Keeping betta rubra: tank specs, product recommendations, what has worked for me

By ray brantley on July 30, 2021 • ( 0 )

I’ve been keeping betta rubra for *checks watch* exactly 7 months as of this July 31st. Here’s one of the first videos I took of my bonded pair, Morticia and Gomez Addams, at the end of January. I’m going to… Read More ›

Blue-eyed boy: b. uberis settling in, with some issues

By ray brantley on July 29, 2021 • ( 0 )

I’m not sure a camera better than my iPhone would help in snapping better pictures of this little fellow. He’s just so darn small, and as his 10 gallon is situated underneath the workbench that supports most of my tanks,… Read More ›

Bidding a fond farewell to my sparkling gourami. Sort of.

By ray brantley on July 21, 2021 • ( 0 )

I made the decision to part with my sparkling gourami after taking a long, hard look at how their presence in my 20 gallon blackwater-ish aquarium was impacting the behaviour of my three parosphromenus phoenicurus–namely, that I almost never saw… Read More ›

P. phoenicurus

By ray brantley on July 19, 2021

(Pictured left: my p. phoenicurus in their ‘casual dress.’) Parosphromenus phoenicurus are a recently described species of licorice gourami characterized by the bright band of red colouration on the male’s dorsal, anal and caudal fins when in breeding dress. While… Read More ›

Welcome to Fairy Potato Aquaria!

*Pictured: One (1) of the eponymous fairy potatoes, Jasper, also known as a very naughty boy.*

This digital representation of my fish room is (for now!) focused on wild bettas and gouramis, two closely related genera of fish species within the suborder Anabantoidei. In layman’s terms: wild fish species that are able to breathe oxygen directly from the air, thanks to their lung-like labyrinth organ.

I am a life-long enthusiast of nature and all living things, and a relative newcomer to the aquarium hobby. Nevertheless I have packed quite a number of personal accomplishments, mistakes, exciting discoveries, and lessons learned into my first year as an aquarist, and would like to share this knowledge with other hobbyists.

Please visit my blog for updates on my ongoing and future projects, or follow me @fairypotatoaquaria on Instagram.