Guides

Freshwater

238 articles · All guides

Nijssen's Apisto (Apistogramma nijsseni)

Apistogramma nijsseni — the panda apisto — is a Peruvian blackwater dwarf whose males wear a pale mask and a dark rear; keep it in stained, ver…

Freshwater

Panduro Apisto (Apistogramma panduro)

Apistogramma panduro is a Peruvian leaf-litter dwarf cichlid: soft acidic water, botanicals, and caves — a 5–6 cm harem fish that has nothing t…

Freshwater

Blue Neon Cyprichromis (Paracyprichromis nigripinnis)

Paracyprichromis nigripinnis is a midwater Tanganyika wall-schooler: males hold a blue neon in a tall, long alkaline tank, mouthbrood, and ignore s…

Freshwater

Variabilichromis Moorii (Variabilichromis moorii)

Variabilichromis moorii is the Tanganyika rock cichlid that starts yellow and finishes near-black: a 9–11 cm algal grazer and cave holder in hard…

Freshwater

Cylindricus Cichlid (Neolamprologus cylindricus)

Neolamprologus cylindricus is a tube-bodied Tanganyika rock cichlid that holds caves in the littoral: 8–10 cm of territorial pair in alkaline wat…

Freshwater

Compressed Altolamprologus (Altolamprologus compressiceps)

Altolamprologus compressiceps is a laterally flattened Tanganyika hunter that slides into vertical rock seams to eat snails and fry — keep it as…

Freshwater

Marlier's Julie (Julidochromis marlieri)

Julidochromis marlieri is the heavier, checkerboard Julie: 8–10 cm of rock-slit cichlid that wants a bigger boulder pile than J. ornatus, the sam…

Freshwater

Ornate Julie (Julidochromis ornatus)

Julidochromis ornatus is a slender Tanganyika rock cichlid that lives in slits, not shells: pair it on a pile of stacked rock in hard alkaline wate…

Freshwater

Ocellated Shell Dweller (Lamprologus ocellatus)

Lamprologus ocellatus is a 4–6 cm Tanganyika shell-dweller: empty snail shells on deep sand, hard alkaline water, and a colony — never a plante…

Freshwater

Flag Acara Care: Complete Guide to Laetacara curviceps

Laetacara curviceps is a gentle 6–8 cm Amazon pair cichlid for a planted, soft-water tank: it spawns on leaves and stones like a ram, not in apis…

Freshwater

Greater Scissortail Rasbora (Rasbora caudimaculata)

Rasbora caudimaculata is a 10–15 cm river jumper with a spotted, forked tail: give it a long, covered tank and a school, not a peat cube, not a p…

Freshwater

Rosefin Rasbora (Rasbora dusonensis)

Rasbora dusonensis is a 10–12 cm river rasbora whose pink-red fins only show in a long, oxygenated school — treat it as a swimming cyprinid, no…

Freshwater

Volcano Rasbora (Sundadanio axelrodi)

Sundadanio axelrodi is not a true Rasbora: it is a 2 cm Borneo peat fish whose males flash metallic blue-green over tea-stained water — keep it l…

Freshwater

Brilliant Rasbora (Rasbora einthovenii)

Rasbora einthovenii is an 8–12 cm striped river rasbora: it wants length, a real school, and oxygenated stream water — not a peat-nano cube and…

Freshwater

Glowlight Rasbora (Trigonostigma hengeli)

Trigonostigma hengeli is the smaller, shyer harlequin cousin: an orange-gold wedge on a 3–4 cm body that wants a planted, soft forest stream —…

Freshwater

Strawberry Rasbora (Boraras naevus)

Boraras naevus from southern Thailand peat is a 2 cm rasbora defined by a round flank patch and a need for stained, still, acidic water — keep a…

Freshwater

Clown Rasbora (Boraras maculatus)

Boraras maculatus is a peat-swamp speck from Peninsular Malaysia and Sumatra: tiny mouth, tea-stained water, and a school that only settles when th…

Freshwater

Phoenix Rasbora (Boraras merah)

Borneo peat-swamp dwarfs in tea-coloured water. Tiny mouths, leaf litter, a huge school, and chemistry that would bleach an Inle fish.

Freshwater

Red Microrasbora (Microrasbora rubescens)

Inle Lake rubies. Cooler, harder, alkaline water — the opposite of Boraras peat. Captive-bred fish for a threatened plateau lake.

Freshwater

Kubota's Rasbora (Microdevario kubotai)

Neon-green Ataran micros that need a crowd, powder food, and gentle planted water — not peat-swamp pH 4 and not a danio river.

Freshwater

Aesculapian Danio (Danio aesculapii)

A 2009 Rakhine stream danio, still uncommon. Length, current, a closed breeding group, and no invented tetra rituals.

Freshwater

Dangila Danio (Danio dangila)

Moustached foothill danios that reach 10 cm-plus. Barbels, cool monsoon flow, and a four-foot tank — not a zebra with whiskers.

Freshwater

Fire Bar Danio (Devario maetaengensis)

Mae Taeng Devario in a 90 cm river, not a nano peat cube. Red bars are a current-and-condition colour.

Freshwater

Barred Danio (Devario pathirana)

Sri Lankan Nilwala endemic with vertical bars. Buy captive-bred, keep a flowing school, and do not hybridise the pattern away.