Top Ten Families of Fish in Maldives

These are incredibly beautiful and colourful fish that generally grow up to about fourteen centimetres in length. If you were to take a dive organised by any of the luxury Maldives hotels by chains such as Anantara Hotels, Resort & Spa, you would be bound to glimpse these wonderful sea creatures.

These are actually a family of colourful sea-creatures that contain about six hundred species. Generally, they grow up to twenty centimetres but larger varieties can measure up to eight feet in length.

These aren't the most visually attractive of fish, with large mouths and almost reptilian colour schemes. They are however an important source of food in the Maldives. Groupers are also very commonly farmed in order to be sold for food in mass quantities.

These tiny creatures usually measure less than ten centimetres and are among some of the smallest vertebrates on the planet. They are generally used as aquarium fish or as bait for more commercially vital species.

These are a family of fish that are very commonly found in tropical waters. Their sizes can vary, with some even growing to lengths such as three feet. They grow too fast to be used as aquarium fish and harbour parasites. A study has shown that any one snapper can harbour up to nine species of parasites. Snappers are also carnivorous.

These pretty ray-finned fishes are a wonderful sight and are popular aquarium fish since they are considered a peaceful sight. Their iconic attributes include a large mouth, and dorsal fins that have been separated into two.

This family of fish can range from lengths of a few inches to thirteen feet. Even the smaller ones can look incredibly menacing with a large jaw lined with fangs. Although they are thought of as vicious creatures, they generally stray away from humans and would rather flee than fight.

With a name that has been derived from the Greek word for slime, it comes as no surprise that these tiny sea creatures are not the most beautiful. They are however a curious sight, and resemble tiny eels with whisker-like structures known as cirri.

This is a fairly broad group of fish with characteristics that can be quite different from one another. The common denominator is that they are all fairly small, and as the name suggests, quite colourful. They are known to resemble miniature Angelfish, except they lack the Angelfish's iconic spines on the gill covers.

Alternatively known as Unicorn fish, this is a family that includes just about eighty-six specific species. Many of these are visually appealing and consequently very popular in aquaria. Identifiable characteristics of these fish are their scalpel like spines and their dangerously sharp tails. They are generally very small fish, and the largest of which can grow up to about forty centimetres.