- 215
- Species profiled across five pillars
- 3
- Planning tools, Planner · Compare · Compatibility
Photo: Simon Infanger· Unsplash
What this is
Fin & Stem is a working reference for aquascapers anywhere in the world. 130+ profiled fish, plants, shrimp, mosses, and snails, cross-referenced for compatibility, parameters surfaced up front, photographed and attributed. From a 20 L nano on a kitchen counter to a 600 L showpiece, start here.Stock smarter. Start anywhere.
Fish
55+ species profiled, schoolers, micropredators, dwarf cichlids, algae crew, and surface specialists. Parameters, group sizes, water column, plant and shrimp safety, and the catch in plain English.
Plants
45+ species profiled, foregrounds and carpets, midground rosettes, background stems and bulbs, floating cover. Light demand, CO₂, substrate, propagation, and trimming cadence.
Shrimp
Neocaridina, Caridina, and the specialty filter-feeders. Lineage, colony minimums, TDS targets, breeding notes, and which fish they actually survive alongside.
Mosses
Java, Christmas, Flame, Phoenix, Fissidens, Süßwassertang and more. Attachment surface, typical use, trimming cadence, and the shape each one forms underwater.
Snails
Nerites, mystery snails, ramshorns, MTS, assassins, rabbits. The algae crew, the substrate cleaners, the display species, and the ones that arrive uninvited.
The catalogue, plus the cross-references no-one else builds.
The species data is the foundation. The tools are what make it a planning resource rather than a lookup table.
Tank PlannerBuild your tank, check the fit.
Add the fish, plants, shrimp, mosses, and snails you're considering. We surface the temperature, pH, hardness, light, and CO₂ the combined tank needs, and flag every predator-prey or parameter conflict before you commit.
Open the planner
CompatibilityWhat else fits this tank?
Pick any species as an anchor. We surface every fish, plant, shrimp, and moss in the catalogue whose water and tank-mate rules overlap.
Pick an anchor
CompareLine up to four species, side by side.
Direct parameter table. Temperature, pH, hardness, tank size, light, CO₂, and tank-mate safety in one row each. Spot the conflicts at a glance.
Start a comparison
Beginner-friendly classics.
Species that almost always work in a first planted tank, across fish, plants, shrimp, mosses, and snails. Tap any card for the full profile.
Built for everyone who loves the underwater world.
Most aquascaping resources profile species in isolation and leave you cross-referencing five tabs to figure out what works with what. Fin & Stem ties everything together, every fish links to plant and shrimp safety, every plant lists its real light and CO₂ demand, every shrimp tells you which fish it survives alongside. Written for the global aquascaping community, a love letter to the beauty of what we build underwater.
- 130+ species profiled across five pillars, every entry shows the parameters that actually matter up front.
- The Compatibility page cross-references any anchor species against the other three categories, see at a glance what fits in your water.
- Image galleries sourced from Wikimedia Commons, iNaturalist, and retailer catalogues, with full attribution and back-links to the source on every photo.
- Written by someone who actually keeps the tanks, and who still finds the underwater world quietly astonishing.