Fish that Start with M

We’ve made it! We’re halfway through our A-Z of fish names and today we’re bringing you fish that start with M, the 13th letter of the alphabet. Unlucky for some, but not today. There are loads of great fish beginning with this letter and we’re going to tell you more about some of them.

Some fish you may have heard of beginning with M are mackerel, mbuna, marlin, molly and mullet, all of which can be found in our extensive lists of freshwater and saltwater fish at the bottom of our post.

If you want to learn more about any of the fish mentioned in this post, use the Latin names (in brackets next to common names) to do some research to find out more about these marvellous marine (and freshwater) creatures. We think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how fab they are.

Our Top 5 Fish Names Beginning with Letter M

Let’s take a peek at 5 fish that start with M that we thought were a little bit cool and wanted to tell you more about. If the top 5 don’t tickle your fancy then just keep scrolling to find our longer lists at the bottom of the post.

If you have a different favorite or agree with our 5 faves, then pop a comment below and let us know.

Magnificent Rasbora (Rasbora borapetensis)

What a wonderful start – the Magnificent Rasbora! This little fishy may not look so “magnificent” but it is a hardy creature that is very adaptive. These fish are found in shallow areas of rivers across Thailand, China, Vietnam and Cambodia just to name a few places.

Another great thing about the Magnificent Rasbora is its peaceful nature, meaning it can be kept in a community tank and won’t cause any bother. Catfish, tetras and loaches all make great tank buddies. They also like to be in groups, so keep around 8-10 of the same species in your tank at one time, so they can school together.

Malabar Pufferfish (Tetraodon travancorius)

We don’t know about you, but we love pufferfish! If you’ve been keeping up with our fish A-Z series, then you may have seen the Figure Eight Pufferfish from our letter E post. They’re just cute fish, don’t you think? The Malabar or Dwarf Pufferfish is no exception – the adult maximum size is only around 1 inch!

This little fish lives in waters with heavy vegitation and they love tanks with plenty of cover and places to explore. Having more branches and twisted plants will keep these pufferfish from becoming aggressive towards eachother. This aggression can cause the puffer to nip at other fish’s fins, so it isn’t a recommended breed for a community tank.

Malawi Golden Cichlid (Melanochromis auratus)

Endemic to Lake Malawi, this Golden Cichlid loves rocky setups in their environment, so make sure to add these to your tank decor list if you want to own one of these fish. They are more toward the aggressive side, so they aren’t suited to community tanks but could be kept with other African cichlids of a similar size. Make sure to keep 3 females to every male to avoid the females getting stressed out.

Speaking of the female Malawi Golden Cichlid… unlike many fish breeds, the female of this species is more colorful than the males who are black and brown. The females can also change into males if a tank doesn’t have enough males… very interesting!

Molly (Poecilia sp.)

There are lots of species of Molly available to buy for your aquarium, so we thought they should make it to our favorites list so more fish species could be included. Sadly, Mollies are one of the most popular feeder fish and are used as fish feed all over the world. We love their brightly colored tails, so we definitely prefer them as pets.

Great for community tanks, Mollies are very peaceful and won’t cause much bother with other fish types. If kept with Platys, you may notice a bit of fin nipping going on, so ensure your Mollies are kept with fast-moving fish.

Moonfish (Monodactylus argenteus)

The Moonfish, a.k.a Silver Moony or Mono Fish is ideal for a brackish water tank. This diamond-shaped fish can grow up to 6 inches, so it is important to have the correct sized tank to accomodate for this bigger fish breed. It is also recommended that Moonfish are kept in groups, since they can become nervous when swimming solo. As a peaceful shoaling fish, you will want to keep these guys happy so you can enjoy seeing the flashes of yellow and silver as they swim happily around your aquarium.

List of fish names starting with M

For even MORE fish beginning with M, keep on reading. We’ve got saltwater fish as well as freshwater, so you can enjoy learning more about the wonderful world of fish.

There are some really interesting common names in these lists – keep your eyes peeled for a famous cartoon mouse!

Freshwater fish beginning with M:

• Macculloch’s Rainbowfish (Melanotaenia maccullochi)
• Macmaster’s Dwarf Cichlid (Apistogramma macmasteri)
• Madagascar Rainbowfish (Bedotia geayi)
• Madeirae Swamp Eel (Synbranchus madeirae)
• Madtom (Noturus placidus)
• Mahseer (Tor tambroides)
• Mail-Cheeked Fish (Pterois antennata)
• Malarmo Catfish (Duopalatinus malarmo)
• Malawi Blue Dolphin (Cyrtocara moorii)
• Malawi Eye-Biter (Dimidiochromis compressiceps)
• Malawi Eye-Biter (Dimidiochromis compressiceps)
• Malay Combtail (Belontia hasselti)
• Manchurian Loach (Leptobotia mantschurica)
• Mandarinfish (Siniperca scherzeri)
• Mangrove Red Snapper (Lutjanus argentimaculatus)
• Many Banded Shell-Dweller (Neolamprologus multifasciatus)
• Many-Spotted Cory (Corydoras polystictus)
• Marakeli Cichlid (Paratilapia polleni “Madagascar”)
• Marbled Bichir (Polypterus palmas)
• Marbled Hatchetfish (Carnegiella strigata strigata)
• Marbled Headstander (Abramites hypselonotus)
• Marbled Lamprologus (Lepidiolamprologus attenuatus)
• Marbled Livingston’s Hap (Nimbochromis livingstonii)
• Marbled Otocinclus (Otocinclus paulinus)
• Marbled Sleeper Goby (Oxyeleotris marmorata)
• Marbled Swamp Eel (Synbranchus marmoratus)
• Marigold Swordtail (Xiphophorus helleri)
• Marigold Wag Swordtail (Xiphophorus helleri)
• Marlier’s Julie (Julidochromis marlieri)
• Marylin’s Pencilfish (Nannostomus marylinae)
• Masked Julie (Julidochromis transcriptus)
• Maylandia Aurora (Pseudotropheus aurora)
• Medaka (Oryzias latipes)
• Meridionalis Gray Bichir (Polypterus senegalus meridionalis)
• Mexican Golden Trout (Oncorhynchus chrysogaster)
• Mexican Sailfin Molly (Poecilia velifera)
• Mexican Swordtail (Xiphophorus montizumae)
• Mexican Tetra (Astyanax fasciatus mexicanus)
• Mickey Mouse Platy (Xiphophorus maculatus)
• Midas Cichlid (Amphilophus citrinellus)
• Millions Fish (Poecilia reticulata)
• Minnow (Pimephales promelas)
• Modest Loach (Botia modesta)
• Modoc Sucker (Catostomus microps)
• Mola Mola (Mola mola)
• Molly “Black” (Poecilia sphenops)
• Mono (Monodactylus argenteus
• Montezuma helleri (Xiphophorus montizumae
• Mooneye (Hiodon tergisus)
• Moonfish “Red Wag” (Xiphophorus maculatus)
• Moonfish “Vtiatus Sunset” (Xiphophorus maculatus)
• Moonlight Gourami (Trichogaster microlepis)
• Moore’s Lamprologus (Variabilichromis moorii)
• Mosaic Gourami (Trichogaster leeri)
• Mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis)
• Moss Barb (Capoeta tetrazona)
• Motoro Stingray (Potamotrygon motoro)
• Mottled Ctenopoma (Ctenopoma oxrynchum)
• Mottled Stingray (Potamotrygon hystrix)
• Mozambique Tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus)
• Mrigal (Cirrhinus cirrhosus)
• Mud Catfish (Mud cat)
• Mud Minnow (Galaxiella munda)
• Mudfish (Neochanna apoda)
• Mudminnow (Umbra pygmaea)
• Murray Cod (Maccullochella peelii)
• Muskellunge (Esox masquinongy)

Saltwater fish beginning with M:

• Mackerel (Rastrelliger brachysoma)
• Mackerel Shark (Carcharodon carcharias)
• Mahi-Mahi (Coryphaena hippurus)
• Mako Shark (Isurus oxyrinchus)
• Man-of-War Fish (Nomeus gronovii)
• Mandarinfish (Synchiropus splendidus)
• Manta Ray (Manta alfredi)
• Marblefish (Aplodactylus arctidens)
• Marine Hatchetfish (Argyropelecus hemigymnus)
• Marlin (Makaira nigricans)
• Masu Salmon (Oncorhynchus masou)
• Medusafish (Centrolophus niger)
• Megamouth Shark (Megachasma pelagios)
• Menhaden (Brevoortia patronus)
• Merluccid Hake (Merluccius bilinearis)
• Midshipman Fish (Porichthys notatus)
• Milkfish (Chanos chanos)
• Minnow of the Deep (Cyclothone microdon)
• Mojarra (Gerres equulus)
• Monkeyface Prickleback (Cebidichthys violaceus)
• Monkfish (Lophius piscatorius)
• Moorish Idol (Zanclus cornutus)
• Mora (Mora moro)
• Moray Eel (Anarchias seychellensis)
• Morid Cod (Laemonema barbatulum)
• Morwong (Cheilodactylus spectabilis)
• Moses Sole (Pardachirus marmoratus)
• Mudskipper (Periophthalmus novemraditus)
• Mudsucker (Gillichthys detrusus)
• Mullet (Mugil cephalus)
• Mummichog (Fundulus heteroclitus)
• Mustache Triggerfish (Balistoides viridescens)
• Mustard Eel (Dysomma anguillare)