Rainbow Cichlid

Rainbow Cichlid: Our Care Guide for These Colorful Fish

Cichlids are some of the most beautiful, intelligent, and exotic freshwater fish in the world, but it can be frustrating how many species are also highly aggressive fish. Not so with the rainbow cichlid. These colorful dwarf cichlids are so peaceful they can be kept in a community tank with other medium-sized species. Let’s take … Read more

Severum Cichlid

Our Care Guide for the Severum Cichlid (Tank Mates + More)

Severum cichlids are among my favorite species of tropical fish. Big and beautiful, with bags of personality, these glorious fish are also relatively peaceful for a large cichlid. But severums also demand exceptionally high water quality, high water temperatures, and soft, acidic water to thrive. Feeding them plenty of vegetable matter is also key for … Read more

Elephant Nose Fish

Elephant Nose Fish: Singular, Intelligent, and Challenging

Elephant nose fish are one of the classic ‘oddball fish’ of the aquarium trade. Hailing from the murky waters of African rivers, they use electrical signals and their iconic long ‘nose’ to navigate, find food, and communicate. But be warned that elephant noses are very intelligent fish with highly specialized requirements. Their tank mates, tank … Read more

Buenos Aires Tetra

Buenos Aires Tetra: Care Guide for a Harmonious Tank

Buenos Aires tetra have long been popular aquarium fish for both tropical aquariums and cold water setups. However, some aquarists are surprised to learn that Buenos Aires tetras grow to a larger size than most other tetras and can become aggressive towards their tank mates, even destroying aquarium plants in some circumstances. In this care … Read more

Keyhole Cichlids

Full Care Guide for Keyhole Cichlids

The humble keyhole cichlid may be less glamorous than some of its dazzling relatives, but this aquarium relic was once more popular than today, and deservedly so! Keyhole cichlids are one of the most peaceful cichlids that you could hope to find. They also remain relatively small, so can be kept with medium-sized community tank … Read more

Blue Phantom Pleco

Blue Phantom Pleco: Our Handy, In-depth Aquarists’ Guide

Blue Phantom plecos are attractive tropical fish that can keep your aquarium tidy by grazing on algae. These bottom-dwelling, active fish from Venezuela are straightforward to care for and are pretty long-lived too, Making them an excellent option for a large community tank. Read this comprehensive guide to learn everything you need to know about … Read more

Japanese rice fish

Japanese Rice Fish: Complete Care Guide (Tank Size + More)

The Japanese rice fish, or ‘medaka ricefish,’ has been attracting considerable attention over the last few years. Although these tiny fish have been available in the aquarium trade for decades, they’ve suddenly become one of the most trendy species in fish keeping. Thankfully, the Japanese ricefish is up to the challenge of being kept by … Read more

Mushroom Corals

Mushroom Corals: A Fascinating Choice for Your Aquarium

The ‘Fungiidae’ or ‘Mushroom Corals’ are a fascinating family of corals that include some of the easiest species of coral for first-time reef keepers to care for. But this broad and diverse family also includes some stunning coral groups like Ricordia and Amplexidiscus that can be expensive and more tricky to care for, too. Here … Read more

Emerald Crab

Emerald Crabs: Beautiful and Fascinating Tank Guests

Second only to the Caridean shrimp, the Emerald Crab is now one of the most popular crustaceans for saltwater aquariums. Their captivating color, robust character, and algae-eating distinction all have understandable allure. But what about the stories of Emerald Crabs eating coral and attacking fish? In this care guide, we’ll get to the bottom of … Read more

pearl gourami

Pearl Gourami: Maintenance, Diet, Habits, and Habitats

Elegant and beautiful, pearl gouramis could be seen as a pearl in the crown of the gourami family. But while their good looks make them popular, are pearl gouramis the ideal fish for a community tank? In this care guide, I’d like to dispel the myth that pearl gouramis are model community fish. Although some … Read more

Cleaner Shrimp

Skunk Cleaner Shrimp: Our Guide to Keeping Healthy Shrimp

Skunk cleaner shrimp (aka. Pacific cleaner shrimp) have been becoming ever-more popular in the aquarium trade, largely due to their fascinating cleaning habits. Not only do these colorful invertebrates help clean the aquarium of algae and leftover food, but they also offer a special cleaning service to your fish, freeing them from harmful bacteria and … Read more

fish from finding nemo

Identifying the Fish From Finding Nemo – Our Fun Guide

If you’ve ever watched Finding Nemo, you’ve probably wondered which fish species the characters are based upon in real life. It turns out that the animators at Pixar really did their homework in researching marine fish for the movie, making their depictions appear amazingly similar to their real-life counterparts. But while the fish in the … Read more

Ranchu Goldfish

Ranchu Goldfish: Distinctive and Iconic Aquarium Fish

If you’re in the market for a fancy goldfish, you may be considering a Ranchu goldfish. With their swollen heads and short bodies, Ranchu’s are one of the most iconic fancy goldfish varieties. But Ranchu goldfish are also lacking a dorsal fin, causing some animal rights advocates to suggest the breed should be outlawed. Let’s … Read more

Archerfish

Archerfish: The Masterful Precision Predators of the Waters

From my childhood trip to The Sea Life London Aquarium, one fish captured my imagination more than all the rest. That fish’s name is the archerfish, and it has evolved a hunting strategy unlike any other. I watched spellbound as they pursed their lips to the water’s surface and spat jets of water into the … Read more

Dragon Fish Goby

Dragon Fish Goby: Appearance, Habits, Habitat, and Diet

For years, dragon fish gobies have remained on the oddball fringes of the aquarium world. Their occasionally bright colors and intriguing appearance makes them understandably alluring, but it must be understood that ‘dragon gobies’ are not typical or easy pet fish to care for! As a largely nocturnal species that requires special water conditions, I … Read more