Species Care Guides
This is the index of our species-specific care guides. Every fish, snail, shrimp, and plant we sell gets its own write-up here, covering the things that actually matter when you’re setting up the tank and keeping the livestock healthy long-term.
Each guide is structured the same way so you can quickly compare requirements between species:
- Overview — what the species is, where it comes from, and what makes it interesting
- Natural Habitat — the real-world conditions the species evolved in
- Tank Setup — minimum tank size, substrate, plants, hardscape, and filtration recommendations
- Water Parameters — temperature, pH, and hardness ranges with notes on stability
- Diet — what to feed, how often, and what to avoid
- Temperament & Tankmates — behavior, group size, and species that work well together
- Breeding — for species that breed readily in home aquariums
- Health & Acclimation — common issues, quarantine recommendations, and our drip-acclimation procedure
How to use these guides
If you’re new to an aquarium hobby, start with the species you’re already keeping (or about to buy) and read the full guide before adjusting anything. Most “problems” in fishkeeping aren’t really problems with the fish — they’re mismatches between the tank setup and what the species actually needs. A well-suited setup quietly does the work for you.
If you’re an experienced keeper, the Water Parameters and Tankmates sections are usually the most useful as a quick reference. Our parameter ranges are conservative — they’re what we keep our own stock at, and what we send fish home to.
The guides
Pick a species from the sub-navigation, or browse the full list below. Guides marked with an asterisk include extended sections on breeding and species-specific health topics.
New guides are added as we expand our livestock list — check back, or sign up for our updates via the Blog.
The German Blue Ram is one of the most beautiful dwarf cichlids in the hobby. Native to the Orinoco basin in Venezuela and Colombia, they're a peaceful, intelligent fish that…
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The German Black Ram is a selectively bred line of Mikrogeophagus ramirezi the same species as the German Blue Ram, just bred for melanistic (extradark) pigmentation. Everything in our Blue…
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Koi Angelfish are a selectively bred color morph of the freshwater angelfish, Pterophyllum scalare. The "koi" name comes from their pattern a bright white body splashed with orangered and black…
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Boesemani Rainbowfish (Melanotaenia boesemani) are one of the most spectacular freshwater fish in the hobby. Males develop a sharp color split: vivid electric blue or violet on the front half,…
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Red Tiger Endlers are a stunning color form of Poecilia wingei, a livebearer closely related to the common guppy. The "red tiger" name comes from the bold black tigerstripe bars…
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The White Veiltail Betta is a classic a peaceful, intelligent, longfinned Betta splendens with the elegance of a wedding dress and the personality of a small dragon. Whites are particularly…
Read guideBlue Dream Shrimp are a selectively bred color line of the Neocaridina davidi species the same species as cherry shrimp, rili, and yellow shrimp. The "Blue Dream" name describes the…
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Apple snails are some of the most rewarding invertebrates we sell. They are large, colorful, peaceful, and surprisingly active for a snail. The spiketopped variety we stock is Pomacea diffusa,…
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Neon Tetras (Paracheirodon innesi) are one of the most recognizable fish in the freshwater hobby small schooling tetras with an electric blue stripe down the body and a red splash…
Read guideThe Neon Tetra (Paracheirodon innesi) is one of the most iconic and beloved freshwater aquarium fish in the hobby. Renowned for its brilliant iridescent blue lateral stripe and vivid red posterior, this small, peaceful schooling tetra brings movement, color, and life to community aquariums. First described in 1936 and named for American aquarist William T. Innes, the Neon Tetra remains a top choice for both beginners and seasoned aquarists thanks to its hardiness when sourced from quality stock, modest care requirements, and dazzling appearance under appropriate lighting.
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Adolfo's Cory (Corydoras adolfoi, recently reclassified as Hoplisoma adolfoi) is a strikingly handsome blackwater catfish endemic to the Upper Rio Negro in Brazil. With its bright orange shoulder patch, sharp black eye-mask, and silvery body, it ranks among the most beautiful and sought-after small Corydoras species. Like all cories, it's a social, peaceful bottom-dweller that earns its keep tidying up leftover food while bringing personality and movement to the lower levels of the community aquarium.
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The Alpha Swordtail Albino Red is a premium, selectively bred strain of Xiphophorus hellerii, the classic livebearer that has been in the hobby for over a…
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Guppy Grass (Najas guadalupensis) is one of the most useful plants you can put in an aquarium, and one of the hardest to kill. It is a fast-growing stem…
Read guideJava Fern (Microsorum pteropus) is the plant that has saved more beginner aquariums than any other. It thrives in low light, needs no CO2, and is almost…
Read guideAnubias Nana (Anubias barteri var. nana) is the workhorse of the planted tank: a tough, slow-growing rhizome plant with thick, dark green leaves that…
Read guideThe Amazon Sword (Echinodorus grisebachii) is the classic background plant: a big, broad-leaved rosette that fills the back of a tank with deep green and…
Read guideAdolfo's Cory (Corydoras adolfoi, recently reclassified as Hoplisoma adolfoi) is a striking blackwater catfish from the Upper Rio Negro, easily spotted by…
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