YOUR EVERYDAY FIELD GUIDE

Discover the world on the other side of the glass.

Fishes / Habitat

Australian Rainbowfish: Home-Grown Colour From Down Under

The Australian rainbowfish, most often the crimson-spotted rainbowfish Melanotaenia duboulayi or the closely related Murray River rainbowfish Melanotaenia fluviatilis depending on the shop, carries ir

2 min read

Fishes / Habitat

Platies: The Fish That Never Stops Colour-Changing

Xiphophorus maculatus, the platy, is a compact, hardy livebearer from Mexico and Central America that has been bred into more colour forms than almost any other aquarium fish. Sunset orange, red wagta

2 min read

Fishes / Habitat

Ranchu Goldfish: Japan's King of Goldfish

Bred in Japan from Chinese lionhead stock, the ranchu is often called the king of goldfish among serious fancy goldfish keepers. It shares the lionhead's dorsal-fin-less, egg-shaped body and raspberry

2 min read

Fishes / Habitat

Mollies: The Livebearer That Wants Salt in Its Water

The molly, Poecilia sphenops, is a chunkier livebearer native to Central America, popular across India in its black, silver and dalmatian-spotted forms. Adults reach ten to twelve centimetres, conside

2 min read

Fishes / Habitat

Zebra Loach: A Western Ghats Endemic Under Real Pressure

The zebra loach carries neat, narrow vertical stripes over a yellow-green body, staying smaller and more compact than several other Botia loaches, rarely exceeding ten centimetres. It is endemic to a

2 min read

Fishes / Habitat

Routine Aquarium Maintenance: What to Do and How Often

An aquarium that looks effortless has almost always had a quiet, consistent maintenance routine behind it. The good news is that routine care does not need to be complicated or time consuming. It need

3 min read