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How to care

Search a fish by common or scientific name to see the tank size it needs, its water parameters, where it comes from and how it behaves with tank mates.

201 of 201 species

Albino corydoras
Corydoras aeneus
Beginner
The pink-white form of the bronze cory: the toughest, cheapest starter catfish there is.
Minimum tank
75 L min
Temperature
22–28 °C
Adult size
6 cm
Group size
6+ group
Peaceful
Amano shrimp
Caridina multidentata
Beginner
The best algae-eating shrimp available; larger and hardier than cherries but won't breed in fresh water.
Minimum tank
40 L min
Temperature
18–28 °C
Adult size
5 cm
Group size
5+ group
Peaceful
Angelfish
Pterophyllum scalare
Intermediate
Tall Amazonian cichlid that needs height, warmth and tank mates it cannot swallow.
Minimum tank
200 L min
Temperature
24–30 °C
Adult size
15 cm
Group size
1+ group
Semi-aggressive
Apistogramma agassizii
Apistogramma agassizii
Intermediate
A spade-tailed dwarf cichlid in many colour forms; a great centrepiece for a soft-water tank.
Minimum tank
110 L min
Temperature
24–29 °C
Adult size
8 cm
Group size
2+ group
Semi-aggressive
Assassin snail
Anentome helena
Beginner
Hunts and eats pest snails; the standard biological answer to a bladder snail plague.
Minimum tank
40 L min
Temperature
21–28 °C
Adult size
2 cm
Group size
3+ group
Semi-aggressive
Banded archerfish
Toxotes jaculatrix
Advanced
Shoots insects down with a jet of water; needs a wide, half-filled tank with an open lid gap.
Minimum tank
450 L min
Temperature
25–30 °C
Adult size
25 cm
Group size
3+ group
Semi-aggressive
Banggai cardinalfish
Pterapogon kauderni
Intermediate
Slow, striking and best in a small group; buy captive-bred — wild stocks are endangered.
Minimum tank
110 L min
Temperature
24–27 °C
Adult size
8 cm
Group size
3+ group
Peaceful
Reef safe
Banjo catfish
Bunocephalus coracoideus
Intermediate
A flat, motionless sand-burier that looks like debris; harmless and long-lived.
Minimum tank
75 L min
Temperature
21–28 °C
Adult size
12 cm
Group size
1+ group
Peaceful
Betta
Betta splendens
Beginner
A labyrinth fish that breathes air and needs warmth, calm water and no other bettas in sight.
Minimum tank
20 L min
Temperature
24–30 °C
Adult size
6 cm
Group size
1+ group
Aggressive
Bichir
Polypterus senegalus
Intermediate
A prehistoric-looking air-breather that hunts at night; hardy but a determined escape artist.
Minimum tank
300 L min
Temperature
24–29 °C
Adult size
35 cm
Group size
1+ group
Semi-aggressive
Bicolor angelfish
Centropyge bicolor
Advanced
Blue and yellow dwarf angel; gorgeous but the least hardy of the common Centropyge.
Minimum tank
210 L min
Temperature
24–28 °C
Adult size
15 cm
Group size
1+ group
Semi-aggressive
Reef safe with caution
Bicolor blenny
Ecsenius bicolor
Beginner
Half brown, half orange, and it perches everywhere; occasionally nips coral when underfed.
Minimum tank
110 L min
Temperature
23–27 °C
Adult size
10 cm
Group size
1+ group
Semi-aggressive
Reef safe with caution
Black axil chromis
Chromis atripectoralis
Beginner
Larger cousin of the green chromis with a black armpit mark; same easy shoaling care.
Minimum tank
190 L min
Temperature
24–28 °C
Adult size
12 cm
Group size
5+ group
Peaceful
Reef safe
Black neon tetra
Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodi
Beginner
A white-over-black stripe pair that stands out against green plants; very hardy.
Minimum tank
75 L min
Temperature
23–27 °C
Adult size
4 cm
Group size
8+ group
Peaceful
Black ruby barb
Pethia nigrofasciata
Beginner
A Sri Lankan barb whose males turn deep ruby-black when displaying; grazes algae too.
Minimum tank
110 L min
Temperature
22–27 °C
Adult size
6 cm
Group size
6+ group
Peaceful
Black skirt tetra
Gymnocorymbus ternetzi
Beginner
Hardy, bold tetra with tall fins; can nip if kept in small numbers.
Minimum tank
80 L min
Temperature
20–27 °C
Adult size
5.5 cm
Group size
6+ group
Semi-aggressive
Bleeding heart tetra
Hyphessobrycon erythrostigma
Intermediate
A deep-bodied tetra with a red heart-shaped spot; needs a larger shoal than most.
Minimum tank
150 L min
Temperature
23–28 °C
Adult size
7 cm
Group size
8+ group
Peaceful
Blood red fire shrimp
Lysmata debelius
Beginner
Deep red and more reclusive than the skunk cleaner; still cleans, mostly at night.
Minimum tank
75 L min
Temperature
24–27 °C
Adult size
5 cm
Group size
1+ group
Peaceful
Reef safe
Blue acara
Andinoacara coeruleopunctatus
Intermediate
A sturdy, medium blue-green cichlid with a calm temperament for its size.
Minimum tank
190 L min
Temperature
22–28 °C
Adult size
15 cm
Group size
2+ group
Semi-aggressive
Blue green chromis
Chromis viridis
Beginner
The one damsel that genuinely shoals peacefully — cheap, hardy and constantly moving.
Minimum tank
130 L min
Temperature
24–28 °C
Adult size
8 cm
Group size
6+ group
Peaceful
Reef safe
Blue gularis killifish
Fundulopanchax sjoestedti
Advanced
A large, spectacular West African killifish with a trident tail; short-lived but easy to spawn.
Minimum tank
110 L min
Temperature
22–26 °C
Adult size
12 cm
Group size
2+ group
Semi-aggressive
Blue tang
Paracanthurus hepatus
Advanced
The film-famous blue tang: an active, nervous swimmer that outgrows most home tanks.
Minimum tank
680 L min
Temperature
24–27 °C
Adult size
25 cm
Group size
1+ group
Semi-aggressive
Reef safe
Boesemani rainbowfish
Melanotaenia boesemani
Beginner
Half-orange, half-blue shoaler for hard water; colour takes a year to develop.
Minimum tank
200 L min
Temperature
24–30 °C
Adult size
11 cm
Group size
6+ group
Peaceful
Bolivian ram
Mikrogeophagus altispinosus
Beginner
Hardier, larger alternative to the German blue ram; tolerates ordinary tap water.
Minimum tank
110 L min
Temperature
23–29 °C
Adult size
8 cm
Group size
2+ group
Peaceful