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BetterVannilaFishes

by mlus · for Minecraft

Dive into a more vibrant and diverse ocean. Re-imagined, re-animated, and re-alive.

39KDownloads
3 mo agoLast updated
MITLicense
Forge · NeoForgeLoaders

About BetterVannilaFishes

From Modrinth

Dive into a more vibrant and diverse ocean. Re-imagined, re-animated, and re-alive.

Tired of the same old generic fish swimming in Minecraft's oceans? Better Vannila Fishes is a complete overhaul of aquatic life, designed to bring a new level of realism, depth, and excitement to your underwater explorations.

This mod removes the default vanilla fish (Cod, Salmon, Pufferfish, Tropical Fish) from world generation, replacing them with a carefully crafted roster of 44 new, realistic species — from colorful reef dwellers to apex ocean predators — each with unique behaviors, uses, and stunning GeckoLib-powered animations.


🌟 What Does This Mod Add? 🌟

🐟 Cod — 3 Species

Regional variants of the classic cod, each with distinct appearances:

  • Atlantic Cod (Gadus morhua) — The iconic North Atlantic staple.
  • Pacific Cod (Gadus macrocephalus) — Its Pacific cousin.
  • Haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) — A valuable bottom-dwelling species.

🐠 Salmon — 3 Species

  • Male Salmon — Distinguished by its vibrant coloration.
  • Female Salmon — Subtler hues, equally important.
  • Pacific Salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) — The iconic red salmon of the Pacific.

🐡 Pufferfish — 3 Species

Beautiful but deadly — handle with care! Each features a realistic inflation mechanic:

  • Yellow Fin Puffer (Diodon holocanthus)
  • Obscure Puffer (Takifugu obscurus)
  • Porcupine Fish (Diodon holocanthus)

🔵 Surgeonfish — 6 Species (NEW!)

A vibrant family of coral reef fish, perfect for bringing tropical reefs to life:

  • Achilles Tang (Acanthurus achilles)
  • Powder Blue Tang (Acanthurus leucosternon)
  • Blue Tang (Paracanthurus hepatus) — Yes, that's Dory!
  • Convict Tang (Acanthurus triostegus)
  • Whitecheek Surgeonfish (Acanthurus nigricans)
  • Lined Surgeonfish (Acanthurus lineatus)

🟠 Clownfish — 6 Species (NEW!)

Replacing vanilla Tropical Fish with realistic, individually modeled clownfish species:

  • Ocellaris Clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris) — The classic Nemo!
  • Spine-cheeked Clownfish (Premnas biaculeatus)
  • Saddleback Clownfish (Amphiprion polymnus)
  • Pink Skunk Clownfish (Amphiprion perideraion)
  • Clark's Clownfish (Amphiprion clarkii)
  • Orange Clownfish (Amphiprion percula)

🌿 Cichlid — 6 Species (NEW!)

Freshwater tropical fish found in rivers and swamps:

  • Chameleon Cichlid (Australoheros facetus)
  • Black Acara (Cichlasoma bimaculatum)
  • Guyana Eartheater (Krobia guianensis)
  • Saddle Cichlid (Aequidens tetramerus)
  • Paraguay Eartheater (Gymnogeophagus balzanii)
  • Oscar (Astronotus ocellatus)

🦈 Tiger Shark (NEW!)

居氏鼬鲨 (Galeocerdo cuvier) — A formidable apex predator now patrols the deep ocean!

  • 80 HP and 15 attack damage — a true threat to unprepared divers.
  • 3 color variants: Original, White, and Contrast.
  • Attacks fish and any creature affected by the Bleeding effect.
  • Custom shark-specific navigation and attack AI.
  • Drops Shark's Fin — a unique trophy item.
  • Can be displayed as a Tiger Shark Specimen mount!

🗡️ Spearfish (NEW!)

条纹枪鱼 (Kajikia audax) — A fast, aggressive ocean hunter:

  • Will charge and strike when threatened, dealing AoE damage.
  • Spawns in varying sizes — from sleek juveniles to massive adults.
  • Drops cook into a hearty Cooked Spearfish meal.

🌺 Feather Star (NEW!)

海羽星 — A graceful, alien-like sea creature:

  • Moves by graceful hopping across the ocean floor.
  • Drops Feather Star Tentacles — a unique crafting material.

🐚 Nautilus

A prehistoric wonder of the deep, now more than just a conduit ingredient:

  • Tameable using Tropical Fish! Once tamed, follows you faithfully.
  • Provides the Nautilus Blessing buff to nearby players: restores air, removes Mining Fatigue, and boosts attack speed.
  • Retreats into its shell when threatened, gaining powerful damage absorption.
  • The ultimate aquatic companion for ocean explorers.

⚙️ Mechanics & Features

🏊 Custom Swimming AI

All creatures are brought to life with a custom, advanced swimming and turning system with GeckoLib animations, making their movements fluid, realistic, and a joy to watch. Fish form natural flocking groups with leader-follower dynamics.

⚖️ Size Variation & Trophies

Not all fish are created equal! Cod, Salmon, Spearfish and more spawn in a range of different sizes. Celebrate your biggest catch with 8 types of Taxidermy Specimen mounts — including a massive Tiger Shark display!

⚔️ Enchanted Pufferfish

Craft pufferfish drops into the Enchanted Pufferfish — a unique ranged weapon that automatically locks onto nearby undead and guardians, firing devastating energy beams.

📖 Summary

| Feature | Details | |---|---| | Total New Species | 31 unique creatures across 8 families | | Replaces | Vanilla Cod, Salmon, Pufferfish, Tropical Fish | | New Families | Surgeonfish, Clownfish, Cichlid, Shark, Spearfish, Feather Star | | Custom AI | Flocking, charging attacks, shark hunting, shell retreat | | Status Effects | Nautilus Blessing, Bleeding, Purification | | Special Items | Enchanted Pufferfish, Shark's Fin, Feather Star Tentacle | | Decorations | 8 Taxidermy Specimen mounts | | Tameable | Nautilus — grants powerful area buffs | | Animation | Full GeckoLib-powered models and animations | | Languages | English & 简体中文 |

Dive Deeper. Explore Further. The ocean has never been more alive!

Highlights

From source data

Game versions

Supports 2 Minecraft versions, the newest being 1.21.1.

Loaders

Runs on Forge and NeoForge.

Footprint

Rated a light load on a server.

What kind of mod it is

From the catalog
Listed on Modrinth as “Mods”

Gameplay & overhauls

New mechanics, content and overhauls that change how the game plays.

Runs on your server

From source side support

Modrinth lists BetterVannilaFishes as required on the server. Check its Modrinth page to see whether players need it too.

Compatibility

Game
Minecraft
Loaders
ForgeNeoForge
Runs on
Serverrequired on the server
Game versions
1.21.1 and 1 earlier

Verified at the source

  • ✓ModrinthOfficial listing, checked 2026-10-01Open ↗
  • ✓Authormlus, as published on Modrinth
  • ✓LicenseMITFree

BetterVannilaFishes, answered

Generated from the mod’s own source data.

Do my players need to install BetterVannilaFishes?

Modrinth lists BetterVannilaFishes as required on the server. Check its Modrinth page to see whether players need it too.

Which loaders does it support?

Forge and NeoForge.

Is it free?

Yes. BetterVannilaFishes is free to download from Modrinth. Its license is MIT.

How do I add it to my Nxeon server?

Use “Add to a server” on this page, or open NxLabs from your dashboard. We install it, restart your server and switch it on.

NxLabs

Run BetterVannilaFishes on a Minecraft server.

Deploy in about a minute from $4.20 a month, then add BetterVannilaFishes in one click.