Rosy Barb... Pethia conchonius.

These are a favourite of mine. Pretty much bomb proof so long as your water contains enough dissolved oxygen, rosys don't mind cooler water and fall very definitely into the 'temperate' zone of fishkeeping. Exact water parameters are not critical, but avoid extremes.

These ones and Neon Rosy barbs, and they differ from the wild fish by having a more uniform colour. Males turn red when mature, whereas females are a more golden colour. 

They never stop swimming, are the first up for food and are just generally a brilliant fish to keep. I'd go for a decent shoal, like at least 6 but preferably more. This does mean they need to be in a reasonably sized tank, maybe 100 litre or more.

A fish you can probably breed in a bucket, they are egg scatterers with a taste for their own eggs and fry. So long as you get the parents out quickly after spawning, the fry are easy to raise.

A quick note from my personal experience, although peaceful, rosys seem to like mowing the dorsal fins or corydoras catfish. They dont do anything else... you just end up with corys that look like they were attacked by a bad barber.

I've never encountered any other issues with these, so I assume its just down to their exhuberant lifestyle.

Honestly though, if its movement and colour that you want, you can't look past these.

Penguin tetra..... Thayeria boehlkei

Once you get past the mouthful of a latin name, Penguins are a slightly quirky addition to your tank. 

Their natural swimming position sees them raise their heads about 30 degrees from horizontal, so they do stand out amongst similar looking fish.

Originally from South America, they like softer water for breeding purposes, but are quite happy around a neutral pH, which is what they live in at Gateshead Guppies.

I'd recommend buying at least 10 for the full shoaling effect, and give them a little water flow to play in. 

Neon tetra... Paracheirodon innesi

Ah yes, the neon tetra. Practically everyone's go to fish for colour in a community tank.

These are produced in their millions all over the world, and I keep plenty in stock here at all times. 

They can be a challenge to breed in tanks, mainly I believe, because the eggs are sensitive to light and therefore need almost total darkness for a few days after spawning. They also need a fairly low pH to spawn in the first place, which can be achieved using RO water or rain water.

Most people buy these little fish just to look at, however. I really wouldn't get less than 10. It's pointless. 20 is even better. or maybe 50. You get the idea. 

xiphophorus maculatus (Mickey mouse variety)

From Mexico and Central America, these get to around 5 cm (2 inches).

Platies like moderately hard water with a Ph above 7. They don't do too well in soft water. 

These are livebearing fish that will deliver 10-40 youg every 30 days or so, although most of these will fall prey to other tank inhabitants if the fishkeeper doesn't take steps to separate the fry from adults.

Platies are peaceful and can live happily in most community tanks.

Khuli loach .... Pangio Sp.

These are fun... I'd recomment very fine, smooth gravel, or sand is even better. 

They spend a lot of time in the substrate, or wrapped around the bottom of plant stems. You will see more of them if you buy a decent group. Like a lot of loaches, they might become shy if kept in 1s and 2s. 

It the shop, I keep them on shallow sand to make catching them easier, but you should provide them with lots of plant cover and hiding holes. They live happily with peaceful fish such as guppies, small tetras and betta.

I've heard of people breeding these, usually by accident. Stories like, 'Well, I only put 5 in, but when I moved house I found 9' are quite common. 

To complicate the breeding, however, is the number of species that seem to arrive all mixed together. It any bag of 50-60 of these that Ive seen, I can usually see at least 4 different species. They're impossible to sort out at shop level, so your best bet would be to buy a large group and grow them on.

Having no scales, they are sensitive to treatments because they absorb the chemicals through their skin and overdose so much quicker than other fish. With this is mind, I'd always recommend quarantining these, or indeed any fish you put in with them.

Albino glowlight tetra ..... Hemmigrammus erythrozonus.

(Copy/paste from standard glowlight description. Easy-peasy, nice and squeezy)

An ever-popular tetra from South America. Very similar to neons in terms of care. Keep lots of them, fine up to neutral pH but need softer for breeding.

These are a nice fish in heavily planted tanks and will shoal happily in areas of clear water.

Nothing else to say about them really. Peaceful, small, hardy and attractive.

Glowlight tetra. Hemmigrammus erythrozonus.

An ever-popular tetra from South America. Very similar to neons in terms of care. Keep lots of them, fine up to neutral pH but need softer for breeding.

These are a nice fish in heavily planted tanks and will shoal happily in areas of clear water.

Nothing else to say about them really. Peaceful, small, hardy and attractive.

Cherry Barb... Puntius titteya

The picture is awful.... Ask google for better ones, until I find the time to take more.

Unfortunately believed to be extinct in its original home of Sri Lanka, this wonderful little fish has at least managed to avoid the fates of some of its neighbours by being ridiculously easy to breed in captivity.

Mature adult males are pretty much scarlet red, especially when they are in the mood. Females are more of an orange colour, and still a very nice fish in their own right.

Very peaceful, these were living with pygmy corydoras until I sold out of pygmies, they're quiet and colourful. 

Buy 10 at least, give them plenty cover and other peaceful tankmates and you'll have some happy cherries.

Breeding wise, I've bred these myself. Either in pairs or maybe quads (at least 2 males seems to be effective. Provides an urgency due to competition). Just in a small tank rammed with plants or wool mops. Leave them somewhere dark and quiet for 3-4 days. Remove adults. Wait a week, maybe more. I find the fry move so slowly that you often don't see them for a few days after hatching. They feed fine on powdered fry food and grow fairly quickly, which is perhaps the only quick thing they do in their lives.

Bolivian ram ... Mikrogeophagus altispinosus

A hardy dwarf cichlid, ideal takmates for things like larger tetras, angelfish etc. They like a planted tank and are sooooo much tougher than the other fish we know as 'rams'.

Supposedly easy to breed, I've never actually tried so you may as well ask google or the fish bloke round the corner.

These top out at about 3 inches, noy including the tail. I wouldn't trust them with neons, guppies and other small stuff, but theyre fine with fish that are less swallowable.

Telling males and females apart is possible, although never 100% accurate when buying from a tank with lots of individuals and not much cover. You'll find that many sub-dominant males will not show their colours in the presence of a dominant male, and so they all look like females. Your best bet is to buy 4-6 and let them grow up and pair off, then move on the spares.

Paradise fish .... macropodus opercularis

Perhaps the original 'tropical' fish. People were keeping and breeding these in the UK when the Queen was called Victoria, so it can't be that hard.

They are fine in tropical temperatures, up to about 26 degrees, but they will happily live and breed at room temperature. 

Males in full breeding dress are absolutely stunning, and with their full tail extentions can look much bigger than they actually are. Body size tops out at about 4 inches, but the tail can be just as long so they can look massive when displaying to their lady friends.

They are bubble nesting air breathers, related to gouramis, and hardier, if thats possible. A very overlooked fish which really deserves to be owned by more people. Everyone should have paradisefish.

Bulgarian Seal Point Angelfish .... Pterophyllum scalare.

Angelfish are about as Bulgarian as Rams are Gernam, but apparently it was a Bulgarian who first produced these (I researched that. Did wonder where the name came from).

Anyway... Angelfish. Some people love them, some think they are devil-spawn. Usually, people in the latter camp have either had them in too-small tanks or with small fish, AKA angelfish food.

Yes, they eat things like neon tetras. Of course they do. A lot of people dont realise that angels are cichlids, and are therefore predatory and territorial. Fantastic fish if kept in the correct environment. Terrors if not. 

Give them plenty of space and company... These are a shoaling fish outside of ther breeding season, but can live as pairs if you can't house a lot of adults together. If you want to keep a few, plant the tank and use decor to break up sight lines. That way, if a pair decides to spawn, the others can get out of the way without being relentlessly picked on.

Blackline-tail tetra... Moenkhausia costae

I mean, how clumsy is that common name? May as well call Neons 'half red stripe tetra'.

All the marketing minds in the aquarium trade, and no-one came up with Tick Tetra? I might start my own campaign. See if I can go viral.

Anyway... These seem to be failry new in the hobby. Pretty sure I saw them about 8 years ago for about £12 each, so the sanity elves have crept in here, at least. They are a lovely fish, I don't know much about them but a well known aquatic chain has them listed as up to 2.5 inches maximum. 

They seem peacefull, although I've only kept them with platies so far, there's no nips or anything on the platy fins so that's a good sign.

As with all tetras, I'd buy 10+ to get their shoaling behaviour on display.

Neocaridina Sp. 

Black neon... Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodi

Forever known as black neons, these look nothing of the sort, but never mind.

Care and breeding is much the same. if you want to multiply them, you need softer water and little to no light.

Very peaceful, but do get a little larger than neons. I've seen these at about 1.5 inches and the body is deeper than their namesakes as well.

Get at least 10. They look lost otherwise. 

Albino bichir .... Polypterus senegalus.

These get a lot of attention in the shop. Peaceful but predatory, they are fine with larger fish and things that are not long and thin. 

They do get to around 12 inches, so be aware of that before you put them in with tomorrow's supper.

They do seem to be more active if they have company, so maybe more than 1 would be a good idea, but I dont think they're particularly sociable.

Xiphophorus maculatus (red wag)

From Mexico and Central America, these get to around 5 cm (2 inches).

Platies like moderately hard water with a Ph above 7. They don't do too well in soft water. 

These are livebearing fish that will deliver 10-40 youg every 30 days or so, although most of these will fall prey to other tank inhabitants if the fishkeeper doesn't take steps to separate the fry from adults.

Platies are peaceful and can live happily in most community tanks.

Xiphophorus maculatus (Sunset)

From Mexico and Central America, these get to around 5 cm (2 inches).

Platies like moderately hard water with a Ph above 7. They don't do too well in soft water. 

These are livebearing fish that will deliver 10-40 youg every 30 days or so, although most of these will fall prey to other tank inhabitants if the fishkeeper doesn't take steps to separate the fry from adults.

Platies are peaceful and can live happily in most community tanks.

Barbodes semifasciolatus. 

China, Laos, Vietnam, and Thailand.

Size Gold barbs are typically 2–2.75 inches (5–7 cm) long.

Females are larger than males when fully grown.

Gold barbs are a peaceful, hardy species that are native to Asia. They are omnivores that eat a variety of foods, including pellets, flakes, brine shrimp, and bloodworm. They prefer temperatures at the lower end of the tropical range, and the water should be well-filtered with a decent level of oxygenation. 

Cleithracara maronii

Origin; Orinoco delta in Venezuela, eastwards through Guyana and Suriname to the Ouanary River, in eastern French Guiana.

Maximum size; 5 inches (15cm), although 3-4 inches is more common.

These wonderfully peaceful cichlids live in small streams with clear water and lots of decaying vegetation.

A minimum aquarium size of 90 litres, with plenty of hiding places, would allow a pair to feel quite at home.

It is recommended to buy a small group of 4-6 young fish and allow a pair to develop naturally.

Tankmates should be peaceful but robust, such as Corydoras catfish, hatchetfish, pencilfish, tetras, and suckermouth catfish. The presence of such 'dither fish' should help encourage these shy cichlids to venture out into the open a little more. Take care when carrying out maintenance on the aquarium, as these fish are so easily startled.

Breeding

Keyholes lay their eggs on  a flat surface, such as a rock or leaf. Both parents care for the eggs and fry.