Flora & Fauna

The turquoise rainbowfish has an intense blue-green iridescence across its body that intensifies at peak colour. It is a larger, robust rainbowfish that does best in spacious tanks with good filtration. Males colour up brilliantly in well-maintained setups.

Remarkable camouflage artist that looks exactly like a twig or dead stick. Grazes algae and biofilm off surfaces. Sensitive to water quality — requires pristine, well-oxygenated water.

Cool-water dwarf cichlid with a yellow body and blue iridescence. Cooler temperature preference than most apistos. Peaceful and excellent for planted tanks.

Fascinating catfish that swims inverted to feed on the underside of leaves and wood. The inverted posture causes its belly to be darker than its back — the reverse of most fish.

A captive-bred variety with dramatically elongated, veil-like fins on the dorsal, anal, and caudal fins. The flowing fins are visually stunning but more delicate — avoid housing with fin-nipping species. The veil gene can be combined with any colour morph (silver, koi, marble, etc.).

Venezuelan corydoras is similar to the bronze corydoras but displays more orange-red colouration on the pectoral and dorsal fins, especially in males. It is hardy, adaptable, and makes an excellent beginner corydoras.

Striking Malawi hap with a giraffe-spotted pattern. Males develop a vivid blue head. A crafty ambush predator that lies still pretending to be dead to lure prey. Best with other large Malawi haps.

Closely related to the White Cloud Mountain Minnow but with more vivid colouring — bright red stripe and neon fins. Smaller and more delicate. Excellent for cool, planted nano tanks.

The von Rio tetra, also called the flame tetra, is one of the first tropical fish ever imported to Europe. The rear body and fins of males glow a vivid red-orange, resembling flames. Despite being over 100 years in the hobby it remains a charming, underrated choice. It is extremely hardy and tolerates a wide range of water conditions.

Long, eel-like loach said to predict weather changes by becoming hyperactive before storms. Extremely hardy and cold-tolerant. Peaceful, playful, and full of personality.

Also known as the two saddle corydoras, C. weitzmani has two prominent dark saddle markings across the upper body plus a dark band through the eye. Males develop a striking elongated dorsal fin ray. A rewarding species for the dedicated corydoras keeper who can provide soft, cool water conditions.

Slender, armoured catfish with a long whip-like tail. Excellent algae grazer that clings to wood and glass. Peaceful and relatively easy to keep. Males guard the eggs.

Once thought to be extinct in the wild, the white cloud mountain minnow is a cold-tolerant fish that thrives at room temperature without a heater. It has a subtle but attractive iridescent stripe and pairs well with pond-style or unheated aquariums.

Betta coccina, the Wine Red Betta, is a small wild betta from blackwater peat swamps with an intense crimson-red body accented by a single iridescent blue-green spot on the flank. A paternal mouthbrooder, it is far less aggressive than B. splendens and can sometimes be maintained in pairs or small groups in very heavily planted species tanks. It demands soft, highly acidic water mimicking its blackwater habitat.

The X-ray tetra (also called the pristella tetra) has a nearly transparent body through which the spine and organs are clearly visible — hence the name. Its dorsal and anal fins are boldly banded in black, white, and yellow. It is an extraordinarily adaptable species that tolerates both soft acidic and hard alkaline water, making it one of the hardiest tetras available.

Brilliant solid yellow tang from Hawaiian reefs. A staple of the reef aquarium hobby. Excellent algae grazer and generally peaceful.

Vibrant yellow with blue spots, best known for its mutualistic relationship with pistol shrimp — the shrimp digs and maintains a shared burrow while the goby stands guard. A staple of any reef tank.

The yoyo loach gets its name from the Y-O-Y-O pattern visible on juveniles. Active, social, and entertaining, it is one of the most popular loaches in the hobby. An excellent snail hunter that becomes bolder and more colourful with age.

A captive-bred morph with additional vertical black stripes beyond the standard three, creating a more densely barred zebra-like pattern. A popular show variety that stands out in species-specific or South American biotope scapes.

Zebra danios are robust, active schooling fish characterised by horizontal blue and silver stripes. They are among the most beginner-friendly species available, tolerating a wider range of water conditions than most tropical fish. Their bold, zippy behaviour makes them excellent dither fish to reduce the shyness of more reclusive tankmates.

The zebra loach has bold, narrow vertical stripes across its body. Smaller and more peaceful than many other botia loaches, it is suitable for community tanks and remains manageable in size. Like all loaches it is social and needs companions.

The zebra pleco is one of the most sought-after pleco species, with bold black and white striping. It is a carnivorous cave-dweller from the Xingu River, which is threatened in the wild. It requires warm, well-oxygenated water and protein-rich foods.