Fish that Start with C

Fish come in all shapes and all sizes and with names beginning with all letters of the alphabet. Many fish go by their common names but these common names can sometimes be influenced by their Latin name, better known as the scientific name. For example, the common name Cory stems from the scientific genus Corydoras.

Other fishes common names often have more to do with how they look or act than with the Latin names. For example, the common name Clown Loach has been given due to the markings and colouration of the fish, as Clown has nothing to do with Botia macracanthus.

Our Top 5 Fish Names Beginning with Letter C

You might want to get a pet fish that has a name that begins with C to match your own first name. Claire’s Corydora or Chad’s Chocolate Gourami… No matter why you’ve chosen to look at fish that start with C, check out our extensive list below to find your favorites.

Cardinal Tetra (Paracheirodon axelrodi)

Cardinal Tetra add a pop of colour to your aquarium and like to be kept with at least 5 other tetras of the same type or Neon Tetras. These cute little fish love to be in groups and community tanks, but should never be kept with larger predatory fish. Tetras will eat flakes and pellets but do enjoy live food from time to time – brine shrimp are the ideal choice for this.

Other fish may rely on Cardinal Tetra as a spotter fish, as they will spot a predator and group together, indicating danger. Normally they will be dispersed around the tank. This means that timid fish like Clown Loaches may hide less, knowing the tank is safe.

Carpinte Cichlid (Herichthys carpintis)

These cichlid is normally found in rivers across North and Central America and they can be quite territorial. They love large tanks with plenty of rocks, but they also enjoy a bit of digging, so maybe don’t put them in a beautifully aquascaped planted tank. They tend to be a more aggressive cichlid type, so should be kept with other big fish such as other American cichlids or even larger breeds of catfish.

Cherry Barb (Puntius titteya)

Cherry Barbs can also be known as a Crimson Carplet (another fish name starting with C) and they are actually quite a peaceful fish – their family members Tiger Barbs can be quite the opposite. They like to be kept in groups, so we would recommend 6 or more in a tank. They can be kept with other peaceful fish, but it may be best to avoid long-finned fish which tend to move slowly, just incase the barbs decide to have a little fin nibble.

Combtail (Belontia signata)

This river-dwelling fish are best kept out of community tanks as they tend to be aggressive. Keep them with more Combtails or with similar-sized fish that are more robust. If you love having plants in your aquarium, then the Combtail may be ideal for your tank – they love to hide in dense planted areas and enjoy rocks and bogwood too. The Belontia signata isn’t all that picky when it comes to food and will accept most pellets, flakes and live or frozen foods.

Convict Cichlid (Cichlasoma nigrofasciatum)

It’s easy to see why this fish is names Convict, those striking black and white stripes look just like the traditional suits prisoners wore in jail to identify them as criminals, just in case they escaped. This striped cichlid is also known as a Zebra Cichlid sometimes just keep a note of the scientific names if you get confused. These greedy cichlids will eat almost anything, including live feed and even chopped spinach or cucumber!

The Convict Cichlid is a pretty aggresive fish and would happily pick on a fish twice its size, so they are best kept with fish of the same breed. Speaking of breeds, this cichlid just needs a mate and a suitable stone or earthenware pot for breeding – they will lay their eggs on the stone/pot and protect them no matter what!

List of fish names starting with C

Keep reading to discover more fish with names that start with the letter C. There are plenty in both the freshwater category and the saltwater category. If you can’t see your favorite in our list, then pop a comment below. We want to make sure no fish goes unmentioned!

Freshwater fish starting 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)

Saltwater fish starting 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)