Species Profiles
2742 articles- Eureka Red Peacock Care GuideThe Eureka Red is a selectively bred colour form of Aulonocara jacobfreibergi, a cave-dwelling fairy cichlid endemic to Lake Malawi.
- OB Peacock Care GuideThe OB peacock is an aquarium hybrid cichlid with an orange-blotch pattern, produced by crossing Aulonocara peacocks with OB-patterned mbuna
- Flavescent Peacock Care GuideAulonocara stuartgranti is a sand-foraging peacock cichlid endemic to Lake Malawi, kept for its metallic-blue and yellow males.
- Sun Coral Care GuideTubastraea is a non-photosynthetic large-polyp stony coral that must be regularly target-fed because it lacks zooxanthellae.
- Sea Apple Care GuidePseudocolochirus violaceus is a colourful filter-feeding sea cucumber that can release toxic holothurin when stressed, making it an advanced
- Halloween Hermit Crab Care GuideCiliopagurus strigatus is a brightly banded Indo-Pacific hermit crab kept in reef aquariums as an active algae grazer and scavenger.
- Scarlet Reef Hermit Crab Care GuidePaguristes cadenati is a small Caribbean hermit crab valued in reef aquariums as a peaceful algae grazer and detritus scavenger.
- Sand-Sifting Starfish Care GuideAstropecten polyacanthus is a burrowing Indo-Pacific sea star that sifts sandy substrate for detritus and small invertebrates in marine aqua
- Maldives Pavona (Pavona maldivensis) Care GuidePavona maldivensis is an encrusting-to-massive coral in the family Agariciidae with star-like corallites; a hardy zooxanthellate species lis
- Massive Porites (Porites lutea) Care GuidePorites lutea is a massive boulder-forming coral with tiny polyps, an extremely long-lived zooxanthellate reef builder listed as Least Conce
- Cylindrica Porites (Porites cylindrica) Care GuidePorites cylindrica is an Indo-Pacific branching coral with finger-thick branches that forms micro-atolls; a hardy zooxanthellate species lis
- Finger Porites (Porites compressa) Care GuidePorites compressa is a branching finger coral common around Hawaii, a hardy zooxanthellate reef builder listed as Least Concern by the IUCN.
- Caliendrum Bird's Nest (Seriatopora caliendrum) Care GuideSeriatopora caliendrum is a bushy SPS coral in the family Pocilloporidae with thicker, blunt-tipped branches than S. hystrix; it is listed a
- Bird's Nest Coral (Seriatopora hystrix) Care GuideSeriatopora hystrix is a thin-branched Indo-Pacific SPS coral that forms tangled bushy colonies and hosts zooxanthellae; it is listed as Vul
- Subseriata Stylophora (Stylophora subseriata) Care GuideStylophora subseriata is a branching Indo-Pacific SPS coral in the family Pocilloporidae, hosting zooxanthellae and grown in reef aquaria un
- Chromodoris Nudibranch (Chromodoris spp.) Care GuideChromodoris are brightly coloured Indo-Pacific nudibranchs that feed exclusively on sponges and are very difficult to maintain in captivity.
- Eastern Emerald Elysia (Elysia chlorotica) Care GuideElysia chlorotica is a green sacoglossan sea slug that practises kleptoplasty, retaining chloroplasts from the alga Vaucheria litorea to pho
- California Sea Hare (Aplysia californica) Care GuideAplysia californica is a large herbivorous sea hare from the Pacific coast that grazes macroalgae and releases purple ink when disturbed.
- Bleeding Tooth Nerite (Nerita peloronta) Care GuideNerita peloronta is a Caribbean intertidal nerite named for the red 'tooth' on its aperture, kept in marine tanks as an algae grazer.
- Textile Nerite (Nerita textilis) Care GuideNerita textilis is an Indo-Pacific intertidal nerite with a ridged checkered shell, kept in marine tanks as a film-algae grazer.
- Cerith Snail (Cerithium spp.) Care GuideCerithium are small elongated marine snails that sift sand and crevices for detritus, diatoms and algae, valued as reef cleanup crew.
- Brunneus Turbo Snail (Turbo brunneus) Care GuideTurbo brunneus is a small Indo-Pacific turban snail with a glossy brown shell, kept in warm reef tanks as a hardy algae grazer.
- Tapestry Turbo Snail (Turbo petholatus) Care GuideTurbo petholatus is an Indo-Pacific marine snail with a polished marbled shell and a bright green operculum, kept in reef tanks as an algae
- Rotala 'Blood Red SG' Care GuideRotala 'Blood Red SG' is a Singapore-developed Rotala rotundifolia variant prized for deep blood-red color under high light and CO2.
- Bucephalandra 'Mini Needle Leaf' Care GuideBucephalandra 'Mini Needle Leaf' is one of the smallest Bucephalandra forms, a slow, resilient Bornean epiphyte for nano scapes and shrimp t
- Cryptocoryne undulata 'Broad Leaves' Care GuideCryptocoryne undulata 'Broad Leaves' is a hardy Sri Lankan crypt with broad, wavy leaves; an easy mid-background plant that spreads by runne
- Anubias barteri 'Coffee Broad' Care GuideAnubias barteri 'Coffee Broad' is a bullate-leaved coffee Anubias variant; a slow, robust epiphyte for shaded, low-light driftwood arrangeme
- Anubias 'Frazeri' Care GuideAnubias 'Frazeri' is a hybrid Anubias with elongated lance-shaped leaves; a tough, slow-growing epiphyte best attached to wood or rock, not
- Hygrophila corymbosa 'Siamensis' (Temple Plant) Care GuideHygrophila corymbosa 'Siamensis', the temple plant, is a fast-growing, undemanding background plant from Southeast Asia with large lance-sha
- Syngonanthus anomalus Care GuideSyngonanthus anomalus is a slim Brazilian pipewort with linear leaves that demands very soft, acidic water and CO2; S. macrocaulon is treate
- Tonina 'Lotus Blossom' Care GuideTonina 'Lotus Blossom' is a demanding Eriocaulaceae stem plant with whorled white-tipped leaves that needs very soft, acidic water and stron
- Syngonanthus 'Ruby' Care GuideSyngonanthus 'Ruby' is a demanding red eriocaulon-like rosette plant of the Eriocaulaceae family that needs very soft, acidic water and CO2.
- Rotala 'Mini Type 2' Care GuideRotala 'Mini Type 2' is a very compact small-leaved Rotala macrandra selection for nano scapes that needs strong light and CO2 to keep its f
- Lobelia cardinalis 'Small Form' Care GuideLobelia cardinalis 'Small Form' is a compact selection of the American cardinal flower with small round leaves, suited to submerged and palu
- Isoetes velata (Quillwort) Care GuideIsoetes velata is a slow-growing quillwort, a spore-producing lycophyte from southern Europe forming a rosette of awl-shaped grass-green lea
- Littorella uniflora (Shoreweed) Care GuideLittorella uniflora, or shoreweed, is a cool-water European rosette plant of nutrient-poor lakes that spreads by runners and forms a low law
- Blyxa novoguineensis Care GuideBlyxa novoguineensis is a grass-like rosette plant in Hydrocharitaceae; the aquarium trade plant is often a reddish form linked to Blyxa aub
- Ludwigia ovalis 'Pink' Care GuideLudwigia ovalis 'Pink' is a low-growing stem plant from East Asia with rounded ovate leaves that turn pink-orange under strong light.
- Porcelain Anemone Crab Care GuideNeopetrolisthes maculatus is an Indo-Pacific filter-feeding porcelain crab that lives symbiotically among the tentacles of sea anemones, muc
- Fighting Conch Care GuideStrombus alatus is a Western Atlantic conch used as a sand-bed cleaner; it is a herbivore and detritivore, peaceful to tankmates though male
- Astrea Snail Care GuideLithopoma tectum is a Caribbean turban snail used as reef cleanup crew; it grazes film and hair algae effectively but cannot right itself if
- Cerith Snail Care GuideCerithium is a genus of small, elongated marine snails used as reef cleanup crew; they burrow in sand by day and graze algae and detritus, m
- Trochus Snail Care GuideTrochus is a genus of top-shaped marine snails used as reef cleanup crew; they graze film algae and diatoms and right themselves more readil
- Pavona Coral Care GuidePavona cactus is a small-polyp stony coral that grows in thin, upright fronds resembling lettuce leaves, found in turbid but calm Indo-Pacif
- Pocillopora Coral Care GuidePocillopora damicornis is a hardy, bleaching-resistant small-polyp stony coral with compact branching, widely kept and propagated as a start
- Birdsnest Coral Care GuideSeriatopora hystrix is a small-polyp stony coral forming tangled, needle-like branches; it is a fast-growing reef species kept under bright
- Galaxea Coral Care GuideGalaxea fascicularis is a large-polyp stony coral with white-tipped tubular polyps and very long sweeper tentacles that make it aggressive t
- Chalice Coral Care GuideEchinophyllia, traded as chalice coral, is an Indo-Pacific large-polyp stony coral forming foliaceous, plate-like colonies prized for their
- Blastomussa Coral Care GuideBlastomussa wellsi is a large-polyp stony coral with fleshy corallites, valued in reef aquaria for its bright colours and tolerance of lower
- Elegance Coral Care GuideCatalaphyllia jardinei is a large-polyp stony coral with long flowing tentacles; it lives on sandy bottoms in current-exposed reefs and is s