South American Cichlids

Oscar Astronotus ocellatus

Tigers, Albinos, and Reds, all uniquely wonderful fish! Having Oscars is more like having a cat or a dog than it is a fish. These are intelligent fish that will quickly bond with the humans that feed them. Don't be afraid to hand feed or even pet your Oscar, they seem to like it! Caution: Oscars become large and they are quite aggressive during feeding time. A 100 gallon tank is the minimum size you want for only two full grown Oscars. Oscars are best kept individually or in schools of 6 or more to prevent fights. They also prefer live food. Be prepared to shop for crikets and goldfish often to keep your Oscar happy. Another word of warning: Keep a lid on it!. We recommend full tank covers for all aquariums but especially for the Oscars. They have no problem jumping out!

Jack Dempsey Cichlasoma octofasciatum

A favorite for the whole family, our Jack Dempsey is one of the most beautifully colored, sparkling, fish in the tank. Close to full grown (about 8 inches) the Jack Dempsy within our cichlid tank has proven to be surprisingly friendly (caution: most find the JD to be extremely aggressive and this note should be taken seriously!). Depending on the time of day, our Jack Dempsy shows off a wide array of shining colors including blues, greens, purples, yellows, and reds, in addition to his "lipstick blue" lips. If you are going to keep cichlids, we strongly recommend entertaining the idea of a Jack Dempsy.

Convict Archocentrus nigrofasciatus

Interesting, aggressive, and active breeders! These fish put the meaning into the old phrase "Survival of the fittest", and fit they are! They can be quite territorial and will breed beyond even a breeder's wildest expectations. I often wonder if the female even needs the male after their fist mate since she seems to be able to lay eggs forever. Ahhh but the babies do. Here's a breed where the father actually takes care of the fry and he does a darn good job of it too! They are wonderful fish that do their jobs well but we would not recommend them for a beginner or even a second-time-over enthusiast. They require space for their nests and can be extremely aggressive in the name of protecting their zone in the tank.

Green Texas Cichlid Cichlasoma cyanoguttatum

I absolutely adore this fish and only reqret being unable to show off his true colors due to my own poor photography skills. The white dots shown in the pic actually interchange betwen blues and greens. This Texas has proven to be an excellent citizen in the tank able to hold his own without harming the others. A very impressive fish indeed!

Green Terror Aequidens rivulatus

The largest and oldest cichlid currently in our aquarium. "Old Faithful" is what we call him and he is, hands down, the entire family's favorite fish. With 519 gallons of aquarium currently in the home that's saying a lot! We have read that the full grown size of a Green Terror is about 6 inches however ours has reached about 8 inches in length. He appears to be a calm and confident fish that slowly swims over the others in the tank. With his bright orange trimmed fins, unmistakable black spot on the side, and blue striped cheeks with deeper bluish-green lips he is simply amazing. His attitude with humans is similar to that of our Oscars as he is quick to come to the front of the tank for a visit and he always carries a smile. He knows how to protect himself from other more aggressive fish yet we have never witnessed him even attempting to inflict harm on any of his tank mates (this is not to say he isn't quick to snag the feeder fish we place in the tank for him and the others to munch on!). A conversational piece to boot. The Green Terror is a fish we would recommend to any experienced enthusiast...though anyone with cichlid experience already knows this!

African Cichlids

Chipokee Melanochromis chipokee

With our golden/silver/black stripped female and our bluish/silver/blacked striped male, our ability as fish enthusiasts has been put to the test. They require a tremendous amount of attention and we believe observation is vital, throughout their stay with you, to ensure they will remain compatible with the other members of their tank. Interesting to note however, is that the Chipokee seems to change its colors often and without cause. Upon purchasing the pair they were both yellow and black. When we introduced them to their new tank one quickly turned more blue and the other took on a purplish color. Even now they seem to change their stripes so you just never know what color they may be when you begin observing these gutsy fish. We do not recommend these fish for beginners but after owning a couple for just over a year, we would recommend them to the experienced Cichlid Enthusiast.

Yellow-tailed acei Pseudotropheus acei

A personally favorite with their purple bodies, yellow fins, and overall activeness within the aquarium. These guys never seem to stop moving and are often seen swimming in circles together in a playful manner.

Electric Yellow Labido Labidochromis caeruleus

A great first cichlid for beginners. The Yellow Labs are one of the least aggressive cichlids we have had the privilege of observing and there is no question about their beauty. Some enthusiasts have even been known to introduce these beauties into their community tanks (though we wouldn't recommend it). They are hardy, active, and beautiful specimens. We have no problem recommending them to anyone who chooses to take on the challenge of caring for cichlids.

Powder Blue - Mbuna Lake Malawi Pseudotropheus SocolofiThe attitude of this fish is much like the Electric Blue in that she seems to enjoy picking fights that she has no intentions of finishing. They just seem to adore annoying the other fish without really harming them. A beautiful fish worth adding to your cichlid collection as long as you don't mind babysitting from to time.

Marmalade Cat "Blueberry" Labeotropheus trewavasae

We had an extremely difficult time identifying this cichlid as he appeared to be a hybred of many various species and then upon identifying him found a varity of names. This guy would probably be a whole lot more popular in the trade if the breeders could simply agree on a decent name for this gorgeous and well behaved cichlid!

Giraffe Cichlid Nimbochromis venustus

This fish has added grace and activity to our tank with a dash of artistic value. We have not found him to be aggressive, however he remains active constantly moving around the tank adding some bright dashes of sunlight to our primarily dark colored aquarium. He has been easy to care for and enjoyable to observe.

Kennyi Pseudotropheus lombardoi

A newly aquired pair of Kennyis. The picture shown here is our female Kennyi. Clicking on the picture will reveal our male. This is a fish where the differences between the two are readily apparent. The males are a rusty orange/yellow color while the females display a spectacular white/silver/bluish base color with sparkling blue/black zebra stripes.

Live-Bearers

Fancy Guppy Poecilia reticulata

The perfect fish for beginners. Active and hardy with a wide array of beautiful colors to choose from. Easy to keep, easy to breed, low cost, and they do not require a terribly large aquarium. We recommend keeping 6 or more of these lovely fish as they do like to school and play together. Additionally their favorite past time appears to be mating. For this reason you will want to keep more females than males to allow the females a break from the constantly pestering male.

Platy Xiphophorus maculatus

Wagtails, Micky Mouse, HiFins, SailFins, Tuxedo et al. A large variety of these friendly orange balls of fire are available in just about any fish shop. Extremely friendly short little fish that look best against green foliage. They like to pair up, like most live bearers, and breed, breed, breed. As with most of the common live bearers these fish are beautiful and easy to keep. Excellent for beginners and enthusiasts alike.

Cyprinids

Zebra Danios Brachydanio rerio

A completely spastic fish! They are always active, and seem to enjoy playing in heavy currents (the bubbles from a bubble wand) and with each other. Very easy to care for. Recommended for beginners and as tank starters. They enjoy the upper part of the tanks and are quite good at keeping the rest of their tank mates moving. It's like having a room full of hyper active two-year olds in the tank. Best if purchased in groups of four or more. Extremely friendly fish. Careful though, aggressive fish will hurt or eat them.

Long Fin Blue Zebra Danio Brachydanio rerio species

These little blue guys have long and flowing fins and are quite pretty to look at. As with most danios they are active and spastic specimens. Our four reside in a baby turtle tank so we have not had as much of an opportunity to observe them with other fish.

Long-Finned Leopard Danio Danio frankei

We have found this danio to be quite aggressive compared to the other danios. His fins are long and flowing and if not for his need to chase everyone else, they would probably be chasing him. Another active and spastic specimen just like all of the danios with the benefit of the extra long fins. Just be aware that he can be a bit overly nippy in the wrong environments.

Scissortail Rasboras Rasbora Trilineata

The scissortails are often skipped at the petshop since a quick glance does not reveal a great deal of color on these slender "danio looking" specimens however a closer look will reveal their true splendor! They have awesome features that include an interesting black and yellow pattern on its caudal fin and a yellow stripe which runs almost all of the way through its body. Their "scissor tails" actually appear to be "cutting" as they open and close during swimming. The Scissortails are an absolute joy to watch especially if you keep 4 or more together in a large community aquarium. They are quite active and extremely friendly fish. We feel they make a wonderful addition to any community aquarium.

Red-Fin (Rainbow) Shark Epalzeorhynchus frenatus

A beautiful scavenger that spends its day actively poking around the aqarium with it's two pairs of barbells by its mouth. He's a loner though and can get a bit aggressive with his own kind. For this reason we recommend keeping only one in an aquarium though two seem to do ok if the aquarium is large enough to allow both free range over "their half" of the tank.

Characins

Serpae Tetra Hyphessobrycon eques

A wonderful fish to observe especially if it is matched with 3 or more other Serpaes. This is especially true if they are in a well planted aquarium. Much like the Plattys, they look their best when shoaling around the green foliage. A small and generally easy to keep fish but not recommended to share tanks with other long finned fish as they can be nippy given the opportunity.

Glowlight Tetra Hemigrammus erythrozonus

Excellent community fish especially in schools with soft light and floating plants. The shiny stripe that extends the length of their body is quite the eye catcher! We recommend this fish for beginners providing it is kept with other peaceful community fish as its shiny colors can attract nippers if not careful.

Neon Tetra Paracheirodon innesi

Beautiful, kind, playful, spectacular, low cost fish but they can be quite picky about their environment and difficult to keep alive. Probably one of the most popular community fish on the market. We have yet to see a fish shop that doesn't carry them. They are quite small however so you will need to be careful that you do not keep them with larger fish that may gobble them up. We strongly recommend purchasing six or more of these schooling fish to achieve the greatest viewing pleasure as they swim back and forth around your tank following each other from one end to the other. Be careful when introducing these fish to your aquarium. They will quickly die if they are not slowly acclimated to a well established aquarium.

Ambassidae

(UNPAINTED!) Indian Glassfish Parambassis ranga

A clear fish that allows you to observe from the outside in...all of the way in! Because of the ability to see the skeleton of the fish they have become quite popular. Possibly too popular as many of these fish are killed during an unpleasant dying process where the fish is literally picked out of the water, injected with dye, and then placed back in the water to be sold as a "Painted Glass Fish" if it survives. It is estimated that 50% of the glass fish that are painted die during the process. We strongly recommend adding UNPAINTED Glass Fish to any peaceful community tank with neon tetras, platties, guppies, and mollies.

Loaches

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Rainbowfish & Killifish

Boesemani Rainbow Melanotaenia boesemani

A personal favorite! An extremely friendly fish that shows off excellent colors and visible size! This fish enjoys swimming in large groups and is doing fantastic with other rainbowfish, bala sharks, rainbow sharks, and clown loaches. This mix appears to be a perfect blend for fish of large size, color, and sociability. Be careful mixing rainbows however as they will cross breed.

Turquoise Rainbowfish Melanotaenia lacustris

A beautifully colored and tempered fish. They remind us of soft blue night lights swimming through the tank. Our Turquoise Rainbowfish have greatly enjoyed swimming with their Bala Shark Tank Mates and the Balas seem to enjoy their blue friends as well!

New Guinea Rainbowfish Melanotaenia affinis

An extremely friendly fish just like the other rainbows however their color is not as easily noticed. A close look and you will see the reds, pinks, and yellows displayed in the fins that outline their otherwise white fleshy colored bodies with the dark stripe running through them. They tend to school mid-depth in the tank often filling the void between the top swimmers and the bottom feeders.

Gold Wonder Aplocheilus lineatus

Unfortunately I do not yet have a good photo of these little beauties, however, clicking on the image will reveal a few of them in the top center of the community freshwater tank. A good informational link on these particular killifish can be viewed by clicking here

Dwarf Neon Rainbow Melanotaenia praecox

Unlike many rainbows, dwarf neon's prefer acidic soft water to basic hard water, they're also not keen on eating their eggs or fry as long as they are well fed. Our dwarfs do exceptionally well in our friendly freshwater aquarium swimming primarily in the center and keeping the tank rather active. They've proven to be hardy eye catchers with a lot of personality. Sometimes, however, they are easily overlooked as "just another silver fish" but stop for a second and really look.... They have a gorgeous blood red outline in their fins and as they swim a number of colors glisten off of their shiny silver wide bodies.

Tate's Desert Rainbowfish Melanotaenia splendida tatei

This is an exciting shoal to have in the tank! Careful, they are opportunists and will enjoy snacking on small snails, shrimps, live foods, and the fry of smaller fish such as guppies or platies. Otherwise consider them extremely friendly and active fish swimming mostly in the center to upper regions of the tank. Their colors seem to change with every stroke of their fins. Riddled with dots of greens, yellows, blues reds and more. A splendid addition...just be sure to have live plants and a small shoal to keep them happy.

Rainbowfish Unknown ???

We have not yet identified this stripped red blue and silver beauty and unfortunately only have a single one, however, in the midst of over a 100 other active fish, in a large 180 gallon aquarium, he is ALWAYS noticed and always the first to give us a show. We hope to identify him soon and obtain more.

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Cat Fish (Sucker Fish / Tank Cleaners)

Ghost Catfish / Glass Catfish Kryptopterus Bicirrhis

An interesting fish to say the least. After all, you can see right through them! A slower docile fish that prefers to 'stay out of the way' if it is not schooling (recommended 6 or more together for best results) with other ghosts. They do prefer live foods however and for this reason we believe they could be a danger for other community fish if they are not fed a diet that pleases them.

Plecostomus / Pleco Hypostomus plecostomus

A favorite among most fresh water enthusiasts. These large 'sucker mouth' fish will always work their hardest at keeping algae to a minimum in the tank. It's like having an endless supply of glass cleaner working on the inside. A hardy, hard working, enjoyable fish for just about any fresh water environment. Note, you will need to size them accordingly! Larger plecos can become aggressive. If you have a large aquarium with large and/or aggressive fish, be sure to introduce a large pleco. For smaller aquariums with friendly fish, smaller plecos are best. They do get large (close to 24 inches in length!) but they seem to grow quite slowly. Though the pleco does primarily eat algae, it's diet can, and should be, supplemented with things like sinking pellets, romaine lettuce, and squash.

King Tiger Pleco aka Network Pleco aka Scribbled Pleco Hypancistrus sp. (L066)

Our peaceful giant. Our King Tiger measures 8 inches in length with a very large head. He moves like a gentle giant around the Cichlid Aquarium and is a conversational piece for all that see him. As with the other plecos the King Tiger is easy to keep and tolerant of a variety of tank conditions. This one gets large however and for that reason you'll want to be sure your pleco has a tank of AT LEAST 30 gallons...

Spotted Hypostomus Hypostomus punctatus

Absolutely beutiful. These guys offer everything the Pleco above does with a dash of extra beauty in only half the size (up to about 12 inches maximum). Read all about the Pleco above and you'll have an understanding of this Spotted version. We became quickly attached to ours. A+ fish for all enthusiasts.

Striped Raphael Platydoras costatus

A truely beautiful cat fish with well defined whiskers and stunning stripes. Not recommended for beginners however because this cat is nocturnal and spends the majority of its time in hiding. It's a rare treat for us to see this little gem come out for a visit. The Raphael was also found to be the culprit for our MIA (missing in action) Neon Tetras among other small community fish. He hunts in the night and leaves no trace for an investigative team of humans to find him out. Best kept in a tank with sand that he may burrow into and/or with plenty of caves for him to hide within. Most importantly, be sure he is not kept with small, especially shiny, fish or they may end up missing due to this innocent looking hunter.

Spotted Raphael Agamyxis pectinifrons

Everything noted above about the Striped Raphael would apply here as well. A truly beautiful fish however with spots rather than stripes. The Spotted Raphael is also nocturnal, spends most of its time hiding, and also enjoys a late night snack of small or shiny fish when no one else is looking.

Pictus Catfish Pimelodus pictus

A favorite of ours for enjoyment more than cleaning chores. One could easily believe this cat is on crack! Constantly moving around the tank..he just can't sit still! A gorgeous fish with shiny silver/black stripes throughout his body and extremely long (and sharp!) whiskers. Many enthusiasts and pet shops may recommend this fish for community tanks however we can not. Our pictus live with Cichlids; and only Cichlids because they are able to defend themselves and are large enough to keep the Pictus at bay. The Pictus gorge themselves on live feeders and seem to have no problem whatsoever hunting out small fish at any time, day or night, for a snack.

Twig Catfish Farlowella acus

A unique beauty worthy of being added to any peaceful community tank. The Twig is a calm fish that is commonly known to reach a maximum size of about 6.5in however we have one that reached nearly 8 inches in length while remaining quite slender. They look, just as their name implies, like twigs. Not an active fish, but effective in glass cleaning and seems to enjoy shining up the leaves of Anubias and Amazon Swords. The Twig is so calm that you can literally reach in the tank and pet him without him moving. Clicking on the photo will show you an enlarged image of two twigs, one on the glass showing the underbelly, and the other on the tank bottom showing the back patterned design. An easy, calm, must have, for any well behaved aquarium.

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Other

Gold Inca Snail & Black Mystery Snails Ampullariidae

These snails have proven to be great scavengers willing to gobble up anything they roam over. They prefer algae and plants but we have also witnessed them latching onto dead fish (sorry but it's true!) and other unsightly obstructions in the tank. Both the yellow incas and the black mystery, as is the case with most snails, will breed heavily and it is something to be aware of. The snails are extremely easy to care for and surprisingly interesting to watch. Just be careful not to allow an overpopulation problem to occur.

Ghost Shrimp Palaeomonetes

Ghost Shrimp originally entered our home intended for feeding other fish, however they have proven to be a ton of fun to observe and as such we keep a dozen or so around as pets. The ghost shrimp are clear so you can see all of their inners working away especially when they are feeding. The ghost shrimp have proven to be excellent scavengers as they scurry all around the aquarium picking up any left overs that their tank mates left behind. They are tiny though (max size 1 to 1.5 inches - females are the larger of the two), so you have to actually pull up a chair and look closely into the tank to watch them. The Ghost Shrimp gets an A+ for bringing many giggles and smiles to the human faces that take the time to observe them.

Last Updated Wednesday, September 13 2006 @ 09:12 EDT