Fish That Start With T [Extensive Freshwater & Saltwater Fish Name List]

The letter “T” is the 20th letter of the alphabet, but it starts with more than 20 fish names. Examples of common fish names that begin with the letter “T” include Tiger shark, Trout cod, Thresher shark, Talking catfish, Tiger barb, and many more!

Sometimes, their common names are part of their scientific names, and at other times, their scientific names are entirely different from their common names.

Looking up names of fish that start with the letter T? Check out this article for common fish names that begin with “T.”

Our Top 5 Fish Names Beginning with Letter T

Tiger Shovelnose Catfish (Pseudoplatystoma fasciatum)

Photo of a Tiger Shovelnose Catfish Underground water

This is a very impressive South American fish that prefers shaded waters. You will find them in heavily planted water bodies like large rivers and flooded forest areas.

Their lifespan can reach anywhere between 18-25 years in the wild.

They can reach 25 years in captivity with proper aquarium care. They also grow pretty fast and large. The Tiger Shovelnose Catfish can reach 33 inches in length.

This fish has a long and flat mouth. They also have barbels, and they use their barbels for hunting prey and navigating their environment.

These cats are hardy freshwater fish that can tolerate a wide range of water parameters. But it would be best to maintain their preferred water parameters to avoid any unfavorable shift.

It is a pretty large fish. The least aquarium size for the juveniles is 180 gallons. They quickly come under stress if housed in a blank aquarium.

You want to replicate their natural environment with many plants that provide shade. You also want to ensure that the tank is big enough so they don’t feel cramped.

Twig Catfish (Farlowella acus)

This is a very delicate fish with a name that starts with the letter T . It is not a good beginner’s choice for an amateur hobbyist as it is susceptible to incorrect water parameters.

You also want to keep it in a separate tank to limit the chances of any instability in water parameter ranges.

The Twig catfish, like many other fish in the Loricariidae family, is a voracious eater. This catfish will typically satisfy itself if you feed it too much.

It would be best to provide no more than it can finish in about a minute. Dividing the day’s ration into portions to be fed at different times of the day will also prevent overfeeding them.

This fish is a shy cat. It prefers to stay in a densely planted tank and scavenge food at the bottom of the tank undisturbed.

Although they are nocturnal scavengers and are mainly active at night, younger Twig catfishes are usually active during the day.

They are bottom feeders. If you have a few of them in your tank, it would be ideal to feed sinking pellets to ensure that they do not starve.

Three Striped Dwarf Cichlid (Apistogramma trifasciata)

Three Striped Dwarf Cichlid

Also known as the Redfin Three-Striped Cichlid, aquarists do not commonly keep this fish.

Although this fish needs a good amount of open space, it prefers a well-planted aquarium.

It is a very colorful fish. The males usually have yellow faces and neon blue bodies. But over time, the males develop a bright margin on their dorsal fin. This margin on their dorsal fin is usually red.

The females usually have a brilliant yellow body with some black.

This fish species is very peaceful, but they often become very territorial when they breed. During the spawning period, it would be best to limit the population of other tank mates in the tank.

Texas Cichlid (Herichthys cyanoguttatus)

This is a freshwater fish that loves to hide. Texas cichlids appear to be one of those fishes with varying scientific names. Their former scientific name was Cichlasoma cyanoguttatum.

Like many other cichlids, this fish belongs to the Cichlidae family. They love densely planted aquariums with lots of hides.

They also have a penchant for digging and rearranging the aquarium to their taste.

They grow up to an impressive length of 13 inches. They are an aggressive fish species, so it would be ideal to choose tank mates with similar aggression.

A distinguishing factor for the male Texas Cichlid is the traditional nuchal hump they grow on their head with time.

Three-Spot EarthEater (Satanoperca daemon)

Photo of a Three-Spot EarthEater

Interestingly, the meaning of the scientific name of this fish means Satan or Demon. But this fish is nothing close to evil. It is a very peaceful fish.

It can become somewhat territorial during spawning periods as it tries to protect its eggs. It is a common fish in the South American freshwaters of the Amazonas.

You will typically find them in acidic and mineral-poor water bodies such as the brown tannin-stained tributary of the Orinoco in southwestern Venezuela.

Three spot eartheater is an excellent fish for your community tank if you want to house it with other peaceful fish. But you want to avoid bottom dwellers and aggressive fish species.

Avoiding bottom dwellers as tankmates will prevent possible clashes with these Cichlids as they become territorial with the area where they laid their eggs during spawning.

It is a social Cichlid that likes to live in groups. Their juveniles exhibit impressive social instincts. Depending on the size, it is better to keep about 5-8 of them in a tank at once.

Remember to keep only tankmates that share the same water parameters.

List of Fish Beginning with T

Below are two lists of fish names that start with T. Check these lists below for freshwater and saltwater fish names that begin with T.

Freshwater Fish Beginning with T

  • T-Barb (Barbus lateristriga)
  • Tail-Spot Corydoras (Corydoras caudimaculatus)
  • Taillight Tetra (Bryconops melanurus)
  • Taimen (Hucho taimen)
  • Talking Catfish (Amblydoras hancocki)
  • Tanganyika Catfish (Lophiobagrus cyclurus)
  • Tapah Catfish (Wallago leerii)
  • Tapetail (Gyrinomimus grahami)
  • Tarpon (Megalops cyprinoldes)
  • Temperate Bass (Dicentrarchus labrax)
  • Temperate Ocean-Bass (Synagrops bellus)
  • Temperate Perch (Percichthys trucha)
  • Temporalis Cichlid (Telmatochromis temporalis)
  • Tench (Tinca tinca)
  • Tenpounder (Elops)
  • Tenuis Tetra (Mimagoniates lateralis)
  • Ternetzi Anostomus (Anostomus ternetzi)
  • Texas Cichlid (Herichthys cyanoguttatus)
  • Thick-Lipped Gourami (Colisa labiosa)
  • Thomas’ Chaetostoma (Chaetostoma thomasi)
  • Thorny Catfish (Platydoras armatulus)
  • Thread-finned cichlid (Acarichthys heckelii)
  • Threadfin Acara (Acarichthys heckelli)
  • Threadfin Rainbowfish (Irantherina werneri)
  • Three Spot Gourami (Trichopodus trichopterus)
  • Three Striped Pencilfish (Nannobrycon eques)
  • Three-Lined Pencilfish (Nannostomus trifasciatus)
  • Three-Lined Pimelodid (Pimelodus albofasciatus)
  • Three-Lined Rasbora (Rasbora trilineata)
  • Three-Spot Earth Eater (Satanoperca daemon)
  • Three-Spot Gourami (Trichogaster trichopterus)
  • Three-Spot Tetra (Odontostilbe kriegi)
  • Three-Striped Dwarf Cichlid (Apistogramma trifasciata)
  • Ticto Barb (Barbus ticto)
  • Tidewater Goby (Eucyclogobius newberryi)
  • Tiger Barb (Puntigrus tetrazona)
  • Tiger Characin (Hydrocynus vittatus)
  • Tiger Loach (Botia helodes)
  • Tiger Ray (Potamotrygon menchacai)
  • Tiger Shovelnose Catfish (Pseudoplatystoma fasciatum)
  • Tiger Tetra (Hoplias malabaricus)
  • Tiger Tilapia (Tilapia mariae)
  • Tigerperch (Terapon jarbua)
  • Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)
  • Tinfoil Barb (Barbodes schwanefeldii)
  • Tire Track Eel (Mastacembelus armatus)
  • Toadfish (Torquigener pleurogramma)
  • Toae Cichlid (Neolamprologus toae)
  • Tonguefish (Symphurus pusillus)
  • Topminnow (Fundulus heteroclitus)
  • Torrent Catfish (Amblyceps mangois)
  • Torrent Fish (Cheimarrichthys fosteri)
  • Trahira (Erythrinus sp.)
  • Tretocephalus Cichlid (Neolamprologus tretocephalus)
  • Trewavas’ Mbuna (Labeotropheus trewavasae)
  • Trewavas’ Neolebias (Neolebias trewavasae)
  • Trimac Cichlid (Cichlasoma trimaculatum)
  • Tropical Gar (Atractosteus tropicus)
  • Trout (Salmo trutta)
  • Trout Cod (Maccullochella macquariensis)
  • Trout-Perch (Percopsis omiscomaycus)
  • True Red Congo Tetra (Micralestes stormsi)
  • Tui Chub (Siphateles bicolor)
  • Turquoise Severum (Heros appendiculatus)
  • Twig Catfish (Farlowella acus)
  • Twin-Stripe Pencilfish (Nannostomus digrammus)
  • Two Point Tetra (Brycinus bimaculatus)
  • Two-Banded Cichlid (Telmatochromis bifrenatus)
  • Two-Lined Pencilfish (Nannostomus bifasciatus)
  • Two-Rayed Banjo Catfish (Bunocephalus hypsiurus)
  • Two-Spot Barb (Barbus bimaculatus)
  • Two-Spot Cichlid (Cichlasoma bimaculatum)
  • Two-Spot Pink Bagrid (Mystus micracanthus)
  • Two-Spot Rasbora (Rasbora elegans elegans)

Saltwater Fish Beginning with T

  • Tadpole Cod (Guttigadus globosus)
  • Tadpole Fish (Ijimaia plicatellus)
  • Tailor (Pomatomus saltatrix)
  • Tang (Acanthurus sohal)
  • Tarwhine (Rhabdosargus sarba)
  • Telescopefish (Gigantura chuni)
  • Thornfish (Cottoperca gobio)
  • Thread-Tail (Stylephorus chordatus)
  • Threadfin (Polydactylus octonemus)
  • Threadfin Bream (Pentapodus emeryii)
  • Three-Toothed Puffer (Triodon macropterus)
  • Threespine Stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus)
  • Thresher Shark (Alopias pelagicus)
  • Tiger Shark (Galeocerdo cuvier)
  • Tilefish (Malacanthus latovittatus)
  • Titan Triggerfish (Balistoides viridescens)
  • Tommy Ruff (Arripis georgianus)
  • Tompot Blenny (Parablennius gattorugine)
  • Torpedo (Torpedo torpedo)
  • Treefish (Sebastes serriceps)
  • Trevally (Symphurus thermophilus)
  • Triggerfish (Canthidermis maculata)
  • Triplefin Blenny (Notoclinops caerulepunctus)
  • Triplespine (Triacanthus biaculeatus)
  • Tripletail (Lobotes surinamensis)
  • Tripod Fish (Bathypterois grallator)
  • Trumpeter (Mendosoma lineatum)
  • Trumpetfish (Aulostomus chinensis)
  • Trunkfish (Lactophrys bicaudalis)
  • Tube-Eye (Stylephorus chordatus)
  • Tube-Snout (Aulorhynchus flavidus)
  • Tubeblenny (Emblemaria atlantica)
  • Tubeshoulder (Platytroctes apus)
  • Tuna (Thunnus sp.)
  • Turbot (Scophthalmus maximus)
  • Two Spotted Goby (Gobiusculus flavescens)
Kelly Stanley