Rubber Plecostomus (Parancistrus aurantiacus) are also commonly known as Chubby Plecos, Rubber Plecos or Gold Finned Suckermouths. They are a relatively long lived (10 years or more), algae eating, South American suckermouth catfish that are popular with tropical fish keeping enthusiasts who keep them as “housekeepers” for community aquariums. The Rubber Plecostomus is found in […]

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The Angelicus Plecostomus (Pseudoacanthicus angelicus) is a new species or armored catfish found in the rivers and tributaries of South America. The Angelicus Plecostomus’ main body color is jet black with yellow spots covering the entire body including its long flowing caudal fin. Unlike other Plecos that look similar to this species and are sold […]

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The Royal Plecostomus (Panaque nigrolineatus), (L190) is also known as the Royal Panaque, the Broken Line Royal Pleco, or the Royal Black-lined Panaque. Royal Plecos are herbivorous freshwater armored catfish native to Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela where they occur in the Orinoco and Amazon river basins.  These suckermouth armored catfish belong to the Genus Panaque and […]

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Plecostomus (Loricariids), commonly called Plecos, armored catfish or suckermouth catfish comprise several species of freshwater armored catfish belonging to the Loricariidae family. All of these species (well over 680) have hard bony plates that cover their upper bodies. They also have specially adapted sucker mouths which allow them to attach themselves to underwater substrates. Most plecos […]

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  The Black Kuhlii Loach (Pangio sp.) aka “Java Loach” is only one of over 100 species of loaches in the Cobitidae family.   The Java Loach (Pangio oblonga) is also known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as the Black Kuhli Loach or “unbanded loach“, the Chocolate Kuhli Loach, Cinnamon Loach and Black Khliwaus. The […]

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The Angelicus Botia Loach (Botia angelicus) has recently been reclassified as Botia kubotai, and is known as the Angelicus Loach, the Polka Dot Loach and the Burmese Border Loach. The Angelicus Botia Loach was discovered by collectors in western Thailand along the Myanmar (Burma) boarder in the Ataran River (Kasat River) in the Salween River […]

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The Clown Loach (Botia macracantha) is a peaceful schooling fish native to the inland waters in Indonesia on the islands of  Sumatra and Borneo. In their native habitat, the Clown Loach is found in fast moving streams with water temperature ranges between 77 and 86 °F, a pH between 5.0 and 8.0, and water hardness […]

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Loaches are shy, active scavengers that are frequently kept by tropical fish keeping enthusiasts in community aquariums to help clean up the botton of the tank. They are semi aggressive, easy to keep, generally peaceful, and spend almost all of their time rooting around the bottom of the aquarium looking for tidbits of food. In their […]

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The Buenos Aires Tetra (Hemigrammus caudovittatus) is an active, slender, silver bodied tetra that makes a great addition to any soft water South American community tank. Buenos Aires Tetras have a clear body with a thin blue line through it from the gills to their caudal fin.  The caudal and lower fins have an orange […]

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The Congo Tetra (Phenacogrammus interruptus) is a strikingly beautiful fish considered by most tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as the crown jewel of tetras. Congo Tetras are large, peaceful, full bodied fish with shimmering long flowing fins and large iridescent scales. Their base coloration is silver with an orange like glow.  The actual background color of […]

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The Rummynose Tetra (Hemigrammus bleheri) is a South American characin that has been a long established favorite of tropical fish keeping enthusiasts.  The Rummynose Tetra is a peaceful omnivore that make an excellent addition to any tropical community aquarium with other non-aggressive fish. The Rummynose, also known as “firehead tetras“, are found in the upper […]

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Bleeding Heart Tetras (Hyphessobrycon erythrostigma) are peaceful mid-water fish that get their name from the blushing blood red marking near their gills.  They are a school fish native to the upper Amazon River Basin and should be kept in small schools of 6 or more individuals when in an aquarium environment. The dorsal fin of […]

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The Rosy Barb (Puntius conchonius) is one of the larger Barbs that in their natural habitat grow up to 6 inches in length. The male is red and gold with black spots near the rear and at the dorsal fin.  Their colors become bolder during the mating period.  Female Rosy Barbs lack the red coloration […]

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The eye catching Tinfoil Barb (Barbonymus schwanenfeldii) has large, distinct silvery metallic scales, red-tipped fins, a forked tail and grows up to 14″ in length. In nature, Tinfoil Barbs live in the larger, fast flowing rivers of Southeast Asia. Compared to other barbs, the Tinfoil Barb is a hardy, peaceful fish, and in natre is […]

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What are the pros and cons of keeping Arowana in a freshwater aquarium? Arowana are a beautiful, colorful fish that is also locally referred to as Water Monkeys, Dragon Fish, Baramundi, Saratoga, Kelesa, and Aruana.  They belong to the Osteoglossidae Family of freshwater bony fish and are found in South America, Asia and Australia.  There […]

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The Tiger Barb (Puntius tetrazona), also known as the Sumatra Barb, is a tropical species of cyprinid that is found in Sumatra, Borneo, Cambodia and throughout the Malay Peninsula. Tiger Barbs are found in the clear or turbid shallow waters of moderately flowing streams and in swamp lakes. They are an extremely active, playful shoaling […]

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The Cherry Barb (Puntius titteya) is a hardy, slender barb that is very popular with tropical fish keeping enthusiasts. The Cherry Barb is much more slender than most other barbs. It has a silver/black body with a golden, horizontal stripe after the lateral line. The male fish turns a bright cherry red during spawning, hence […]

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The term ”Barb” is loosely used to describe a wide range of different fish species in the aquarium trade. The true barbs are the only species found in the genus Barbus, in the family Cyprinidae.    Most members of the Barbus genera have a pair of barbels on their mouths, which are used to search for […]

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The Black Ghost Knifefish (Apteronotus albifrons) is a true bony fish that has a weak electrical organ at it’s caudal peduncles that run throughout the length of their body.  The organ is apparently used for communication and to help locate and identify it’s food. The scaleless Ghost Knifefish is predominantly black with two white rings […]

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African Butterfly Fish (Pantodon buchholzi) are uniquely interesting predator species common to many lakes throughout West Africa. Tropical fish keeping enthusiasts have been housing butterfly fish for over 90 years, but they have never been available in large numbers. Butterfly fish are surface dwellers and spend most of their lives on or near the water’s […]

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