Chembarampakkam

The dwarf snakehead, Channa gachua, is a snakehead recorded across an enormous range from Iran to Taiwan and Bali. There is significant evidence that C. gachua as currently understood is a complex of similar-looking species in need of taxonomic review. A mouthbrooder bred regularly in captivity, it can share a well-chosen community with peaceful fishes too large to be prey, but populations should not be mixed as some may hybridise.

The golden dwarf barb, Pethia gelius, is a small cyprinid native to the Ganges and Brahmaputra river drainages of northern India and Bangladesh. Records suggest a wider range, including Tamil Nadu and the Ayeyarwady delta in Myanmar, though the latter may warrant investigation. Knight (2013) settled its identity, revalidating P. canius and describing P. aurea, both previously treated as phenotypes of P. gelius. Very peaceful but timid, it does best alone or with other diminutive species.