:: About Us

Hello Fishy Folks,
thank you for your interest in us!

Tropical Basement is the name of our small fish hatchery located in the basement of our home in the Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania area. As the name suggests, we focus on raising tropical fish, especially small species known as “Nano fish”, as well as invertebrates. We also raise small cichlids that can be successfully kept in a 20-gallon aquarium. Our hatchery (fish-room) is very small, so we focus on quality, not quantity, especially since this is a hobby for us, not a business.

FROM ONE HOBBYIST TO ANOTHER.

In our opinion a small, planted aquarium with small colorful fish like Endler would be a perfect choice. Corys would be a good addition.

Also, guppies are a good choice, but for slightly larger ones, a 10-gallon Nano Tank is the minimum.

We are big fans of heavily planted aquariums, so we grow aquarium plants ourselves.
We enjoy aquascaping.

WORLD’S SMALLEST CICHLIDS

For anyone interested in starting a small aquarium with cichlids, our Shell Dwelling Cichlids from Lake Tanganyika are the perfect choice. Shell dwelling cichlids are best described as tiny, feisty “titans” with intense territorial behaviors despite their small size. They are active, intelligent, and confident fish that rearrange sand, fiercely guard their shells, and may even bite keepers’ fingers. Their demeanor is often compared to chihuahuas: fearless, territorial, and highly social – live in large, cooperative groups.