Quick answer: “Pleco fish” is the common name for the armored suckermouth catfish (family Loricariidae) sold as algae eaters, and the most important thing to know is that they are not one fish. Some, like the bristlenose pleco, stay around 3 to 5 inches and fit a 20 to 30 Read more
Quick answer: The kissing gourami (Helostoma temminckii) is a large, hardy, distinctive fish famous for the lip-locking behavior that gives it its name. Here is the first thing to know: that kissing is not affection. It is a display of dominance and aggression, usually between males squaring off over territory. Read more
Quick answer: The green terror cichlid (Andinoacara rivulatus) is a stunning, big-personality South American cichlid, iridescent green and blue with orange-edged fins and a domed forehead on mature males. It is also, as the name warns, aggressive and territorial, and it grows to 8 to 12 inches, so it is Read more
Quick answer: The black skirt tetra (Gymnocorymbus ternetzi) is a hardy, active, easy schooling fish and a classic beginner community tetra, with a tall silver-and-black body and flowing fins. It is mostly peaceful, but it comes with one honest catch: black skirts nip fins, especially when kept in too small Read more
Quick answer: Scuds are small freshwater amphipods, usually 2 to 10 mm long, that look like tiny curled shrimp and swim fast on their sides. They’re harmless to adult fish, people and healthy plants, and most fish love eating them. In a community tank, scuds are a free cleanup crew Read more
Quick answer: Vinegar eels (Turbatrix aceti) are tiny, harmless nematodes that make one of the best and lowest-effort first foods for baby fish. They are smaller than microworms, they swim in the water column for days without fouling the tank, and a single culture runs for months with almost no Read more
Quick answer: The scarlet badis (Dario dario) is a jewel of a nano fish, a tiny, fiery red-and-blue micropredator and one of the smallest fish in the hobby. It makes a stunning centerpiece for a small planted tank, but it comes with real catches. It usually refuses dry food and Read more
Quick answer: The rope fish (Erpetoichthys calabaricus), also called the reedfish, is a peaceful, prehistoric-looking freshwater fish that swims like a snake and is genuinely easy to care for. But it comes with three big catches most buyers miss. It is a world-class escape artist that needs a completely sealed Read more
Quick answer: Bamboo shrimp (Atyopsis moluccensis), also called wood shrimp or fan shrimp, are peaceful freshwater filter feeders that grow to about 3 inches (7.5 cm) and live around 2 years. They need a mature tank of at least 20 gallons at 72 to 82 F, strong water flow and 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