Freshwater Tropical Fish
Fish For Your 5 Gallon Fish Tank
Nano tanks are quite popular, but it can sometimes be difficult to figure out what fish you should put in them. Many aquarium fish grow too big, especially if you’re thinking of keeping schooling fish. Then there’s the question of which fish is are compatible with each other. Here are some suggestions for groups of [...]
Drought in the Amazon and Your Fishtank
There is currently a major drought in the Amazon, and it is very, very bad. Millions, probably billions of dead fish, dried up tributaries, and the lower Rio-Negro, the world’s largest freshwater river is so low you can walk across it. Given that the rivers are the major form of transport in the Amazon basin, [...]
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 smaller [...]
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 [...]
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 ability to [...]
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 hard [...]
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 [...]