Given its eventual size and natural behaviour this species is largely unsuitable for the home aquarium, and we know of only a handful of private aquarists with the facilities required to house it long-term.

Unfortunately juveniles are readily available in the trade, although the scarcity of privately-maintained adults would suggest that most fail to reach their potential.

M. ramirezi is also known by the names ‘Ramirez’ dwarf cichlid’ and ‘butterfly cichlid’ and is among the more popular dwarf cichlids in the aquarium hobby.

As a result, it is produced on a commercial basis in huge numbers and a number of ornamental strains have been developed including ‘gold’, ‘long-finned’ (both blue and gold forms; also traded as ‘lyre-tail’, ‘veil-tail’ and ‘hi-fin’), ‘electric/neon blue’, ‘super neon blue gold’ ‘pearl/perlmutt’ and ‘balloon’.

A well known and popular aquarium fish. Angels are available in a number of colour forms including black, gold and koi strains, in addition to the standard silver. It is worth remembering that although angels are generally peaceful, they are still cichilds so some aggression should be expected from time to time.

Brachyplatystoma spp. are distinguished from all other catfishes by two synapomorphies. The first comprises several morphological characters relating to the skull, specifically that the mandibular suspensorium (that which connects the lower jaw bone to the skull) is greatly expanded mediodorsally to form a large plate approaching the parasphenoid bone, with the hyomandibula and metapterygoid similarly enlarged.

Previously included as a member of the genus Cichlasoma, the midas cichlid is often confused with the red devil, A. labiatus. The two can be distinguished through differences in morphology. As suggested by its scientific name, A. labiatus often possesses characteristically large lips, although this is variable and should not be used as a defining indicator of species. More reliable differences include the bigger nuchal hump and more thick-set appearance in A. citrinellus.

The midas exists in many n…

One of the most popular aquarium fish in the world, the guppy is instantly recognisable to most people. There are many aquarium bred varieties of this species available, most have elongated finnage and gaudy colouration. The wild form is seldom seen for sale. Unfortunately many commercially bred guppies are not very hardy due to inbreeding and over-production and are prone to disease and premature death. We therefore recommend the purchase of quality stock from breeders or society auctions.
P. …

An incredibly hardy, long-lived fish which can survive for over 20 years in captivity. These fish develop real personality and can learn to recognise their owner. They are often sold as cute juveniles in aquatic shops with no information provided as to their adult size. The young have an attractive barred patterning which fades as the fish grow, which they do very quickly. A golden variety also exists in aquaria.

O. goramy is cultured commercially for food on a large scale in several countrie…

One of the most popular and instantly recognisable fishes in the aquarium hobby, this species has been selectively-bred to produce a number of additional strains including albino, ‘golden’ (leucistic), short-bodied, long-finned and ‘diamond’ (in which the dorsal surface is covered in reflective scales).

Unfortunately years of commercial breeding have somewhat affected the genetic vigour of the ornamental strain meaning morphological defects an…

This species is available in many different colour forms and varieties, all of which have been selectively bred for the aquarium trade. These are seen much more often than the natural form, which is the blue-grey three spotted fish. They include gold, opaline, cosby, marbled and silver forms. T. trichopterus is one of the hardiest fish commonly available in the trade and can adapt to many different water conditions. However it is recommended to the beginner with reservations regarding it's …

An incredibly hardy, nocturnal species with very poor vision, P. senegalus relies on its excellent sense of smell to locate food. This species, along with others of its genus, are some of the last surviving relatives of very ancient species. Fossils of earlier relatives have been found that date back to the Triassic Period, which occured during the early development of the dinosaurs more than 200 million years ago.

They have several interesting adaptations. The swim bladder is divided into 2 …