The Pond Life Aquatics Weekly Stock Update: November 7th, 2025
Welcome back to another weekly stock update from Pond Life Aquatics and Tropical Fish London!
This week brings some absolutely stunning arrivals that I'm genuinely excited about. We've got beautiful plecos with glowing blue eyes, hardy South American cichlids that actually work in community tanks, classic angelfish with stunning koi patterns, and a rare Australian species we've been trying to get in for weeks!
Whether you're a beginner looking for forgiving species or an experienced keeper wanting something special, this week has something for everyone.
Let's dive in!
South American Stock Highlights
Blue Eye Ancistrus (Ancistrus sp.)
Starting off strong this week, we have these absolutely gorgeous Blue Eye Ancistrus - and these guys are something really special!
Care Requirements:
- Tank Size: 100 liters (25 gallons) minimum for a single fish; 200-250 liters (55-65 gallons) for breeding groups
- Temperature: 23-27°C (73-81°F)
- pH: 6.5-8.0 (extremely adaptable!)
- Diet: Algae eaters - MUST have driftwood
- Lifespan: 10-20 years when kept well
- Special Notes: These specimens carry the longfin gene!
What sets these guys apart from your regular Ancistrus is their amazing golden bodies with these brilliant blue eyes that just shine out from their faces. While something like a common pleco can get absolutely massive and become a tank buster, Blue Eye Ancistrus only reach around 12-15 centimeters long, making them a perfect choice for so many more fishkeepers.
Now here's what makes these particular specimens incredibly interesting: they're from a private breeder who was breeding longfin Blue Eye Ancistrus. Although these guys have come out short-finned, they do carry that longfin gene. For home breeders (and these guys are very easy to breed), you may well be able to express that longfin trait!
I'd actually say it's quite likely, particularly if both of their parents were longfin Ancistrus. Usually an allele like that will jump a generation. So if you have two Blue Eye Ancistrus that carry the longfin gene, you'll probably end up with longfin fry. This makes them an absolutely cracking project for anyone interested in breeding.
Sexual Dimorphism: You can tell males apart from females quite easily. As males mature, they develop long bristles on their snouts - hence the name "Bristlenose Catfish." These bristles will continue growing into adulthood, which can take quite a while since these guys can live between 10 and 20 years when kept properly!
Breeding Setup: If I was setting up an aquarium to potentially breed these guys, I'd be thinking about a 200-250 liter aquarium. I'd include lots of PVC pipes, a sand base, and plenty of bogwood for them to munch on - which is absolutely crucial for Bristlenose Plecos. These guys will rasp wood regularly, and you'll often find little brown shavings on the substrate where your Bristlenose have been munching.
Feeding: As long as you have driftwood in the tank, these guys will graze quite happily on any algae in the aquarium, making them a perfect clean-up crew. That being said, you should supplement with a good algae wafer to ensure they're getting enough food.
Bristlenose Catfish are such a great choice for so many different fishkeepers looking for a pleco that isn't going to get huge. Additionally, they offer a great breeding project for home breeders, and honestly, they're just such a stunning little fish. I'm so happy we have them in, and hopefully somebody will take them home and set up a little breeding colony!
Bolivian Red Rams (Mikrogeophagus altispinosus)
If you've ever tried to keep Electric Blue Rams and had a terrible time with them - as a lot of fishkeepers do - this might be the fish for you!
Care Requirements:
- Tank Size: 100 liters (25 gallons) minimum; 150 liters (40 gallons) ideal for small groups
- Temperature: 23-27°C (73-81°F) - much more forgiving than German Blue Rams!
- pH: 6.0-7.5 (tolerates harder water!)
- Tank Mates: Peaceful community fish - cardinal tetras, black neons, smaller rainbowfish
- Special Notes: Prolific sand diggers - use smooth substrate
Bolivian Red Rams are such a brilliant alternative to the regular Electric Blue Rams you'll see very commonly in the trade, and that's because these guys are so much hardier than their Electric Blue counterparts.
Electric Blue Rams are typically very temperamental. They need temperatures up to 30°C (86°F) to be comfortable, prefer softer water, and realistically won't tolerate being in harder water aquariums. However, Bolivian Reds are so much more adaptable! They can tolerate pH from around 6 to 7.5, and cooler water temperatures of 23-27°C make them so much better for community aquariums.
These guys will very happily go inside your regular community tank. Make sure you have at least 100 liters, ideally around 150 liters if you're going for a small group. They'll get along with pretty much anything that doesn't have long fins - so you can keep them very happily with things like cardinal tetras, black neons, smaller rainbowfish, anything that they aren't going to start nipping at.
They are a generally very peaceful species and are probably the most beginner-friendly cichlid you're going to find in the trade. They really don't have those niggles that a lot of other species have, just making them such a great alternative. What's brilliant is that even though they're so much easier to keep, they're equally as stunning! With those gorgeous bodies and the red starting to go through the fins, they're such a stunning addition to any community aquarium, and they behave beautifully.
Biotope Setup: If you're setting up an aquarium for them, think about a Bolivian biome: soft sand (these guys are prolific sand diggers!), smooth stones, bogwood, Vallisneria, and Cryptocoryne. Make sure you break up their sight lines as males can be territorial towards each other.
Group Dynamics: If I was going to keep them in a group, I'd aim for one male to maybe two or three females. Males can just start to really tick each other off, so having that ratio helps keep the peace.
Bolivian Rams spawn and behave very similarly to other ram species - they're substrate spawners who will choose a nice flat stone or piece of bogwood to lay their eggs on. Both parents will protect the eggs and fry, making them fascinating to watch during breeding.
I absolutely cannot recommend Bolivian Red Rams enough, especially for anyone who's been put off by the difficulty of keeping German Blue Rams!
Koi Angelfish (Pterophyllum scalare)
Moving onto a true classic of the aquarium trade - we have stunning Koi Angelfish in stock!
Care Requirements:
- Tank Size: 200 liters (55 gallons) minimum
- Temperature: 24-28°C (75-82°F)
- pH: 6.0-7.5
- Tank Height: Minimum 50cm (20 inches) tall - these are tall-bodied fish!
- Tank Mates: Peaceful community fish - avoid long-finned species
- Special Notes: Will eat very small fish; incredibly personable
Angelfish are probably one of the most well-known aquarium fish in the trade, and there's a very good reason for that: they're absolutely stunning.
These guys originate from the Amazon River basin and its tributaries across South America. In the wild, you'll find them in slow-moving waters with lots of vegetation - they use those tall bodies and vertical stripes as camouflage among aquatic plants and submerged tree roots.
Why Koi Angels are Special: Koi Angelfish are a true show-stopper variety. They've been bred to look like koi carp with those stunning orange and white bodies and little speckles of black and different colors throughout them. I'd describe them almost like a snowflake fish - you're never going to see two koi angels exactly the same. Each one has unique patterning.
Tank Setup: When setting up for angelfish, remember they need height! A minimum tank height of 50 centimeters is essential because of their tall body shape. Think about lots of vertical plants like Amazon Swords and Vallisneria, driftwood arrangements that create height, and subdued lighting to replicate their natural blackwater habitat.
Behavior: Angelfish are a pair-bonding, maternal species. When these guys pair off, they will stay together for a long period of time and will protect their eggs and young fry. Watching angelfish breed and care for their fry is a really rewarding thing to experience in the aquarium trade.
Angels can be kept happily in peaceful community tanks, although keep them away from long-finned fish - so don't keep them with bettas or fancy guppies as these guys will definitely nip them. However, they are an incredibly sociable species and have been known to start recognizing their owners, begging for food. They're just a super interesting, active fish to have in a larger community aquarium.
Feeding: Make sure you give them a varied diet of prepared foods, frozen, and live foods to really get the best colorations out of them.
Honestly, you can't go wrong with an angelfish. There's a reason they're a classic - it's because they are simply stunning.
Australian Stock Highlights
Empire Gudgeons (Hypseleotris compressa)
For our final showcase fish, we're heading to Australia! We have something that we've tried to get in for weeks and weeks, and I'm very happy to say we finally have a selection of Empire Gudgeons in stock!
Care Requirements:
- Tank Size: 80-100 liters (20-25 gallons) minimum
- Temperature: 22-28°C (72-82°F)
- pH: 6.5-8.0 (very adaptable!)
- Group Size: 6 or more - they're social and do best in groups
- Diet: Carnivorous - prefer live/frozen but will accept quality prepared foods
- Special Notes: Active swimmers, can be territorial but community-safe
Hailing from Australia and Papua New Guinea, these guys have beautiful iridescent blue and green bodies, red fins, and distinctive red horizontal lines over their eyes. Males are typically much more colorful than females. Although these guys are a bit skittish since they've only just arrived, you can already start to see them coloring up beautifully.
Alternative Names: These are also known as Fire Brick Gudgeons or Empire Gobies - just alternative names for the same stunning species.
These guys are very active swimmers and really put on a show once they've settled into a new space. You'll typically find them swimming in the middle and bottom of the aquarium. They can be somewhat territorial amongst themselves but will very happily go into a community aquarium.
Feeding: Empire Gudgeons are actually carnivorous. That doesn't mean you solely have to give them live and frozen food, but they will very much appreciate it. Once they've settled down enough, they will take prepared foods. That being said, having variety in a fish's diet will always make their colors shine that bit more than if you just keep them on regular prepared food.
Biotope Setup: If I was setting up an aquarium for these guys, I'd be thinking about an Australia/New Guinea biome: nice sand base, plants like Vallisneria, Java Fern, maybe some Anubias, bogwood, and some nice pieces of rounded stone. Make sure you give them low to moderate flow. Realistically, they're very adaptable and quite easy-to-keep fish.
Compatibility: Some people have said these can tolerate somewhat brackish waters; however, I would personally only ever really keep them in freshwater. If I was thinking about keeping these guys, I'd definitely be thinking about keeping them in something like a rainbowfish tank - maybe with some of the Red Sepik Rainbows I talked about a couple of weeks previously. Pseudomugils will go absolutely fine with them.
Important: Just don't keep them with long-fin variants! As is the case with a lot of the species I've talked about this week, they will absolutely destroy things like bettas and fancy guppies. Any long-fin alternative isn't going to be great - they'll probably nip at them over time.
Breeding: If you're looking to breed these guys, they are cave breeders. Make sure you offer them some nice hiding spaces to lay their eggs inside. As long as you have them in a group with a diversity of males and females, you really shouldn't have that tough a time breeding them on.
Empire Gudgeons are a beautiful, different kind of species - something we haven't seen from Australia before. I'm again just really glad that we have that diversity of fish to offer people something a little bit different that isn't going to absolutely bust their tank with massive sizes.
Honorable Mentions
Lamprologus multifasciatus (Shell Dwellers)
We got a fresh delivery of those Lamprologus multifasciatus (Multi's) that I discussed last week, and they've settled in wonderfully! However, they're in the quarantine room right now - not because there's anything wrong with them, just because we didn't have tank space in the main fish room. If you're interested in them, do just ask and we'll happily show you where they are!
Melon Barbs (Puntius fasciatus)
I couldn't get any good footage of these guys for the video (I'll try and do better next week!), but we have a small group of really stunning Melon Barbs in stock. For those who don't know what Melon Barbs are, they have gorgeous gold bodies, bright pink coloration on the males, and these beautiful panda stripes down their body. Absolutely wonderful addition - hopefully next week they'll settle into the tank better and I can give you a proper breakdown!
Special Offers & Events
Black Friday Sales Are Live!
Our Black Friday sales are now on! Keep an eye on our Instagram @pondlifeaquatics for all the deals throughout the weekend.
This Weekend Only: BOGOF Live Food!
Buy One Get One FREE on all live food this weekend only! Come in store, take advantage of that offer, and see some of the stunning fish we have in at the moment.
Coming Soon
Next Week: The first of my Christmas Gift Giving video series will be out! It took a bit longer to edit than I initially anticipated, but the main bulk of it is done now. I'll be finishing it up over this weekend and should have it out for you early next week.
I've also been a bit more active over on Instagram, so if you're interested in short-form videos and quick updates, you can check those out over at @pondlifeaquatics.
Final Thoughts
This week has been fantastic for variety - from hardy beginner cichlids to rare Australian species and everything in between. Whether you're looking for your first cichlid (Bolivian Rams!), a manageable pleco species (Blue Eye Ancistrus!), a classic centerpiece (Koi Angels!), or something truly unusual (Empire Gudgeons!), we've got you covered.
Thank you for reading and for all the support from both our regular customers and new visitors. We love chatting with you, learning from you, and sharing our passion for this incredible hobby.
See you in store!
Harris Bard
Pond Life Aquatics & Tropical Fish London
1 Finchley Nurseries, London NW7 1AS
Open 9am daily (Sunday 10am-4:30pm)
www.pondlifeaquatics.co.uk
Prefer to Watch?
For a full tour of this week's new arrivals and more detailed information about these species, check out our video update on YouTube. We go into much more depth about care requirements, tank setups, and show you the fish up close!
#AquariumFish #TropicalFish #BlueEyeAncistrus #BolivianRam #KoiAngelfish #EmpireGudgeon #LondonAquatics #PondLifeAquatics #Fishkeeping #AquariumHobby #CommunityTank #Cichlids #Plecos #AustralianFish