Having seen Gold dust eartheaters (Geophagus sp. ‘Alto Sinu’) in our stores for a few years, it was a treat to see fully-grown adults at our Cardiff store. They might have the hump but these 20cm cichlids are far less aggressive than they might appear – find out more in our databank:

https://www.fishkeeper.co.uk/help-and-advice/freshwater/cichlids/south-american-cichlids/gold-dust-eartheater

Thanks to their fondness for burrowing, these Horsefaced loaches (Acantopsis dialuzona) can help to keep substrates healthy and free of organic build up. They’ll often rest with just their snout and eyes visible, poking out of the sand and never get tired of being asked ‘why the long face?’ This batch at our Basingstoke branch were looking good. Find out more in their species profile here:

https://www.fishkeeper.co.uk/help-and-advice/freshwater/cyprinids/horsefaced-loach

Since doing a bit of research, I’ve noticed that most batches of Dwarf golden barbs are not the fish that they’re brought in as. Having looked at hundreds of them I’ve still yet to find the real Pethia gelius but I’ve seen lots of P. aureus, like this happy batch at our Woking store. It doesn’t really make much difference which of these little barbs you have, as they’re all ideally suited to small aquaria at room temperature or a little warmer. If you’re a fan of nano tanks and mysterious fish misidentification, take a look at what this tiny cyprinid has to offer:

https://www.fishkeeper.co.uk/help-and-advice/freshwater/cyprinids/dwarf-golden-barb

I know we say this a lot, but domesticated Bettas are getting fancier than they’ve ever been. This Red copper koi plakat (Betta splendens) is an extremely fancy fish whose profile appealed to our Weybridge store so much that they chose him from our breeder’s photo selection. Each week we’re offered a stunning array of these fish, so if you’re on the lookout for a fighter but nothing in stock appeals, you may be surprised at what you find when you ask the staff.

 https://www.fishkeeper.co.uk/help-and-advice/freshwater/anabantids/siamese-fighter

In these times of uncertain energy costs, what could be better than a fish that needs to be unheated for a few months of the year? This Rainbow snakehead (Channa bleheri) is the perfect choice for those wanting a fish with lots of character in a more manageable package. Snakeheads are not the savage fish predators that you might think, but their need for cold winters is just one of the reasons why they’re best kept in a species aquarium. Keep them cold enough and you’ll get a nice seasonal rest yourself from the usual chores of water changing and feeding. This batch at our Ascot store were looking in great shape.

https://www.fishkeeper.co.uk/help-and-advice/freshwater/miscellaneous/rainbow-snakehead

Summer may be a memory but it’s always tropical in the domestic reef aquarium. This Metallic red brain coral (Symphyllia sp.) at our Stapleton store is a stunner in any light, but it has shades that will dazzle under the blue wavelengths used by most coral keepers. Rather unusually, it’s also not been fragged and is a nice sized LPS addition to the right aquarium.