Species Profiles
2742 articles- Paracyprichromis Brieni (Paracyprichromis brieni) Care GuideSlender pseudo-shellie Cyprichromis from Tanganyika often found close to rocky walls. Subtle blue-violet sheen on males; smaller schools tha
- Cyprichromis Zonatus (Cyprichromis zonatus) Care GuideBanded Cyprichromis from northern Tanganyika with dark vertical bars and yellow finnage in males. Smaller schooling species; peaceful and ex
- Mbuna Hunter (Taeniochromis holotaenia) Care GuideSlender Lake Malawi predator with single horizontal stripe across body. Reaches 25 cm and hunts mbuna fry along rocky shores. Males develop
- Mylochromis Maleri (Mylochromis lateristriga) Care GuideSand-living predatory hap with diagonal black stripe across body. Males turn metallic blue. Reaches 18-20 cm; peaceful with similarly sized
- Anagenys (Exochochromis anagenys) Care GuideStreamlined open-water hap reaching 25 cm. Dominant males turn deep blue with red anal fin. Active swimmer in upper layers; peaceful with si
- Tyrannochromis (Tyrannochromis maculiceps) Care GuideApex predator of Lake Malawi reaching 35 cm and feeding mainly on adult mbuna. Males blue with red and yellow flanks. Needs 800 L+ tank — on
- Malawi Hawk (Aristochromis christyi) Care GuideSleek predatory hap with hawk-like profile, reaching 25 cm. Males show metallic blue body with red flanks; ambushes mbuna fry around rocky d
- Fossorochromis (Fossorochromis rostratus) Care GuideLarge sand-sifting hap from sandy areas of Lake Malawi reaching 25-30 cm. Males develop blue with white blotches; juveniles silver with bars
- Malawi Eyebiter (Dimidiochromis compressiceps) Care GuideHighly compressed predatory hap from Lake Malawi vallisneria beds, reaching 23 cm. Males iridescent silver-blue with red anal fin; specialis
- Modestus Hap (Stigmatochromis modestus) Care GuidePredatory hap from Lake Malawi reaching 22 cm with black-spotted silver body and bluish head in dominant males. Stalking predator — keep wit
- Malawi Trout (Champsochromis caeruleus) Care GuideStreamlined open-water predator from Lake Malawi reaching 35 cm. Males iridescent blue with green sheen and forked tail.
- Yellow Lepturus (Buccochromis rhoadesii) Care GuideLarge predatory hap from Lake Malawi reaching 30 cm. Males develop bright yellow body with blue head; females silvery.
- Malawi Scale-Eater (Genyochromis mento) Care GuideSpecialised lepidophage (scale-eater) endemic to Lake Malawi rocky shores. Sleek dark body with small mouth designed to rasp scales from lar
- Neon Dwarf Gourami (Trichogaster lalius var. neon) Care GuideA selectively bred color variant of the Dwarf Gourami with intensified electric blue and red-orange striped coloration.
- Livingston's Cichlid (Nimbochromis livingstonii) Care GuideA large predatory hap from Lake Malawi famous for its unique hunting strategy — it lies motionless on the substrate playing dead, and when s
- Socolofi Cichlid (Chindongo socolofi) Care GuideA smaller, relatively peaceful mbuna from Lake Malawi with an attractive powder blue coloration. One of the best mbuna for beginners due to
- Auratus Cichlid (Melanochromis auratus) Care GuideOne of the most aggressive mbuna from Lake Malawi. Females and juveniles are bright gold with black and white horizontal stripes, while domi
- Red Zebra (Maylandia estherae) Care GuideA vibrant mbuna cichlid from Lake Malawi whose common name is misleading — females are typically bright orange while males can be blue.
- Red Phantom Tetra (Hyphessobrycon sweglesi) Care GuideA beautiful tetra from the Orinoco River basin with a translucent red body and a prominent black shoulder spot. Males develop elongated dors
- Rainbow Shiner (Notropis chrosomus) Care GuideA spectacular North American native minnow where breeding males rival any tropical fish for color — displaying iridescent pink, blue, and pu
- Green Fire Tetra (Aphyocharax rathbuni) Care GuideAn underrated South American tetra with a translucent green body that shimmers in good lighting and a vivid red-orange belly that intensifie
- Dwarf Petricola Catfish (Synodontis lucipinnis) Care GuideA charming dwarf catfish from Lake Tanganyika with a cream to tan body covered in dark spots and a distinctive high dorsal fin.
- Candy Striped Pleco (Peckoltia vittata) Care GuideA small, attractively patterned pleco from the Rio Tocantins basin in Brazil with alternating dark and light bands across its body and fins.
- Gold Denison Barb (Sahyadria denisonii) Care GuideA captive-bred golden color morph of the popular Denison Barb, featuring a pale gold body instead of the typical silver, while retaining the
- Emerald Betta (Betta smaragdina) Care GuideA gorgeous wild betta from northeastern Thailand and Laos with brilliant emerald green and blue iridescent scales covering the body and fins
- Mahachai Betta (Betta mahachaiensis) Care GuideA wild betta species discovered in 2012 near the city of Mahachai in Thailand, unique among wild bettas for its tolerance of slightly bracki
- Dwarf Spotted Danio (Danio nigrofasciatus) Care GuideA small, hardy danio from Myanmar with rows of dark spots along its flanks that merge into stripes near the tail.
- Daisy's Blue Ricefish (Oryzias woworae) Care GuideA strikingly beautiful ricefish from Sulawesi, Indonesia, discovered in 2010 and quickly becoming a sensation in the nano aquarium hobby.
- Hummingbird Tetra (Trochilocharax ornatus) Care GuideAn extremely rare and delicate nano tetra from South American blackwater streams. Nearly transparent with scattered dark spots and a faint i
- Ruby Tetra (Axelrodia riesei) Care GuideA tiny gem from Colombia with an intense deep ruby-red body coloration that seems to glow under aquarium lighting.
- Emerald Dwarf Rasbora (Microdevario erythromicron) Care GuideA stunningly colored micro fish endemic to Inle Lake in Myanmar. Features alternating vertical bands of emerald green and orange-pink, with
- Pygmy Spotted Rasbora (Boraras maculatus) Care GuideA popular nano fish from the peat swamps of Peninsular Malaysia and Sumatra. It has an orange-red body adorned with three distinctive dark s
- Phoenix Rasbora (Boraras merah) Care GuideA tiny jewel of a fish from Borneo's blackwater streams with a deep red body marked by a bold dark lateral stripe and spot. Males develop in
- Exclamation Point Rasbora (Boraras urophthalmoides) Care GuideOne of the tiniest aquarium fish, this micro rasbora features a warm reddish body with a distinctive dark spot near the tail base followed b
- Sailfin Pleco (Pterygoplichthys gibbiceps) Care GuideOne of the largest commonly kept plecos, the Sailfin is named for its impressive, tall dorsal fin. Its body features a leopard-like pattern
- Butterfly Pleco (Dekeyseria brachyura) Care GuideA uniquely flat pleco with a wide, butterfly-like body shape and bold horizontal striping. Native to fast-flowing waters of the Rio Negro an
- Flash Pleco (Panaqolus albivermis) Care GuideA compact wood-eating pleco from Peru with a black body crossed by thin white or cream-colored lines. As a true xylivore, driftwood is essen
- Leopard Frog Pleco (Peckoltia compta) Care GuideAn attractive small pleco from the Rio Tapajós in Brazil with bold yellow and black banding patterns that resemble a leopard frog.
- King Tiger Pleco (Hypancistrus sp. L333) Care GuideA striking small pleco from Brazil's Rio Xingu with bold black and white or cream banding and maze-like patterns.
- Blue Phantom Pleco (Hemiancistrus sp. L128) Care GuideA beautiful pleco from Venezuela's Rio Orinoco drainage with a blue-grey body covered in small white to light blue spots. Prefers fast-flowi
- Gold Nugget Pleco (Baryancistrus xanthellus) Care GuideA stunning pleco with a jet-black body adorned with bright yellow or golden spots and yellow-tipped dorsal and caudal fins.
- Engineer Goby (Pholidichthys leucotaenia) Care GuideOften sold as a small, attractive fish with bold black and white horizontal stripes resembling a convict's uniform, but grows surprisingly l
- Medaka Ricefish (Oryzias latipes) Care GuideA tiny, elegant Japanese fish that has surged in popularity worldwide. Extremely hardy and cold-tolerant, it thrives in outdoor tubs and ind
- Horseface Loach (Acanthopsis choirorhynchos) Care GuideA fascinating elongated loach with a distinctively long, horse-like snout. Spends most of its time buried in sand with only its eyes visible
- Endler's Guppy Hybrid (Poecilia reticulata x wingei) Care GuideA popular hybrid between the common guppy and Endler's livebearer, combining the best traits of both. Males display extremely vibrant, varie
- Green Neon Rasbora (Microdevario kubotai) Care GuideA tiny, brilliantly colored nano fish with an electric neon green-yellow body that seems to glow under aquarium lighting.
- Peaceful Betta (Betta imbellis) Care GuideA wild-type betta species far less aggressive than Betta splendens, allowing it to be kept in pairs or small groups.
- Croaking Gourami (Trichopsis vittata) Care GuideA small, attractive gourami named for the audible croaking sounds it produces during courtship using a specialized pectoral fin mechanism.
- Splash Tetra (Copella arnoldi) Care GuideA fascinating fish with one of the most unique breeding strategies in the hobby. Pairs leap out of the water to deposit eggs on overhanging
- Coral Red Pencilfish (Nannostomus mortenthaleri) Care GuideOne of the most stunningly colored pencilfish, featuring vivid red stripes alternating with black bands along the body. Males are particular