In this episode, we welcome back Charles to discuss changes and trends in the marine aquarium hobby. Comparing livestock lists through the years, the hosts make note of species that have fallen out of favor, changed in price, or become unavailable altogether. Through this discussion, we make some predictions about the future of the marine fishkeeping hobby and how our choices may impact the trajectory of the aquarium industry as a whole.

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In this episode, the Water Colors team discusses guppy strains and the history associated with some of the famous strains we all know and love. Guppies are one of the oldest, most well-known fish in the hobby – with many aquarists beginning their journeys by keeping guppy tanks. Through selective breeding, we’ve developed a variety of amazing strains. The possibilities are endless!

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As we move into the new year, we celebrate our 250th episode by reminiscing on 2025. We had some monumental accomplishments this past year, including many amazing podcast guests, an extremely successful batch of baby bamboo sharks, and the astounding growth of our podcast community! We want to take a moment to thank everyone for following along and supporting our mission. We wrap up this episode by brainstorming new goals for 2026. This episode is dedicated to Splash, the greatest shop dog we could have ever asked for.

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In this exciting episode, we have two celebrity guests in the studio to discuss their personal fish room builds! Mike Monje and Craig Forist share details about their own fish rooms at home, as well as some secrets to help you build your own dream workspace. The hosts and guests share some great accomplishments, tank disasters, and tips and tricks for creating the most efficient and effective fish rooms. What does your dream work space look like?

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In this episode, the Water Colors team discusses their top 5 favorite fish that are not safe to keep with coral. The average reef aquarium in 2026 has a variety of mixed corals. Many of the most interesting fish in the aquarium trade are unsafe to keep with corals. This means there’s a whole world of fun and unique species that get overlooked, simply because they’re not compatible with the average reef tank. Many of the species mentioned in this episode will eat corals, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have a place in the hobby! What are your favorite non reef safe fish?

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Species mentioned in this episode:

We all love bettas, but what other anabantoids need some time in the spotlight? In this episode, the Water Colors team discusses their top 5 species from the suborder anabantoidei. This includes many beloved fish such as gouramis, paradisefish, badis, and even channa! Discussions include native habitats, captive care, breeding reports, and more! What’re your favorite anabantoids?

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Species mentioned in this episode:

In this episode, the Water Colors team takes a trip back in time. The early aquarium hobby has some fascinating origins, some good and some not so good. Much of what we know about aquariums has changed through the years, but one thing remains constant – people are enamored with fish. In this discussion, we’ll go through some of the earliest fish species to be imported and kept in the US, as well as aquarium styles, equipment, and care through the years. Do you own any retro aquariums?

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Sources used in this episode:

In this episode, the Water Colors Team discusses their top 5 aquarium plants found in Africa! When in comes to plant diversity, Africa is hard to beat! Some of our absolute favorites come from this region. This discussion revolves around our favorite species, their native ranges, care, and more! If you’re interested in designing a biotope to this region, this episode is a great place to start! What are your favorite African plants?

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Species mentioned in this episode:

In this episode, the Water Colors team is once again quizzed on their fish knowledge! Using the worst commercial wholesale fish list we can find and a random number generator, we roll a random species from the list and test each host to see if they know the species based only on the common name alone. Each turn, they can score points by correctly naming the genus and species. This game is made even more challenging due to the blatantly wrong or outdated information on this wholesale list! Try playing along at home and see if you get as frustrated as we do!

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Once again, we are joined by our good friend and algae expert Dr. Jordyn Stoll! In this episode, we narrow down our focus and discuss ornamental marine algae, sometimes referred to as macroalgae. Aquascapes utilizing ornamental algae often resemble planted aquariums, and share some similarities, yet the species used in macroalgae tanks span across multiple kingdoms and can vary vastly in care. We’ll discuss some of the common varieties and attempt to categorize them, while also sharing our experience with obtaining and growing different species. Have you ever kept a macroalgae tank?

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