Fish that Start with R

Here is the 17th instalment of our fish A-Z and we’ve collected together lots of freshwater and saltwater fish that start with R. Sadly, there weren’t many fish beginning with Q so we jumped from P to R, but you can check out our short list post combining the letters Q, U & X here.

As with all of our posts in this series, we’ve provided the scientific names for each fish type in brackets next to their common name. Scientific names are usually indicative of how a fish looks or behaves or where they are found in the wild. For example, with the Rainbowfish, their genus is Melanotaenia which can be broken down into Melano meaning black and taenia meaning banded. These scientific names are in the language of Latin, which means the names are the same no matter where you are in the world – only the common names will change from country to country.

Our Top 5 Fish Names Beginning with Letter R

We chose five of our favorite fish that start with R and we hope you think they’re as cool as we think they are. It was a tough choice though, because there truly are some super awesome fish beginning with this letter of the alphabet.

If you’ve see all of our fish name A-Z so far, which letter has been your favorite? Which one has had the most fish in the list that you’ve known or the ones you like the most?

Rainbow Shark (Epalzeorhynchos frenatum)

Rainbow Sharks are actually a fair bit smaller than their sea-dwelling counterparts and they don’t tend to have movies made about them. These little guys are cute, but their rainbow name doesn’t really reflect their coloring. They have bright fins and tails and their bodies are grey/black, but the albino variety has a peach/white body.

The Rainbow Shark likes a lot of cover in their tank so they can hide when they feel scared or unsettled, but other than that they aren’t very fussy. If you want to make them feel super at home, decorate your tank with a selection of different-sized rocks and ensure there is a good current flowing in the tank.

Ram Cichlid (Microgeophagus ramirezi)

The first cichlid in our top 5 is in the form of the Ram Cichlid, often referred to as dwarf cichlid or butterfly cichlid. These little fish often showcase gorgeous rainbow coloring with stricking electric blue, bright yellow and vivid red appearing on some specimens. Some M. ramirezi have been artificially bred to have more pigment and they are often quite weak fish. This weakness can make them a bad choice for a community tank as they need very specific water requirements, so they are best kept in single species setups.

Keep Ram Cichlid bellies happy by providing them with a good supply of frozen and live foods, supplemented by good quality pellets. Rams like to scoop up substrate in their mouths and filter out any edible substances, so don’t be alarmed when substrate is coming out from your cichlid’s gills.

Red Terror (Cichlasoma festae)

If you’re looking for a fish with a name that will impress (and maybe even frighten) your friends, then the Red Terror cichlid should do the job nicely. This fish can grow up to 20 inches in length (females max at around 12 inches) so must be kept in a large aquarium. Red Terrors like to dig and because of their size, will cause carnage in a neatly planted tank – instead opt for rocks and pieces of wood which can be used for hiding when needed.

The Terror is very territorial and therefore quite aggressive. They must be kept with other fish that are too big to fit into their mouths, as if it fits, it is food! Other large cichlids would be a good option to keep in the same tank as a Red Terror but bare in mind, weaker fish could end up being killed.

Regan’s Julie (Julidochromis regani)

This striped fish is also sometimes known as the Convict Julie due to its black and white stripes resembling the old prison uniforms. The Regan’s Julie is a rock dweller, so providing plenty of rocks and a few cave-like structures will make this fish feel right at home.

If you are keeping other fish with your Julie then it is best to stick with other Tanganyikan cichlids and perhaps keep another Regan’s Julie so they can pair up when they fancy – pairs need to be matched, so this could be difficult to achieve if you don’t know a breeder. Picking a random male and female could result in a successful pairing if you’re lucky, but it could result in the female dying from being harrassed so much.

Ruby Barb (Puntius nigrofasciatus)

Native to Sri Lanka, the Ruby Barb is usually found in rivers running through heavily wooded areas, so they prefer lower light levels where possible and enjoy a bit of leafy matter on the bottom of the tank to mimic their usual habitat. Heavily planted tanks will help to diffuse light and a few twigs and branches will give the barbs somewhere to hide, not to mention it will make your tank look more interesting. Ruby Barbs also like to forage for their food, so having plenty of natural materials in your tank will make the feeding process more fun for your barbs.

These friendly fish are a good choice for a community tank and they like to travel in schools of 6 or more. Tank mates can include catfish, tetras, rainbowfish and loaches.

List of fish names starting with R

Below are the remainder of our fish that start with R and these lists feature both saltwater and freshwater fish varieties. You’ll find a few rainbows, lots of red and even some Russian fish in amongst our lists.

If you can’t find your favorite R fish, then pop a comment down below and let us know. We want our fish A-Z to be as complete as we can possibly make it.

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)
• 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)
• Redfin Perch (Perca fluviatilis)
• 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)