The Synodontis Ocellifer Catfish (Synodontis ocellifer) hails from the Gambia River and various other river systems of Northern and Western Africa. They inhabit river basins from Senegal to Chad; more specifically the Senegal, Gambia, Volta, Chad, and Niger basins. The Synodontis Ocellifer is a handsome peaceful catfish that has a pale yellowish brown body with […]

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The Columbian Shark (Arius jordani) is also known by tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as the Black Fin Shark, Jordan’s Catfish, and the West American Cat Shark. The Columbian Shark is found in fresh and brackish waters from Mexico to Peru.  They inhabit tidal lagoons and estuaries throughout their range and can withstand a full marine […]

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  The Striped Raphael Catfish (Platydoras armatulus) is popular with tropical fish keeping enthusiasts and is commonly kept in community aquariums. The Striped Raphael Catfish is also known as the talking catfish, chocolate doradid, thorny catfish, chocolate catfish and Southern Striped Raphael catfish. It has a wide range and is commonly found in the Amazon, […]

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The Hammers Cobalt Blue Lobster (Procambarus clarkii) is one of the more dazzling ornamental crayfish that tropical fish keeping enthusiasts often keep in their aquariums. Selective breeding gives this Procambarus Clarkii its brilliant blue color which does not fade (except when stressed) as the “lobster” grows.   In fact, as the Cobalt Blue Lobster grows larger, […]

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The Pictus Catfish (Pimelodus pictus) is a peaceful South American species that is native to the Amazon and Orinoco river basins. It has a pale to silvery gray body with a black spotted pattern throughout and extremely long barbels. Pictus Catfish have sharp serrated venomous spines on their dorsal and pectoral fins that always seem […]

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The Female Betta (Betta splendens) like their male counterpart, is undoubtedly one of our most popular freshwater tropical fish species. Because Betta splendens are easy to care for, they are a favorite of both beginning and advanced tropical fish keeping enthusiasts. Although Female Bettas are less brightly colored in the various shades and vibrant hues […]

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The tropical fish keeping of Siamese Fighting Fish (Betta splendens) is by far one of the most wide spread activities that newcomers to the fish keeping hobby enjoy. The Betta (Betta splendens) is one of the most popular and well known freshwater tropical fish species in the world.  Well over 100 years ago, tropical fish […]

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The Emperor Tetra (Nematobrycon palmeri) is a peaceful fish that is native to the Atrato and San Juan river basins in western Colombia. Most tropical fish keeping enthusiasts find the Emperor Tetra to be a perfect candidate for the community aquarium. The Emperor Tetra has a long, slim flattened body with sickle shaped dorsal, pectoral, […]

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Learning how to keep a fish tank clean is not difficult, but you need to do it on a regular basis in order to stop algae and other contaminants from building up in your aquarium and to keep your fish healthy and happy. This article explains what tropical fish keeping enthusiasts need to do to […]

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The Tiger Botia Loach (Syncrossus hymenophysa) is also commonly called the Green Tiger Loach, Banded Loach, Green Tiger Botia, Tiger Botia or Zebra Loach and is highly prized by tropical fish keeping enthusiasts for their beauty, rarity, and scavenging ability. The Tiger Botia Loach is found in the Musi River basin, South Sumatra province, Sumatra, […]

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The Jaguar Loach (Yasuhikotakia splendida) comes from a handful of localities in the Xe Pian river, a tributary system of the Xe Khong ,which itself drains into the Mekong river main channel, in the Champasak and Attapeu provinces of southern Laos. The Jaguar Loach (Yasuhikotakia splendida) is more commonly referred to as the Yellow Tail […]

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The Zebra Botia Loach (Botia striata) is also called the Zebra Loach, Tiger Loach, Lined Loach, or Candystripe Loach. It is a peaceful shoaling species that is found in the clear mountain streams of Maharashtra and Western Ghats, India. The Zebra Botia Loach is similar to Botia rostrata, the “Seargent Major Loach” in appearance. The […]

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L46, L173, L236 Hypancistrus Juveniles Grow Out Tank   The Zebra Plecostomus (Hypancistrus zebra) a.k.a. Imperial Pleco, or Zebrawels is a species of armored catfish endemic to Brazil where it occurs in the Big Bend area of the Xingu River;  a tributary of the Amazon. Many tropical fish keeping enthusiasts regard the hard to find Zebra Plecostomus as […]

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The Horseface Loach (Acantopsis choirorhynchus) of Southeast Asia is found in the rivers, streams and backwaters of Singapore Malaysia, Borneo, Burma (Myanmar), Java, Sumatra, Thailand, and Vietnam. The head and nose of the Horseface Loach is elongated and “horse like” in appearance and like many other loaches, it has a thin, elongated body that is […]

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The Dojo Loach (Misgurnus anguillicaudatus) is also known as the Weather Loach, Oriental weatherfish, Chinese Weatherfish and Pond Loach. These remarkable fish are called Weather Loaches or Weatherfish because of their habit of becoming extremely active when there is a change in the weather, possiblly due to barometric pressure changes. Dojo Loaches are bottom dwelling […]

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The Dario Botia Loach (Botia dario) is found throughout much of the middle to lower Ganges and Brahmaputra river drainages in northern India, Bangladesh and Bhutan.  Botia dario are collected wild from the rolling mountain streams of Bangladesh, situated just south of the Himalayas.  The area is criss-crossed with clear mountain streams that feed three […]

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The Mango Plecostomus (Parancistrus sp. Magnum) comes from Brazil and is known from the Rio Xingu, in the area called Volta Grande do rio Xingu, immediately above Belo Monte falls and below Belo Monte village, and from rio Curuá, rio Iriri, the larger tributary of rio Xingu. The Mango Plecostomus is coveted by most tropical […]

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The Gypsy King Tiger Pleco (Hypancistrus sp.) also called the King Tiger Pleco comes from the lower Rio Xingu and Tocantins in Brazilian South America. The Gypsy King Tiger Pleco is a distinctive L number that is frequently confused by tropical fish keeping enthusiasts with other similarly patterned species (L333, L318, L399, L400 and L401). Young Gypsy […]

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The Gold Royal Plecostomus, is also referred to as the Golden Line Royal Plecostromus, the Goldline Araguaia, or the Platinum Royal Pleco. All Panaque nigrolineatus and their related species, subspecies, and morphs are commonly identified by the name Royal Pleco (L190).   The Gold Royal Plecostomus (L027, L027c) is a large beautiful armored catfish found […]

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The Gold Nugget Plecostomus (Baryancistrus sp.) L-018  is a nocturnal sucker mouth catfish native to the lower Amazon and Xingu Rivers of Brazil and Venezuela.   They have brown to black bodies with light to deep yellow spots all over. Matching light to deep yellow bands outline the dorsal and caudal fins giving the fish a strikingly […]

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