Copper Rockfish

If someone asks me what my favorite fish is, I'll say Copper Rockfish. It was the first fish I ever caught (and had to put back, since Rockfish are endangered), but genuinely I just think they look really neat. They're my favorite out of all of the Rockfish species.

2. Quillback Rockfish

Though Copper Rockfish are my favorite Rockfish, I'll also shoutout Quillback. I really like how their spines are blue, and standout really well against the yellow and black. All Rockfish are venomous (to my understanding), but I've always found these ones to be the most intimidating if only because the spines are so much bigger than the other subspecies.

3. Sockeye Salmon (spawning)

For those who don't know, salmon spawning is when salmon return to their birthplace (freshwater) to lay eggs and die, and they also change appearance. Pre-spawning, while they are in saltwater, all the different subspecies pretty much look the same: silver and lumpy, with only minor differences between them. When spawning, they all turn more green and red and become more distinct from one another. I've always liked Sockeye the most, with their green heads and bright red bodies, and the shape of their heads/mouths. I think it's really an iconic look.

4. Flounder

I love flounder just because they look stupid. Fun fact: they don't actually start flat. They're born looking like "normal" fish, with one eye on each side of the head, but as they grow the face shifts onto the top and they flatten to better blend in with the sea floor. Imagine hitting puberty and you turn into Flat Stanley lmao.

5. Cabezon

Cabezon, like Rockfish, have venomous spines. Also their meat is blue until you cook it, where it turns white, which I think is neat. Usually, they reside really deep in the ocean, but in fall and winter they come more into the shallows to make nests and lay eggs. The males are left behind to guard them, so this is the best time to catch one if you don't want to go out on a boat, and also don't want to worry about catching a female. I've never eaten one, but my dad says that they have a texture more similar to chicken.

6. Betta

Pretty basic species of domestic fish, but I still really like them. I had a red and blue male as a kid named Spike. Bettas are usually surface/top fish, but Spike liked to go to the bottom to feed with the Emerald Corydoras I had, and sleep on the moss ball (like it was a little bed). He had a surprising amount of personality for a fish.

7. Emerald Corydora

Corydoras are basically just little freshwater catfish. They like to be in groups, so you have to have at least five if you want to have them at all. I had Emerald Corydoras growing up, and I loved watching them spend all day picking at the sand with their little whiskers for food. They remind me of cows.

8. Panda Corydora

Panda Corydoras are also really neat. I like how shiny they can be, I think it makes them look like little Pokémon.

9. Albino Corydora

Albino Corydoras are cool, especially in comparison to the other species. I think they all look like little old men.

10. Koi

Another kind of basic fish, but they're still cool and I want to point them out. They can get really big if they're not kept in a small enclosure (Domestic Koi can get between 12 and 15 inches, Japanese Koi between 22 and 26, and Jumbo Koi between 34 and 36).

11. Pufferfish

Like flounders, they also look stupid and it amuses me endlessly. They have these two front teeth for breaking into snail shells and slurping them out. I remember there was this really big one at the fish store I used to go to (nearly identical to the one pictured on the left) that would follow your finger if you dragged it across the glass, all the while with that big-ass stupid smile on it's face. They're just so full of whimsy.

12. Telescope Goldfish

Never owned them but I think they're really neat. "Awooga!!" ahh fish. What are they goggling at smh.

13. Sturgeon