Quick answer: The bamboo shrimp (Atyopsis moluccensis), also called the wood shrimp or fan shrimp, is a large, peaceful, fascinating freshwater shrimp that feeds in a completely different way from every other shrimp. Instead of scavenging the bottom, it perches in the current and filters tiny food particles from the Read more
Quick answer: The panda cory (Corydoras panda) is one of the most popular and adorable bottom-dwelling catfish, named for the black, panda-like patches over its eyes, on its dorsal fin, and at the base of its tail. It is small, peaceful, and social, and easy to keep in a group. Read more
Quick answer: Vampire crabs (Geosesarma) are small, stunning semi-terrestrial crabs, usually deep purple with cream spots and pale, glowing eyes, and they make fascinating pets. The single most important thing to know before you buy one: they are not aquarium fish and must not be kept in a water-filled tank. Read more
Quick answer: The galaxy rasbora (Danio margaritatus), better known as the celestial pearl danio or CPD, is one of the most beautiful nano fish in the hobby. It has a dark blue-green body scattered with pearly “galaxy” spots and bright red-orange fins, it stays under an inch long, and it Read more
Quick answer: The pygmy corydoras (Corydoras pygmaeus) is the tiniest, most charming cory catfish you can keep. At about an inch long it is peaceful, active, and perfect for nano tanks, and unlike most cories it spends a lot of its time hovering in midwater like a little underwater hummingbird Read more
Quick answer: The honey gourami (Trichogaster chuna) is one of the best beginner centerpiece fish you can buy. It is small, peaceful, hardy, and a soft golden color, a single one is happy in a 10 gallon, it eats almost anything, and it gets along with most calm community fish. Read more
Quick answer: A 20 gallon is one of the best tank sizes you can own. It is big enough to run a real community, small enough to fit in most homes, and stable enough that one missed water change will not crash it. The most important choice you will make Read more
Quick answer: Good fish tank decorations do two jobs at once. They make the tank look great, and they give your fish hiding spots, territory, and a sense of security that keeps them calm and healthy. The one rule that matters most is safety: only use decorations that are aquarium Read more
Quick answer: The best algae eater fish for most freshwater tanks are the otocinclus, the bristlenose pleco, and the true Siamese algae eater. For small tanks, shrimp and snails like Amano shrimp and nerite snails often do the job better than any fish. No algae eater keeps a tank clean Read more
Quick answer: If your nerite snail is still stuck firmly to the glass, a leaf, or a piece of wood, that is a good sign, and it is most likely just resting. Nerites can sit in one spot for two to three days, sometimes a whole week, and that is Read more