Species

A sand-sifting cichlid from the Tocantins that's far calmer than its reputation suggests.

Serrasalmus geryi

A rare, violet-striped piranha relative best kept as a solo specimen.

Palaemonetes paludosus

Nearly transparent and endlessly busy, ghost shrimp are a perfect starter invertebrate.

Bagarius bagarius

A river giant from the Indian subcontinent with a famously tangled identity.

Boulengerochromis microlepis

The largest African cichlid, built like a predator and almost as big as your arm.

Petenia splendida

A big-mouthed Central American predator that's surprisingly manageable for dedicated beginners.

Rhinogobius gigas

A chunky stream goby from East Asia that punches above its size in personality.

Osphronemus goramy

A fish that recognizes its owner and outlives most pets in your house.

Trichogaster fasciata

A peaceful, rarely seen gourami that's actually worth hunting down.

Marisa cornuarietis

The boldly striped ramshorn that doubles as a natural plant trimmer.

Osphronemus laticlavius

A rare Bornean giant with vivid red-edged fins and genuine personality.

Macrochirichthys macrochirus

A river giant with an upturned jaw and swordlike pectoral fins rarely seen in home tanks.

Hypostomus regani

A tough, territorial pleco from the river systems of southern South America.

Devario sp. "Giraffe"

A giraffe-patterned danionin built for roomy, lively community tanks.

Puntius guganio

A peaceful, schooling barb from South Asia that science hasn't fully figured out yet.

Kryptopterus geminus

A ghostly schooling catfish that drifts through the water column like smoke

Kryptopterus limpok

A schooling glass catfish cousin rarely seen outside its native rivers

Glossostigma elatinoides

The classic carpeting plant that rewards high light with a lush, creeping lawn.

Trigonopoma pauciperforatum

A slender, stripe-bearing rasbora that thrives in soft, tea-colored forest water.

Trigonostigma hengeli

A tiny, soft-water schooler with a vivid orange-edged lambchop mark.

Hemigrammus erythrozonus

A fiery neon stripe makes this hardy little tetra a beginner's best friend.

Barbodes semifasciolatus

The golden form that fooled generations of fishkeepers into thinking it was the real thing.

Brachygobius aggregatus

A tiny bumblebee goby that thrives from freshwater streams to brackish estuaries.

Pethia gelius

A tiny, peaceable barb that shows its best colors in a tight-knit group.

Pangio doriae

A worm-like peat swamp loach that loves to pile into hiding spots with its companions.

Boulengerella lucius

A torpedo-shaped ambush predator that outgrows most home aquariums fast.

Stiphodon rutilaureus

A tiny, rock-hugging stream goby from the clear rivers of Melanesia.

Hyphessobrycon roseus

A tiny, rosy schooling tetra that thrives in peaceful community tanks.

Pseudotropheus tropheops

A rock-dwelling Malawi cichlid with a surprisingly forceful approach to eating algae.

Leporacanthicus heterodon

A fang-toothed South American pleco with a surprisingly manageable personality.

Puntius sachsii

A feisty little schooling barb that keeps tanks lively. And fins on their toes.

Hypsibarbus malcolmi

A big, bold barb with golden fins that needs room to roam.

Carassius auratus auratus

The fish that started it all. Centuries of selective breeding in one bowl-worthy package.

Baryancistrus sp. "Cf Xanthellus"

A gold-spotted Xingu pleco with a temperament that gets feistier with age.

Serrasalmus maculatus

A fin-biting South American predator that's actually one of the easier piranhas to keep.

Crossocheilus cobitis

A bottom-dwelling algae eater from Southeast Asia's great river systems.