Having been bred into a large number of colour and finnage forms, the aquarium lines of Bristlenose catfish (Ancistrus sp.) are perfect algae eating community residents for all but the smallest aquaria. These well-grown albinos at our Andover branch are easily sexed and almost as easily bred, as males are excellent fathers and do most of the hard work for you.

https://www.fishkeeper.co.uk/fish/freshwater/catfish/bristlenose-catfish- 

I think it’s fair to say that we can call off the search for Nemo – pretty much every reef tank has a pair of Ocellaris clownfish, often in a captive bred colour form that takes natural variation and runs with it. Many clowns are beautiful in their wild form and these Black-footed clowns (Amphiprion nigripes) were looking gorgeous at our Farnham store. These are one of the rarer species in captivity and less aggressive than some of their deeper-bodied relatives such as Clark’s or Tomato clowns.

Tropheus are fishes for the specialist and despite having a fair bit in common with the Mbuna cichlids of Malawi, they’ve never really caught on as mainstream fish. These Firecracker Trophues (Tropheus sp. ‘red’) were looking good at Atherstone and are perhaps the opposite of current freshwater fashion, in that they need a very big tank with no plants but lots of rockwork. In return they offer many of the challenges and rewards of marine fish but with the bonus of producing fry if kept properly.

https://www.fishkeeper.co.uk/fish/freshwater/cichlids/firecracker-tropheus

Pufferfishes always have devoted fans and some species ask a lot of their keepers, either growing to the size of a family dog in the case of Mbu or requiring a slightly salty set up in the case of the green spotted puffers and their kin. The Red-tailed red-eyed puffer (Carinotetraodon irrubesco) is a soft water fish native to areas rich in plant growth and fares best when kept in groups comprising a single male with multiple females, unless the aquarium is very large. These were seen at our Wigan store, which has a nice selection of oddball species.

https://www.fishkeeper.co.uk/fish/freshwater/miscellaneous/red-tailed-red-eyed-puffer-

The Red-tailed penguin tetra (Thayeria sp. ‘red tail Teles Pires’) is a recent arrival that’s starting to appear in our stores as captive bred specimens. Like many penguin tetras it seems to be most comfortable at the water’s surface (scratches optional) and when settled in a furnished aquarium the colours intensify significantly. Care seems to be identical to the commonly seen T. boehlkei but as these fish are only a few generations from the wild, soft water would probably be appreciated. These youngsters were at our Wilton store, along with a lot of tasty unusual trops.

Although more well known as one of our specialist Japanese koi stores, our Wenvoe branch had some very nice trops including these cracking Dwarf chain loaches (Ambastaia sidthimunki). Long prized amongst fishkeepers for their charisma and snail-eating abilities, these are the fish that should replace Clown loaches for snail control in most aquaria. Interestingly, mature fish get a similar high-backed chunky body shape that in modern parlance could be termed as either ‘thicc’ or ‘oh lawd he comin’ – terms that can’t be found in any of the reference books from the 60s onward that otherwise give full accounts of these fish.

https://www.fishkeeper.co.uk/fish/freshwater/cyprinids/dwarf-chain-loach-