What types of tropical fish are there? A comprehensive overview of common varieties

Tropical fish fall into two major categories: tropical marine fish and tropical freshwater fish. Among the more common varieties of tropical marine ornamental fish are the Pomacentridae (damselfish), Chaetodontidae (butterflyfish), Pomacanthidae (angelfish) and Acanthuridae (surgeonfish); among the better-known varieties of tropical freshwater ornamental fish are the tetra-type varieties, the angelfish series and the arowana series.

Among the more common varieties of tropical marine ornamental fish are: the Pomacentridae (damselfish), Chaetodontidae (butterflyfish), Pomacanthidae (angelfish) and Acanthuridae (surgeonfish); well-known varieties include the queen angelfish, the emperor angelfish, the royal angelfish, the moon butterflyfish, the raccoon butterflyfish, the pennant coralfish, the seahorse, the red clownfish and the blue devil.

Among the better-known varieties of tropical freshwater ornamental fish there are three major series. The first is the tetra-type varieties, such as the neon tetra, the head-and-tail light tetra, the blue tetra, the cardinal tetra and the black neon tetra. The second is the angelfish series, such as the red discus, the blue discus, the striped blue-green discus, the black angelfish, the sesame angelfish, the mandarin angelfish and the red-eye diamond angelfish. The third is the arowana series, such as the silver arowana, the red arowana, the golden arowana and the black arowana, which have long been known by the laudatory name “living fossil”.