Freshwater Tropical Fish

Small Corydoras for Small Tanks

Corydoras catfish are wonderful fish, but the most common species, such as the Bronze Corydoras and the Peppered Corydoras, grow too large for tanks of much under ten gallons if you’re to keep them in a group. Since Corydoras are schooling species and prefer to be in groups, it is good that there are [...]

Conservation of the Asian Arawana

The Asian Arawana, Scleropages formosus, is endangered, mainly due to habitat destruction. It is listed under CITES Appendix 1, which means that trading this species across national boundaries is illegal unless the individual fish are captive bred. The Asian Arawana is captive bred in Kalimantan, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore.
Unfortunately, it is also illegally wild caught [...]

A Better Deal for Bettas

Bettas are probably the fish most commonly kept in small unheated and unfiltered bowls or tanks. At first sight, they seem the ideal fish for this situation. Bettas stay small, growing to approximately 3 inches in length. The waters from which they come are naturally slow-moving or still, and shallow. Bettas have the [...]

The Walking Catfish (Clarias batrachus): Pet, Food Fish, and Invasive Pest

The Walking Catfish, Clarias batrachus, is a very large catfish sometimes seen in the aquarium trade. It is also used as a food fish. It is native to Southeastern Asia, but it has been introduced to numerous other places where it has become an invasive and predatory pest. Once in an area, it is [...]

Fish for Small Unheated Aquariums and Goldfish Bowls

Certain fishes are often kept in bowls or small plastic aquariums that lack heating and filtration equipment.   The fish most often kept in this way include goldfish, bettas, white cloud mountain minnows, and danios.  Each of these fishes have different pros and cons when it comes to keeping them in this fashion.
Goldfish, Carassius [...]

How Big is That Tropical Fish Part 2: Fish 10-16 Inches in Length

Many of the tropical fish seen in pet stores are not fully grown.  The final size of the fish varies dramatically between species.  This is a list of the sizes that individual species are likely to grow to.  Only some species are listed here, and adult fish of the same species vary somewhat in size.  This is [...]

Corydoras in the Aquarium

Corydoras are among the best tropical fish for the home aquarium. They are small, they aren’t aggressive toward smaller fish, they are hard for bigger fishes to eat, and they help keep the tank clean by scavenging food off the bottom.  Despite rumors to the contrary, they do not eat fish poop and they do [...]

How Big is That Tropical Fish Part 1: Fish Over 16 Inches

Many of the tropical fish seen in pet stores are not fully grown. The final size of the fish varies dramatically between species. This is a list of the sizes that individual species are likely to grow to. Only some species are listed here, and adult fish of the same species vary somewhat in size. This is [...]

Tropical fish species: how to pick what’s right for you

There are tens of thousands of species of fish in the world (Fishbase.org), over a hundred of which you may find for sale in pet and aquatics stores. This can make picking fish a little overwhelming, especially if you are new to the hobby. As you are reading this article, I’m assuming that you’ve decided [...]