YOUR EVERYDAY FIELD GUIDE

Discover the world on the other side of the glass.

Fishes / Habitat

Choosing the Right Substrate for a Saltwater Aquarium

Substrate is the material lining the bottom of the tank, and in a saltwater aquarium it does more than fill space. It houses beneficial bacteria, supports burrowing fish and invertebrates, and in some

3 min read

Fishes / Habitat

How to Control and Prevent Algae in Your Fish Tank

Almost every aquarist runs into algae at some point, and the honest truth is that a small amount is actually a sign of a functioning ecosystem rather than a failure on your part. The goal is not to el

3 min read

Fishes / Habitat

Glass Catfish: A Fish You Can See Straight Through

The glass catfish has a genuinely transparent body, with its skeleton and internal organs visible through the skin, leaving only the head and organs as solid, visible structures against an otherwise s

2 min read

Fishes / Habitat

Zebra Danio: The Aquarium Fish That Became a Lab Icon

The zebra danio, Danio rerio, is a small, energetic fish with horizontal blue and silver stripes, native to slow-moving streams and rice paddies across the Ganges and Brahmaputra river basins of India

2 min read

Fishes / Habitat

Bala Shark: A Peaceful Giant With a Shrinking Wild Home

The bala shark, also called the tricolor shark, is not a true shark at all but a large, torpedo-shaped member of the carp family, sharing only a superficial resemblance and swimming style with real sh

2 min read

Fishes / Habitat

Rosy Barb: A Cool-Tolerant Splash of Pink

The rosy barb, Pethia conchonius, carries a rosy pink to orange-red body, most vivid in breeding males. It is capable of reaching up to fourteen centimetres in the wild, but aquarium-raised fish are c

2 min read