Species Profiles
2458 articles- Mystic Sunset Chalice (Echinophyllia sp.) Care GuideThe Mystic Sunset Chalice is an aquacultured Echinophyllia sp. colour morph; a slow-growing plating chalice whose care follows the Echinophy
- Watermelon Chalice (Echinophyllia sp.) Care GuideThe Watermelon Chalice is an aquacultured Echinophyllia sp. colour morph named for its green-and-red coloration; care follows the Echinophyl
- Echinophyllia aspera (Chalice Coral) Care GuideEchinophyllia aspera is a widespread Indo-Pacific chalice coral with plating, encrusting growth and bright corallite eyes; IUCN status Least
- Mycedium elephantotus (Elephant Skin Coral) Care GuideMycedium elephantotus is a laminar Indo-Pacific chalice coral with outward-pointing, nose-shaped corallites; common on sheltered reefs.
- Merulina ampliata (Ridge Coral) Care GuideMerulina ampliata is a widespread Indo-Pacific stony coral forming laminar plates with fan-like ridges; IUCN status Least Concern.
- Psammocora stellata (Cactus Coral) Care GuidePsammocora stellata is an Indo-Pacific small-polyp stony coral with a granular surface that grows encrusting before forming thick branches;
- Leptastrea purpurea (War Coral) Care GuideLeptastrea purpurea is a hardy, encrusting Indo-Pacific stony coral known for high thermal tolerance and a brooding reproductive strategy.
- Sphaerocaryum malaccense Care GuideSphaerocaryum malaccense is a rare Asian grass with narrow blades; an experimental aquarium plant used as a midground texture.
- Trichocoronis rivularis Care GuideTrichocoronis rivularis (accepted name Shinnersia rivularis), the Mexican oak leaf, is a fast-growing stem plant from Mexico and Texas.
- Proserpinaca palustris 'Cuba' Care GuideProserpinaca palustris 'Cuba' is a mermaid-weed form with comb-like leaves that turn red-orange under strong light and CO2.
- Limnophila 'Mini Vietnam' Care GuideLimnophila sp. 'Mini Vietnam' is a compact Asian stem plant with fine whorled leaves, suited as a delicate midground accent with CO2.
- Marsilea drummondii Care GuideMarsilea drummondii, the Australian nardoo, is an aquatic clover fern that forms a low foreground carpet under modest light.
- Ammannia 'Bonsai' Care GuideAmmannia sp. 'Bonsai' is a compact aquarium stem plant; its flowers identify it as true Rotala indica (family Lythraceae).
- Fissidens nobilis Care GuideFissidens nobilis is a feathery freshwater moss from tropical Asia, grown attached to hardscape under low light in planted aquariums.
- Nitella flexilis Care GuideNitella flexilis, the smooth stonewort, is a soft, fine-branched charophyte green alga of the family Characeae that lacks the calcification
- Chara vulgaris Care GuideChara vulgaris, the common stonewort, is a calcified charophyte green alga of the family Characeae that thrives in hard, alkaline fresh wate
- Ottelia mesenterium Care GuideOttelia mesenterium is a Sulawesi endemic of the family Hydrocharitaceae with strongly undulate leaves; a collector species that is very dif
- Ottelia alismoides Care GuideOttelia alismoides (duck lettuce) is an aquatic plant of the family Hydrocharitaceae with rosettes of broad leaves and white floating flower
- Aponogeton natans Care GuideAponogeton natans is a South Asian species of the family Aponogetonaceae from wetlands and rice fields, suited to shallow tanks and paludari
- Aponogeton undulatus Care GuideAponogeton undulatus is a South Asian species of the family Aponogetonaceae with pale-green wavy-edged leaves that reproduces readily via pl
- Aponogeton rigidifolius Care GuideAponogeton rigidifolius is a Sri Lankan species of the family Aponogetonaceae with stiff, strap-like dark-green leaves, used as a slow-growi
- Limnocharis flava Care GuideLimnocharis flava is a marsh emergent of the family Alismataceae with triangular leaves and yellow flowers, suited to paludariums and margin
- Pennant Coralfish (Heniochus acuminatus) Care GuideHeniochus acuminatus is an Indo-Pacific bannerfish with a long white dorsal filament and black diagonal bands, often confused with the schoo
- Schooling Bannerfish (Heniochus diphreutes) Care GuideHeniochus diphreutes is an Indo-Pacific bannerfish with a tall dorsal filament and bold black bars, a planktivorous schooling species often
- Longnose Butterflyfish (Forcipiger longirostris) Care GuideForcipiger longirostris is an Indo-Pacific butterflyfish with an exceptionally long snout adapted for picking small crustaceans from reef cr
- Saddle-back Butterflyfish (Chaetodon ephippium) Care GuideChaetodon ephippium is a large Indo-Pacific butterflyfish with a prominent black dorsal saddle and a trailing dorsal-fin filament in adults.
- Pacific Double-saddle Butterflyfish (Chaetodon ulietensis) Care GuideChaetodon ulietensis is an Indo-Pacific butterflyfish with two black dorsal saddles and a yellow rear, foraging widely over coral-rich reefs
- Black-back Butterflyfish (Chaetodon melannotus) Care GuideChaetodon melannotus is a widespread Indo-Pacific butterflyfish that can darken its back when alarmed and feeds primarily on coral polyps.
- Pearlscale Butterflyfish (Chaetodon xanthurus) Care GuideChaetodon xanthurus is a Western Pacific butterflyfish with a pearly cross-hatched body and a yellow tail, found around staghorn corals.
- Masked Butterflyfish (Chaetodon semilarvatus) Care GuideChaetodon semilarvatus is a Red Sea butterflyfish with a bright yellow body and a dark eye mask, known for forming long-term pairs.
- Klein's Butterflyfish (Chaetodon kleinii) Care GuideChaetodon kleinii is a yellow-brown Indo-Pacific butterflyfish that feeds mainly on soft coral polyps, algae and zooplankton.
- Pinnate Batfish (Platax pinnatus) Care GuidePlatax pinnatus is a Western Pacific batfish whose black, orange-edged juveniles mimic a toxic flatworm; it is difficult to maintain in capt
- Teira Batfish (Platax teira) Care GuidePlatax teira is a large Indo-West Pacific batfish whose juveniles have greatly elongated fins; adults form schools around reefs and wrecks.
- Spotted Garden Eel (Heteroconger hassi) Care GuideHeteroconger hassi is an Indo-Pacific garden eel that lives in large sand-burrow colonies and feeds on zooplankton from the water column.
- Bluespotted Jawfish (Opistognathus rosenblatti) Care GuideOpistognathus rosenblatti is a Gulf of California jawfish covered in electric-blue spots that builds and reseals sand burrows daily.
- Yellowhead Jawfish (Opistognathus aurifrons) Care GuideOpistognathus aurifrons is a Western Atlantic jawfish with a pale body and yellow head that builds sand burrows and mouthbroods its eggs.
- Spot-fin Sand Diver (Trichonotus setiger) Care GuideTrichonotus setiger is a zooplankton-feeding sand-diver of the Western Pacific that buries in clean sandy slopes when disturbed.
- Long-Tail Sand Diver (Trichonotus elegans) Care GuideTrichonotus elegans is an Indo-West Pacific sand-diver in which males bear long dorsal filaments; it lives in harems over sandy slopes.
- Blacksaddled Coral Grouper (Plectropomus laevis) Care GuidePlectropomus laevis is a large Indo-Pacific coral grouper with two color phases and a piscivorous diet, requiring very large systems.
- Porkfish (Anisotremus virginicus) Care GuideAnisotremus virginicus is a Western Atlantic grunt with yellow stripes and two black bars, found on Caribbean reefs.
- Harlequin Sweetlips Care GuidePlectorhinchus chaetodonoides, the harlequin sweetlips, is a large Indo-Pacific grunt whose spotted juveniles mimic toxic flatworms.
- Razorfish Care GuideAeoliscus strigatus, the jointed razorfish, is an Indo-Pacific shrimpfish that swims head-down in groups, often among sea-urchin spines.
- Rosy Dory Care GuideCyttopsis rosea, the Rosy Dory, is a deepwater fish of the continental slope found in the Atlantic, Indian and western Pacific oceans.
- Messmate Pipefish Care GuideCorythoichthys haematopterus is a slender reef-associated pipefish of the Indo-Pacific, listed as Least Concern by the IUCN.
- Banded Pipefish Care GuideDoryrhamphus dactyliophorus (banded pipefish), accepted on FishBase as Dunckerocampus dactyliophorus, is an Indo-Pacific reef syngnathid wit
- Bluestripe Pipefish Care GuideDoryrhamphus excisus is a small reef-associated pipefish of the Indo-Pacific and Eastern Pacific, listed as Least Concern by the IUCN.
- Thorny Seahorse Care GuideHippocampus histrix, the Thorny Seahorse, is an Indo-Pacific syngnathid covered in sharp spines, listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.
- Common Seahorse Care GuideHippocampus kuda, the spotted or common seahorse, is a widespread Indo-Pacific syngnathid listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.
- Big-Belly Seahorse Care GuideHippocampus abdominalis is one of the largest seahorses, a temperate species from Australia and New Zealand reaching up to 35 cm.
- Tiger Tail Seahorse Care GuideHippocampus comes is an Indo-West Pacific seahorse with a distinctive striped tail, listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.