Which Aquarium Fish Are Hardest to Find? Supply Data Reveals the Answer
On FishyHub's US marketplace, the hardest aquarium livestock to find is specialist marine life: rays, sharks, scorpionfish, batfish, boxfish and filefish, along with invertebrates such as sponges, sea slugs, scallops and jellyfish. Arowana and a handful of freshwater fish that rarely make sense to ship, including oscars, silver dollars and hatchetfish, are also scarce. By contrast, tetras, discus, plecos, clownfish, tangs, wrasse and many corals are in the highest supply tier, so they are easy to find.
Key Findings
- FishyHub data shows arowana on the US marketplace, including black and Jardini arowana, have limited supply and sit in the collector / premium price tier, while silver arowana has moderate supply.
- FishyHub US data shows rays, sharks and scorpionfish combine limited supply with collector-tier prices.
- FishyHub data shows batfish, boxfish, filefish, grunts and sweetlips, pipefish and squirrelfish are marine fish with limited supply in the US.
- FishyHub US data shows marine invertebrates such as fan worms, jellyfish, lobsters, scallops, sea slugs and sponges have limited supply.
- FishyHub data shows several budget-tier freshwater fish, including crowntail bettas, hatchetfish, knifefish, oscars and silver dollars, have limited supply in the US.
- FishyHub data shows giant halfmoon plakat bettas have limited supply in the US while demand clearly outpaces supply, the clearest measured case of a hard-to-find fish on the US marketplace.
- FishyHub data shows oranda and ryukin goldfish have limited US supply, even though goldfish as a whole are in the very high supply tier.
- FishyHub data shows freshwater livestock has the larger share of US listings, yet clownfish, butterflyfish, gobies, tangs and wrasse all have very high supply.
Reading the US Supply Data
FishyHub sorts each category into supply tiers by the number of active listings: very high, high, moderate and limited. The US marketplace is new, so it does not yet have the order history needed to measure demand for most fish. Demand against supply is available for a few betta categories, where buyer interest from US users is strong enough to read. For everything else, "hardest to find" on this page means the fewest active listings, explained with what experienced hobbyists know about why those animals are scarce.
| Group | US supply | Typical price tier | Examples (alphabetical) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Specialist marine fish | Limited | Upper mid-range to collector | Batfish, boxfish, filefish, rays, scorpionfish, sharks, squirrelfish |
| Rare invertebrates | Limited | Mid-range | Fan worms, jellyfish, lobsters, scallops, sea slugs, sponges |
| Arowana | Limited | Collector / premium | Black arowana, Jardini arowana |
| Cheap but scarce freshwater fish | Limited | Entry-level / budget | Crowntail betta, hatchetfish, knifefish, oscar, silver dollar |
| Fancy goldfish varieties | Limited | Mid-range | Oranda, ryukin |
Specialist Marine Fish: The Hardest Group
The scarcest US listings belong to marine fish that only a small group of reef and predator-tank keepers can house. Rays and sharks need very large systems with open sand and strong filtration. Scorpionfish have venomous spines and eat live or meaty food. Batfish grow tall and need deep tanks. Boxfish can release toxins when stressed, which makes shipping and mixing them risky. Filefish and pipefish are picky feeders that need patient care.
Almost all of these animals are wild-caught and pass through a small number of importers, so listings appear in ones and twos. Interest exists: FishyHub Feed videos featuring scorpionfish draw moderate attention. But the pool of buyers with the right tank is small, so few sellers carry them.
Rare Invertebrates
Sponges, sea slugs and scallops are filter feeders or specialist grazers that often decline in home tanks without targeted feeding, and they handle transit poorly. Jellyfish need dedicated circular tanks that keep them suspended. Fan worms and lobsters are easier to keep but are niche choices. All have limited US supply. If you are planning a tank around one of them, it is worth arranging the purchase before setting up the rest of the stock.
Arowana: Scarce for Legal Reasons Too
In the US, arowana listings are limited and priced at the collector tier. Part of the reason is legal: Asian arowana are protected under US endangered species rules and generally cannot be imported or sold, so the US trade relies on silver, black and Jardini arowana from South America and Australia. Black and Jardini arowana are imported in small numbers and grow into large fish, which keeps them scarce. Silver arowana is the most available of the group, with moderate supply and an upper mid-range price.
Cheap Fish That Are Hard to Find Online
Some of the scarcest US listings are inexpensive fish. Oscars, silver dollars and knifefish grow large, so shipping a healthy juvenile overnight in an insulated box can cost more than the fish itself. Hatchetfish jump and stress easily in bags. Crowntail bettas have been overtaken by halfmoons and halfmoon plakats, both of which have high supply. Sellers tend to list fish where the price justifies the courier cost, so budget fish that are common in local fish stores can be rare online.
Fancy goldfish show a similar split. Goldfish overall have very high supply on FishyHub in the US, but oranda and ryukin listings are limited.
The One Measured Case: Giant Halfmoon Plakats
Giant halfmoon plakat bettas are the clearest example where FishyHub can measure demand against supply in the US. Supply is limited, buyer interest is moderate, and demand clearly outpaces supply. Giants are bred mainly in Southeast Asia, take longer to raise than standard bettas and reach the US through importers, so fewer arrive at a time.
Tips for Finding Scarce Fish in the US
- Save scarce fish to your wishlist and check back; momentum is rising across nearly every US category, so new listings appear regularly.
- Plan around the weather. Sellers often pause shipping during heat waves and deep cold, which makes scarce fish even harder to get in midsummer and midwinter.
- Expect fewer options and higher delivery costs in the Alaska, Hawaii & territories zone, where overnight courier service is limited.
- For large, cheap fish such as oscars and silver dollars, a local fish store may be the easier source.
Methodology
This page is based on FishyHub's US marketplace activity over the period from October 2024 to October 2026: active listings by category, listed prices and price spread, new listings over time, buyer interest (wishlists, likes and "my tank" saves) where it is measurable, and FishyHub Feed video categories. Findings are reported as tiers and directions, not figures.
The US marketplace is new and has no order history in this data, so demand against supply is reported only for a few betta categories. FishyHub does not report state-by-state data, and shipping costs and seasonal holds are described from general hobby knowledge, not FishyHub data. The data covers independent merchants on FishyHub only, not local fish stores or other sellers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the rarest aquarium fish to buy in the US?
On FishyHub, the scarcest listings are specialist marine fish such as rays, sharks, scorpionfish, batfish and boxfish, plus black and Jardini arowana.
Why can't I find Asian arowana in the US?
Asian arowana are protected under US endangered species rules and generally cannot be imported or sold, so US listings are silver, black and Jardini arowana.
Why are oscars hard to find online?
They are inexpensive but grow large, and overnight shipping can cost more than the fish. On FishyHub, oscars have limited US supply.
Are giant halfmoon plakat bettas hard to find?
Yes. FishyHub data shows limited US supply and demand that clearly outpaces it.
How to Cite This Page
Source: FishyHub, "Which Aquarium Fish Are Hardest to Find? Supply Data Reveals the Answer" (2026), https://fishyhub.com/us/blogs/blog-detail/which-aquarium-fish-are-hardest-to-find-supply-data-reveals-the-answer
