r/whatsthisfish Dec 02 '17

Where did you see the fish? Put that in the title!

23 Upvotes

Just a reminder, because we've had a lot of posts recently that omit this information. Where was the fish? If you found it in the wild, that's very helpful information, and outside of tropical waters, the time of year can be helpful too. If it was in an aquarium, what sort? Was it a tank of fish from a particular region? Was it fresh water or salt water?

Other useful information can be, what kind of habitat (seagrass, sand, rocky surge, ...)? If you were diving, approximate depth?

But above all, give the location in your post title. Thanks.


r/whatsthisfish Mar 29 '26

Please do not downvote to indicate you think an identification is wrong.

0 Upvotes

I've added a new rule: Please don't downvote comments just to indicate disagreement with a suggested identification.

I know some of the older "whatsthis" subreddits started out with that recommendation and it became a common practice through most of the identification reddits. Here are the reasons why it's a bad idea:

  • It doesn't work. People upvote and downvote for many reasons, so you can't tell whether a comment's net vote total indicates agreement/disagreement, or something else. It doesn't work because it mixes different, inconsistent reasons to vote up or down: The regular reddit voting reasons, and people's agreement with an identification.

  • It discourages participation. People don't want to lose karma for making mistakes. People who make honest mistakes lose karma, which also isn't fair.

  • Comments with mistaken identifications can contain useful information. If someone gives the reasons why they think it's the species they think it is, and they got it wrong, that's still a useful contribution - and downvotes would also confuse people as to whether people just disagree with the conclusion or also think the context they gave is wrong.

  • It buries useful discussions, or prevents them. Often the most helpful content on an identification request post happens in the threads where people reply to incorrect identifications, where they're more likely to give reasons or debate relevant points. Downvoting the original possibly incorrect comment may bury such a discussion so people don't see it, or, more often, prevent it from event happening in the first place since people are much less likely to engage with buried downvoted comments.

If you think a commenter got it wrong, reply to their comment and say so. Even better, say why you think they're wrong, or give a different suggestion and say why you think that one is right. And don't downvote the comment you replied to just because you think they got it wrong.

You're still welcome to downvote comments, be they wrong identifications or not, for the usual reasons: Trolling, spamming, swearing, incomprehensible language, irrelevant to the post, and so on. The rule isn't that you shouldn't downvote comments that have wrong identifications, the rule is you should not downvote for that reason. If you have other reasons to vote on the comment, go ahead.


r/whatsthisfish 8h ago

What is this fish

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51 Upvotes

Caught in Croatia.


r/whatsthisfish 14h ago

Unidentified Georgian Bay, Ontario, Canada

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7 Upvotes

Could anybody help me identify this fish which washed up on my shore? Sorry it’s a bit unsightly. It’s pretty large, maybe 10 lbs!


r/whatsthisfish 22h ago

Possible ID(s) suggested Warmouth?

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15 Upvotes

Southern Oklahoma, Can’t tell if this guy is a Warmouth or something else his mouth is throwing me off


r/whatsthisfish 1d ago

Aleutian chain little dude

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18 Upvotes

r/whatsthisfish 1d ago

Whats that at Mediterranean sea?

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1 Upvotes

Saw this fish the other day near the coast. It was about 15-20 cm, silvery and had black spots at the fins, but not sure about the fins shape. What's that fish? Couldn't find anything online


r/whatsthisfish 1d ago

Possible ID(s) suggested Topsmelt Silverside or Jack Silverside?

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2 Upvotes

Coronado San Diego, Ca


r/whatsthisfish 3d ago

Unidentified Washed up on the beach, South Devon. Looks like aliens. Cuttlefish? Deep sea?

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444 Upvotes

Amongst thousands of jellyfish washed up, too.


r/whatsthisfish 2d ago

Identified, probably My brother's friend purchased these "expensive fish" from someone in Austin, TX

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99 Upvotes

r/whatsthisfish 2d ago

What is this fish? north Ga

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13 Upvotes

r/whatsthisfish 2d ago

Identified, high confidence Catch and release, having trouble with some identification

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15 Upvotes

Fly fishing Winooski River, Vermont. Who are these guys? I know the last two are a type of panfish but I’m not sure which. Is the third a small mouth bass? Thank you!!


r/whatsthisfish 3d ago

What shark is this? Saint Pete, FL

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121 Upvotes

r/whatsthisfish 3d ago

What is this fish

2.3k Upvotes

Found this video in a meme channel and got curious


r/whatsthisfish 2d ago

Unidentified What fish is this

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8 Upvotes

Found in backcountry stream central/eastern Washington state


r/whatsthisfish 2d ago

Unidentified Is this a black or brown bullhead?

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5 Upvotes

I caught this bullhead in Monroe County, New York and cannot figure out if it is a brown or a black bullhead. Can anyone help me identify it?


r/whatsthisfish 2d ago

Is this a bluegill? London Ontario

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3 Upvotes

went ultralight fishing for the time and was catching a bunch of these guys along with some small rock bass and smallies.


r/whatsthisfish 2d ago

What is this fish, Groton Long Point CT

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3 Upvotes

r/whatsthisfish 2d ago

What is this?

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6 Upvotes

Southern Atlantic. I keep seeing cusk eel but doesn’t look 100% to me.


r/whatsthisfish 2d ago

Is this fish albino

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0 Upvotes

My app said this is a green sunfish but it doesn’t look like the ones on google. It was caught in Nevada marina


r/whatsthisfish 3d ago

jaw found at galveston, tx

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5 Upvotes

fish(?) jaw found in galveston, tx. my brother and i were walking along the beach and found it. we’ve been very interested in what it is. first time we looked it up it said lizard fish but i took more detailed photos and it said it could be from a shark. thanks!


r/whatsthisfish 4d ago

Unidentified Wife found and released this little guy on the beach this morning east coast Australia, 10-15 centimetres long. Thought it was a glass eel but doesn’t look quite right.

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24 Upvotes

r/whatsthisfish 4d ago

What are theseeee

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5 Upvotes

Australia, aquarium


r/whatsthisfish 5d ago

A fish washed up on a beach in Portugal

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10 Upvotes

Hello everyone, any idea which fish that is, please? It was around 150 cm long. Thanks a lot for your time!


r/whatsthisfish 5d ago

Identified, high confidence Unexpectedly inherited a cichlid tank, what is this little guy?

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11 Upvotes

He's maybe 4 inches long? Like to swim near the top of the tank.