African butterfly cichlid There’s a species of dwarf cichlid that deserves to be more popular, it’s peaceful when not protecting its young and should be as popular as the far more delicate Ram. It also has the integrity not to appear as long-finned, balloon or electric blue strains and years of captive breeding have even failed to deliver an albino form. Known for years as the Dwarf jewel cichlid, the African butterfly cichlid (Anomalochromis thomasi) is probably the best cichlid for a community aquarium and this particular one was part of a batch of the largest specimens I’ve seen for some time, although still no threat to tetras. This dark and moody male was seen at our Scotsdale branch.

https://www.fishkeeper.co.uk/fish/freshwater/cichlids/african-butterfly-cichlid

Goldfish

Autumn is here and our seasonal pond fish stocking is seeing vats becoming more bare. Temperatures are still high enough to add new fish to established ponds and as ever, many of the fishes that have spent the warmer months growing are now excellent value. Not only are some of these fish significantly larger than when they arrived, some stores are discounting them to prepare for the colder months ahead.

Marbled Hillstream loach (Sewellia marmorata),

Hillstream loaches are enjoying some well-deserved appreciation at the moment and new species are flooding in almost as fast as the currents they call home. One such new face is the Marbled Hillstream loach (Sewellia marmorata), closely related to its Reticulated cousin which has now become an extremely popular aquarium fish. These specialised loaches expect excellent water quality and are more insectivorous than you’d expect given their adaptations to scraping rocks for a living. This one was seen at our Thornbury store.

https://www.fishkeeper.co.uk/fish/freshwater/cyprinids/gold-ring-hillstream-loach

Neon rainbows (Melanotaenia praecox)Most of the fish that you see in shops are youngsters and it’s easy to forget that some of them look significantly different when they mature – rainbowfishes are a great example of that. Having grown accustomed to seeing juvenile Neon rainbows (Melanotaenia praecox) it was nice to get a reminder of the distinctive deep-bodied shape that mature males acquire. With all that reflective blue colouration these are a fish that look stunning when light enters the side of their tank and a little sunlight brings out the best in them. These were seen at our Cirencester branch.

https://www.fishkeeper.co.uk/fish/freshwater/rainbow-fish/dwarf-neon-rainbowfish

Shotsilk goby (Ptereleotris zebra), Related to the Firefish and known in the trade as the Shotsilk goby (Ptereleotris zebra), these elegant dartfishes have a long history as reef tank residents. Like all of their relatives, they like to have a cave or burrow to call home and will hover above it waiting for plankton to drift by. Shotsilk gobies are entirely trustworthy with corals and other invertebrates and are one of those fish that gets more striking the closer you look at them, with highlights that stand out under the blue lighting which often dominates an aquarium set up for corals. They can also be kept in pairs and groups, so in short they make the perfect choice for a spacious reef tank with placid companions. These were watching the world go by at Reefkeeper Moss End.

https://www.fishkeeper.co.uk/fish/marine/miscellaneous-fish/shotsilk-goby