Get set for a whole host of yellow fish, as this is what makes up all bar one of the fish that start with Y in our lists. That’s freshwater and saltwater fish too, so you can delve into the sea and perhaps discover a yellow fish you didn’t know existed.
Each of the fish in our lists have scientific names as well as the common names. The name in brackets which looks a bit like gibberish is, in fact, Latin and is the fish’s genus and species. Scientific names are the way in which living things are recorded and classified. Any new species that is discovered will be given a name like this.
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Our Top 3 Fish Names Beginning with Letter Y
It was very hard to choose the 3 best yellow fish from our lists, but we did it! And we included our little Yo-Yo Loach to round things up nicely. We hope you enjoy reading about these three fishes in a little more detail, which might help to inspire your next aquarium purchase.
Yellow Regal Peacock Cichlid (Aulonocara baenschi)
This cichlid is endemic to Lake Malawi where it tends to live in slightly shallower waters amongst sand and rocks. Housing the Yellow Regal Peacock Cichlid in a tank with sandy substrate and plenty of rocky areas is a great idea – sturdy rock caves are also recommended as hiding places. This type of Aulonocara often eats by sifting through the substrate for edible pieces, with the excess non-edible items come out of their gills and mouths. Their feeding can include live and frozen as well as high-quality nutritious food which can be handmade. Just make sure these fish are getting some veg in their diet – spirulina is ideal for this.
Tank mates can include a variety of different fish, just make sure not to have fish with similar coloration as the male YRP Cichlid could become agressive towards it. When keeping multiples of this fish, keep 4-6 females for every male.
Yellow-Tailed Congo Tetra (Alestopetersius caudalis)
The Yellow-Tailed Congo Tetra is found in the wild in the Congo River but has been found to be distributed even wider than this in more recent times. This little pearly-looking fish isn’t picky when it comes to a tank design, but it will thrive in a tank which mimics a flowing river. Use sand and gravel as substrate and provide plenty of different sized rocks to mimic a river bed. If you want to make your aquarium a little more fancy, then you could add in some plants and a funky piece of driftwood.
Yellow-Tailed Congo Tetras are friendly and can be suited to community tanks, however, they tend to be a little skittish and so tank mates should be carefully researched. Keep these fish in groups of 8-10 so they can form a school together.
Yo-Yo Loach (Botia lohachata)
And here it is – the only fish in our list that doesn’t have ‘yellow’ in its name! Although, perhaps it has a semi-yellowish tinge to its body… Anyway, this groovy patterned loach isn’t particularly aggressive, but it may frighten smaller fish and make them feel intimidated, so pair the Yo-Yo Loach with peaceful cyprinids who tend to dwell in the middle to the top of the tank or if you do want other bottom feeders, perhaps stick with other Botias.
Similar to the Tetra above, the Yo-Yo Loach would be suited to a tank with sand and gravel substrate with a mix of smooth rocks and perhaps driftwood to mimic the environment of a stream or river. Avoid placing anything with sharp edges in the tank, as these loaches like to slip into small spaces and gaps.
List of fish names starting with Y
Now for the myriad of fish with yellow in their names. Even though they all fall under the same colorway, they all have their own unique quirks which make them interesting. Perhaps you could build an entirely yellow community tank… if you wanted to bring some rays of sunshine to your aquarium. If we’ve missed any fish from our lists below and you’d like to let us know, pop a comment below.
Freshwater fish beginning with Y:
- Yellow Banded Moenkhausia (Moenkhausia sanctaefilomenae)
- Yellow Bass (Morone mississippiensis)
- Yellow Julie (Julidochromis ornatus)
- Yellow King Piranha (Serrasalmus ternetzi)
- Yellow Kribensis (Pelvicachromis humilis)
- Yellow Lab (Labidochromis caeruleus)
- Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens)
- Yellow-Finned Xenotilapia (Xenotilapia flavipinnis)
- Yellow-Tailed Violet Cichlid (Gephyrochromis moorii)
- Yellow-Tetra (Hyphessobrycon bifasciatus)
- Yellowedge Grouper (Hyporthodus flavolimbatus)
- Yellowfin Cutthroat Trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii macdonaldi)
- Yellowtail Catfish (Pangasius pangasius)
Saltwater fish beginning with Y:
- Yellow Jack (Carangoides bartholomaei)
- Yellow Moray (Gymnothorax prasinus)
- Yellow Tang (Zebrasoma flavescens)
- Yellow Weaver (Parapercis gilliesii)
- Yellow-and-Black Triplefin (Forsterygion flavonigrum)
- Yellow-Edged Moray (Gymnothorax flavimarginatus)
- Yellow-Eye Mullet (Aldrichetta forsteri)
- Yellowback Fusilier (Caesio xanthonota)
- Yellowbanded Perch (Acanthistius cinctus)
- Yellowfin Croaker (Umbrina roncador)
- Yellowfin Grouper (Mycteroperca venenosa)
- Yellowfin Pike (Dinolestes lewini)
- Yellowfin Surgeonfish (Acanthurus xanthopterus)
- Yellowfin Tuna (Thunnus albacares)
- Yellowhead Jawfish (Opistognathus aurifrons)
- Yellowmargin Triggerfish (Pseudobalistes flavimarginatus)
- Yellowtail Amberjack (Seriola lalandi)
- Yellowtail Barracuda (Sphyraena flavicauda)
- Yellowtail Clownfish (Amphiprion clarkii)
- Yellowtail Horse Mackerel (Trachurus novaezelandiae)
- Yellowtail Snapper (Ocyurus chrysurus)
