The Pond Life Aquatics Weekly Stock Update: October 31st, 2025
Welcome back to another weekly stock update from Pond Life Aquatics and Tropical Fish London!
This week brings a wonderful mix of fresh faces and old favourites to our fish room. From peaceful South American cichlids to absolutely stunning rare nano fish from Borneo, and even some fascinating shell-dwelling cichlids from Lake Tanganyika - we've got something special for everyone.
Whether you're a seasoned cichlid keeper or looking to set up your first nano aquarium, this week's arrivals are absolutely worth checking out.
Let's dive in!
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South American Stock Highlights
Electric Blue Acara (Andinoacara pulcher)
We're thrilled to have a fresh restock of Electric Blue Acara - one of the most peaceful cichlids you can keep in a community aquarium.
Care Requirements:
- Tank Size: 200-250 liters (55-65 gallons) for a pair
- Temperature: 22-28°C (72-82°F)
- Diet: Omnivorous - quality cichlid pellets, frozen foods
- Special Notes: Can be somewhat territorial but far less aggressive than many cichlids
While Electric Blue Acaras are relatively peaceful compared to other cichlids, they're not quite as laid-back as some community fish. They can hold their own but won't be nearly as nippy as species like Firemouths.
Breeding Behavior:
These guys will breed quite prolifically in captivity, and when they do, be prepared for some redecorating! They're diggers and will create pits to lay their eggs in. If you're aquascaping for breeding pairs, expect some of your carefully placed plants to get moved around. One of our friends had a pair that absolutely tore up his Sagittaria and Cryptocoryne when they went into breeding mode - so fair warning!
They're absolutely beautiful fish that work well in semi-peaceful community tanks alongside species like rummynose tetras, cardinal tetras, and corydoras.
Firemouth Cichlids (Thorichthys meeki)
For those looking for something with a bit more personality, we have stunning Firemouth Cichlids back in stock - one of those classic old-school aggressive cichlids.
Care Requirements:
- Tank Size: 250 liters (65 gallons) minimum
- Temperature: 24-28°C (75-82°F)
- Origin: Central America (Guatemala and Mexico)
- Special Notes: More boisterous than Acaras
Hailing from Central America, these guys are a bit more aggressive than your Acara species. While Acaras can work in semi-peaceful community tanks, Firemouths are best kept in more robust setups.
Tank Mates:
They can be kept alongside:
- Other Acaras
- Convict Cichlids
- Angelfish (with caution)
- Other similarly-sized, robust cichlids
Aquascaping Tips:
Although these guys are quite small when young, they get bigger and really show off that amazing flaring throat (hence "Firemouth"), particularly when they're displaying. Set up with about 250 liters minimum, lots of bogwood, Anubias, and Java Fern to give them plenty of hiding spaces. You'll be able to see them exhibit those natural behaviors where they flare and spar against each other.
Their colorations are absolutely stunning, and it's easy to see why they're one of those old-school favourite cichlids. In my opinion, they're one of the prettiest cichlids you can keep.
Hard Water Discus (Symphysodon spp.)
The king of the aquarium is looking absolutely spectacular this week! Our Hard Water Discus in the six-foot display tank are showing incredible colors.
Care Requirements:
- Tank Size: 250 liters (65 gallons) minimum for 6 fish; up to 400L for larger groups
- Temperature: 28-30°C (82-86°F)
- pH: Around 6.0 (slightly higher acceptable for hard water variants)
- Group Size: Minimum 6+ (they're highly social shoaling species)
- Special Notes: Keep an eye on pH even with hard water variants
I've talked about discus a lot on the channel, mainly because we have this dedicated six-foot tank specifically for keeping them. The key difference with our discus is that they're hard water bred.
Understanding Hard Water Discus:
In the wild, discus are found in the Amazon River basin where they experience very low general hardness and quite acidic waters. However, our discus have been bred over generations to tolerate higher hardness in the water column.
That said, you still need to watch your pH. If you're using London tap water (which typically sits around pH 8), you'll need to bring that down. Think about using:
- Peat moss (the old-school method)
- Botanicals like Indian almond leaf
- Tannin-stained water with lots of bogwood
I know peat moss is a touchy subject online, but it is effective. There are plenty of alternative methods using botanicals that work excellently as well.
Social Behavior:
Something I've noticed anecdotally - and this really emphasizes how social these fish are - is that when we sell the vast majority of discus from this tank and only one or two are left, they really struggle. They need to be kept in groups of at least six or more to truly thrive.
Aquascaping for Discus:
Go minimalist. The discus should be the centerpiece of your aquarium. Think about:
- Lots of bogwood coming up from the background
- Vallisneria for vertical interest
- Hornwort (like we have in our display)
- Keep it simple - the fish are the stars
Don't worry too much about elaborate aquascapes. It's why you don't see discus in crazy aquascaped designs - these guys are the showstopper fish in any aquarium they're in, and they deserve to take center stage.
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Asian Stock Highlights
Female Koi Plakat Bettas (Betta splendens)
Our Female Koi Plakat Bettas have settled in absolutely beautifully! They're looking stunning and we're slowly moving more from our quarantine room into the main display tank to avoid overcrowding the galaxy rasbora and female betta sorority setup.
Care Requirements:
- Tank Size: 20 liters (5 gallons) for individuals; 60+ liters for sororities
- Temperature: 24-27°C (75-81°F)
- Group Size for Sororities: 5+ females (more is better)
- Special Notes: Heavily plant sorority tanks to break up sightlines
We also have an absolutely stunning group of male bettas in, and male bettas are something we're kind of known for here at Pond Life Aquatics.
Our Betta Care Philosophy:
We try to give every single one of our male bettas at least 15 liters of space, which is uncommon in the tropical trade. You typically see bettas sold in betta barracks, which isn't ideal. I totally understand that shop spaces are limited and they don't want to use up huge amounts of tank space just for Siamese fighting fish.
But here at Pond Life Aquatics, we try to keep our fish as closely as we possibly can to how we would like to keep them at home. Within reason - there are lots of tanks I would love to absolutely aquascape, but it would make it impossible to sell out of. With our bettas in particular, we like to give them plenty of space and plenty of cover to make sure they feel comfortable.
It really shows in the color diversity we get and the quality of our Siamese fighting fish.
Phoenix Rasbora (Boraras merah) - Correction!
Important Note: In this week's video, I mistakenly identified these as Chili Rasbora (Boraras brigittae). These are actually Phoenix Rasbora (Boraras merah)! I apologize for the confusion - they're very similar in appearance and both are stunning micro rasboras from Borneo, so it's an understandable mix-up. Thanks to everyone who reached out to help with the correct identification!
This is the fish I'm most excited about this week! We haven't had Phoenix Rasbora in stock in such a long time, and they are an absolute favourite here at Pond Life Aquatics.
Care Requirements:
- Tank Size: 20-25 liters for small groups; 40+ liters for proper shoals of 12-20
- Temperature: 24-28°C (75-82°F)
- Origin: Peat swamps in Borneo
- Diet: Micro predators - baby brine shrimp, frozen cyclops, crushed micro pellets, quality flake
- Special Notes: Need mature tanks with biofilm
Fun fact: These were one of the first fish I ever successfully bred!
Hailing from peat swamps in Borneo, Phoenix Rasbora are one of the smallest species of fish you can keep in the aquarium trade. They're true micro predators with gorgeous red coloration and little black spots. They're absolutely fascinating little fish.
Getting the Best from Phoenix Rasbora:
If you want to see the best behaviors, keep them in larger groups (12-20) in a 40-liter aquarium. For smaller tanks (20-25 liters), you can get away with a small handful, but you'll miss out on their natural shoaling behavior.
Breeding Phoenix Rasbora:
Although these guys are tank-bred and will be absolutely fine in London tap water, if you want to breed them, you need to mimic their natural environment:
Breeding Setup Requirements:
- pH of 5.5-6.0
- Black substrate (I used one with buffering capacity to maintain pH around 6)
- Remineralized RO water
- Lots of Cryptocoryne
- Plenty of bogwood
- Floating plants (essential!)
Since these guys come from peat forests, they love dim lighting. Counterintuitively, if you give them lots of shade, you'll actually see those reds pop through even more than in brightly lit aquariums.
Baby Phoenix Rasbora Care:
Fair warning - if you're breeding them, be aware that their babies are absolutely tiny. When the eggs hatch, the fry are microscopic. You have to feed them infusoria initially - they can't even eat freshly hatched baby brine shrimp at first!
Tank Maturity Important:
Some people struggle with Phoenix Rasbora in immature tanks. Make sure your aquarium is well-developed with biofilm growing on surfaces. Give them lots of places to grub around.
I absolutely cannot recommend Phoenix Rasbora enough. Even if you aren't trying to breed them, they're one of the most popular nano fish for a reason. They look absolutely beautiful, and I'm so excited we finally have them back in stock!
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African Stock Highlights
Lamprologus multifasciatus (Shell Dwellers)
If you've ever been interested in keeping shell-dwelling cichlids from Lake Tanganyika but have always been worried about needing a larger aquarium - these are the fish for you!
Care Requirements:
- Tank Size: 70-100 liters (18-26 gallons) for a small colony
- Temperature: 24-27°C (75-81°F)
- pH: Around 8.0 (high pH, hard water)
- Shell Requirements: 2-3 shells per fish, clustered in groups
- Size: Only 4-5cm long - the smallest cichlid in Lake Tanganyika!
Really small shell-dwelling cichlids that are super easy to keep and absolutely fascinating to watch.
Our History with These Fish:
Although I've not shown them off on the channel before, and we haven't had this variant of Lamprologus in recently, these were one of the first species we ever kept at Pond Life Aquatics. Way back before we had any tropical fish room, when we literally had ponds in the ground with koi carp and goldfish doing primarily outdoor work, we had a display tank. After a trip to Neil Hardy Aquatics (one of our wholesalers), we decided to get some Lamprologus - and these guys were the ones we chose.
Breeding Behavior:
They are prolific breeders. Known as multi-shell cichlids, they absolutely need shells. As you can see in the aquarium, we have escargot shells scattered around (I did try to get more escargot shells, but the company sent me a knife instead - of all things!).
The males that become dominant will create a harem and mini colony structure. They'll breed and lay eggs inside the shells, with parents defending the eggs until they hatch. Then your colony will grow!
In the wild, you can find them in the hundreds. They're absolutely ideal for keeping in groups in a smaller aquarium if you're interested in Tanganyikan cichlids.
Aquascaping for Shell Dwellers:
- Substrate: Fine sand (they're prolific diggers!)
- pH Buffering: If you live outside London where tap water isn't naturally hard, use crushed coral sand or aragonite sand to buffer pH upwards
- Hardscape: Smooth stones with Anubias or Java Fern attached to break up sightlines
- The Main Feature: Shell scatter across the base - this IS your aquascape
Behavior:
They're relatively docile for Tanganyikan cichlids with gorgeous vertical lines on them. Watching males spar against each other, find shells to hide in, and exhibit breeding behaviors is absolutely fascinating.
I haven't seen them in so long, and it might be time to set up my own aquascape at home! Hopefully we'll be able to get restocks if these sell (which I'm almost certain they will).
UPDATE: SOLD OUT
Cherry Congo Tetras (Alestopetersius brichardi)
Underneath the shell dwellers, we have something equally exciting - and this is a species I hadn't even heard of before last week!
Care Requirements:
- Tank Size: 120 liters (30 gallons) minimum (splitting the difference between sources)
- Temperature: 23-27°C (73-81°F)
- pH: 6.0-7.0 (prefer slightly acidic conditions)
- Group Size: 8-10 minimum (they can be skittish in smaller groups)
- Origin: Congo River
How We Got These:
One of our customers who came in and bought a lot of the blue-eyed Congos from our previous video mentioned he couldn't get hold of these guys anywhere. We managed to source them - and quite big specimens at that!
I can absolutely see why he wanted us to get them in. They have this absolutely stunning gold stripe across their body, and even as they're still coloring up, you start to see flickers of blue along their bodies going into bright cherry finnage. They're absolutely mesmerizing fish.
My Research:
I've done a whole bunch of research on them this week, and honestly, I'm just so excited by them. It's very rare that there are fish we can get in that I've never heard of, and even rarer that when we get them in, they live up to what I've seen online. These guys absolutely do.
I know they're just going to keep getting even more colorful, but they're already stunning.
Tank Size Debate:
When researching minimum tank sizes, there was a lot of conflicting information. One site suggested 100 liters for 8-10 fish is reasonable as long as it's a long aquarium (these are horizontal mid-dwelling swimmers). Another site said minimum 200 liters for 8-10 fish.
I'm splitting the difference: 120 liters (like a Fluval Roma 110) is probably the minimum you'd want for these guys.
Group Size is Non-Negotiable:
Every forum and care guide agreed - you need to keep these guys in at least a group of 8-10. They can be relatively skittish when you first get them, and unless you get them in those groups, they just won't settle well.
Breeding:
The customer who requested them has bred them in captivity before. Reading online, you can breed them quite readily. Males will spar and show off amazing colorations through their finnage, then females scatter eggs, and males fertilize them. Hopefully you'll get fry in a few days.
Ideal Setup for Cherry Congo Tetras:
If I was setting up an aquarium for these guys, I'd go with:
- 150-200 liter tank
- Heavily planted blackwater setup
- Beautiful pieces of bogwood
- Lots of Cryptocoryne species, Anubias, Java Fern
- Gorgeous tea-stained water with dimish lighting to really show off those reds and blues
Tank Mates:
They'll go along fine with:
- Pretty much every other tetra species
- Smaller catfish: Corydoras, small synodontis, banjo cats
- Just avoid anything too boisterous that might make them more skittish
Final Thoughts:
I'm really pleased we're getting in these rarer species and selling them because people are interested in keeping cooler, more interesting species than your standard offerings. I can't thank everyone who comes in and requests these species enough - it allows me to learn about new fish and enjoy them while they're in the store.
This is just another one of those species I can't get enough of. Thank you for that!
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Special Announcement: Black Friday Sales!
🔥 Our Black Friday sales are NOW ON!
We have gorgeous BiOrb Tube 15L tanks available at £20 cheaper than Amazon - perfect for cherry shrimp setups or as Christmas gifts for aspiring aquarists!
Come down to the store to grab these amazing deals while stock lasts.
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What's Coming Up at Pond Life Aquatics?
📹 Christmas Gift Aquarium Series (3 Parts):
I'll be filming over the next week with the first video going up next week. Whether you're thinking about giving an aquarium as a gift or just want tips on keeping your aquariums in top condition during the holidays, this series will have valuable information for everyone.
📚 Nature Aquarium Book Giveaway:
We've got a Nature Aquarium video in the works where I'll be giving away some Nature Aquarium books. This is going to be absolutely awesome, so keep an eye out for that!
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Final Thoughts
This week has been wonderful for bringing in a mix of old favourites and genuinely new discoveries. From peaceful Electric Blue Acaras to the absolutely stunning Cherry Congo Tetras that even I hadn't heard of before, there's something special for every type of aquarist.
I'm particularly excited about the Chili Rasbora being back - they hold a special place in my heart as one of my first successful breeding projects. And those shell dwellers? They're just endlessly fascinating with their colony behaviors.
Thank you to all our customers who request these rarer species and push us to source more interesting fish. Your enthusiasm for the hobby is what drives us to keep bringing in these special arrivals.
See you in store!
Harris Bard
Pond Life Aquatics & Tropical Fish London
1 Finchley Nurseries, London NW7 1AS
[www.pondlifeaquatics.co.uk]
(https://www.pondlifeaquatics.co.uk)
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Prefer to Watch?
For a full tour of this week's arrivals and to see these stunning fish in action, check out our video update on YouTube. You'll get to see the Cherry Congo Tetras coloring up and the shell dwellers doing their thing!