Species Profiles
2742 articles- Brown Ghost Knifefish (Apteronotus leptorhynchus) Care GuideApteronotus leptorhynchus is a nocturnal South American electric knifefish that generates weak electric fields for navigation and communicat
- Asian Knifefish (Notopterus notopterus) Care GuideNotopterus notopterus is a nocturnal South and Southeast Asian knifefish that reaches about 60 cm and is kept by experienced aquarists.
- Chitala chitala Care GuideChitala chitala is a large South Asian featherback knifefish with a humped silvery body and no eyespots, kept only in very large tanks.
- Polypterus weeksii Care GuidePolypterus weeksii is a mottled Congo Basin bichir, an air-breathing carnivorous primitive fish that grows to mid-large size.
- Polypterus palmas Care GuidePolypterus palmas is a medium West African bichir with marbled flanks, a hardy nocturnal predator that hunts by smell.
- Polypterus bichir Care GuidePolypterus bichir is the Nile bichir, the largest commonly kept bichir and an obligate air-breather requiring a very large tank.
- Polypterus endlicheri Care GuidePolypterus endlicheri is a heavyset African bichir with broad jaws and dark saddle bars, a nocturnal piscivore that grows large.
- Polypterus ornatipinnis Care GuidePolypterus ornatipinnis is the largest of the upper-jaw bichirs, an air-breathing Congo predator with bold black-and-yellow patterning.
- Polypterus delhezi Care GuidePolypterus delhezi is a barred Congo bichir, an air-breathing carnivorous primitive fish that hunts by smell and is hardy in captivity.
- Channa argus Care GuideChanna argus is a large temperate snakehead from East Asia, a hardy invasive species whose keeping is restricted in many regions.
- Channa striata Care GuideChanna striata is a large, hardy Asian food fish and snakehead that builds and guards nests; an aggressive species for big tanks only.
- Channa micropeltes Care GuideChanna micropeltes is among the largest snakeheads, a voracious Southeast Asian predator suited only to very large specialist setups.
- Channa orientalis Care GuideChanna orientalis is a small Sri Lankan snakehead lacking pelvic fins, living in shaded streams and brooding eggs in the mouth.
- Channa gachua Care GuideChanna gachua is a widespread Asian dwarf snakehead complex, the most accessible Channa in the hobby, and a mouthbrooding predator.
- Channa asiatica Care GuideChanna asiatica is an East Asian snakehead that lacks pelvic fins, builds nests and tolerates very cool water across its Chinese range.
- Channa stewartii Care GuideChanna stewartii is a dwarf snakehead from north-east India and Nepal, inhabiting hill streams and kept as a cool-tolerant aquarium predator
- Channa pulchra Care GuideChanna pulchra is a small subtropical snakehead from western Myanmar, prized for orange flanks and kept singly in cool, oxygenated water.
- Channa andrao (Rao's Dwarf Snakehead) Care GuideChanna andrao is a small dwarf snakehead described in 2013 from the Lefraguri swamp in West Bengal, India, and popular in the aquarium trade
- Rainbow Snakehead (Channa bleheri) Care GuideChanna bleheri is a colourful dwarf snakehead endemic to the Brahmaputra basin of northeastern India, a predator best suited to advanced kee
- Honey Blue-eye (Pseudomugil mellis) Care GuidePseudomugil mellis is a small honey-coloured blue-eye from acidic, tannin-stained wallum swamps of southeastern Queensland, assessed as Enda
- Ivantsoff's Blue-eye (Pseudomugil ivantsoffi) Care GuidePseudomugil ivantsoffi is a small blue-eye endemic to Western Papua, Indonesia, described in 1999 and assessed by the IUCN as Endangered.
- Paska's Blue-eye (Pseudomugil paskai) Care GuidePseudomugil paskai is a small blue-eye from rainforest creeks of the upper Fly River system in Papua New Guinea, assessed as Critically Enda
- Red Neon Blue-eye (Pseudomugil luminatus) Care GuidePseudomugil luminatus is a tiny blue-eye described in 2016 from swamps near Timika in Papua, Indonesia, with red-orange males and neon-blue
- Pacific Blue-eye (Pseudomugil signifer) Care GuidePseudomugil signifer is a small euryhaline blue-eye from eastern Australia, tolerating fresh, brackish and marine water across its range.
- Sepik Rainbowfish (Glossolepis multisquamatus) Care GuideGlossolepis multisquamatus is a finely scaled rainbowfish from the Sepik region of New Guinea, inhabiting swampy lagoons and river side chan
- Lake Wanam Rainbowfish (Glossolepis wanamensis) Care GuideGlossolepis wanamensis is a Critically Endangered rainbowfish endemic to Lake Wanam in Papua New Guinea, largely sustained by captive popula
- Painted Rainbowfish (Melanotaenia picta) Care GuideMelanotaenia picta is a rainbowfish from the Aru Islands of Indonesia, native to clear limestone rainforest brooks and assessed as Least Con
- Lake Eacham Rainbowfish (Melanotaenia eachamensis) Care GuideMelanotaenia eachamensis is an Australian rainbowfish once feared extinct at Lake Eacham, now Endangered and maintained through aquarist pop
- Macculloch's Rainbowfish (Melanotaenia maccullochi) Care GuideMelanotaenia maccullochi is a small striped rainbowfish from northern Australia and New Guinea, an aquarium classic since its 1915 descripti
- Parkinson's Rainbowfish (Melanotaenia parkinsoni) Care GuideMelanotaenia parkinsoni is a robust New Guinean rainbowfish with a steel-blue front and orange rear, native to lowland rainforest streams.
- Lake Tebera Rainbowfish (Melanotaenia herbertaxelrodi) Care GuideMelanotaenia herbertaxelrodi is a golden-yellow rainbowfish endemic to the Lake Tebera basin in Papua New Guinea, assessed by the IUCN as Vu
- Lake Kurumoi Rainbowfish (Melanotaenia parva) Care GuideMelanotaenia parva is a small rainbowfish endemic to Lake Kurumoi in West Papua, listed by the IUCN as Critically Endangered.
- Checkered Rainbowfish (Melanotaenia splendida inornata) Care GuideMelanotaenia splendida inornata is the northern Australian subspecies of M. splendida, a peaceful schooling rainbowfish with checker-pattern
- Eastern Splendid Rainbowfish (Melanotaenia splendida splendida) Care GuideMelanotaenia splendida splendida is the eastern Australian subspecies of the splendid rainbowfish, a peaceful schooling fish with olive flan
- Crimson-spotted Rainbowfish (Melanotaenia duboulayi) Care GuideMelanotaenia duboulayi is an Australian rainbowfish with iridescent green flanks and rows of crimson spots, a peaceful schooling fish for sp
- Ornate Ctenopoma (Microctenopoma ansorgii) Care GuideMicroctenopoma ansorgii is a small Congo-basin labyrinth fish with vertical bars and a peach belly, a peaceful bubble-nester for soft, shade
- Climbing Perch (Anabas testudineus) Care GuideAnabas testudineus is a hardy Asian labyrinth fish famous for moving overland between pools, an aggressive predator best kept in a spacious
- Three-stripe Croaking Gourami (Trichopsis schalleri) Care GuideTrichopsis schalleri is an Indochinese croaking gourami with three longitudinal stripes, producing audible sounds and breeding by bubble nes
- Spike-tailed Paradise Fish (Pseudosphromenus cupanus) Care GuidePseudosphromenus cupanus is a small Indian and Sri Lankan labyrinth fish with a bronze-brown body and spike-shaped tail, a peaceful bubble-n
- Day's Spike-tailed Paradise Fish (Pseudosphromenus dayi) Care GuidePseudosphromenus dayi is a small Indian paradise fish with a spike-shaped tail, a peaceful bubble-nester suited to quiet, well-planted aquar
- Black Paradise Fish (Macropodus spechti) Care GuideMacropodus spechti is a dark-bodied Vietnamese paradise fish with metallic blue fin iridescence, hardy and tolerant of cooler water.
- Red-back Paradise Fish (Macropodus erythropterus) Care GuideMacropodus erythropterus is a hardy Vietnamese paradise fish with a brick-red back, endemic to a single river basin and tolerant of cooler w
- Vaillant's Chocolate Gourami (Sphaerichthys vaillanti) Care GuideSphaerichthys vaillanti is a demanding Bornean mouthbrooding gourami of blackwater peat swamps, needing very soft, acidic water and a quiet,
- Banded Gourami (Trichogaster fasciata) Care GuideTrichogaster fasciata is a South Asian labyrinth fish with diagonal blue and orange bands, larger and more boisterous than dwarf gouramis an
- Giant Betta (Betta anabatoides) Care GuideBetta anabatoides is a large slender Bornean mouthbrooder from varied freshwater habitats, kept in spacious, soft-water aquaria with calm ta
- Howong Betta (Betta unimaculata) Care GuideBetta unimaculata is a large Bornean mouthbrooding betta from clear flowing streams, an active predator best housed alone or with peaceful,
- Rubra Betta (Betta rubra) Care GuideBetta rubra is a small Sumatran mouthbrooding betta from disturbed peat-swamp blackwater, requiring soft, acidic conditions and dim, well-de
- Cubanichthys cubensis Care GuideCubanichthys cubensis, the Cuban killifish, is a hardy Cuban species of vegetated fresh and brackish waters, easy to keep.
- Laimosemion xiphidius Care GuideLaimosemion xiphidius is a small blackwater killifish from French Guiana, kept in tightly covered, soft, acidic nano tanks.
- Epiplatys lamottei Care GuideEpiplatys lamottei is a colourful West African surface killifish from upper Niger brooks, kept in soft, warm aquaria.