
Striped Headstander (Anostomus anostomus)
Anostomus anostomus is a 12–16 cm gold-and-black striped grazer from fast Amazon rivers that swims head-down, likes current and can be quarrelsom…
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This Freshwater hub on Fishy Friends gathers practical freshwater fish guidance for keepers who want clear answers before they change water, livestock, or gear.
Use these articles to match species to tank size, plan filtration and feeding, and troubleshoot water chemistry without guessing. Each guide is written for home aquariums and links to related reading when you need more depth on freshwater fish.
Start with the basics — stable parameters, quarantine habits, and a feeding schedule that matches the livestock — then browse the profiles and how-tos below. When you are ready to branch out, jump into neighbouring topics so your freshwater fish plan stays consistent across the whole tank.
Whether you are stocking a first community tank or refining an established scape, bookmark this page and return as questions come up. Healthy aquariums are built from small, repeatable routines more than one-time upgrades, and freshwater fish success follows the same pattern.
Explore next: all guides, aquarium plants, water chemistry, feeding guides.
Fishy Friends publishes species care sheets, plant and invertebrate notes, aquascaping ideas, and water-care explainers so freshwater fish advice stays easy to find. Read one guide thoroughly, apply it slowly, and use the linked hubs above when you want a second angle on the same problem.
Before you buy livestock or rethink filtration, skim two or three freshwater fish articles here and write down target numbers for temperature, hardness, and feeding. That short checklist prevents the most common resets and keeps your aquarium closer to the calm, healthy display you are aiming for.
Come back after water changes or new additions: compare what you see in the tank with the freshwater fish checklists below, then follow one recommended next step instead of changing everything at once. Steady improvements compound, and Fishy Friends is built to support that pace.

Anostomus anostomus is a 12–16 cm gold-and-black striped grazer from fast Amazon rivers that swims head-down, likes current and can be quarrelsom…
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Arnoldichthys spilopterus is a 7–10 cm shimmering schooling tetra from Nigeria with a bright red eye, ideal for a large, peaceful community tank.
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Epalzeorhynchos kalopterus is a 12–15 cm striped algae eater from Southeast Asia that grazes hard, defends its patch and is easily confused with…
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Potamotrygon motoro is a 45 cm-wide freshwater stingray with eye-spot markings that needs a huge floor area, spotless water and a careful keeper.
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Scatophagus argus is a hardy, hungry, 20–30 cm brackish fish that starts life in rivers and finishes it in near-marine water, so plan for a big t…
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Toxotes jaculatrix is a 20–25 cm brackish-water hunter that knocks insects off branches with a jet of water, and it needs a big, open-topped tank…
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The blood parrot is a man-made hybrid cichlid that grows to 15–20 cm: bright, friendly and long-lived, but its beak-shaped mouth changes how you…
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Osteoglossum bicirrhosum is an Amazon surface predator that grows to 90 cm or more: spectacular, intelligent and a famous jumper, but it needs a ta…
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The ryukin is a deep-bodied, hump-backed fancy goldfish that grows to 15–20 cm: hardy, friendly and long-lived, but it needs a big, cool, heavily…
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Macrognathus siamensis is a 20–30 cm spiny eel from Thai and Mekong rivers: the most community-friendly spiny eel, as long as it gets soft sand,…
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Mastacembelus erythrotaenia is a Southeast Asian spiny eel that grows to 60–90 cm: a gentle, intelligent burrower that needs a huge sand-bottomed…
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Brachygobius doriae is a 3–4 cm striped goby from the mangroves and estuaries of Borneo: bold, territorial, a picky meat-eater, and happiest in h…
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Dicrossus filamentosus is a blackwater specialist from the Rio Negro and Orinoco: a 6–8 cm checkerboard dwarf that demands extremely soft, acidic…
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Geophagus altifrons is the high-foreheaded Amazon eartheater: 20–25 cm, warm soft water, a deep sand bed, and a gentler reputation than the pearl…
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Geophagus brasiliensis is a 20–30 cm coastal Brazilian cichlid: pearl-spangled, sand-sifting, and far more adaptable and territorial than Amazon…
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Satanoperca jurupari is a 20–25 cm Amazon sand-sifter that takes mouthfuls of substrate and is a delayed mouthbrooder — give it a deep sand bed…
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Uaru amphiacanthoides is a 25–30 cm Amazon cichlid that lives like a plant-eating discus cousin: warm, clean, soft water, a huge tank, and vegeta…
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Anomalochromis thomasi is a West African forest-stream dwarf that pair-spawns on leaves and wood in soft, vegetated water — not an Apistogramma,…
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Apistogramma steindachneri is the bigger, more adaptable Guianan apisto: 7–9 cm, still a sand-and-cave dwarf in soft to moderately soft water —…
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Apistogramma viejita is a Colombian dwarf cichlid sold in red and yellow lines: still a leaf-litter, cave, soft-water harem fish — the colours ar…
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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…
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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…
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Paracyprichromis nigripinnis is a midwater Tanganyika wall-schooler: males hold a blue neon in a tall, long alkaline tank, mouthbrood, and ignore s…
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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…
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