Fish & Aquatic Life

Andrew Huang's journey from childhood aquariums to following Amano's Legacy By Amar Salvi, Editor — The Weekend Aquarist Estimated read time: 6–7 minutes Andrew Huang is a psychiatrist finishing his final year of residency in New Jersey. He is also, by his own account, someone people frequently mistake for Bruce Lee — a comparison he shrugs off, with a nod to the one lesson he thinks actually transfers from the dojo to the fish room: consistency. “In his practice he was disci

Abhisek Mishra has no proper camera, no boat, and no formal training in ichthyology. What he has is an Android phone, a two-foot hand net, and a habit of wading into Odisha's rivers until something new swims by — a habit that has already put two fish species on the scientific record, and one of them, already, on the list of the threatened. By Amar Salvi, Editor — The Weekend Aquarist Estimated read time: 7–9 minutes Abhisek Mishra's introduction to the hobby didn't begin with

A 1951 shrimp record. Seven decades of doubt. And a photograph that reopened a case science had all but closed. This is the story of how Atyopsis spinipes was found again. By The Weekend Aquarist Estimated read time: 3–4 minutes The Bamboo Shrimp is familiar to aquarists around the world. With its fan-like feeding appendages, peaceful temperament, and fascinating filter-feeding behaviour, it has long been a favourite among shrimp keepers. Yet for decades, few realised that In

Somewhere in the rocky hill streams of the Eastern Ghats, water drops over granite in a quiet cascade, pools beneath the shade of forest cover, and moves on toward the plains below. It looks, at first, like any other forest stream. Beneath the surface, it is holding onto something far older than the landscape around it. By Karthickeyen K.S. Estimated read time: 3–4 minutes The Eastern Ghats run for more than 1,750 kilometres along India's eastern flank, cutting through Odisha

The story behind India’s newest Nature Aquarium Gallery. By Amar Salvi, Editor — The Weekend Aquarist Estimated read time: 6–7 minutes When we first heard aquascaper and entrepreneur Amartya Ghosh describe his vision for TiCi Nature Lab, it sounded ambitious: a place where aquariums, terrariums, rainforests, vertical gardens, aquatic plants, and ecosystem education would come together under one roof. A recent visit by The Weekend Aquarist confirmed that this vision is rapidly

New Fish Discoveries By Balaji Vijayakrishnan Estimated read time: 6–7 minutes By his own admission, Balaji Vijayakrishnan has a completely unreasonable obsession with catfishes. While other people marvel at coral reefs, obsess over charismatic megafauna, or drool over colourful fish, he finds himself emotionally invested in barbels and spines — convinced, only half-jokingly, that catfish have more personality than anything else swimming. This month, true to that obsession, h

Mahen Adaranthe is a mechanical engineer by profession — but it's nature, not engineering, that has truly shaped who he is. He grew up in the Malenadu region of Karnataka, a landscape of dense forests, flowing streams, and remarkable biodiversity, and that early immersion left a lasting mark on him. By The Weekend Aquarist Estimated read time: 4–5 minutes His aquarium journey began the way many great obsessions do: with a childhood gift. His father handed him his first aquari

By Balaji Vijayakrishnan Estimated read time: 6–7 minutes Deep below Asia's surface flows a world few hobbyists ever imagine. Once considered biological curiosities, subterranean fishes are now being discovered at an accelerating pace, with new species turning up in caves and underground habitats across India, China, and Indonesia. For anyone fascinated by oddballs, these fish represent the ultimate specialists — animals shaped entirely by darkness. Barbodes klapanunggalensis

Balaji is a corporate professional, and an independent researcher working on the taxonomy and systematics of native Indian fish, with a special interest in catfish. By Balaji Vijayakrishnan Estimated read time: 5–6 minutes Few freshwater fishes inspire as much awe as those of the genus Bagarius. Known variously as goonch, devil catfish, or giant catfish, these riverine giants occupy a unique place in ichthyology — and as it turns out, science has only recently begun to unders

A Conversation with Steve Lockett, Mahseer Trust (UK) By The Weekend Aquarist Estimated read time: 7–8 minutes Mahseer are often celebrated as India's ultimate sport fish — but that label barely scratches the surface. Drawing on over five decades of freshwater conservation work, Steve Lockett dismantles common myths around mahseer conservation, explains why stocking often does more harm than good, and argues that saving mahseer is inseparable from saving India's rivers themse

Dr. Nithyanandan Manickam on two decades of marine science, competitive aquascaping, and translating ecology into art. By The Weekend Aquarist Estimated read time: 7–8 minutes Dr. Nithyanandan Manickam is an Associate Research Scientist at the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, with over two decades of expertise in marine ecology and biodiversity. Holding a PhD from Bangor University, his work spans benthic ecosystems, habitat restoration, and the study of marine life

A Quiet, Natural Stem Plant with Subtle Charm By Dr. Nataraj J, PhD — Still Water Aquatics, Plants Division Estimated read time: 8–9 minutes In the evolving world of aquascaping, plants with fine texture and delicate structure are increasingly valued for their ability to create depth, scale, and natural aesthetics. Among such species, Hedyotis salzmannii has gained recognition as a subtle yet highly effective plant for midground and background compositions. Though not as wide

How the Eastern and Western Ghats Are Different and Similar to Each Other By Karthickeyen K.S. Estimated read time: 3–4 minutes India narrows into a triangle as it runs south into the Indian Ocean, and along its two edges run two mountain ranges: the Western Ghats facing the Arabian Sea, and the Eastern Ghats facing the Bay of Bengal. Both sit on the same ancient basement rock, a leftover of the supercontinent Gondwana. But that shared origin is where the resemblance mostly e

When Amar Salvi invited them to contribute a hobbyist spotlight for this month's issue, Ankit and Rashmi's first reaction was disbelief. They are, by their own description, two modest weekend aquarists running a couple of simple, low-tech nano setups — nothing that screams “feature story.” The reaction quickly gave way to a different concern: how would they even find the time to write the piece? By The Weekend Aquarist Estimated read time: 3–4 minutes As amateur hobbyists, th

A tale of new balitora. By Balaji Vijayakrishnan Estimated read time: 6–7 minutes Balitora is a genus of small, flattened freshwater fish belonging to the family Balitoridae, commonly known as hillstream loaches or stone loaches. These fish are built for life in the fast lane — their bodies are dorsoventrally compressed, essentially squashed flat from top to bottom, and their pectoral and pelvic fins are enlarged and spread horizontally, functioning almost like suction pads t

Micro-habitats, Monsoon & the Case for Looking Closer A roadside ditch. A flooded paddy field. A puddle beside the road. Dr. Nabojit Das has spent years looking at the water bodies everyone else walks past — and finding entire ecosystems hiding in plain sight. By Dr. Nabojit Das Estimated read time: 4 minutes Assam and its neighbouring states sit directly in the path of the southwest monsoon, receiving immense amounts of rainfall every year. But not all of that water flows in

Science & Breakthroughs — how the PAGR Centre is closing the life cycle of the Western Ghats’ most threatened ornamental barbs. By Saikrishna K.R., Abhilash C.P., Sharath Varghese, Charan Ravi and V.S. Basheer Estimated read time: 3–4 minutes The Western Ghats of peninsular India represent one of the world’s globally recognized biodiversity hotspots, harbouring an exceptional diversity of freshwater fishes with a high degree of endemism. The hill streams and river systems dra

A journey into the fascinating world of gobies, from their surprising personalities and remarkable behaviours to the hidden species, habitats, and field discoveries that make these small fish so extraordinary. By Aravind Manoj Estimated read time: 3–4 minutes I have been documenting fish for almost six years. What began as simple curiosity slowly became a serious passion. I have always been a native fish lover, but when it comes to gobies, they hold a very special place in my

An editorial selection of ten of Heiko Bleher’s most influential discoveries, highlighting the species, regions, and stories that left a lasting impact on the global aquarium hobby and brought remote ecosystems into the spotlight. By Amar Salvi, Editor — The Weekend Aquarist Estimated read time: 7–9 minutes A name that shaped modern aquariums How does one do justice to an article featuring Heiko’s discoveries and bring it down to only ten? That was a dilemma we faced, and we

A rapid-fire tour with Beta Mahatvaraj a.k.a Meenkaran on hardy classics, subtle stunners, and a few divas from India you should only keep if you’ll meet their needs. By Amar Salvi, Editor — The Weekend Aquarist Estimated read time: 7–9 minutes Why this list matters India’s waters hold an insane range of aquarium-ready species—many you’ve probably kept without realising they’re local. Beta and I finally sat down to rank ten favourites by a mix of beauty, behaviour, availabili