The Ornate Bichir (Polypterus ornatipinnis) is found in the Africa’s Congo River, Lake Tanganyika, and Lake Rukwa and is considered by most tropical fish keeping enthusiasts to be the most attractive of the Bichirs. The Ornate Bichir has a protruding upper jaw and is the largest of the Polypterus species, reaching two feet in length. […]

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The Guinean bichir (Polypterus ansorgii)is native to West Africa (Guinea). It is believed to be found from the Ogun River in Nigeria to the Corbal River in Guinea Bissau, in Lake Kainji and in the Niger river basin near Kouroussa in Guinea however, its wider distribution is unconfirmed. The Guinean Bichir is considered rare by […]

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Ropefish (Erpetoichthys calabaricus) also called the Reedfish or Snakefish, is a primitive member of the Bichir family that is native to West and Middle Africa. Its natural habitat stretches from the Ogun River in Nigeria to the Chiloango River in the Republic of the Congo. The Ropefish lives in warm, slow moving or standing, brackish […]

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Bichirs (Polypteridae) are sometimes referred to by tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as the Dragon Bichir, Dragon Fin, Dinosaur Fish, or Dragon Fish.  The name has probably derived from their “dragon like” appearance. Bichirs are a primitive ray-finned fish that are found in the swampy, shallow floodplains and estuaries of the Nile River system in tropical Africa […]

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The Odessa Barb (Pethia padamya) is also known by tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as the Scarlet Barb or Ticto Barb. At one time the Odessa Barb (Pethia padamya)  was believed to be one of the Puntius ticto color variations, however, it’s  natural coloring lacks the wide red stripe along its body, peculiar for this species […]

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The Synodontis Angelicus Catfish (Synodontis angelicus) is a species of upside-down catfish that tropical fish keeping enthusiasts also refer to as the Angel Catfish, Angelicus Cat, Black Clown Catfish, Polka-dot African catfish or Angel Squeaker.  It is in the “naked catfish” group and may also be known as S. robianus, S. tholloni, S. werneri, and […]

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The Tiger Shovelnose Catfish (Pseudoplatystoma fasciatum) also known by tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as the Tiger Catfish, is found in various rivers and tributaries in South America.  It prefers deeper waters in the main river channels but can be found in lakes, flooded forests and other freshwater areas. The Tiger Shovelnose Catfish is long and […]

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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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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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