Our marine specialist stores carry a lot of frags, some of these are produced instore by our staff and it’s become the norm to see rows of brightly coloured tiny corals during store visits. In contrast, seeing a larger specimen such as this Metallic red brain coral (Symphyllia sp.) at our Leicester store is all the more impressive. Had we used a filter to take this photo, more of the warm pigments would be apparent but there’s always something to be said for that dayglo green. Check our store finder for your nearest marine stockist.

Keeping Aulonocara was always a case of having one colourful male, alongside a number of brown females which would ensure he was always looking his best in an effort to impress. For some, this is still the way to keep them but the last decade or so has seen the rise of aquarium strains of hybrids such as this Dragon peacock (Aulonocara hybrid) which inherit colours previously unknown, together with a more outgoing nature which probably comes from the Mbuna genes that make these colours possible. With these fish, the females are more colourful than their wild ancestors and they’re still easy going enough to make them less disruptive in a community of less aggressive Malawian haplochromines. This male was trying to impress the females at our Thornbury branch.

https://www.fishkeeper.co.uk/help-and-advice/freshwater/cichlids/calico-peacock

A popular community fish for decades now bred into a few colour forms, these Gold harlequins (Trigonostigma heteromorpha) are perfect aquarium inhabitants. Assumed by many to be tetras, these rasboras are related to barbs but don’t let their rowdy relatives put you off. This batch was a highlight of a recent visit to our Newbury store.

https://www.fishkeeper.co.uk/help-and-advice/freshwater/cyprinids/harlequin-rasbora

With the rise in energy prices, it’s good to know that fishkeepers still have plenty of options and it’s nice to know that some familiar fishes are on your side. Having been developed before the advent of reliable aquarium heaters, the Hawaii variatus platy (Xiphophorus variatus) is a colourful option for both unheated and cool tropical aquaria. Despite the name, this fish’s ancestors are Mexican and inhabit cooler highland waters. This male was one of a batch at our Thornbury store.

https://www.fishkeeper.co.uk/help-and-advice/freshwater/livebearers/variatus-platy

The smallest member of the family and one of the most cold-hardy, Rao’s snakehead (Channa andrao) needs a cold winter rest to remain in good health. This makes them the perfect fish for anyone prepared to go to temperature extremes and put in the effort to keep these pocket sized predators. Although liable to eat small tankmates, dwarf snakeheads have much in common with mouth-brooding Bettas and prefer invertebrates and dried food as a staple diet. This one was chilling in the temperate system of our Lechlade store.

https://www.fishkeeper.co.uk/help-and-advice/freshwater/anabantids/andrao-snakehead