Apr 06
Colorful, energetic, and famously easy to breed, the Guppy (Poecilia reticulata) is one of the most popular freshwater aquarium fish in the world. Selective breeding has transformed this naturally small livebearer into an astonishing collection of aquarium varieties. Guppies can display enormous fan-shaped tails, intricate mosaics, metallic blues, fiery reds, yellows, greens, blacks, and almost …
Apr 05
Peaceful, social, and endlessly entertaining, Corydoras catfish—usually called corys or cory catfish—are among the best bottom-dwelling fish for freshwater community aquariums. These small South American catfish are famous for their whisker-like barbels, armored bodies, and habit of bustling across the substrate in groups as they search for food. They coexist with an enormous variety of …
Apr 04
Few freshwater aquarium fish combine hardiness, speed, personality, and unmistakable good looks quite like the Zebra Danio. The Zebra Danio (Danio rerio), also widely known as the zebrafish, is a small schooling fish recognized by the dark blue horizontal stripes running along its silvery body. It has been kept in aquariums for generations, yet this …
Apr 03
Few freshwater aquarium fish are as instantly recognizable as the Angelfish. With their tall, triangular bodies, sweeping fins, and graceful swimming style, freshwater Angelfish (Pterophyllum scalare) have been aquarium favorites for generations. Selective breeding has produced an extraordinary variety of colors and patterns, but underneath those elegant fins is a true South American cichlid—intelligent, territorial …
Apr 02
Colorful, peaceful, hardy, and remarkably easy to breed, Platy Fish have almost everything an aquarist could want in a small freshwater community fish. Platies are livebearers belonging to the genus Xiphophorus. The familiar aquarium Platy is most closely associated with the Southern Platyfish (Xiphophorus maculatus), although the Variable Platy (Xiphophorus variatus) and hybrids between different …
Apr 01
With their brilliant colors, energetic personalities, and unmistakable sword-shaped tails, Swordtail Fish are among the most recognizable freshwater livebearers in the aquarium hobby. The Green Swordtail (Xiphophorus hellerii) is native to Mexico and Central America, but generations of selective breeding have transformed the relatively understated wild fish into a huge assortment of red, orange, yellow, …
Mar 31
Few saltwater fish are as instantly recognizable as the Blue Tang. With its brilliant royal-blue body, bold black markings, and bright yellow tail, the Blue Tang (Paracanthurus hepatus) looks almost unreal beneath reef lighting. Its worldwide fame increased enormously thanks to the character Dory in Finding Nemo and Finding Dory, but the real fish is …
Mar 29
Few saltwater aquarium fish deliver as much color in such a small package as the Royal Gramma. The Royal Gramma (Gramma loreto), also known as the Fairy Basslet, combines an intensely purple front half with a brilliant yellow rear half, creating one of the most distinctive color patterns found among commonly kept reef fish. Fortunately, …
Mar 28
Few saltwater aquarium fish are as iconic as the Yellow Tang. With its brilliant lemon-yellow body, disk-shaped profile, pointed snout, and seemingly endless appetite for algae, the Yellow Tang (Zebrasoma flavescens) has been a favorite of marine aquarists for decades. It is colorful enough to become an instant centerpiece while remaining generally reef safe and …
Mar 27
Elegant, peaceful, and brilliantly colored, the Firefish Goby is one of the most appealing small fish available for a saltwater aquarium. The Firefish Goby (Nemateleotris magnifica)—also called the Firefish, Fire Goby, or Fire Dartfish—has a slender white body that transitions into fiery orange-red toward the tail, topped by an extraordinarily long first dorsal fin. When …
