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



About this Mod
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 31 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!
Available Versions
How to Install BetterVannilaFishes on Your Server
Order Server
Order a Minecraft Java server with at least 3 GB RAM (4 GB recommended).
Set forge Loader
In the panel under "Egg", select the forge loader and matching Minecraft version (1.21.1).
Install Mod
Open the mod browser in the dashboard and search for "BetterVannilaFishes". Click "Install" – done! Alternatively, upload the .jar via SFTP to the /mods folder.
Compatibility
Mod Loaders
Minecraft Versions
1.21.1, 1.20.1
Server-side
✓ RequiredRecommended RAM
4 GB(min. 3 GB)Frequently Asked Questions
BetterVannilaFishes server crashes on startup – what to do?
Most common cause: wrong forge version or insufficient RAM. Check the server log (latest.log) for "OutOfMemoryError" or "Mixin" errors. With Mado Hosting: ensure at least 3 GB RAM is allocated and the loader matches the mod version (1.21.1). You can switch loaders with one click in the panel.
Is BetterVannilaFishes compatible with forge and neoforge?
BetterVannilaFishes officially supports forge, neoforge for Minecraft 1.21.1, 1.20.1. The Mado dashboard automatically detects incompatible loader combinations.
Server lagging with BetterVannilaFishes – how to optimize performance?
Recommended RAM: 4 GB (per 8 players). Use /spark profiler to check if BetterVannilaFishes consumes the most tick time. Common fixes: reduce server view-distance to 8-10, install "performant" or "starlight" as supplementary mods on Forge. With Mado Hosting, your server runs on NVMe SSDs with dedicated CPU cores for minimal latency.
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Install BetterVannilaFishes with just one click on your server.