The Long Nosed Distichodus (Distichodus Lusosso) also known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as the Long Snout Distichodus, is a seldom seen species that originates from Cameroon, the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo. Juveniles are frequently misidentified and sold as the more common Six Banded Distichodus (Distichodus sexfasciatus) which is found in […]

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The Chinese High Fin Banded Shark (Myxocyprinus asiaticus) is also known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as the Chinese Banded Shark, Chinese Sailfin Sucker, Banded Loach, High Fin Loach, Sailfin Sucker, Topsail Sucker, Asian Sucker, Chinese Sucker, Wimple Carp, Hilsa Herring, Asian Zebra High Fin Shark, Chinese Emperor, Siamese Sucker, Chinese Banded Shark , and […]

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The Electric Blue Jack Dempsey (Cichlasoma octofasciatum) also known scientifically as Archocentrus octofasciatus, Nandopsis octofasciatum, or Rocio octofasciata is found in northern and Central America from the Papaloapan River in southern Mexico to the Ulua River in Honduras. Although it has become somewhat more common in tropical fish keeping shops, it is a somewhat rare […]

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The Endler’s Livebearer (Poecilia wingei) is believed to be endemic to two coastal lagoons in northeast Venezuela but was originally discovered by Franklyn F. Bond in 1937 and later rediscovered by Professor John A. Endler in Laguna de Patos, Cumana. Laguna de Patos was originally a brackish water lake that was cut off from the […]

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Axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) were originally native to Mexico and are known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as Mexican salamanders (Ambystoma mexicanum) or Mexican Walking fish.   Before Mexico City’s growth in the basin of Mexico, the Axolotl was native to two high altitude lakes, Lake Xochimilco and Lake Chalco. Of these two, only the remnants of […]

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The Green Terror Cichlid (Aequidens rivulatus) is a South American river cichlid found primarily in the Rio Tumbes in Peru, and the Rio Esmeraldas in Ecuador. Green Terror Cichlids are collected from over a variety of substrates that include mud, sand, gravel, large river rocks, and even thickly layered beds of dead leaves.  They are […]

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The Nicaraguense Cichlid (Herichthys nicaraguense) correctly identified as Hypsophrys nicaraguensis, is endemic to the Atlantic slope of Central America from the San Juan drainage, including Lake Nicaragua (in Costa Rica and Nicaragua), to the Matina River drainage in Costa Rica. The Nicaraguense Cichlid is also known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as the Moga, Parrot […]

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The Cigar Shark (Leptobarbus rubripinna) is a migratory species that is also known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as the Mad fish, Red Finned Cigar Shark, or Saltan Fish. The Cigar Shark is a pelagic schooling species that is found in the Mekong, Chao Phraya, and Mae Khlong river drainages throughout Viet Nam, Cambodia, Laos, […]

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The Apollo Shark (Luciosoma spilopleura) is a beautiful, fast moving, torpedo shaped Cprinid that is found in the Malay peninsula, Thailand, Borneo, Brunei, and Sumatra. Also known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as the Apollo Sharkminnow, Apollo Sharks are active surface swimmers that inhabit clear fast flowing forest rivers and streams with rocky, stone, or […]

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The Fire Eel (Mastacembelus erthrotaenia) is found in Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, India, Burma, Sri Lanka, Borneo and Sumatra. Fire Eels are voracious nocturnal predators that usually inhabit slow to briskly moving rivers with fine sediment bottoms and spend most of their daylight hours buried in the substrate with only their snouts visible.   […]

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The Peacock Eel (Macrognathus siamensis) is found in the Mekong, Chao Phraya, Maeklong, river basins in Peninsular and Southeast Thailand.  They are also commonly known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as the Spot-Finned Spiny Eel, Peacock Spiny Eel, Striped Peacock Eel, or Siamese Spiny Eel. Depending on where they are collected from, Peacock Eels are […]

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The Glass Catfish (Kryptopterus vitreolus) is also known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as the Ghost Catfish, Phantom Catfish, Ghost Glass Cat, Indian Ghost, Ghost Fish, or Glass Cat.   It is a small Asian catfish species endemic to Thailand and is the most commonly seen in tropical fish keeping circles. Kryptopterus vitreolus is found […]

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The Electric Blue Acara (Andinoacara pulcher) is a stunning color variety of the Blue Acara cichlid that is native to Trinidad and Tobogo and parts of Venezuela.  The Blue Acara is found in found throughout Central and South America from Panama to Columbia and is often confused with the highly aggressive Green Terror (Andinoacara rivulatus) […]

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The Silver Zebra Angelfish (Pterophyllum scalare) like all Pterophyllum species, originate from the Amazon River Basin, Orinoco Basin, and various other smaller rivers in the Guiana Shield in South America. They are a member of the family Cichlidae (Cichlids) and are all collectively known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as Angelfish. In their natural environment, […]

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The Black Shark (Labeo chrysophekadion) is also known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as the Black Shark Minnow or Black Labeo.   It is widely distributed throughout Southeast Asia and is found in the Mekong basin in Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam, the Dong Nai drainage in Vietnam, the Chao Phraya and Mae Klong systems in […]

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The Harlequin Shark (Labeo cyclorhynchus) is native to the middle and lower Congo river basin in the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the Ogooué drainage in Gabon, Africa.    It is also known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as the Harlequin Sharkminnow, or Varigated Shark. The Harlequin Shark inhabits densely […]

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The Sand’s Cory (Corydoras davidsandsi) is endemic to the lower rio Negro in Brazil where it primarily inhabits tannin stained flooded forests, creeks, and “whitewater areas” with little detectable water hardness, an acidic pH, and very low conductivity. The Sand’s Cory is a facultative air breather that possess a modified intestine that has evolved to […]

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The common Goldfish (Carassius auratus) is a relatively small member of the carp (cyprinid) family that is one of the most commonly kept aquarium species in the world and arguably one of the earliest fish to be domesticated. Goldfish are a domesticated version of the less colorful carp species (Carassius auratus) native to east Asia.  […]

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The Celebes Rainbow (Marosatherina ladigesi) formerly Telmatherina ladigesi, is a species of sailfin silverside endemic to the Island of Sulawesi (Celebes) in Indonesia and is found only near the town of Maros.    They are also known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as the Celebes Rainbow Fish, Celebes Sailfish, and Celebes Sailfin. The Celebes Rainbow can […]

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Africa’s Hornet Cichlid (Tilapia buttikoferi) inhabits the coastal rivers of Western Africa from Guinea-Bissau to West Liberia and is also known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as the Buttikoferi Cichlid, Tiger Tilapia, Zebra Tilapia, and Hornet Tilapia. Hornet Cichlids prefer the deeper waters and rocky habitats of vegetation choked West African rivers with salinities between […]

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