So here we are at the end of our fish A-Z! We’ve seen some really amazing fish on our journey and discovered ones we’ve never seen before. In our list of fish that start with Z you might notice a bit of a Zebra theme going on… there really aren’t all that many fish with Z names.
We’ve included freshwater and saltwater fish in our lists and given you the scientific names in brackets next to their common names. This will mean you can discover even more about these weird and wonderful fish.
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Our Top 3 Fish Names Beginning with Letter Z
Despite our slim pickings, we’ve chosen our favourite 3 to tell you a little more about. If you love a stripy fish, then you’re going to love all of the zebra-themed fish brought to you by the letter Z.
Zander (Sander lucioperca)
The Zander is not kept as an aquarium fish due to the likelihood of it growing to be anywhere between 20-26 inches in length. They are sometimes sold in their juvenile form to be kept in aquaria, but they really do belong in the wild. They are known for being a highly sought after fish for food across Europe and are caught for sport fishing due to their large size and weight. Zanders can be dangerous as they are powerful fish, so if you see a Zander in your local pet store or fish store, probably avoid this one.
Zebra Danio (Danio rerio)
If you’ve ever dreamed of owning a mini zebra, then now’s your chance… well, it’s dinky and it has cool stripes! The Zebra Danio likes to school, so keep at least 8-10 of these fish in your aquarium at one time to make sure they’re content. They are super peaceful too, so can be kept with plenty of other popular aquarium fish. But always do your research before creating a community tank and take into account the small size of these little fish, even in full adulthood.
Perhaps opt for a slightly darker setup in your tank when it comes to these danios. Use dark substrate, plant the back of the tank quite densely and maybe include some floating vegetation to diffuse the light a little more. When it comes to food, these little Zebra Danios will eat pretty much anything you give them, just make sure it is healthy and balanced.
Zebra Tilapia (Heterotilapia buttikoferi)
The Zebra Tilapia is an aggressive fish which should be kept in a single species tank or with other aggressive fish of a similar size. You will need a large tank to keep these tilapia as they like large open spaces for swimming, so any decorations you have should be secured to avoid them being knocked around by this boisterous fish. Make sure your aquarium has really good filtration as the Zebra Tilapia is one messy fish…
This fish will eat cichlid pellets and flakes as well as a mix of frozen and live foods. As these fish increase in size, their food should also increase – bloodworms for juveniles then earthworms when they grow into mature adults. Vegetables should also be included in the Zebra Tilapia’s diet to ensure it gets all the necessary nutrients to stay healthy.
List of fish names starting with Z
They may be small lists for both freshwater fish and saltwater fish, but if you wanted to do a bit of research, you might discover some great little characters, perhaps even some that you might want to add to your aquarium.
Freshwater fish beginning with Z:
- Zebra Loach (Botia striata)
- Zebra Oto (Otocinclus cocama)
- Zebra Pleco (Hypancistrus zebra)
- Ziege (Pelecus cultratus)
- Zingel (Zingel streber)
Saltwater fish beginning with Z:
- Zebra Bream (Diplodus cervinus)
- Zebra Bullhead Shark (Heterodontus zebra)
- Zebra Lionfish (Dendrochirus zebra)
- Zebra Shark (Stegostoma fasciatum)
