Our current Congo import contained among others the magnificent tetra Alestopetersius leopoldianus, which originates from Lac Mai Ndombe (formerly: Lake Leopold) and the middle Congo. With this maximum 9 cm long species one can get philosophical about the supposed objectivity of photography. Depending on the incidence of light the animal looks completely different! With the naked eye one almost always sees a dark, broad longitudinal band. This is also the only significant coloration feature mentioned in the first scientific description from 1899.
Wonderful is the deep blue dorsum, which is the first thing that catches the eye of the importer when he closely examines his newly arrived treasures with a strong flashlight. The result can be seen in the photo pool. Here, too, the back of the animal shines in a magnificent blue, but the effect is completely different. And depending on the angle of light, the reflective colors can be so intense on the body that they even cover the longitudinal band, or almost invisible.
The nice thing is: In the aquarium you have all these colors at once, because the fish swims and so the incidence of light also changes permanently. So you have in an aquarium with Alestopetersius leopoldianus a beautiful picture, which you never get tired to admire.
For our customers: the animals have code 100173 on our stocklist. Please note that we supply only wholesale.
Text & photos: Frank Schäfer
