There are so many colorful fish in the world. They are the most sought fishes by aquarium lovers and divers. Here are some of the most brightly colored fishes in the world.

Rainbow Parrotfish (Scaus guacamaia)

Photo Source: Wikipedia

This fish, called the rainbow parrotfish, is one of the most uniquely colored fishes. The rainbow parrotfish is a species in the Scaridae family. It is found mostly in the Caribbean Sea. The rainbow parrotfish can be found on coral reefs at depths of 3 to 25 meters. An unusual feature of parrotfish is that they are able to change sex: females may become males.

Peacock Mantis Shrimp (Odontodactylus scyllarus)

Photo Source: Wikipedia

This creature is not only weird looking but very colorful as well. It is called the peacock mantis shrimp also known as the harlequin mantis shrimp or painted mantis shrimp. It is a large mantis shrimp endemic to the Indo-Pacific from Guam to East Africa.

Peacocks are popular with aquarists for their bright colors and active behavior, but are definitely not reef safe, as they will eat most other tank occupants. Additionally, large specimens are capable of breaking very thick aquarium glass. They are active, intelligent, curious animals, capable of interacting with their keepers.

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Regal Angelfish (Pygoplites diacanthus)

Photo Source: Wikipedia

The Regal Angelfish is definitely one of the most beautiful fishes in the world. But it is difficult to keep, is very solitary (rarely found in pairs), and is a finicky eater needing sponges to survive. Because of these challenges, this is a fish that will not be seen in many community aquariums. But it is a beautiful fish!

Spectacled Parrot Fish

Photo Source: Wikipedia

This unique and beautiful is another species of parrotfish. Parrotfish are named for their oral dentition; their numerous teeth are arranged in a tightly packed mosaic on the external surface of the jaw bones, forming a parrot-like beak which is used to rasp algae from coral and other rocky substrates. Many species, including this spectacled parrotfish and the rainbow parrotfish, are brightly colored in shades of blue, green, red and yellow, but are not especially popular in aquaria.

Yellowtail Clownfish (Amphiprion clarkii)

Photo Source: Wikipedia

Certainly, Clark’s Anemonefish or the Yellowtail clownfish is another beautiful fish because of its bright colors. Clark’s Anemonefish is a spectacularly colorful fish, with vivid black, white and yellow stripes, though the exact pattern shows considerable geographical variation. This clownfish is a widely distributed. It is found in tropical waters, in lagoons and on outer reef slopes, from the Persian Gulf to Western Australia and throughout the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean as far as Melanesia and Micronesia, to Taiwan, Japan and Ryukyu Islands. This fish is a popular aquarium species.

Ocellaris Clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris)

Do you recognize this lovely fish? I am pretty sure you do. You will surely love this magnificently colored fish, the Ocellaris Clownfish, Common Clownfish or False Percula Clownfish. It is also a popular aquarium fish, even more so after it rose to stardom in Finding Nemo. This fish is very closely related to A. percula, the Orange Clownfish or “True Percula Clownfish”, and often lives in association with the sea anemone Heteractis magnifica, using them for shelter and protection. This species is found in coral reefs of the Indo-Pacific, particularly in the Fiji and Tonga regions.

Blue tang (Paracanthurus hepatus)

Photo Source: Wikipedia

This pretty and brightly colored fish is commonly known as the Regal Tang. It is an average-sized colorful reef fish belonging to the family Acanthuridae. A popular fish in marine aquaria, it is the only member of the genus Paracanthurus. A number of common names have been attributed to the species, including but not limited to palette surgeonfish, blue tang, hippo tang, flagtail surgeonfish and the blue surgeonfish.

Sohal Tang (Acanthurus sohal)

The sohal surgeonfish or sohal tang, which is uniquely colored fish, is a Red Sea endemic which grows to 16 inches in the wild. Its striking blue and white horizontal stripes have made it what many consider the “poster fish” for the Red Sea reef environment. It is a valued aquarium fish.

Yellow Tang (Zebrasoma flavescens)

Photo Source: Wikipedia

You will be captivated by the very bright coloration of this fish. This yellow-colored fish is really a bright one. The yellow tang also called naughty tang, is a saltwater fish species of the family Acanthuridae. It is one of the most popular aquarium fish in the world.

Lagoon Triggerfish (Rhinecanthus aculeatus)

Photo Source: Wikipedia

This fish with beautiful pattern of color is called the Lagoon triggerfish (also known as the blackbar triggerfish, the Picassofish, and the Jamal), is a triggerfish, up to 30 cm in length, found on reefs in the Indo-Pacific region. It is the state fish of Hawaii.

Clown Triggerfish (Balistoides conspicillum)

Photo Source: Wikipedia

This awesomely colored fish is named the clown triggerfish. It is a triggerfish which is reef-associated fish is commonly found in the tropical Indo-Pacific and Red Sea coastal waters from 1-75 m in depth (3-250 ft). This fish is generally uncommon or rare throughout its range, which includes East Africa to South Africa, through to Indonesia, and all the way to Japan and New Caledonia. It also resides in the Great Barrier Reef.

Longhorn Cowfish (Lactoria cornuta)

(Photo courtesy of Wikipedia)

This brightly colored and odd-looking fish called the longhorn cowfish is a variety of boxfish from the Ostraciidi family. It is recognizable by its long horns that protrude from the front of its head, rather like those of a cow or bull. They are a resident of the Indo-Pacific region and are usually around 10cm (4 in) long.

Longhorn Cowfish

Photo Source: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3231/2521514788_cf87894922.jpg?v=0

This lovely photo of another species of longhorn cowfish was taken in Northeast coast Taiwan by Mickle Huang.

Red Betta Fish (Betta splendens)

The Betta fish commonly called “Siamese fighting fish” is one of the most popular species of freshwater aquarium fish. It is native to the Mekong River basin in Southeast Asia and called pla-kad or pla-kat (“Biting Fish”) in its native Thailand.

Blue and Red Veiltail

Blue Veiltail

Bluefaced Angelfish (Pomacanthus xanthometopon)

Photo Source: Wikipedia

The Blue-faced Angel fish is definitely one of the most colorful fishes. This is a rather hard to keep though, so the Blue-faced Angelfish or Yellow-faced Angelfish should be left to the experienced fish keeper. It grows to a maximum of 15 inches (380 mm) in the aquarium.

Flame Angelfish (Centropyge loricula)

Photo Source: Wikipedia

The Flame Angelfish is a flashy addition to many aquariums. It is one of the most popular of the dwarf angelfish. The Flame Angelfish is a bold red/orange color with vertical black stripes highlighting the body and horizontal black stripes along the caudal portions of the blue-tipped dorsal and anal fins.

Passer Angelfish (Holocanthus passer)

Photo Source: Wikipedia

Due to the large size and bright colors of Passer Angelfish, it is a popular aquarium fish, despite the fact that it can be difficult to keep. It is a large marine angelfish of the family Pomacanthidae, sometimes referred to as the King Angelfish.

Bellus Angelfish (Genicanthus bellus)

Photo Source: Wikipedia

Blue is one of my favorite colors. Bellus angelfish is also known as Ornate Angelfish. The females and young of the species have broad black horizontal bands. Males have two orange bands, one mid-laterally and the other over the back. These fish are active and spend most of the daylight hours swimming about in mid-water. They are not aggressive and will not harm other inhabitants.

Peppermint Angelfish (Paracentropyge boylei)

Photo Source: Wikipedia

These brightly colored fish is found in ledges, caves, and rubble areas of steep seaward reefs. It is never or rarely exported through the aquarium trade. They are mostly found in the tropical Atlantic, Indian, and (mainly western) Pacific.

Venustus Pygmy Angelfish (Paracentropyge venustus)

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

This pretty-looking fish is also commonly called Venusta Angel and Half Moon Angel. The Venustus Angel is very popular and seldom available. It is a highly prized angelfish. It can be difficult to keep and is usually quite finicky with feeding. A cave dweller in nature, it should be provided with caves and overhangs, and should be housed with no remotely aggressive fishes if you plan to keep it as a pet.

Black & White Bandit Angelfish (Holacanthus arculatus)

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This simple but elegant-looking fish known as Black & White Bandit Angelfish is also called the Banded Bandit Angelfish or simply Bandit Angelfish. This fish is endemic to Hawaii. This species is heavily collected for aquariums. It has a very distinctive appearance because of the texture of the scales in the white area of the body,

Threadfin Butterflyfish (Chaetodon auriga)

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This beautifully patterned fish called the Threadfin Butterflyfish is a species of butterflyfish. The pattern and spots were truly amazing. It is found in the Indo-Pacific region from the Red Sea at depths of between 1 and 35 m.

Royal Gramma (Gramma Loreto)

Photo Source: Wikipedia

The colorful royal gramma is a very popular fish in the aquarium trade. The fish begins as a dark purple which fades to yellow. Royal gramma averages slightly over 8 cm (3 inches) and has been tank bred. Their natural range covers the Bahamas, Venezuela, and the Lesser Antilles.

Squareback Anthias (Pseudanthias pleurotaenia)

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Another adorable fish is the Squarespot, Squareblock, Squareback, Mirror, Square Box, Square-Spot Anthias, or Square-Spot Fairy Basslet. These fish should be kept one male to two females minimum, best kept in a species tank as they may act aggressively towards other species of fish.

Rock Beauty (Holacanthus tricolor)

Another brightly colored fish is the Rock beauty. It is one of the more diminutive angelfish of the Caribbean Sea. This Rock Beauty forages the reef in Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles.

Emperor Angelfish (Pomacanthus imperator)

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This majestic-looking fish called the emperor angelfish is a species of marine angelfish. It is another reef-associated fish, endemic to the Indian and Pacific Oceans, from the Red Sea to Hawaii and the Austral islands.

Juveniles are dark blue with electric blue and white rings; adults have yellow and blue stripes, with black around the eyes. It takes about four years for an emperor angelfish to acquire its adult coloring. They grow to 40 cm in length. Juvenile to adult transition may not fully occur in an aquarium.

Photo Source: Wikipedia

Arabian Angelfish (Arusetta asfur)

The beautiful fish Arabian Angelfish is the last in our list. It is relatively rare in the pet trade. It is, however, one of the most sought after Angelfish available today. It is also usually quite expensive. As is the case with most Red Sea fish this angelfish is quite hardy and can be expected to live a long time in an aquarium system with good conditions.

For more colorful animals in the world see

The Twenty Most Brilliantly Colored Birds in the World

The Most Beautifully and Uniquely Colored Mammals in the World