they swim, eat and explore at night or evenings.
It is a large fish usually housed with Pacu or other large fish in the aquarium hobby. The smallest tank size for an adult Redtailed catfish is 2600 gallon tank.
Rainbow Tetra (Nematobrycon palmeri)
This is a popular fish in the aquarium hobby. It is a peaceful fish species like the Red-eyed tetra and the Rosy Tetra. But like many tetras, it is a shoaling fish and can quickly become aggressive towards others tankmates if you keep less than 6-10 in a tank.
They can also become aggressive if the tank does not have enough room for them to swim around or you choose boisterous tankmates. It is common for males to be territorial.
You want to reduce the tendency for fights with decorations that break their line of sight. This will help to reduce the tendency for a confrontation. They are small growing only as much as 2.5 inches. So you want to avoid tankmates that are big enough to see them as prey.
Redfin Perch (Perca fluviatilis)
Other common names for this European fish are Common Perch, European Perch, English Perch, Big-scaled Redfin, and Eurasian Perch. It is a preying fish endemic to the European freshwater basins except for the Iberian Peninsula.
Unlike its saltwater cousins, the Pile Perch and the Shiner Perch, the Redfin Perch has a red caudal fin and red pelvic fins. How big it can grow often depends on the water body where it resides. It grows larger in mainland Europe than it does in the water bodies in Great Britain.
But older perches tend to grow relatively larger than the average 17 inches. Some older perches grow more than 23 inches.
It also has a very long life span. It can live up to 22 years!
It has a mouth that opens wide enough to reach under its mouth. It regularly preys on minnows, roach, and sticklebacks. So you want to avoid Cyprinids if you keep this fish with other fishes in a community tank.
Rainbow Shark (Epalzeorhynchos frenatus)
Also known as the Red fin shark, this Cyprinid is not a true shark but a ray-finned omnivore. It is native to the rivers in East and South East Asia.
It has a long body with different color variations. The color variations of the body usually differ. Some have a blue body which is either a vibrant or a dark blue body, while others have a black body. It has somewhat red-orange fins and a pointed snout.
Other common names for this fish include Ruby Shark, Redfin Shark, Rainbow Sharkminnow, and the Red finned Shark. The average size of a rainbow shark is 6 inches.
There are many other variants like the Albino Rainbow Shark. But the characteristics are the same as the original rainbow shark except for the change in the body color. Albino Red finned sharks usually have a bleached color. They have a pink body, but the color of their caudal and pelvic fins is red.
It is a semi-aggressive fish but will generally be peaceful if it is the only Redfinned shark in the tank.
Red Hook Silver Dollar (Myleus rubripinnis)
Redhook Myleus is another common name for this fish. This is a very colorful schooling fish in the hobby.
You can find them throughout the Amazon basin. You want to keep them in large numbers, at least 5 in an aquarium.
It is a great fish to add to your aquarium if you want to have some activity at the top of the fish tank. It is also a good dither fish. Aquarists often use them to reduce timidity and aggression in other fish. But you do not want to use them as dither fish for aggressive fish species.
You can also use them to normal social behavior in other fish in your community aquarium. It is silvery in color and grows up to about 15 inches. It is also a schooling fish as they like to stay in a group together for security.
They love big tanks and will always encourage other shy fish species to come out and interact with others.
List of Fish Names That Start With R
Below are lists of fish names that start with the letter R. The first list contains fish from rivers and other freshwater lakes, while the second has names of fish that live in saltwater water bodies.
Check out the lists to learn more about fish names that start with the letter R.
Freshwater Fish Beginning With R
- Rachow’s Darter Tetra (Characidium rachovii)
- Rainbow Cichlid (Herotilapia multispinosa)
- Rainbow Tetra (Nematobrycon palmeri)
- Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)
- Rainbowfish (Melanotaenia boesemani)
- Rasbora (Rasbora argyrotaenia)
- Rathbun’s Bloodfin (Aphyocharax rathbuni)
- Razorback Sucker (Xyrauchen texanus)
- Red Aphyosemion (Aphyosemion sjoestedti)
- Red Base Tetra (Hemigrammus stictus)
- Red Breast Acara (Laetacara dorsigera)
- Red Congo Tetra (Alestes imberi)
- Red Devil (Amphilophus labiatus)
- Red Fin Otocinclus (Parotocinclus maculicauda)
- Red Fin Pickerel (Esox americanus americanus)
- Red Fin Shark (Epalzeorhynchos frenatus)
- Red Gill Congo Tetra (Phenacogrammus major)
- Red Gourami (Colisa lalia)
- Red Grouper (Epinephelus morio)
- Red Hook Silver Dollar (Myleus rubripinnis)
- Red Hump Eartheater (Geophagus steindachneri)
- Red Pacu (Piaractus brachypomus)
- Red Piranha (Serrasalmus nattereri)
- Red Rainbowfish (Glossolepis incisus)
- Red Ram (Microgeophagus altispinosa)
- Red Rasbora (Rasbora heteromorpha)
- Red Salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka)
- Red Salmon Rainbowfish (Glossolepis incisus)
- Red Shark (Epalzeorhynchos frenatus)
- Red Snakehead (Channa micropeltes)
- Red Spot Callochromis (Callochromis pleurospilus)
- Red Spot Silver Dollar (Metynnis luna)
- Red Stripe Rasbora (Rasbora pauciperforata)
- Red Tuxedo Platy (Xiphophorus maculatus)
- Red Wagtail Platy (Xiphophorus maculatus)
- Red Zebra (Metriaclima estherae)
- Red Zebra Mbuna (Pseudotropheus estherae)
- Red-Bellied Piranha (Serrasalmus nattereri)
- Red-Breasted Flag Cichlid (Laetacara dorsiger)
- Red-Eyed Tetra (Moenkhausia sanctaefilomenae)
- Red-Fin Banded Pencilfish (Nannostomus erythrurus)
- Redfin Perch (Perca fluviatilis)
- Red-Finned Cigar Shark (Leptobarbus hoevenii)
- Red-Finned Loach (Botia lecontei)
- Red-Finned Pike Cichlid (Crenicichla johanna)
- Red-Headed Cichlid (Cichlasoma synspilum)
- Red-Spotted Characin (Copeina guttata)
- Red-Spotted Cichlid (Cichlasoma bifasciatum)
- Red-Spotted Pyrrhulina (Pyrrhulina rachoviana)
- Red-Striped Earth Eater (Geophagus surinamensis)
- Red-Striped Rainbowfish (Melanotaenia splendida rubrostriata)
- Red-Tailed Black Shark (Epalzeorhynchus bicolor)
- Red-Tailed Catfish (Phractocephalus hemioliopterus)
- Red-Tailed Goodeid (Xenotoca eiseni)
- Red-Tailed Hemiodopsis (Hemiodopsis microlepis)
- Red-Tailed Labeo (Epalzeorhynchus bicolor)
- Red-Tailed Rasbora (Rasbora borapetensis)
- Red-Tailed Shark (Epalzeorhynchos bicolor)
- Red-Tipped Bleeding Heart Tetra (Hyphessobrycon pyrrhonotos)
- Redhorse Sucker (Moxostoma carinatum)
- Regan’s Pike Cichlid (Crenicichla regani)
- Rice Swamp Eel (Monopterus albus)
- Ricefish (Oryzias woworae)
- Riffle Dace (Rhinichthys cobitis)
- Ring-Tailed Pike Cichlid (Crenicichla saxatilis)
- Rio Grande Perch (Herichthys cyanoguttatus)
- Rio Madeira Apistogramma (Apistogramma sp.)
- Rio Meta Pimelodid (Pimelodella metae)
- River Barb (Barbus barbus)
- River Loach (Balitoropsis zollingeri)
- River Shark (Glyphis glyphis)
- River Stingray (Potamotrygon motoro)
- Rivuline (Aplocheilus lineatus)
- Roach (Rutilus rutilus)
- Roanoke Bass (Ambloplites cavifrons)
- Roanoke Hog Sucker (Hypentelium roanokense)
- Rock Bass (Ambloplites rupestris)
- Rocket Danio (Danio feegradei)
- Rockling (Molva molva)
- Rohu (Labeo rohita)
- Roloff’s Kribensis (Pelvicachromis roloffi)
- Ronquil (Bathymaster signatus)
- Ropefish (Erpetoichthys calabaricus)
- Rostratus (Fossorochromis rostratus)
- Rosy Barb (Puntius conchonius)
- Rosy Danio (Danio roseus)
- Rosy Tetra (Hyphessobrycon bentosi rosaceus)
- Rough Fish (Myxocyprinus asiaticus)
- Rough Sculpin (Cottus asperrimus)
- Round Whitefish (Prosopium cylindraceum)
- Royal Knifefish (Chitala blanci)
- Royal Pleco (Panaque nigrolineatus)
- Royal Whiptail Farlowella (Sturisoma panamense)
- Ruby Shark (Epalzeorhynchos frenatum)
- Rudd (Scardinius erythrophthalmus)
- Ruffe (Gymnocephalus cernua)
- Rummynose Tetra (Hemigrammus bleheri)
- Russian Bitterling (Acanthorhodeus asmussi)
- Russian Weather Loach (Misgurnus bipartitusis)
- Rusty Frogmouth Catfish (Chaca bankanensis)
Saltwater Fish Beginning with R
- Rabbitfish (Siganus vulpinus)
- Raccoon Butterfly Fish (Chaetodon lunula)
- Ragfish (Icosteus aenigmaticus)
- Ratfish (Hydrolagus colliei)
- Rattail (Coryphaenoides leptolepis)
- Ray (Batoidea sp.)
- Razorfish (Aeoliscus strigatus)
- Red Snapper (Lutjanus campechanus)
- Red Velvetfish (Gnathanacanthus goetzeei)
- Red Whalefish (Barbourisia rufa)
- Redfish (Centroberyx affinis)
- Redlip Blenny (Ophioblennius macclurei)
- Redmouth Whalefish (Rondeletia bicolor)
- Redtooth Triggerfish (Odonus niger)
- Reedfish (Erpetoichthys calabaricus)
- Reef Triggerfish (Rhinecanthus rectangulus)
- Remora (Remora remora)
- Requiem Shark (Galeocerdo cuvier)
- Ribbon Eel (Rhinomuraena quaesita)
- Ribbon Sawtail Fish (Idiacanthus fasciola)
- Ribbonfish (Desmodema polystictum)
- Ridgehead (Scopelogadus mizolepis mizolepis)
- Righteye Flounder (Pleuronectes platessa)
- Rock Beauty (Holacanthus tricolor)
- Rock Cod (Lotella rhacina)
- Rockfish (Sebastes carnatus)
- Rockweed Gunnel (Apodichthys fucorum)
- Roosterfish (Nematistius pectoralis)
- Rough Scad (Trachurus lathami)
- Roughy (Hoplostethus atlanticus)
- Round Stingray (Urobatis halleri)
- Roundhead (Plesiops coeruleolineatus)
- Rudderfish (Centrolophus niger)
- Russian Sturgeon (Acipenser gueldenstaedtii)
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