The Americas

Corydoras paleatus

Hardy, armored, and social. A true workhorse of the community tank.

Lysmata wurdemanni

The reef cleaner that actually eats pest aiptasia anemones.

Lysmata boggessi

The reef cleanup crew member that actually eats pest anemones.

Perrunichthys perruno

A little-known giant catfish from Venezuela's Lake Maracaibo basin.

Corydoras semiaquilus

A long-lived Amazonian bottom-dweller with a surprisingly expressive face.

Brachyplatystoma capapretum

A large Amazonian catfish that lurks in deep river channels far from shore.

Pterygoplichthys scrophus

A hefty Amazonian armored catfish that breathes air when conditions demand it.

Aphyolebias peruensis

A rare Amazonian killifish with an extraordinarily long egg incubation period.

Hyphessobrycon peruvianus

A slender Upper Amazon tetra often misidentified but worth tracking down properly.

Rineloricaria morrowi

A slender Peruvian whiptail catfish that rewards patient keepers with fascinating paternal care.

Corydoras petracinii

A tiny Argentine cory built for rocky currents, rarely if ever seen in the hobby.

Charax condei

A secretive little predator that sneaks into shipments of other characins.

Hemigrammus filamentosus

A slender Brazilian tetra with a filamentous tail fin twist.

Phallichthys fairweatheri

A gentle little livebearer from Central America's marshy backwaters.

Pimelodus pictus

A spotted, whiskered speedster that will eat anything small enough to swallow.

Acestrorhynchus microlepis

A sleek, toothy predator that schools as a juvenile and hunts like a pike.

Acestrorhynchus pantaneiro

A sleek river predator that plays surprisingly well with the right tankmates.

Boulengerella cuvieri

A surface-hunting predator that outgrows almost every home aquarium.

Crenicichla albopunctata

A compact, manageable pike cichlid with serious predator personality.

Crenicichla johanna

A big-mouthed Amazon predator that means business in any large cichlid setup.

Crenicichla lepidota

A torpedo-shaped predator that brings serious personality to a South American biotope.

Crenicichla lugubris

A deceptively pretty juvenile that grows into a large, predatory tank-buster.

Belonesox belizanus

A surface-hunting predator built like a pike, from Central American wetlands.

Dendrogyra cylindrus

Rare columns of living coral that keep their tentacles out around the clock.

Serrasalmus eigenmanni

A sleek Amazon predator that's surprisingly manageable for first-time piranha keepers.

Corydoras axelrodi

A long-lived Colombian cory with variable striping and a surprisingly complex identity.

Chalceus macrolepidotus

A fast-moving, surface-skimming predator with oversized scales and a vivid pink tail.

Muricea pendula

A feathery Atlantic sea fan built for strong currents and deep, dim water.

Serrasalmus humeralis

A fin-eating piranha with a surprisingly low-key reputation for people

Serrasalmus serrulatus

A solitary, fin-biting predator with a famously tangled identity.

Arapaima gigas

A living giant from the Amazon that breathes air like a lung fish.

Serrasalmus piraya

The largest piranha on earth, and legally banned in several countries.

Apogon atricaudus

A secretive Pacific reef cardinalfish that comes alive after dark.

Thoracocharax stellatus

A silvery, deep-keeled jumper that needs a tight-fitting lid and plenty of company.

Xiphophorus maculatus

The beginner-proof livebearer that comes in more color forms than you can count.

Madracis asperula

A rarely kept azooxanthellate coral that thrives in flow, not light.