This cute blue-eye originates from the surroundings of the town Timika in the Indonesian province Papua on New Guinea. It was discovered and scientifically described relatively late (1999); at first it was thought to be the same species as P. reticulatus, whose locality is about 900 km further northwest (seen from Timika). But then it turned out that they are different species.
The animals reach a maximum length of about 3 cm (without caudal fin), males are slightly larger than females. In nature they live in strongly shaded jungle streams of about 2 m width. There pH-values between 6,7 and 7,8 and water temperatures between 24 and 28°C were measured. One must always keep in mind that such measurements are always only snapshots and in nature the values can occasionally deviate significantly up and down. Nevertheless they show that the species is obviously not adapted to extreme conditions.
The care and breeding are comparable with other blue-eyes. It is best to keep the completely peaceful animals in a group of 10-20 specimens of both sexes. They eat any common ornamental fish food, it only has to fit into the small mouth. Spawning takes place in fine plants, these fish do not practice brood care. The newly hatched fry are tiny and grow quite slowly.
For our customers: the animals have code 446022 on our stock list. Please note that we supply only wholesale.
This cute corydoras is relatively new. It was scientifically described only in 2007. In the hobby it was known a bit longer as “Loreto Panda”, “New Panda” and under the code number CW31. The CW-numbers are assigned on the homepage of Ian Fuller (https://www.corydorasworld.com/).
The complete distribution of the pretty species is not yet known. The locality of the specimens used for scientific description was in the drainage of the Rio Putumayo. This river rises in southern Colombia, forms the border between Colombia, Ecuador and Peru in places, continues through Peru into Brazil (where it is called Rio Içá) and finally flows into the Amazon. In total, the Rio Putumayo is over 2,000 km long.
Corydoras ortegai does not inhabit black or clear water, but has been found in the turbid white water of the Rio Yaguas (a tributary of the Putumayo in Peru). Aquaristically the species is excellent and could be bred already, but it is not very productive, so that the small number of offspring does not (yet) appear in the trade, but is distributed among enthusiasts. Males become about 4 cm, females about 4.5 cm long (standard length without tail fin).
For our customers: the animals 238302 on our stocklist. Please note that we supply exclusively to wholesalers.
Dwarf shrimp from the island of Sulawesi (formerly: Celebes) in Indonesia are famous for their colorfulness – and notorious for their high demands on care. These species originate from the large Malili lakes. However, there are dwarf shrimp on Sulawesi that are some of the easiest to keep and maintain anywhere! Among these is Caridina pareparensis. It lives in rivers in the south of the island and adapts to pretty much all conditions you can imagine in a normal aquarium at all: soft and hard water, acidic or alkaline pH, even some salt in the water is tolerated and the temperature can be between 16 and 30°C.
Under all these conditions lives and reproduces the dwarf, which grows only about 1.5 cm long. The breeding is very productive. Although this dwarf shrimp is not very colorful, it is still pretty and because it is not shy at all, its care gives a lot of pleasure.
The species Caridina pareparensis was described from a river near Parepare; the form kept in the hobby is usually assigned to the subspecies (described as variant) Caridina pareparensis parvidentata, whose origin is a spring called Malawa near the village of Tjamba (this is about 150 km further south from Parepare). Where exactly the animals, which are kept in the aquarium, were/are collected is not known. The difference between the typical form and parvidentata lies in the dentition of the rostrum, where parvidentata (like our animals) has 6-10 denticles, all located on the rostrum, while the typical pareparensis has 13-18 denticles, of which 3-4 are located on the cephalothorax.
For our customers: the dwarf shrimp have code 481682 on our stock list. Please note that we only supply to wholesalers.
New fish, new questions. This is how we could characterize our import of the grunter Hephaestus habbemai. These beautiful fish come to us from Indonesia and originate from the island of New Guinea. Originally (1910) they were described from the south of the island, from the Lorentz River. The species is a pure freshwater inhabitant; it reaches a length of about 15-20 cm plus caudal fin. At present our animals are 10-12 cm long (total length). Among themselves the animals are extremely well compatible, which is by no means a matter of course with grunters.
The perch-like shape and the relationship show it already: we are dealing with a carnivore. Frozen and live food of suitable size is willingly accepted, small fish are of course considered as additional food.
So far, so good. Where are the questions? In fact, the identification of the animals is by no means certain. We simply took the name for the time being, the research about which species it really is proves to be lengthy and is by no means finished.
We have also made a small film about these fish, which you can watch here:
Penguin tetras (Thayeria) are well known aquarium fishes. Of the scientifically accepted four species (T. boehlkei, T. ifati, T. obliqua, T. tapajonica) T. boehlkei is always on offer in the ornamental fish trade. Almost all of them are offsprings, although the species is widely distributed in South America (Peru, Ecuador, Brazil and Bolivia).
The Rio Teles Pires is an approximately 1,400 km long river in Brazil and one of the two headwaters of the Rio Tapajós. Apparently, a biodiversity hotspot for Thayeria is located in the Teles Pires: in a recent scientific study of Teles Pires fish species (Ohara, W. M. et al. (2017): Peixes do rio teles pires: diversidade e guia de identificação.), the authors were able to detect 3 different species: T. boehlkei, the then undescribed T. tapajonica, and another scientifically new species in which the lateral stripe begins only below the dorsal fin (as in T. ifati from the Maroni River in Guiana). They provisionally call this species “falso ifati”.
But the most spectacular new discovery from the Teles Pires probably passed them by: the Thayeria sp. Red Tail! It is a wonderfully colorful Penguin tetra, which combines all positive characteristics of the T. boehlkei (size, swimming, social behavior, demands on the aquarium keeping), only that it is additionally very colorful. Whether the species really originates from Teles Pires, we can of course not judge, but we can now offer this new gem in larger numbers as a German offspring for the first time.
For our customers: Thayeria sp. Red Tail Teles Pires has code 296752 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
The extremely great popularity of the Corydoras in aquaristics is certainly due to the combination of peacefulness, usefulness and nice appearance that these fish combine. They all have these characteristics, and so you really can’t go far wrong when it comes to deciding which species to choose for your aquarium.
But there are subtle differences nonetheless. Some species grow larger than others, some are particularly sensitive, some like it rather cool, others warm, still others swim more in the open water and also the swarm cohesion is differently pronounced. Corydoras loretoensis originates from Peru, more precisely from the department of Loreto – hence its name. It becomes (without tail fin) maximally 4.5-5 cm long. The temperature requirements are in the range of 22-26°C, the adaptability to different water values is very good. C. loretoensis belongs to the bottom dwellers with particularly large swarm cohesion. Therefore it should be kept in groups of 7 specimens or more.
For our customers: the animals have code 233603 on our stocklist. Please note that we supply exclusively to wholesalers.
The gray-brown wild form of the orange dwarf crayfish Cambarellus patzcuarensis (CPO) originates from Mexico, where it is endemic (i.e. only found there) in Lake Patzcuaro. Due to massive environmental pollution and the use of foreign fish for food purposes, the ecosystem of Lake Patzcuaro is extremely disturbed, and a large number of the animal and plant species found there are unfortunately even threatened with extinction – among them Cambarellus patzcuarensis. The catch for aquarium keeping plays no role at all, commercial catches do not exist and the aquarium strains go back to very few individuals brought back by private expeditions, which completely excludes any impairment of the wild stocks from a scientific point of view.
The orange form, which is common in aquaristics today, originated in the aquarium and has been stabilized by appropriate breeding selection. It does not occur in the wild.
With usually 3 cm (male) and 3.5 cm (female) length, the animals are true dwarf crayfish. Only in rare exceptional cases they can reach a maximum length of 5 cm. At least the aquarium strains are also by far not as hide-addicted as most of the larger crayfish species and therefore often visible during the day. Because of their small size Cambarellus species cause little mess in planted aquariums and they can be socialized well with fish. Of course, one must limit oneself to small and peaceful species, which cannot be dangerous to the mini-crawfish even after molting, when they are still soft.
For our customers: CPO has code 481332 on our stock list. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
The hump of the male of G. balzanii is comparable to the feather tail of a peacock: it is simply the expression of manhood! The Paraguay Eartheater originates from the southern parts of South America and is imported now and then from Paraguay as wild collected stock, but the species is also bred on a regular basis. The peaceful and quirky animal is thus quite often available, like our photographed specimens.
The species is a maternal, larvophilous mouthbrooder; this means that only the female takes care for the brood and that only the hatched larvae are taken in the mouth, while the eggs (which are placed on stones etc.) are treated in a “normal” way.
For our customers: the animals have code 676013 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
Among lovers of large, predatory fish, the species of the genus Datnioides (formerly: Coius) enjoy great popularity. They are calm, expressive fish that, after a sometimes somewhat tough acclimation period in which they are shy and skittish, become very attached to the keeper and provide decades of enjoyment.
All Datnioides species grow to 30-40 cm in size. Some prefer brackish water, others soft and acidic freshwater. Still others – D. campbelli is one of these – can do both and take it as it comes. D. campbelli is restricted in its distribution to the island of New Guinea. There it lives in the south-central part in two states, the province Papua belonging to Indonesia and the independent Papua New Guinea. Most of its finds are in the lower reaches of rivers, where it is often brackish, but it has also been caught far above the tidal influence. Due to its bright golden-yellow tiger coloration (all other Datnioides species are silver to ivory with black bands), D. campbelli is easy to identify by color, but capable of extremely rapid color changes. Disturbed animals become deep dark brown in a flash. Currently our animals are 7-9 cm long.
The neon gobies of the genus Stiphodon are all beautiful fish. None of the 37 currently known species grows longer than 5-7 cm, usually they remain much smaller. Although adult Stiphodon live exclusively in pure freshwater, the larvae can only develop in the sea. Therefore, neon gobies live in streams near the coast. They spawn under stones, the male guards the eggs. The hatching, tiny larvae are washed with the current into the sea, where they develop.
Stiphodon atropurpureus is – if one follows the literature data – widely distributed, because the larvae are drifted with ocean currents. The species is known from Japan, Taiwan, Malaysia, the Philippines and South China. However, it is scientifically described from the Philippines. Extremely similar is S. semoni from Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. By pure observation the two species cannot be distinguished. S. atropurpureus has more scales in the longitudinal row (30-37, mostly 33-35, S. semoni has 27-30), in the vertical row (12-18, mostly 15-17, S. semoni has 10-11) and in front of the first dorsal fin, so altogether smaller (and therefore more) scales on the body.
However, this is not recognizable on the living animal; it is more than likely that S. atropurpureus and S. semoni are constantly confused with each other. Also we have no other choice than to trust the information of the exporter. Since the two species do not differ in aquaristic requirements and in coloration, the question of which species they are is rather academic.
The fish, like all Stiphodon, live in schools consisting of males and females. Females are inconspicuously colored. Only when they want to spawn, the males develop the full color splendor, occupy a territory and court with their bright colors in front of the females. When the young have hatched, the males become paler again (but they are then still beautiful) and return to the shoal.
In the aquarium the care succeeds easily. Being omnivorous, Stiphodon prefer small food particles (food tablets, frozen cyclops, etc.) and also gnaw on algae.
For our customers: the animals have code 456083 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
The large genus Leporinus comprises more than 90 species and still confronts science with hardly solvable problems concerning the delimitation of the species. Among the groups of species known for decades as particularly complicated is the group of forms around Leporinus maculatus. These are Leporinus, where at least a part of the flank pattern consists of round spots. Leporinus pellegrinii, which was described in 1910 from Surinam, belongs to the “maculatus group” (the spelling with two “i” at the end is the correct one). The author Steindachner later also assigned animals from the Rio Branco to this species. Unfortunately, the species was not illustrated in the scientific description, so that until today there are doubts about its identity. According to the present opinion the species exists in the Rio Branco, Essequibo, Tibit, Saramacca, Suriname, Mana and in the Peruvian Amazon.
We have at present very beautiful Leporinus, which are to be counted most probably to the species L. pellegrinii, in stock. Our animals come from Brazil, we did not get more exact information. It is a relatively small Leporinus species, which according to the available information does not exceed 12 cm total length (including tail fin). Among themselves the beautiful fish are peaceful, which is always worth mentioning with Leporinus.
For our customers: the animals have code 265933 on our stock list. Please note that we supply only wholesale.
We have received again some juveniles of the very rarely imported large barb Hypselobarbus jerdoni. It is an endemic species of southern India, where it is found in the states of Karnataka and Kerala. With a maximum final length of 50 cm, H. jerdoni is only suitable for really large aquariums.
Here the current-loving, peaceful fish is a real eye-catcher. The brilliant orange pelvic fins are its unique selling point, something you won’t find in any other barb species. In nature, the animal performs spawning migrations of up to 100 km in length. From this it can be concluded that it is a powerful swimmer, capable of overcoming obstacles. If you want to catch H. jerdoni from the aquarium, it sometimes shows what it is made of and jumps from a standing position over 50 cm high vertically out of the water – although our animals are only 6-8 cm long! But nevertheless the species is anything but shy.
For our customers: the animals have code 421592 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
In 1961, a review paper on the hillstream loaches of the genus Gastromyzon of Borneo was published. In it five species were distinguished: G. pauciradiatus, G. nieuwenhuisii, G. fasciatus, G. punctulatus and G. borneensis. In 2006 the next revision of these fishes from Borneo appeared. This was accompanied by a true species explosion; in Gastromyzon alone, 36 species are now known from Borneo! Of the original five species, two are now in Neogastromyzon (nieuwenhuisii and pauciradiatus), so that no less than 33 species, which were assigned to 3 species in earlier imports, must now be redetermined! However, this is not so easy as one can imagine, because many species characteristics are only recognizable on specially prepared specimens and even then it requires great experience not to go astray.
There are always two spotted species offered in the ornamental fish trade that look extremely similar: Gastromyzon ctenocephalus and G. scitulus. Since in former times only one punctulated species was known, namely G. punctulatus, both have been called G. punctulatus for decades. In reality, however, G. punctulatus has “top of head and vertebral area with small, round, light spots in a dark network” (Inger & Chin, 1961) and is probably imported only very exceptionally – if at all, but the two species G. ctenocephalus and G. sciltulus have light spots on a uniform dark background. Depending on the mood, the basic coloration can vary between light brown and deep black. You can supposedly tell these two species apart if they spread their fins. Then you can see that C. ctenocephalus has horizontal blue stripes in the caudal fin and blue-green shiny spots in the dorsal fin; G. sciltulus has blue-green shiny spots in the caudal fin and no colorful markings in the dorsal fin. Unfortunately, however, the animals do not spread their fins when called, and furthermore there are abundant intermediate forms, even within a single import. The animals shown in this post correspond best to G. ctenocephalus. Because quite often a mix of up to five hillstream loach species comes to us anyway – these animals are simply still offered as Gastromyzon punctulatus in the trade.
This is not a big deal if it is not about special scientific questions, because regarding the care requirements all Gastromyzon species are alike. They want very clean, if possible strongly flowing water in a temperature range of 22-28°C, whereby middle values are to be preferred. In nature the water is very soft and often also acidic, in the aquarium they do not necessarily need this. However, during acclimation it may be useful to approximate natural water values. Gastromyzon have a horny lip, with which they can scrape growth from stones and roots. However, they are less concerned with algae than with micro life. You can feed these fish very well with all kinds of food, small frozen foods are best for them. Among themselves these fish are compatible, fights are always harmless. They are not interested in other species. Males differ from the (larger) females by a large glandular scale at the base of the ventral fin. Spawning takes place – as far as known – over coarse gravel, the spawn develops in the gap system between the pebbles. Gastromyzon species do not engage in brood care.
For our customers: Gastromyzon “punctulatus” has code 416562 on our stock list. Please note that we supply exclusively to wholesalers.
We have received this dwarf glass perch from Indonesia, which was named in honour of Alex Ploeg, who was in the passenger plane shot over the Ukraine on 17 July 2014.
Gymnochanda ploegi is known so far only from West Kalimantan, the part of Borneo belonging to Indonesia. It is a pure freshwater species that lives in very soft, acidic water. The peaceful fish become only 3-4 cm long and is a schooling species. Their care is not difficult, however, Gymnochanda, like most glass-perches, accept only live andfrozen food, the latter only after habituation. It is best to feed such small treasures with live Artemia nauplii.
Only the males have enlarged and red colored fins. Glass-perches often spawn in the aquarium, they are plant-spawners without brood-care. The raising of the tiny young, who often only accept certain food organisms, is, however, a very high school of aquaristics.
For our customers: the animals have code 419622 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesalers.
The genus Brachyplatystoma is called “Goliath Catfishes” in English, because some of its species belong to the largest freshwater fishes at all: up to 3.6 m length are given in literature! In South America they are ubiquitous and important food fish, of which more than 30,000 tons are consumed annually. Nevertheless, distinguishing the species is almost impossible in some cases, and the species we present here was even scientifically recorded and named only in 2005! In fact, there is no one in the entire world who could confidently distinguish Brachyplatystoma capapretum and B. filamentosum from live specimens or photographs. The difference lies in the dentition. Since both species can occur in the same habitat, also the knowledge of the origin is of no use for identification attempts. The specimens shown here are from Colombia. Our decision in favor of B. capapretum in the present case is based on the upper jaw dentition, which seems to us more similar to B. capapretum than to B. filamentosum. But of course we cannot be really sure either. The relatively small spots on the body speak rather for B. filamentosum, in B. capapretum they are often larger. But since very small juveniles (up to about 3 cm body length) of both species have no spots at all, this characteristic is very unreliable.
No matter which species it is exactly: both become huge! So they are only suitable for really large aquariums and zoological gardens. Although the maximum length of B. capapretum is stated to be “only” 120 cm (that of B. filamentosum three times as long), this is probably based simply on the fact that before 2005 all large goliath catfishes were assigned to B. filamentosum. Due to massive (and threatening!) fishing pressure, even specimens of B. filamentosum over 120 cm long have been downright rarities in the wild since the 1990s.
The extremely long maxillary barbels of our fish are tremendously impressive, reaching a good 13-14 cm in length at about 7-8 cm body length (about 9-10 cm with caudal fin without caudal fin filament). What these long barbels are for is unknown. In any case they are very sensitive to touch and it seems important to us to point out to interested people that you should offer these animals aquariums with as large a surface area as possible (length and depth, the height is not so essential) without significant furnishings. However, a sandy bottom is vital, otherwise sooner or later bacterial infections will set in on the belly of the fish. The aquarium should be only dimly lit, if necessary this can be achieved by a floating plant cover. Brachyplatystoma are fish eaters from an early age. After acclimation they will accept almost any coarse frozen food in the aquarium, but for the beginning well kept, healthy (!) food fish are the best choice. Among themselves our animals are peaceful.
For our customers: the animals have code 211052 on our stocklist. Please note that we supply only wholesale.
The juveniles of all goldfish breeds are wild colored up to a length of about 4 cm, i.e. gray-green with a brass sheen. That is why there are never very small goldfish in the trade. The first juveniles from this spring have now colored up and are available, a very good opportunity for those who may even have breeding thoughts themselves; because only if you start with small juveniles, you as a breeder have full control over the optimal conditions according to your own philosophy.
The dwarf spezies among the pike cichlids have recently been separated as an independent genus Wallaciia (see https://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/fish-archives/the-crenicichla-have-been-reclassified/). They include W. compressiceps, which occurs only in the Tocantins and Araguaia rivers in Brazil. It is one of the smallest, the prettiest and the most aggressive pike cichlid species. Although it only grows to a maximum length of 10 cm, females always remain smaller, the animals should be provided with at least a 120 cm aquarium. Otherwise they can attack each other like small, biting terriers.
The males can be distinguished from the females already from the relatively small size of 4-6 cm by the clearly denser and more intensive striation of the softly rayed parts of the anal and dorsal fin as well as the caudal fin. In the latter, the stripes are either indistinct or even absent. In addition, males have a red stripe in the dorsal fin that is absent in females; however, this stripe is only seen when the animal spreads the dorsal fin.
If you can meet the space requirements of the little ruffians, you should definitely take care of them once. They are beautiful and relatively easy to breed. To do this, let pairs find each other from a group of animals. Like all pike cichlids they are cave breeders with parent family. The requirements for the water composition are easy to meet, they need a pH in the neutral or slightly acidic range, so they are by no means black water inhabitants! The water temperature should be between 26 and 28°C. Dry food is rejected by the fish, but any kind of frozen and live food is accepted.
For our customers: the fish have code 669202 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
After a long time we could finally import some of the beautiful Hyphessobrycon haraldschultzi from the Rio Araguaia in Brazil. The animals are clearly slimmer than serpa tetras (H. eques, “serpae”, “minor” etc.). The coloration is more reminiscent of H. amandae, because the red is – unlike serpa tetras – not a rich blood red but a beautiful crystal red.
The elegant predatory tetras of the genus Boulengerella are divided into 5 species: B. cuvieri, B. lateristriga, B. lucius, B. maculata and B. xyrekes. They are widely distributed in the major river systems of Amazon and Orinoco. Distinguishing the species is not easy, especially with juveniles.
We just received from Peru pretty 10-12 cm long juveniles of B. maculata. This species is very widespread (Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Colombia and Venezuela). The mottling is much coarser in juveniles than in adult specimens (see https://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/fish-archives/boulengerella_maculata_en/). B. maculata reaches a total length of about 30 -35 cm and should be kept in groups, thus needs sufficiently large aquariums.
For our customers: the animals have code 210703 on our stocklist. Please note that we supply exclusively to wholesalers.
From Peru a beautiful dwarf cichlid regularly comes to us, which is called “Apistogramma juruensis” on the exporter´s lists. The animals are very similar to A. cacatuoides and to A. juruensis, but can usually be easily distinguished from both by one coloration feature: a black chin spot, which was decisive for the common trade name in our country: Black Chin. The species was finally described scientifically by Römer et al. in 2012 as Apistogramma allpahuayo. It originates from an area near Iquitos, which belongs to the drainage of the Rio Nanay. For pictures of this form see https://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/fish-archives/apistogramma-allpahuayo-2/
As said, the black chin spot is normally a very good identification mark of the species. Now we have received a shipment of these animals that shows the chin spot almost not at all. Additionally it is noticeable that in “normal” A. allaphuayo the membranes of the first three dorsal fin rays are black in excited males, in the newcomers only the first two. All in all the differences are only minor, but they show once again that in Apistogramma you always have to expect a certain range with regard to pattern characteristics.
For our customers: the animals have code 622723 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply to wholesalers.
Head-and-Tail light tetras were introduced to Germany as early as 1910 and were also bred soon after. They soon belonged to the iron stock of ornamental fish. These first head-and-taillight tetras were identified as Hemigrammus ocellifer. In 1958 Hermann Meinken noticed that the head-and-taillight tetra in the hobby does not have a shoulder spot, but the “real” H. ocellifer does. Therefore Meinken described the old known fish without shoulder spot as a new subspecies, which he named H. ocellifer falsus.
Nowadays, it is believed that H. ocellifer and H. falsus are even different species, because they do not mix in nature. Since the “true” H. ocellifer (with shoulder spot) was considered prettier, H. falsus gradually disappeared from the hobby. Nowadays only H. ocellifer is offered. Practically without exception they are offspring.
The Hemigrammus falsus illustrating this post, however, are wild-caught. They came as so called bycatch from Peru to us
Head-and-Tail light tetras were introduced to Germany as early as 1910 and were also bred soon after. They soon belonged to the iron stock of ornamental fish. These first head-and-taillight tetras were identified as Hemigrammus ocellifer. In 1958 Hermann Meinken noticed that the head-and-taillight tetra in the hobby does not have a shoulder spot, but the “real” H. ocellifer does. Therefore Meinken described the old known fish without shoulder spot as a new subspecies, which he named H. ocellifer falsus.
Nowadays, it is believed that H. ocellifer and H. falsus are even different species, because they do not mix in nature. Since the “true” H. ocellifer (with shoulder spot) was considered prettier, H. falsus gradually disappeared from the hobby. Nowadays only H. ocellifer is offered. Practically without exception they are offspring.
It does not always have to be bright colors that make a fish interesting. Rather, it appeals to nature lovers to study the life history of the animals they keep and this often leaves a deeper impression in the long run than the colorful appearance. By cichlid standards Heroina isonyterina is a gray mouse. However, it is exciting that this animal became known to science only very late. First collections were made in Colombia in 1958, then in Ecuador in 1971 and 1981 and in Peru in 1986. In spring 1995 H.-G. Breidohr, I. Kranz, U. Werner and W. Zucker flew to Colombia and searched east and west of Florencia in the drainage of the Rio Caqueta for cichlids. Among others, they caught the then scientifically unnamed H. isonycterina there, were able to bring it back and breed it. This prompted S. Kullander to finally give a formal scientific description of the new genus and species. The genus name is the female form of Heros – another genus of cichlid – and literally means “heroine”, the species name isonycterina means “equinox” and refers to the narrow distribution strip of the species in the far west of the Amazon drainage near the equator, where day and night are known to last 12 hours each.
The species falls quite out of the frame of what one expects of cichlids in South America. On the one hand it reminds a bit the also South American genera Hypselecara and Caquetaia, on the other hand it reminds very clearly to the Central American Cichlasoma relatives. With about 15 cm maximum length (males, females remain smaller) H. isonycterina is not a giant and already well accommodated in a meter tank. They are open breeders with a parental family. Some specimens spawn completely open, e.g. on flat root woods at the bottom, others prefer somewhat protected places under overhangs up to cave-like structures. Males and females differ in color when sexually mature. In females, the unpaired fins are less stippled and a greenish reflective zone develops in the dorsal fin.
We can currently offer offspring of this very rarely commercially available cichlid.
For our customers: the animals have code 682882 on our stocklist. Please note that we supply exclusively to wholesalers.
Text: Frank Schäfer, photos: Uwe Werner (adults) & Frank Schäfer (juveniles)
The Rio Vaupés – so the Spanish spelling – or Rio Uaupes – that is the Portuguese one – is a “small” right tributary of the Rio Negro. After all, the “little one” has a length of 1,375 km! It rises in Colombia in the foothills of the Andes and forms the state border with the Brazilian state of Amazonas at a distance of about 150 km downstream from Mitú, where it flows into the Rio Negro about 40 km south of Icana. Aquaristically, it has been known for a long time that many peculiarities occur in the Rio Vaupes. Among them are also four armored catfishes, which however became known only in the last years: CW 89 (long snout, narrow dorsal band), CW91 (round snout to CW 89), CW106 (long snout, wider dorsal band and shorter snout than CW89), CW107 (round snout, wider dorsal band than CW91). They are found in Colombia, about 40 km east of Mitú, at least according to the exporters.
Unfortunately the mentioned distinguishing characteristics are not really constant. The more animals one gets to see, the more intermediate forms become recognizable, as it is known from other Rio Negro Corydoras. Especially the width of the dorsal band varies enormously. That is why we do not distinguish between CW89 and CW106 in the trade.
Now we have received particularly attractive animals, which are clearly more CW 106 because of the very broad dorsal band. Interesting is also the sexual dimorphism, the female is only indistinctly recognizable as a longnose. We are now eagerly waiting for when the first offspring will be offered and how they will look like.
For our customers: the CW 89/CW 106 have code 236105 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply to wholesalers.
Of the cichlids endemic to Madagascar, Ptychochromis oligacanthus is also quite well known aquaristically by name. However, the understanding of what is meant by this species has changed thoroughly only a few years ago (2006). Previously it was believed that the species was widespread and divided into four different colored races. Today these races are considered to be independent species. The actual Ptychochromis oligacanthus is restricted to the northwest of the island and the small offshore island Nosy Be. The isolated black spot on the upper half of the gill cover, which does not exist in any other Ptychochromis species, serves as a species identification mark in adult fish. Only Ptychochromis mainty, described as recently as 2015, is similar in this regard, but in this species the spot is associated with a longitudinal band running across the body.
Like so many species of Madagascar, Ptychochromis oligacanthus must unfortunately be considered endangered (Red List of the IUCN: Endangered), because the relatively numerous populations are not in any generic exchange with each other and can therefore die out very quickly locally due to economic use, stocking with foreign fish, environmental events, etc.. Catching for aquaristics has no influence on natural populations, all specimens in the hobby are offspring anyway.
We have just received small youngsters (about 3 cm) of Ptychochromis oligacanthus as German offspring. The parents (photo from the breeder) grow to 15-20 cm. P. oligacanthus is a robust fish with an aggression potential which should not be underestimated. Therefore it is essential to keep it in large, well-structured aquariums in a group from which pairs can find together. Only species that are hardy, such as various catfish, are suitable as community fish.
For our customers: the animals have code 574161 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
Where do the many Guppys that populate the aquariums of the world actually come from? The answer: they come from breeding farms, where these animals are professionally propagated, just like plants in a nursery. The largest breeding centers are located in tropical Asia (Sri Lanka, Singapore/Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam) and Israel. Breeding is carried out under strict veterinary supervision and is scientifically monitored by geneticists. Thus it is possible to offer the beautiful high-bred forms in excellent quality for decades, after it had come in the 1980s by failed breeding methods internationally to a true Guppy crisis.
But where does the name “Moscow Guppys” come from? Are these animals bred there? No, they are not. The name goes back to an article in the now defunct magazine “Aquarien-Magazin” in 1976. At that time Viktor Datskevich reported about the community of guppy breeders in Moscow, which organized an annual exhibition with 50 to 70 guppy aquariums. Two male guppys of the hobby breeder A Gribov were shown, which he exhibited together in a motley mix, contrary to the rules of high breeding. This tank was the crowd puller of the exhibition, which somewhat dismayed the “serious” breeders.
The two fishes pictured to the article were colorful mosaic guppies with triangle tail, basic color gray, the front body heavily reticulated, the hind body (from the base of the dorsal fin) black with green or blue shimmer. And since that time more and more Guppy forms are called “Moskow Guppys”. Originally this was probably done to make clear that they were particularly colorful and attractive Guppys. Later the term was used mainly for guppys with predominantly black body coloration, which had a green or blue iridescent sheen. Today a whole range of different Guppy color varieties are called “Moscow“, which actually do not have much in common with each other.
From Sri Lanka we get at present a whole row of very beautiful Moskows, Guppys of which we show in this post the color varieties black, green and blue.
For our customers:the animals have code 418673 (Black), 418683 (Blue) and 418693 (Green) on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply to wholesalers.
Literature:
Datskewitsch, V. (1976): Hübsche Guppys aus Moskau. Aquarien Magazin 10 (1): 4
The Dwarf Badis, also called Scarlet, has transformed itself from the highly paid sensation of the year 2000 to the always available classic in aquaristics. It originates from northern India (North Bengal), where it inhabits clear, moderately flowing waters with sandy bottoms and rich underwater plant growth at the foot of the Himalayas.
In terms of care, Dario dario is very undemanding as far as water values (any tap water suitable as drinking water is accepted) and temperature (between 16 and 28°C) are concerned, but it does not eat dry food. Frozen food is accepted without problems, but live food is much preferred by the cute animal, which grows only 2-3 cm long. It is best to keep the little jewels in a group of 10-20 specimens, whereby the gender is irrelevant. This way animals are constantly visible and interact with each other without hurting or seriously mobbing each other.
Dwarf Badis, unlike the representatives of the genus Badis, do not engage in brood care. In an aquarium that is densely planted and where live food is given, young usually come up all by themselves from time to time to maintain the population.
For our customers: the animals have code 413773 on our stock list. Please note that we supply only wholesale.
The handsome red-backed bleeding heart tetra of the bleeding heart tetra group (three scientifically known species to date) is the most recently discovered, and was only described by Burgess in 1993. The males having elongated dorsal fins and a very handsome and conspicuous red dorsal, less pronounced also the females.
A successful breeding has not been reported so far, but wild caught animals, which, as far as we know, come from the Rio Erere, a tributary of the Rio Negro (Brazil), have been regularly offered to us for more than 25 years now. The conspicuous coloring comes however only with attitude in softer, easily sour water and indirect lighting to the full validity, in the dealer tank one can the beauty of these animals unfortunately frequently only guess.
For our customers: the animals have code 261655 on our stock list. Please note that we supply only wholesale.
Text: Peter & Martin Hoffmann, photos: Frank Schäfer
Compared to the breeding varieties of Xiphophorus maculatus, the “common” Platy, there are only comparatively few breeding forms of the Parrot Platy. This is surprising, because this species is very variable by nature, hence the species name “variatus = the variable”. But perhaps this also makes it more complicated to fix color characteristics in a way that results in a uniform picture. The Xiphophorus variatus Highfin Orange is one of the few color variants that have existed for a long time.
Alpha males, i.e. the bosses in the ring, color themselves particularly attractively. With them the orange basic color is still covered by red, so that “Sunrise” or “Sunset” coloration develops. The high dorsal fin first appeared as a mutation in swordtails (Xiphophorus hellerii) and was transferred to the two Platy species via crossbreeding. Interestingly, female Highfin platies seem to be very fond of especially high-finned males, although there is no use for this trait in their natural instinctive repertoire.
For our customers: the animals have code 442883 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
Labyrinth fishes are among the most important ornamental fishes in the world. Their often bright colors and varied behavior make their care very rewarding. Most species also remain small, only very rarely exceeding the 10 centimeter mark. The exception are the giant gouramis (Osphronemus), of which there are four accepted species. They are not only a bit bigger than the other labyrinths, but they are really big: such an “underwater piggy” measures between 45 and 70 cm when fully grown.
The comparison with our popular carving supplier is not so far out of the air. Like the pig, the giant gourami Osphronemus goramy loves warm, nutrient-rich water, eats like a barn thresher without being particularly picky, and tastes equally delicious boiled or fried. As a labyrinth fish, it can survive in oxygenless water, in which case it uses its auxiliary respiration, making it a prime market fish. O. goramy therefore became an early domesticated animal of man and is now widely distributed throughout South and Southeast Asia.
Less well known is that there has long been a yellow (xanthoristic) and an albino breeding form. Both are also kept as ornamental fish in ponds in their native countries, because they are so undemanding. In our country they are of course only suitable for large and show aquariums, the water temperature must not drop below 15°C, otherwise there is a risk of disease and death.
At the moment we have some juveniles of both breeding forms in the stock. Among themselves juvenile giant gouramis are quite incompatible. Only after sexual maturity (at 20-25 cm) this changes, from then on they are very friendly with each other. Giant gouramis are bubble nest builders, producing several 10,000 young per brood. The brood care takes over, as usually with labyrinth fish, the papa. External sex differences are unknown, however it seems that it is the males that get the typical nutcracker face, while the ladies keep a “normal” physiognomy.
For our customers: Albino has code 440915, Gold 440913 on our stock list. Please note that we supply only wholesale.
The beautiful Enneacampus ansorgii is a small (8 – 12 cm) freshwater pipefish and at the same time the species most commonly available for the hobby, especially as it is propagated by commercial breeders. The ground-dwelling pipefish belongs to the short-snouted members of the family. It is native to West Africa and is occasionally offered as a wild catch from Nigeria. The young animals can be fed with Artemia nauplii immediately after release from the paternal brood pouch.
Regarding feeding, all pipefish are very demanding animals and their care cannot be recommended without a reliable live food source. While larger species are very happy to eat live red and white mosquito larvae, these foods are not well suited to the short-snouted E. ansorgii. It is best to give it small crustaceans (cyclops, water fleas, etc.), and freshly hatched Artemia nauplii are also very suitable. If you feed Artemia frequently, you should add some salt to the water (about 1 tablespoon per 10 liters of water), the needles tolerate this very well and the Artemia stay alive longer.
At the moment we have large, adult specimens in the stock as offspring.
For our customers: the fish have code 128513 on our stock list. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
The great hype surrounding L catfish has long since given way to normal handling of these beautiful and interesting fish. One of the enduringly popular species is Baryancistrus xanthellus, which entered the hobby under L numbers L18, L81 and L177. The species is common and frequent in the Rio Xingu and its tributaries. Nevertheless, it is considered “near threatened” because it is affected by the construction of the Belo Monte dam.
While adult B. xanthellus (these got the number L85) look pretty much the same everywhere, the attractive juveniles, as they mainly come into the trade, differ quite considerably depending on their origin. This explains the different L-numbers: We have now received divergently colored B. xanthellus from the vicinity of Sao Felix, which are thus found in the upper section of the Xingu, a good 400 km upstream from Altamira. Near Altamira are the “normal” localities of L18 and L81. We have named them L81c Sao Felix on our stocklist to indicate the special origin.
All Baryancistrus xanthellus become 15-20 cm long in the aquarium, the maximum length is given with 25 cm. They are extremely food-demanding animals, which also require high water temperatures (28-32°C) and clean water, otherwise they will grow stunted. They are therefore demanding fish, whose care requires a certain effort on the part of the keeper. You should be aware of this before buying such animals.
At the moment we have animals available in three sizes: 4-6 cm, 10-12 cm and 12-15 cm. It is interesting to note that during growth the attractive white-yellow fin seams are greatly reduced, but the dot pattern on the body remains more or less unchanged.
For our customers: the fish have code 2648-L 081C-1 (4-6 cm), 2648-L 081C-4 (10-12 cm) and 2648-L 081C-5 (12-15 cm). Please note that we supply only wholesale.
From Vietnam we received this very nice bumble bee goby. The identification of bumble bee gobies is still in many cases a very tricky matter and often succeeds only with many question marks. Brachygobius sabanus was originally described from Borneo (Sabah), but our animals originate from Vietnam. However, the figure attached to the first description of B. sabanus agrees very well with our animals. In the scientific literature (Taki et al, 2021), this bumble bee goby from the Indochinese Mekong River is also assigned to the species B. sabanus.
B. sabanus grows to only about 2.5 cm in length and is individually quite variable in coloration. The animals live in pure freshwater and also spawn here. Females ready for spawning are very light in color.
For our customers: the animals have code 407252 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply to wholesalers.
Text & Photos: Frank Schäfer
Literature:
Taki, Y., R. Ohtsuka, M. Komoda, Y. Natori, K. Utsugi, K. Shibukawa, T. Oizumi, S. Ottomanski et al. (eds.) (2021): Fishes of the Indochinese Mekong. Nagao Natural Environment Foundation, Tokyo, Japan. i-xii + 1-546.
Once again we can announce a first import, but unfortunately a completely unspectacular one. Lentipes argenteus, a neon goby from West Sumatra, is – as they say – a dream in gray. We are quite sure that this will be our only import, because such fish are only interesting for specialists. For all of you who are wondering why we imported them at all, the answer is: it was a mix-up on the part of the exporter. There are people everywhere, even in the ornamental fish trade.
Lentipes argenteus, regardless of its drab color, is very suitable as an aquarium fish. It is a very peaceful goby that likes to live in company with its own kind. Probably this is even the reason for the plain coloration: other Lentipes species are (at least in the male sex) quite colorful. Something like this always indicates territoriality. The sexes of L. argenteus hardly differ. The males have a little more silver shine in the face, very soft pink lips and – this is the color highlight – blood red ventrals (pelvic fins), but the latter only when they get into courtship mood. The maximum size of L. argenteus is about 4.5 cm, it becomes sexually ripe at about half this length. L. argenteus loves current, temperatures between 24 and 28°C and clear water. It willingly eats any common fish food, whether dry, frozen or live.
For our customers: the animals have code 423702 on our stocklist. Please note that we supply exclusively to wholesalers.
unfortunately there is a problem on the part of our Internet provider which has not yet been solved: subscribers to the English-language newsletter receive the German version by mail. We are very sorry about this! However, you still have access to the English version. Please click on the button “READ MORE” in the newsletter you receive by mail. You will then be directed to the corresponding entry on the GERMAN homepage. Now click on the Union Jack (= the flag of the United Kingdom) in the top right window and you will be redirected to the ENGLISH version of the page.
We sincerely hope that the problem will be solved soon. Stay tuned to us!
With 93 accepted species, the pike cichlids (Crenicichla) are the most species-rich genus of cichlids anywhere. Closely related to Crenicichla are the Teleocichla cichlids. The relationship is so close that the independence of Teleocichla has been doubted several times. In a recent study in which 74 species of the complex could be considered (65 Crenicichla species and all 9 Teleocichla species), different methods were tested to better understand the relationships of the pike cichlids. The result is that strictly speaking only one species remained, namely the type species of the genus Crenicichla (Crenicichla macrophthalma Heckel 1840)!
Crenicichla macrophthalma, type species of the genus Crenicichla, was described already in 1840. The species originates from the Manaus area in Brazil, but is an extreme rarity in the hobby. The strange lateral line pattern makes the fish distinctive.
However, the authors of the study (Varella et al., 2023) consider two groups of pike cichlids to be so closely related to this species that they established subgenera for them. The two subgenera to Crenicichla are Batrachops (9 species, type species Batrachops reticulatus) and Lacustria (34 species, type species Cycla lacustris). This approach is sure to meet with criticism because the concept of subgenus is in itself a paradox. Either the members of a subgenus represent an independent, monophyletic line of development, in which case they can just as well be placed in a full genus, or not, in which case there is no need for a subgenus. Anyway, this is for others to judge.
Crenicichla (Batrachops) reticulata, type species of the subgenus Batrachops. If Batrachops became full genus rank, the species name must be reticulatus (masculinum), in Crenicichla it is femininum, i.e. reticulata.
Most species of the subgenus Crenicichla (Lacustria) are hardly available aquaristically, they come from southern Brazil. The pictures of the type species C. lacustris shown here were taken 17 years ago. At that time the not yet identified fishes were called C. sp. Itapemirim or C. sp. Malaria.
However, the remaining 49 species are so different from Crenicichla in the proper sense that they have been transferred to separate genera: Wallaciia (type species Crenicichla wallacii) with 8 species, Lugubria (type species Crenicichla lugubris) with 16 species, Hemeraia (type species Crenicichla hemera) with 2 species, and Saxatilia (type species Sparus saxatilis) with 23 species. The independence of Teleocichla was confirmed, it includes 9 species, type species is Teleocichla centrarchus.
The dwarf crenicichla were transferred to the newly established genus Wallaciia (No typo, two i’s). Type species is W. wallacii from Guyana (pictures), a species very similar to the aquaristically much better known species W. regani.
Lugubria species are quite popular with owners of large (!) aquariums. The pictures show a population of the type species L. lugubris from the Rio Jutai in Brazil.
The representatives of the new genus Saxatilia belong to the group of forms around S. saxatilis. The pictures show S. edithae, a typical representative of the genus from Paraguay. The two Hemeraia species have not yet appeared alive as far as we know.
The independence of the genus Teleocichla was confirmed. The pictures show the type species T. centrarchus from the Rio Xingu in Brazil.
As experience with breaking up other large collecting genera in the past has shown (e.g. Cichlasoma, Barbus/Puntius, Botia, etc.), some fine-tuning will now certainly take place in the near future and the outliers in the new genera will be subdivided once again.So there is some learning to do for fans of these elegant predatory cichlids if they want to be on top of scientific classification.
The new names will almost certainly not be adopted by the trade for the time being, because any change of name means a major intervention in the merchandise management systems and is associated with high costs and – what is more important – with a loss of information. Therefore, one will wait a few years to see how the scientific community will accept the proposals of Varella et al. before taking action.
Text & photos: Frank Schäfer
Literature:
Varella, H. R., Kullander, S. O., Menezes, N. A., Oliveira, C. and H. López-Fernández (2023): Revision of the generic classification of pike cichlids using an integrative phylogenetic approach (Cichlidae: tribe Geophagini: subtribe Crenicichlina). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society Advance article: 1-43
Up to 120 species of Asian small barbs were formerly assigned to the genus Puntius. It was already clear for decades that Puntius is not a real relationship group, but a collective pot for most different small barb groups. That is why many even preferred the classification of the Asian small barbs with Barbus, just as wrong, but this was to avoid overlooking previously described species in new discoveries.
A revision of Puntius always failed because of the mass of species, especially since alpha systematics within the group is only unsatisfactorily understood. Alpha-systematics means the knowledge about the actually existing species. But then one took heart (more precisely: it was Pethiyagoda et al., 2012) and just started. There was then some back and forth, some newly created genera had to be renamed again, others were further subdivided, but in the meantime one gets along quite well and knows the new genus names Dawkinsia, Desmopuntius, Haludaria, Oliotius, Pethia, Puntigrus, Sahyadria and Striuntius.
Somewhat lost in the corona buzz is the listing of the new genus Waikhomia by Katwate et al. 2020. This new genus includes only two South Indian species, namely W. sayadriensis and W. hira. Both species look very similar to each other. W. hira differs from the aquaristically better known W. sahyadriensis in the arrangement and expression of the spots on the flanks. In W. sahyadriensis these are large, oval and there are also spots in the dorsal region, in W. hira the relatively small, round spots are limited to a kind of band along the middle of the body.
Now a molecular biological treatment of the group was published by Sudasinghe et al., 2023. Here three more genera are established for small barbs from Sri Lanka and from South India, namely Rohanella (type species Puntius titteya), Plesiopuntius (type species Gnathopogon bimaculatus) and Bhava (type species Puntius vittatus). All three genera are monotypic for the time being, i.e. only one species is assigned to each of them.
Most significant aquaristically is Rohanella titteya, the Cherry barb. It is interesting to note that molecular data show no differences among the various known populations of this species, although they are quite distinct in color.
The Redside barb, Plesiopuntius bimaculatus, is very much out of fashion. In the 1950s and 1960s it was a popular aquarium fish. The species exists not only in Sri Lanka, but also in mainland India. Several distinct lineages have been identified molecularly, but this has not (yet) resulted in the split of the species.
The Greenstripe barb, Bhava vittata, was a popular aquarium fish at the same time as the Redside barb, nowadays it is found, if at all, only in the tanks of special barb enthusiasts. The species is widely distributed in Sri Lanka and southern India, and is also found in Bengal. The small common barb occurs opportunistically in numerous types of water.
Text & photos: Frank Schäfer
Literature
Katwate, U., P. Kumkar, R. Raghavan and N. Dahanukar (2020): Taxonomy and systematics of the ‘Maharaja Barbs’ (Teleostei: Cyprinidae), with the description of a new genus and species from the Western Ghats, India. Zootaxa 4803 (no. 3): 544-560.
Pethiyagoda, R., M. Meegaskumbura and K. Maduwage (2012): A synopsis of the South Asian fishes referred to Puntius (Pisces: Cyprinidae). Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters v. 23 (no. 1): 69-95.
Sudasinghe, H. Rüber, L. & M. Meegaskumbura (2023): Molecular phylogeny and systematics of the South Asian freshwater-fish genus Puntius (Teleostei: Cyprinidae). Zoologica Scripta (online): 1-17
Among the numerous Cherax species Cherax quadricarinatus, also known as Australian red claw crayfish, occupies a special position. It has been propagated as edible crayfish in aquaculture for decades and was therefore one of the very first Cherax species available for aquaristics.
Cherax quadricarinatus belongs to the largest representatives of its genus, males can reach up to 30 cm in length. Females always remain somewhat smaller. The sexes can be distinguished, as in all Cherax species, by the sexual openings (gonopores) on the walking legs. In females the gonopores are located on the 3rd, in males on the 5th pair of walking legs. This is the best form of sex determination, especially in young animals. In adults it is easier because only males develop the red blisters on the outside of the scissor finger.
Even though Cherax quadricarinatus is one of the largest species: it is also one of the most peaceful. Certainly the selection for keeping in aquaculture has also contributed to the fact that these crayfish – unlike many other crayfish species – are absolutely compatible even with each other and usually do not even damage each other when they are freshly skinned and still butter soft.
In the trade are usually the 3-5 cm long juveniles, which are pretty light blue in color. With age the animals become darker, we also attach two pictures of adult animals to the post, which show how they look then.
For our customers: the animals have code 481401 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
Who remembers art class in school? Among the first things you learn are color temperatures, right? According to this, red, yellow and orange are warm colors, while blue, green and purple are cool colors. In Lake Malawi’s rock cichlids, the mbuna, the territory-owning males usually shine in cool colors (usually blue), and the females exhibit warm colors. But there is a well-known exception: Maylandia lombardoi. Here it is just the opposite: males in bright yellow (warm), females blue (cold).
Maylandia lombardoi is only found in a few places in Lake Malawi, which is huge. Originally it comes from the coast of the Mbenji group of islands and from the Nkhomo reef, at Namalenje island there is a probably allochthonous (= originally not native there, displaced) population. This makes the species theoretically vulnerable to overfishing and environmental disasters. However, the former is not to be feared, since the aquaristic demand can be easily and much more cheaply met by captive breeding than by wild catch. We have no control over the latter here.
Maylandia lombardoi was one of the first Malawi cichlids and at that time (in the 1970s) really expensive. Many aquarists had to pay bitter lesson money, if they could buy only one pair. Because territory-owning males of M. lombardoi belong to the most aggressive mbuna at all. Nowadays all this is not so tragic. Large aquariums (from 150 cm edge length) and large groups (not less than 10 specimens, better 20) provide a fair distribution of the beating. The gender composition does not really matter. Suppressed males take on female coloration. However, they always remain recognizable by the large yellow egg spot in the anal fin, which is always missing in females. Dominant females may also develop yellow coloration. Such a troop of colorful mbuna offers a very varied picture and countless observation possibilities to the intraspecific behavior of these magnificent animals, which reach 10-12 cm length. The photographed animals are 4-6 cm long.
For our customers: the fish have code 572502 on our stocklist. Please note that we supply exclusively to wholesalers.
In the Rio Atabapo in Venezuela, from which Uaru fernandezyepezi originates, it is already some weeks closed season, i.e. no fish may be caught there. The beautiful Uaru fernandezyepezi, which we can offer at the moment, are therefore the last specimens of the current season.
There was a time when people hardly dared to import Uaru fernandezyepezi. Rio Atabapo is a blackwater river with very low pH (around 4.5) and hardly detectable hardness, therefore very low in bacteria. And it is very warm (28-30°C). Against bacterial contamination (e.g. of the transport water), cooling down (e.g. in the comparatively “cold” Bogota, over which almost all international flights pass) and also against very hard water, Uaru fernandezyepezi is extremely sensitive, at least in the acclimation phase. But fortunately these problems are solved in the meantime and there are very well kept animals of this beautiful cichlid.
We can offer just two sizes: 12-15 cm, with some animals still showing remnants of the brightly spotted child coloration, and 14-17 cm. As fully adult these animals are considered with about 25 cm. Similar to Discus, with which they are closely related, Uaru are almost schooling fish outside the breeding season, at least they like to swim in a troop with their peers. Adult Uaru are largely vegetarians and prefer to eat soft plants. They are peaceful, almost shy fish, which should not be kept together with rough large cichlids, to which they have nothing to oppose.
For our customers: the animals have code 688405 (12-15 cm) and 688406 (14-17 cm). Please note that we only supply wholesale. Only a few animals available!
Solid blue-green angelfish are apparently the dream of many angelfish breeders. The body base color blue, a mutation, has been known in angelfish since World War 2, but it was very difficult to establish it in large-scale breeding. It was not until the end of the 1990s that this was achieved. Since then, a wide variety of lines have been pursued with Blue Angelfish.
The pictures in this post show one of the current Blue Angelfish as we receive them from our breeder. The juveniles are still relatively unspectacular, you have to know what will become of them, but the adults are very attractive.
For our customers: the fish have code 693402 (md) on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
There is truly Babylonian confusion of language among the breeding forms of livebearers. This is unpleasant for everyone involved, but a solution to the problem is not in sight. Bulky descriptions do not look good on the offer lists, not every customer is a specialist and knows the breeder codes, and besides, nobody can tell the breeders how to name their animals. Therefore we try from time to time to bring some clarity into this name jungle.
The Platy (Xiphophorus maculatus) we are looking at today is a not common, but very pretty breeding form. The body is red, scattered all over the body it has black spots. Swordtails (X. hellerii) colored like this are called “Berliners”, that’s why some call the corresponding Platy like this. In contrast to the Berlin swordtails, the black dots of the Platy never degenerate into cancer. Other breeders call black speckled Platy breeding forms Salt & Pepper, others Calico. But behind all three names the same fish is hidden.
For our customers: the animals have code 443553 on our stocklist. Please note that we supply exclusively to wholesalers.
Among the numerous species of North American crayfish, Procambarus alleni, under the name “Blue Florida Lobster”, has for many years been a fixture in the aquarium trade. However, one must know: although breeders prefer to breed with blue specimens and usually only blue animals are sold, this is by no means a species characteristic. There are many different color variations of this crayfish in nature. Blue animals can occur in pretty much all crayfish, including our native Astacus astacus.
In the aquarium Procambarus alleni is an interesting and easy to care for crayfish. It is naturally found east of the St. John’s River throughout the Florida peninsula to south of Levy and Marion counties, all animals in the trade are captive bred from Southeast Asia. It reaches a length around 12 cm, but becomes sexually mature at 4-6 cm in length. When mating, the male throws the female on her back and blocks those of the female with his claws. However, the female ready to mate falls into rigidity anyway and does not resist the threatening looking treatment. The crayfish, as omnivores, also eat small fish and aquarium plants, it is necessary to know that, besides, the species burrows strongly.
You must not keep such animals – and this applies to all aquarium crayfish – in the garden pond. Especially Procambarus alleni lives amphibious in nature in self-dug burrows and can migrate far over land in wet weather. In the wild, this crayfish can spread a deadly disease to native crayfish. So please show a sense of responsibility and keep such crayfish only in the aquarium for which they are intended.
For our customers: the animals have code 486701 on our stock list. Please note that we supply only wholesale.
Although this small molly had been known since 1939, and studied in aquariums since 1957, its official scientific naming did not occur until 1975. It is the smallest member of the True Mollies (Mollienesia), which are currently a subgenus to Poecilia, but may regain full generic status in the future.
In the wild, the dwarf molly lives in the south of the state of Jalisco, Mexico. Here it has been known only from three smaller, isolated river systems: Rio Cuetzmala (or Cuixmala), Rio Purificacion, and a northern tributary to Rio Cihuatlan (or Chacala). This information is still based on Miller’s 1975 data; no scientific research appears to have been conducted on free-living populations since then. The small range unfortunately makes the species vulnerable to environmental catastrophes.
Today, dwarf mollies are slightly larger than their ancestors that entered the aquarium in the 1950s. We obtain our animals as offspring from Southeast Asia. The alpha male photographed for this post has a total length of just over 4 cm. Wild-caught specimens were no more than 3 cm long. This is a consequence of living well in the aquarium, where predators, hunger, disease and bad weather periods no longer have a significant impact on the fish, quite unlike in nature, where 99.9% of the animals perish before reaching sexual maturity.
Care and breeding of the dwarf mollies are simple and roughly correspond to the guppy. You should always keep several males and females mixed in a group. They are not schooling fish in the true sense, but otherwise the hierarchy can not develop and one misses the fascinating observation that the dominant male – the so-called alpha animal – changes color to an almost black fish in a fraction of a second.
For our customers: the animals have code 280822 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
Every year is the season for a desirable fish for large show aquariums: Salminus maxillosus. And every year after the import of juveniles the question arises: are they really? Because the mostly up to 60 cm (maximum 1 m) long Salminus – they are pure predators, which feed only on other fish – imitate in color a harmless herbivore, the Brycon hilarii. Brycon hilarii also grows quite large, about 40-50 cm. In the shoal of harmless Brycon, Salminus can sneak up close to prey fish. This is called “aggressive mimicry”. So color-wise Salminus and Brycon look very similar.
The first import of such fish this season arrived last week from Colombia. They are all Brycon hilarii. Brycon hilarii is a comparatively peaceful fish, although it certainly cannot resist the “appetizer” of very small fish. But among themselves the animals are very compatible, quite different from the quarrelsome Salminus.
The correct scientific naming of our Brycon species was somewhat questionable, as a revision of the group appeared in early 2017. According to it, there are four Brycon species with a distinct black band in the caudal fin: B. orthotaenia, B. hilarii, B. whitei and B. polylepis. Of these, only B. whitei and B. polylepis occur in Colombia. Both species look completely different from our imported animals (B. whitei has a dark longitudinal band over the whole body and B. polylepis is much slimmer built than our animals). B. orthotaenia looks very similar to our fishes, but is an endemic of the Sao Francisco. Therefore, for the time being we stick with the name as Brycon hilarii (this species occurs naturally in the Amazon and Paraguay River, but is much farmed as a food fish), even though future research may show that it is a different species.
After all, in order to clarify this question, we raised a few animals years ago. In adult coloration (the photographed animals were about 16-18 cm long at that time and reached this length in 6 months, with an initial length of 4-7 cm) there is no doubt in our mind that it is B. hilairii. In addition, DoNascimiento et al. included the species Brycon hilarii in the updated checklist of freshwater fishes of Colombia published in October 2017; according to them, it occurs there in waters belonging to the drainage of the Amazon.
For our customers: the animals have code 212700 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
Text & Photos: Frank Schäfer
Literature
DoNascimiento, C., E. E. Herrera-Collazos, G. A. Herrera-R., A. Ortega-Lara, F. A. Villa-Novarro, J. S. U. Oviedo & J. A. Maldonado-Ocampo (2017): Checklist of the freshwater fishes of Colombia: a Darwin Core alternative to the updating problem. ZooKeys No. 708: [1-114] 25-138
Lima, F. C. T. (2017): A revision of the cis-andean species of the genus Brycon Müller & Troschel (Characiformes: Characidae). Zootaxa 4222 (no. 1): 1-189
At the moment we have one of the most beautiful corydoras from Peru in our stock, which contributed with the number “C4” more than 25 years ago to create a real corydoras boom.
The species is one of the distinct schooling fishes within the genus Corydoras. In addition, C. virginiae is a very lively species, which brings a lot of movement into the aquarium. The animals look most beautiful when kept in black water on a light, fine sandy bottom. Overall, the species is as beautiful as it is easy to care for. The maximum length is about 6 cm.
For our customers: the animals have code 240604 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply to wholesalers.
Lexicon: Corydoras: from ancient Greek, means “with helmet and lance”, referring to the outer bony armor and the powerful fin spines. virginiae: dedication name for Virginia Schwartz.
The wild guppy from the Rio Morichal in Venezuela is also known as “orange line” among the specialists for wild forms of livebearers. These fish are a very tiny and slender variety of wild guppy, but not an artificial sport. In contrast to other wild populations of the guppy this one is known to be a bit sensitive. One should always take care that the bacterial content of the water column is as low as possible. Orange lines will get very fast very sick if this basic rule is neglected! These little jewels are perfect nano fish for experienced hobbyists.
For our customers: the animals have code 419115 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
Cichlids form new species comparatively quickly when placed in geographic isolation. For them, the speciation process often takes only a few decades or centuries, whereas other groups often need millennia. Lake Bermin in Cameroon is a comparatively tiny crater lake with a surface area of only 0.6-0.7 km2. The lake is located in a former volcanic crater, has no inflow but an outflow that drains into the Cross River. There are 9 species of cichlids of the genus Coptodon living in this lake exclusively, all of which can be traced back to a common ancestor. Species differentiation of these Coptodon is extremely tricky, quite obviously the speciation process is not yet complete.
We have now received a number of offspring of cichlids from this lake, which were offered to us as Coptodon gutturosus. The parents of our fish are already offspring. Coptodon gutturosus usually has a deep red breast in its brood care dress, an inheritance from Coptodon guineensis, which is probably the common ancestor of all Coptodon species of Lake Bermin. Our animals are magnificently brassy, with blue, bulging lips and (this is mood dependent) deep black belly ridge. They do not (yet) show the red belly of the parents. Thus they combine characteristics of C. gutturosa, C. snyderae and C. bemini; also C. bakossiorum looks similar. We are very curious to see how this strain will develop further!
None of the mentioned Coptodon species grows larger than 14 cm, C. snyderae becomes reproductive in nature with 2.5 cm length and hardly grows beyond 6 cm, C. bemini reaches the mentioned 14 cm, C. gutturosus and C. bakossiorum stay somewhere in between. So they are small to medium sized cichlids. They see plants as a food component, you have to know that. They are open-breeding cichlids with parental family, which can be compared quite well with more peaceful Cichlasoma relatives (e.g. the Amatitlania species) in their overall behavior.
For our customers: the animals have code 514772 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply to wholesalers.
The wonderful West African cichlids have been somewhat forgotten in recent decades. In the 1970s and 1980s, on the other hand, they experienced a real boom and a great many new species were discovered at that time because ornamental fish collectors were only too happy to fulfill the aquarists’ desire for previously unseen cichlids. Many species of West African cichlids are magnificently colored. But there are also other, more inconspicuous species, which score for it by an interesting behavior. Chromidotilapia kingsleyae belongs to the latter.
The modern research of this well-known species – it was already scientifically described in 1891 and is at the same time type species of the genus Chromidotilapia – we owe to traveling aquarists with scientific claim, who set out in the 1990s and collected animals in Gabon with a lot of personal commitment and thus made it possible to distinguish similar Chromidotilapia species from each other. They also brought C. kingsleyae with them and so we now know that this magnificent cichlid is a mouth-brooding species in which both sexes can in principle participate in brood care, but the males are polygamous when they have the opportunity. They then spawn with several females, living as if in a harem. The brood care is then left entirely to the ladies.
We have received a few specimens of this highly interesting cichlid from a German breeder. There are no imports from Gabon. Therefore these animals probably go back to the ancestors collected in the 1990s. Our animals are with 6-8 cm length still young, C. kingsleyae is with maximum 15-18 cm length the largest species of the genus.
For our customers: the fish have code 514653 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
Today, the ZZF published its commissioned “Expert Opinion on the Legal Admissibility of the Introduction of a National Positive List for Pets”. The expert opinion, prepared by Prof. Dr. Dr. Tade M. Spranger of the University of Bonn, unequivocally proves that a positive list for pets would be illegal and would violate international law, EU law and the German constitution.
Prof. Spranger states in his 167-page report that although stricter measures for the protection of animals are permissible in principle, a national positive list would be a violation of international law. Moreover, the introduction of such a list in EU law would be a violation of the free movement of goods, among other things. A positive list also violates fundamental rights such as freedom of occupation and the general right of personality. Such interventions are not compatible with the principle of proportionality.
In view of the currently louder voices on the introduction of positive lists or political developments such as in Spain, the expert opinion is of great importance for the German, European and international pet industry.
Lake Malawi in the heart of Africa is home to an enormous variety of cichlids. Often it is difficult to decide whether in individual cases they are different species or local variants. Extremely popular in aquaristics are the rock cichlids (Mbuna). But also among the non-Mbuna, which in their habitat are not so dependent on the algae growths growing on rocks as a food basis, many fantastically colored and interesting cichlids can be found.
Among the latter is Placidochromis milomo, a bulb-lipped cichlid that once, in the late 1970s, came to our aquariums as a highly prized rarity. At that time, it was still called “Haplochromis sp. Super VC 10.” The Super VC 10 was a popular, very fast small aircraft. The cichlid was so named because it dived at a high speed into deeper water layers when approached by catchers. It was not until 1989 that the species was then officially described as Placidochromis milomo, borrowing the word milomo from the Chichewa word for lips. It refers to the highly hypertrophied lips with fleshy middle lobes of this fish species.
What are these thick lips of the up to 20 cm long animal good for? Scholars argue about that. There is the thesis that the thick lips seal rock crevices into which small fish take refuge. Then the bulge-lipped cichlids could suck out the prey by negative pressure. Other researchers vigorously dispute this, pointing out that biomechanically this would not work at all. Thus there is a second widespread thesis that the thick lips are a kind of shock absorber. This is because the cichlids would keep bumping into rocks at high speed while chasing small fish. And it is a fact that the lips of aquarium fish (even wild-caught) are never as thick as in nature. In the aquarium, by the way, the fish love to dig through the bottom Geophagus-style.
Our P. miolomo are offspring from Asia. Besides their interesting behavior and beautiful coloration, P. milomo have something else to offer: they are among the most peaceful mouthbrooders ever! Even two males get along quite well in the aquarium.
For our customers: the animals have code 530202 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
The Asian clown knifefishes with a well-developed dorsal fin were formerly grouped in the genus Notopterus. Currently, the genus Notopterus contains two externally indistinguishable species, N. notopterus and N. synurus, while the high-backed species have been transferred to the genus Chitala.
From the genus Chitala we currently have the very attractive species Chitala blanci in stock. This knifefish, which can grow to about 120 cm in length and is a magnificent species for large aquariums, originates from the Mekong River drainage in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. Chitala blanci prefers to live in strongly flowing sections of water and avoids still water and swamps.
Chitala species are predatory fishes that need to be fed with strong (frozen) food. Of course, small fish are also eaten. The sexes cannot be distinguished externally. Among themselves and towards fish that do not come into question as food, Chitala are peaceful. At breeding time, pairs are found spawning on rocks, roots, etc. and guarding the spawn.
All Chitala species have auxiliary respiration with which they can get air at the water surface. This allows them to still survive in very low oxygen water, making them sought after market fish in their native country, even though their flesh has many small bones. The meat is scraped around them, pressed through a sieve and made into meatballs.
For our customers: the animals have code 439005 on our stock list. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
Bostrychus zonatus is a sleeper goby and becomes about 15 cm long. They are predatory fish, which should therefore only be kept together with species that have at least half the body length of the gobies, larger is safer.
The beautiful animal is widespread in fresh and brackish water in New Guinea and northern Australia. It is therefore a good idea to keep for it together with rainbowfish from this region.
The colouring can change very quickly depending on the mood, excited animals become very rich in contrast.
These animals demand hard water, in any case the pH-value should be above 8 if possible. Soft soil, many hiding places and a light addition of salt (the latter is not absolutely necessary) increase the well-being of the quarrelsome fish.
For our customers: the fish have code 396503 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesalers.
Sleeper gobies the genus Butis (there are 6 recognized species) belong to the most original members of their kind. They swim around in the aquarium in every imaginable posture, especially often with the belly up, but also upside down or with the snout up. Thereby they imitate a floating piece of wood and are not perceived as a threat by their prey fish. The extremely voracious animals grow to a length of approx. 12 cm. Apart from fish, acclimated specimens also accept frozen food.
They are brackish water fish, which tolerate pure fresh water (but then pay attention to the pH-value, which should not drop below 8!) as well as pure sea water. Because of their salt tolerance, the species are very widespread in the Western Pacific region, being found from East Africa to India and Australia and everywhere in between. Butis gymnopomus (our specimens are from Indonesia) differs externally from the otherwise very similar B. amboinensis, B. butis, B. humeralis and B. melanostigma by the unstriped gill cover below the eye and the absence of a dark spot at the base of the pectoral fins. The rest of the coloration is extremely variable and the fish can change color in a flash.
Males have much longer extended posterior dorsal and anal fins. Although the goby often swims (or drifts) freely in the water, it is substrate oriented. When given the opportunity, it likes to snuggle up to a root or the like. Solid substrate is also used for spawning, such as a rock. The male takes care of the numerous, tiny spawn. The also tiny fry grows up in brackish water or sea; a report about a successful breeding in the aquarium is not known to us.
For our customers: the animals have code 408012 on our stocklist. Please note that we supply exclusively to wholesalers.
This tiny fish from Peru is one of the smallest killifishes. The photographed, sexually mature animals are only about 2 cm long including the caudal fin! As maximum length 3.5 cm are given in the literature.
Around this small fish jewel there were some ambiguities concerning the scientific naming. At first it was called Rivulus ornatus. Today it is classified in the genus Anablepsoides. In 2021 Huber described the little animal, which has its type locality not far from Iquitos on an island in the Amazon, as Rivulus collieri, the now valid name is Anablepsoides collieri.
As with all Rivulus-like, it is important to cover the aquarium absolutely tightly, otherwise these little animals will sooner or later inevitably end up on the floor. If you want to keep several males together, it is important to put them in at the same time, because they can get quite nasty among themselves.
These tiny fish can live up to 3 years in the aquarium, so they are not short-lived killies, but long-lived ones!
For our customers: the fish have code 343902 on our stock list. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
This extremely rarely imported species originates from Burma. The charming fish attains a length of only 2-3 cm. The species is a close relative of the mouthbrooding chocolate gouramis, but P. ocellatus is a bubblenest builder although the eggs look like the eggs of mouthbrooders.
In the habitats of P. ocellatus appear heavy day-night changes of the water temperature. The species lives in muddy, shallow pools. By day water temperature rises easily up to 25-28°C, while during the night the temperature becomes as low as 15°C. The metabolism of the tiny fish is adopted to that changes. So one should try to imitate them (for example by switching off the heater along with the lamps) otherwise the fish will become very sensitive for various diseases on a long time sight.
For our customers: the fish have code 441233 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
Lexicon: Parasphaerichthys: ancient Greek, means “similar to Sphaerichthys”. Sphaerichthys is another genus of fish. ocellatus: means “bears an ocellus”.
Suggestion of a common name: Ocellated dwarf chocolate gourami
The bony tongues (Osteoglossidae) are ancient fish nobility. They bear witness to the time when Africa, India, Australia, Antarctica and South America still formed a coherent continent called Gondwana. It was during this time that the bony tongues evolved. About 150 million years ago, Gondwana broke apart and today’s continents were formed. As if on rafts, the bony tongues drifted apart on the continental floes. Today they exist in South America (2 species Osteoglossum and 5 species Arapaima), in Africa (Heterotis niloticus) and with several species (the exact number is disputed) of the genus Scleropages in Asia and Australia.
The Australian species are colloquially called Saratoga and are traditionally divided into two species – Scleropages jardinii and S. leichardti. They are the least commonly imported of all the arowanas. They seem to retain their seasonal reproduction even in breeding facilities, and so we can generally offer them only a few weeks a year. Wild caught of these species are not in the trade. Now it is once again and we have S. jardinii on offer. The animals are currently 10-12 cm long. An interesting detail on the side: according to our supplier in Singapore he gets his animals from breeding farms in Australia.
Among themselves the young animals are a bit quarrelsome. There are no serious fights, but slightly damaged fins are the order of the day. The species grows to about 60 cm in length. They are predatory fish. Such rarities, which also grow very large, are acquired only by experienced aquarists, zoos and show aquariums with the appropriate aquarium equipment.
For our customers: the animals have code 454902 on our stock list. Please note that we supply only wholesale.
From Colombia we received Iguanodectes spilurus. This brings the number of Iguanodectes species imported by us in recent times to four: the red-striped I. geisleri and I. adujai, the three-striped I. purusii and now the golden-striped I. spilurus.
The lizard bite tetras (Iguanodectidae) are a peculiar family of South American tetras that got their scientific name from the shape of their teeth, which somewhat resemble the teeth of iguanas (Iguana). The popular adaptation „lizard bite tetras“ is therefore somewhat unfortunate. Lizards (Lacerta) have quite differently shaped teeth. Anyway: there are three genera in the family Iguanodectidae: Bryconops with 28 species, Iguanodectes with 8 species and Piabucus with 3 species. None of these species is imported more frequently, with the exception of the above mentioned Iguanodectes. Our knowledge about these fishes is therefore extremely poor.
At least the breeding of an Iguanodectes species was successful once (Böhm, 1985). Even if Böhm could not observe the spawning itself, the duration of the egg development with more than 10 days is very remarkable and to our knowledge unique among the tetras!
Some of our new imports differ rather strongly regarding coloration from the fish otherwise called I. spilurus in the hobby, which are also included in the import. So nowhere else the curved reddish band below the golden longitudinal band is mentioned, which many of our animals show. Possibly these animals are therefore even members of a scientifically still unknown species! But it could also be the other way around and these animals are the “real” I. spilurus and the other fishes without the reddish additional band belong to an undescribed species. Or is it a gender difference? There is still a lot to explore about the lizard bite tetras!
For our customers: the animals have code 264503 on our stock list. Please note that we supply only wholesale.
Literature:
Böhm, O. (1985): Gelungene Nachzucht des Eidechsensalmlers Iguanodectes spilurus. Tatsachen und Informationen aus der Aquaristik (TI), #69, (März): 12-13.
The “Giant Apistogramma” caused a flurry of excitement when it was discovered in 2009 during an expedition to the Serra do Cachimbo (Pará, Brazil). The discoverers, J. L. O. Birindelli and M. Sabaj Perez, reported on this great fish in various journals, initially under the name A. sp. “Gigas”. Then in 2014, Varella and Sabaj Perez formally described it as Apistogramma kullanderi.
The breeding coloration of adults is very beautiful and impressive. With a good 8 cm standard length, i.e. without tail fin, A. kullanderi in the male sex is twice as large as the many, many other Apistogramma species usually are, which after all are not called dwarf cichlids without reason. The import of A. kullanderi turned out to be a bumpy affair, because in the same area (upper Rio Curua) there is a second still undescribed Apistogramma species, which does not occur together with A. kullanderi, but looks darn similar when young. When importing young animals one buys the famous (expensive) pig in a poke and the disappointment was regularly big, when the hoped for A. kullanderi turned out to be the gray mice of the second species after a few weeks.
In the meantime there are well established breeding strains of the “real” A. kullanderi and for the first time we have German offspring available in wholesale. The animals still show only a hint of their later beauty, but we present them here anyway. The photographed pair will grow in our show facility and we hope to be able to provide pictures of adult animals in their full splendor and glory in about half a year.
For our customers: the fish have code 623443 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
At the moment we can offer several of the precious and rare Platinum animals of the caiman fish. All have the glistening white body ground coloration. Individually different black speckles are present on the currently 12-15 cm long juveniles.
These rarities are bred in Indonesia. They are intelligent fish, which come in expectation of food immediately to the front glass, if they perceive a human there. More införmation about the gar giant of the freshwater of North America you can find here: https://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/fish-archives/atractosteus-spatula-4/.
For our customers: the animals have code 847003 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
The “four-striped Ancistrus” L267 is still a somewhat mysterious species. Even if the first specimen became known already in 1996, this Ancistrus always remained a top rarity in the trade and was not available at all for years. Even the origin remained unknown until now. We get the fish from an exporter in Peru, who runs his station near Pucallpa. Unconfirmed rumors say that the catch area of this very uniquely marked Ancistrus – there is no other known species with such distinct longitudinal stripes – should come from the upper drainage of the Rio Ucayali (Rio Pozuzo near Codo del Pozuzo in the central Peruvian province of the same name).
The basic coloration of L267 is very variable. Both sexes can be very dark brown, orange-brown or silver-gray-blackish in the basic coloration, in addition there is a strong physiological color change. But always a worm pattern in the head area and the characteristic longitudinal stripes are recognizable. Our animals are 9-12 cm in size and sexually differentiated. They will probably still be able to grow a bit, but in terms of size they are obviously in the range of the known “Common Aquarium Ancistrus”. Let’s hope that breeding will be successful soon and then the price will drop to a range that makes this beautiful Ancistrus affordable for many hobbyists.
For our customers: the animals have code 26480-L 267-5 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
Unfortunately imports from the Congo are only rarely possible. But now it was once again so far and among other species we have received nice wild catches of the Banded ctenopoma (Microctenopoma fasciolatum, formerly Ctenopoma f.).
The currently imported form – the exact locality is unknown to us – differs quite clearly in color from the animals we could import last in 2020, see https://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/fish-archives/microctenopoma-fasciolatum-2/ On the linked page you will also find further information about these attractive and interesting labyrinth fish.
For our customers: the animals have code 117002 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
The Blackfin pearlfish (Austrolebias nigripinnis, formerly Cynolebias n.) is a true classic among killifish. Since its first importation in 1908, this small natural wonder has delighted fish lovers. It is only a maximum of 4.5 cm long (females remain smaller) a typical seasonal fish, which lives in nature only a few weeks. It uses this time continuously to feed, grow, bicker with conspecifics and spawn. For the latter, both partners dive deep into the bottom. The eggs laid there can remain alive in the dried out soil for up to 3 years. Fully developed, the larvae wait for the next rain. Once the puddle is filled, they hatch and the game begins again.
In the aquarium, the little jewels can live a considerably longer life than in nature. A life span of up to one year can be observed in the aquarium, especially if they are kept at room temperature (about 18°C). Higher temperatures shorten the life and increase the susceptibility of these fish to disease. They originate from the south of South America (Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and southern Brazil), but are exclusively traded as offspring. The eggs require special treatment. Without a dry period for the eggs it is not possible to breed this species successfully.
Important in the care is above all to take into account the enormous food requirements of these animals. Normally one cannot warn enough about the dangers of overfeeding aquarium fish, but here one may feed as often and as heartily as one likes. But above this, water maintenance must not be neglected! In dirty broth killies inevitably fall ill.
The sexes are very different in color; but don’t be fooled by pale males! After a losing fight, previously black fish become very, very pale. Females are also light colored, but have irregular brownish spots all over their bodies, which are always absent even in pale colored males.
For our customers: the fish have code 320502 on our stock list. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
Now is the season for the southern dwarf cory Corydoras hastatus. We get this cute Corydoras, which grows to about 2-3 cm long, from Paraguay. In contrast to most other Corydoras, C. hastatus is less bottom bound. He swims just as gladly in the free water. Often schools of C. hastatus are mixed with several tetra species that have exactly the same coloration. What this is good for, you can read here: https://www.aqualog.de/blog/die-paraguay-connection/. (sadly available in German only).
For our customers: the animals have code 232004 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
There are three tiny Oryzias species in the Mekong River basin of Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, which only grow to about 16 mm in length when fully grown in the wild; animals kept in aquariums can grow somewhat larger because they live much longer here (2-5x as long, i.e. 2-3 years). These are Oryzias minutillus, O. mekongensis and O. songkhramensis.
We have now once again been able to import Oryzias minutillus from Thailand. These tiny fishes are not very sensitive despite their small size. Their care and breeding is similar to that of the currently so popular Medaka (O. latipes), but the food has to be small and the water temperature should not drop below 18°C. In the aquarium it is advisable to give freshly hatched Artemia nauplii two to three times a week. Otherwise the tiny fishes like to eat finely grated dry food, frozen cyclops, microworms etc.
While taking pictures we noticed that there are also some equally tiny bycatch between our O. minutillus. They have a very different head shape and orange dots at the base of the caudal fin, and some specimens have orange stripes on the upper and lower edges of the caudal fin. The similarity to O. mekongensis, which we have been able to import occasionally in the past, is great, but the males have small hooks on the anal fin. This is the distinguishing feature of O. songkhramensis. So we can announce with some pride to have imported this species now for the first time (at least recognized).
Because of the delicacy of these tiny fishes, sorting them is prohibited. Any handling should be kept to an absolute minimum, because the risk of mechanical injury is simply too great. It is best to catch such miniature fish in nets as large as possible and then scoop them out of the net with a suitable container, avoiding contact with air. This way, injuries to the small fish are almost impossible.
For our customers: the animals have code 340053 on our stock list. Please note that we supply only wholesale.
The so-called common hatchetfish Gasteropelecus sternicla is found in practically the entire tropical area of South America. In this huge area probably different genetic lines have developed. In any case, it is extremely unlikely that this is not the case. Nevertheless, they look extremely similar everywhere: they are simply success models of evolution!
A recent import from Colombia – we have Gasteropelecus sternicla practically always in our stock, sometimes also as offspring from Indonesia – is interesting because these animals originate from the Rio Magdalena. This river, which is about the size of the Rhine, is quite isolated from other river systems in South America and that is why many of its fish species occur exclusively there; the technical term is: they are endemic there. In fact, a hatchetfish species was also scientifically described from the Rio Magdalena in 1912, namely Thoracocharax magdalenae. Today it is considered a synonym of Gasteropelecus maculatus. Of course we were curious if the G. sternicla from the Rio Magdalena would look different than their cousins from other areas. Wrong! Nevertheless it is interesting to have seen them once…
For our customers: due animals have code 254406 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
In recent years many highly interesting catfish species ideally suited for aquaristics have been discovered from Asia and imported for aquarists.
The first species of the genus Pseudolaguvia were described already in 1927, but only recently it was recognized that this is a very species-rich genus of dwarf catfishes, which usually grow only about 2-3 cm long. Thus, from 1927 until 2013 only four species were described, since then 21 (!) new species were added!
Typical for Pseudolaguvia is a sucking apparatus on the ventral side. The species live in streams and small rivers, which usually have fine sand as substrate. Here the dwarf catfishes can be found among decaying plant remains (detritus).
Once again we could import Pseudolaguvia muricata from North Bengal in India. These cute animals grow to a length of about 2.5-3 cm and are thus perfectly suited for keeping in small aquariums, especially since they are not very fond of swimming. The aquarium for Pseudolaguvia should have a fine sandy bottom. Additionally, add some dead leaves to the aquarium. They eat all common fish food, as long as it fits into their mouth. Pseudolaguvia are completely peaceful towards conspecifics and alien fish, also plants are not damaged.
There are rather dark, slender fish and somewhat lighter colored, stronger specimens. Perhaps this is a sex difference. Nothing is known about reproduction, but it can be assumed that the little animals attach their eggs, similar to armored catfishes, to plants etc. without further brood care. Care is best at room temperature, the water in their natural habitat is soft and neutral. Especially important are two things: low germ water and low food competition, because the Pseudolaguvia are slow eaters and easily get short.
For our customers. the animals have code 445425 on our stock list. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
Lexicon: Pseudolaguvia: means “false Laguvia”: Laguvia is another genus of catfish. muricata: means “spiny like a murex snail”.
A long name for a small fish, but this extremely pretty platy is surely worth to break your tongue for. The base coloration is snow white, the fins are transparent, the eye (the iris) sky blue. The famous “Mickey Mouse” pattern is emblazoned on the caudal peduncle, which is called “moon complete” in the breeder’s language. The vermilion dorsal patch, which in dominant males extends well into the ventral region and may extend to the root of the tail, stands out effectively from this.
Xiphophorus maculatus Platy Mickey Mouse White Red Tail is not a new breed in the actual sense – all mentioned colors are known in the Platy for decades – but in him it succeeded in a particularly beautiful way to combine these different characteristics to a new, purely bred variant.
For our customers: due animals have code 443253 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
From the Hong Kong area comes this beautiful, but also delicate goby. The maximum length of the species is about 10 cm. The basic temperature requirements are well known from the White Clouds (Tanichthys albonubes), which occurs in the same region: 16-22°C for normal care, somewhat higher for breeding, short-term up to 28°C are tolerated.
There is still very little experience with Sineleotris saccharae. In our normal fish house aquarium (140 x 60 x 30 cm, L x D x H) with a stock of 25 specimens and a piece of root wood as the only furnishing (no substrate, no plants) the animals show a rather free swimming behavior, comparable to Stigmatogobius sadanundio. Each fish defends a zone of about 5-10 cm around itself against conspecifics. If a conspecific enters this space, it is threatened, with the throat region turning black, and driven away. If he does not want to give way, it can also come to mouth tugging, as one knows it from cichlids. Over a larger distance than 15 cm the opponent is not pursued however, it comes to no damage fights.
In the photo tank the behavior is completely different and more typical for gobies. Here they are bottom oriented and hide behind stones etc.. One specimen has even burrowed into the sand, so there is still a lot to explore about these beautiful fish! Concerning the food they are unproblematic. We feed them live food (red and white mosquito larvae, Tubifex) in the photo tank they also snatched parts of food tablets, which were actually intended for feeding other animals.
For our customers: the animals have code 455223 on our stock list. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
The kissing gourami (Helostoma temmickii) in its pink breeding form is one of the best known labyrinth fish. It is not actually bred as an ornamental fish, but as a food fish. The species grows up to 30 cm long under suitable (fattening) conditions and is considered delicate. In the nutrient-rich, turbid breeding ponds, the pink-colored animals are much easier to see than the green-gray wild form, which greatly facilitates control, care and fishing.
In the aquarium the fish usually reaches only 15-20 cm in length and is a rather peaceful, but in any case interesting ornamental fish for larger aquariums. The peculiar mouth is covered with numerous teeth, which are used to graze aufwuchs (algae and the small animals they contain). The famous “kissing” of these fish has nothing to do with expressions of affection, but is a form of mouth writhing, a ritualized fighting action widespread among fish.
The sexes are hardly distinguishable in the kissing gourami. The males are slightly less high-backed. Unlike very many other labyrinth fishes, kissing gouramis do not engage in any brood care, but simply release the spawn (many thousands in larger fishes) freely into the water during a labyrinth fish-typical embrace. The eggs have small oil droplets and therefore float on the water surface. In Europe breeding is almost not practiced, it is much easier and ecologically more sensible to import them from Southeast Asia, where breeding of Helostoma has been practiced for centuries.
The care of kissing gouramis is not difficult, any water is accepted, any usual food is eaten, it should only not be too coarse. The water temperature can be between 20 and 30°C. One should always keep several specimens, even if Helostoma temmickii does not need conspecifics for well-being. But it is interesting to watch the “kissing” of these animals and for kissing you have to be at least two…
For our customers: the animals have code 421302 (4-5 cm) and 421305 (7-9 cm) on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
Albinos occur in all animal species, including humans. Due to a mutation they lack the ability to form black pigments completely or partially. In nature, albinos are extremely rare, because they are too conspicuous and thus quickly become the victim of predators, in human care albinos occur sooner or later in all animal species. Since albinos are felt by many people as particularly desirable, one continues to breed them.
So it happened also with the Corydoras sp. aff. aeneus Neon Goldstripe, which is also known as CW 10 in the hobby. Originally this scientifically still undescribed species comes from Peru. Actually it is closer to C. melanotaenia than C. aeneus, but that need not be of interest here. In the albino form of this fish the ability to form yellow pigment is very pronounced. As a result, the famous neon gold stripe is always clearly visible. By the way of feeding you can control if you rather want them a little bit lighter – say: with whitish – body base color or rather with an orange-yellow body base color. A lot of food containing astaxanthin (e.g. Cyclops) gives orange-yellow coloration, food poor in astaxanthin leads to white fish. Both colorations can be reversed at any time by changing the feed. For the fish themselves this is meaningless.
For our customers: the animals have code 221092 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
For the first time we could import this cute dwarf catfish from Peru. In the scientific literature the maximum size is given as 3,6 cm (without caudal fin). It is absolutely incomprehensible, why this attractively striped fish (however, there are numerous individual colour morphs from banded to almost completely black, some animals are also of reddish brown basic coloration) has never appeared aquaristically (at least as far as we know).
Originally the species was described from the upper Rio Cauca in Colombia, our animals are from Peru (surroundings of Pucallpa), scientific collections exist also from the Rio Tocantins in Brazil. These are completely different river systems, each of these rivers has a high proportion of endemic species (i.e. species that only occur there). It seems more likely then that there is a whole species complex of dwarf catfishes that merely look similar, rather than all of them being the same.
Anyway: this tiny catfish is an absolute enrichment for the aquarium science and we are very proud that we succeeded in such an interesting import.
For our customers: the animals have code 214712 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
Crenicichla zebrina is one of the still extremely high-priced fishes, because the finding areas are located far away and it is very costly to transport live fishes healthy and lively from there to the export stations. The wonderful coloration makes the animals nevertheless desirable.
Unfortunately it is hard to tell the sexes of C. zebrina apart and furthermore randomly mated animals rarely get along. Juveniles, on the other hand, are inconspicuous in coloration and still expensive, but quite peaceful among themselves. A troop of young animals is the best chance to get to a breeding pair.
The rice fish of Japan are also called medaka and enjoy a great popularity. They belong to the first foreign ornamental fish ever, which came to Europe. Already in 1887 the first “golden panchax” were imported to Germany. But one cared for the fish at first wrongly. One wanted to do the exotics something good and heated their aquariums on 25-30°C (at that time a technical challenge, because electrical aquarium heaters did not exist yet). So the animals died out in the aquarium. It was not until over 100 years later that a new hype arose around the small cold-water fish in the western world.
When exactly the Medaka was domesticated in Japan is unknown. However, one assumes several hundred years of breeding history. Today, more than 450 breeding variants are distinguished. But you have to be a specialist to recognize them. Among the best known and already in the 19th century imported breeding forms are the golden yellow forms. Among them is also the “Pink”, which we have just received from Taiwan. They are strong, orange colored animals, some of which have silver glittering scales.
The only 3-4 cm long Medaka are perfect fish for mini garden ponds, where they reliably prevent mosquitoes. Of course, you should not put the freshly imported animals into the mini-pond now, but only when it has become permanently warm! In autumn, when the water temperatures drop below 10°C, fish them off and overwinter them indoors. Males are distinguished from females by a larger anal fin and a small gap in the dorsal fin. As with all Oryzias, females carry the spawn around in the form of a cluster under their abdomen for a few hours until they find an egg-laying site they like. The brood care ends with the stripping of the egg cluster.
For our customers: the animals have code 339753 on our stock list. Please note that we supply only wholesale.
If anything, marine aquarists are familiar with the flatheads of the genus Platycephalus. There are 17 species, P. indicus, which can be easily recognized by its black and white stalked caudal fin, is the best known and most common species. It is found in large parts of the Indo-West Pacific and the Red Sea. The fish has also migrated to the Mediterranean Sea through the Suez Canal.
Platycephalus indicus is thus a marine fish, but juveniles are occasionally caught in freshwater, including the specimens we currently offer, obtained from the lower reaches of the Hooghly River in Bengal. We maintain the animals at a salinity of 5 g salt/liter (seawater has a little over 30 g salt/liter). This is obviously good for them and they eat excellently. However, one must be aware that long-term care is only possible in strong brackish water or seawater. Platycephalus indicus grows to about 100 cm in length, so it is not a small fish, even though the normal average length of the popular food fish is “only” about 50 cm.
Platycephalus indicus are obligate predatory fish. We are glad that they eagerly eat live white mosquito larvae, but in the long run they must be accustomed to eating whole fish. Since P. indicus are not particularly shy, we think that after habituation they will eat well from tweezers. Among themselves the animals are peaceful, they hardly take notice of other fish species. An aquarium for Platycephalus should have as large a bottom area as possible. Sand should be chosen as substrate. Planting is not necessary. The water temperature can be between 18 and 28°C. When keeping them in fresh water you have to pay attention to the pH-value, which should not drop below 8.
Every now and then we can import this incredible freshwater pufferfish in small numbers. It is a very specialized species that only occurs in nature in Sumatra and Borneo, where it inhabits very soft, acidic water. This puffer fish is a purely freshwater species, never frequenting brackish or seawater.
The strangely colored belly is used for food acquisition. Pao palembangensis is a predatory fish that pretends to be dead to hunt. It then hangs around in the most impossible body positions, its marbled belly looking like carrion. If a small fish or shrimp comes to eat from the carrion, the animal itself becomes the prey.
According to unconfirmed rumors, females are less humped than males; in any case, males remain somewhat smaller. Clear external sex differences are absent. Breeding has already been successful, the fish, which becomes about 12-15 cm long, is a cave-breeder.
In literature Pao palembangensis (former: Tetraodon palembangensis) was incomprehensibly confused with the “figure-8 pufferfish”, Dichotomyctere ocellatus (former: Tetraodon biocellatus), a brackish water pufferfish growing about 8 cm long, which is still called “Palembang pufferfish” (see https://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/fish-archives/dichotomyctere-ocellatus-formerly-tetraodon-biocellatus/). For Pao palembangensis, therefore, the colloquial name “Dragon Pufferfish” is becoming more and more common.
For our customers: Pao palembangensis has code 462555 on our stocklist, Dichotomyctere ocellatus code 46250. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
The striped panchax (Aplocheilus lineatus) is the largest of the Aplocheilus species. It reaches a length of up to 10 cm in the aquarium. In nature, such capital specimens are hardly ever found, because wild fish do not grow old enough for this. Accordingly, sexual maturity begins at about 5 cm in length.
Since 1909 A. lineatus live in the aquarium and are bred here. The origin of the fish is South India. There they look – depending on the locality – quite different, while the aquarium strains show a rather uniform outfit. Usually this fish, which is common in nature, is sold as offspring, but just now we can offer some wild catches from the Indian state of Kerala. It is very exciting to study such wild fish in comparison to their domesticated cousins!
For our customers: the animals have code 303623 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
The African Red-eyed Tetra is one of the few permanently available tetra species from tropical Africa; the species lives endemically in Nigeria, so it is found only there. The species owes this to its magnificent appearance and the fact that it is very easy to keep. Unfortunately, the species is now considered endangered in parts of its range due to massive water pollution caused by oil production. Catching and exporting it as an ornamental fish has no influence on the population. Nevertheless: it could happen that this old aquarium fish has to be taken into conservation breeding one day to prevent its extinction. It should be noted that there are different color variants, which apparently live geographically separated from each other. In our current stocked animals, the males have yellow colored anal fin stripes and the females have a clearly separated spot in thatr fin. But there are also populations with red anal fin stripes, where the anal fin spot also looks different in the females (see pictures). Therefore one should always breed only with animals from the same import, in order not to risk producing a mongrel pet form.
The maximum length of Arnoldichthys spilopterus is about 8 – 10 cm, females are generally larger than males. It is very easy to distinguish the sexes by the coloration of the anal fin, only the males show the beautiful stripes in this fin. The care should take place in a shoal of at least 10-15 animals.
There are hardly any demands on the water composition, but Arnoldichthys are somewhat sensitive to organic pollution. The water temperature should be between 22 and 26°C. Every usual fish food is eaten. Plants and other fish are disregarded, as long as the latter are not too small. For breeding you have to provide the fish with approach food (small insects), otherwise the females will hardly develop eggs. They are productive free spawners without brood care.
For our customers: the animals have code 100204 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply to wholesalers.
Lexicon: Arnoldichthys: dedication name for the eminent aquarist Johann Paul Arnold (1869-1952). spilopterus: means “with spot in the fin”.
Many species of animals and plants have been discovered only because they were imported for the purpose of keeping them alive. This is very important, because species knowledge is the absolute basic requirement for species protection. You cannot protect a species that you do not know. In the north of India, in the district of Coochbehar, a very enterprising and knowledgeable man, Bipul Gope, has been active in ornamental fishing for many years. On his extensive excursions he has already discovered many species, such as the colorful snakehead fish species Channa andrao and C. bleheri, he rediscovered Dario dario, lost since 1822, and many other species more, including a freshwater shrimp. We first imported this species in 2007 and gave it the makeshift name Macrobrachium sp. “Banded”. Werner Klotz described the species one year later as M. agwi based on our imported animals. Now we could finally import this species again. Our supplier sent it this time under the name “Candy shrimp”, a nice popular name for a pretty shrimp!
Macrobrachium agwi belongs to the species where the males can develop very long claw arms. The maximum length of the animals is 5-6 cm (not counting claw arms), females remain smaller. The Candy Shrimp belongs to the large-armed shrimps, which can be bred well in the aquarium, that it lays few, large eggs (approx. 20) and the young shrimps hatch already far developed. They do not go through a larval phase in the sea. The experiences with Macrobrachium show in general that they can be kept together with not too small fishes. They are omnivorous, but clearly have a preference for carnivorous food. Many species like to eat small snails. Long-term experience especially with M. agwi has not been reported yet. The aquarium should not be too small and should have many hiding places, because these animals can become aggressive among themselves. The water temperature can be between 18 and 26°C.
For our customers: the animals have code 484232 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
For many years this small bichir from the Congo did not come to us. Now we finally succeeded in importing them again. Polypterus polli remains under 30 cm total length and thus belongs to the smallest species of these ancient fishes. It can easily be confused with P. palmas from Guinea and with P. retropinnis, which also originates from the Congo. The easiest way to distinguish the two species from the Congo is to look closely at the pectoral fins. In P. polli, these are lemon yellow, without banding, and have a bold dark spot at the base of the fin. In P. retropinnis, these fins are more gray, delicately banded, and lack the dark spot at the base of the fin. In addition, P. retopinnis is much more slender than P. polli.
On the other hand, it is more difficult to distinguish between P. polli and P. palmas in small Polypterus of unknown origin. These species are so similar to each other that they formerly used to be listed only as subspecies to each other. However, they do not occur together anywhere. P. palmas lacks the black spot at the base of the pectoral fins (but a dark spot may be present, just not as strong and distinct as in P. polli), the pectoral fins are usually distinctly spotted, as is the top of the head.
Polypterus polli is a peaceful fish, but considers small fish as food. Keeping this in mind, P. polli is very good to keep in community aquariums with other Congo fish. No Polypterus is engaged in brood care. The animals spawn freely in the water. Sexually mature males and females differ clearly in the shape of the anal fin, which is greatly enlarged in the male.
For our customers: the fish have code 164702 on our stock list. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
There is no doubt about it: the Red Jewel Cichlids, formerly called Hemichromis bimaculatus, are among the most popular aquarium fishes. For several generations of mankind they have been swimming in the aquariums of the world and find again and again new, enthusiastic followers – however also aquarists who swear an oath: never again Red Jewel Cichlids! The latter comes from the unfortunately in individual cases unpredictable belligerence of these fish. Most of them are really sociable, but there are some unbearable troublemakers, which make life hell for all fish in the aquarium. Since this characteristic occurs individually, it is absolutely unpredictable.
The most beautiful red jewel cichlids are those that have numerous blue shiny spots on their bodies, called iriodophores. The distribution of the iriodophores is individually different. In the wild, specimens completely without and those completely covered with iriodophores are found in the same population of several species. This is therefore not a species characteristic, but can be selected by appropriate breeding. Thus, over the decades, aquarium strains have been created that are much, much more colorful than their wild cousins. If these fish have a particularly large number of iriodophores, they are called Lifalili in the hobby.
This is somewhat unfortunate in that the species Rubricatochromis lifalili really does exist. It lives in the Congo. In the trade the “real” R. lifalili hardly ever appears – at least we have not seen it yet.
What you can buy as Rubricatochromis (or Hemichromis) lifalili are either selection breedings of R. guttatus or breeding forms which have their origin in crossing different species. At the moment we have especially nice animals of a wild form selection breeding (R. guttatus) in our stock. By the way, on the pictures you can see very nicely how it comes that these fish can glow in deep red at lightning speed. The body cells, in which the red pigment is located, can be contracted. Then they appear only as fine red dots.
For our customers: the fish have code 536602 on our stock list. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
With the energy crisis, fish species that do not require supplemental heating are increasingly becoming the focus of attention. Among these species is Sarcocheilichthys davidi, a bottom-oriented carp fish from China found in the Yangtze River basin.
This species grows to a maximum size of 10 cm. Our first thought when we unpacked the fish was: boah, huge brass barbs! Actually they are very beautiful fish, but unfortunately also very shy. Therefore they show only hints of their possible colorfulness. Males get a fiery red head at spawning time and the typical spawning rash on the snout of so many carp fish. It is important for the animals to have a quiet tank location, large aquariums with plenty of shelters in the form of roots.
Sarcocheilichthys davidi is very peaceful and sociable. It is favorable if the animals are kept together with other peaceful fish from similar climates, these may even be goldfish, which take away their shyness.
For our customers: the animals have code 453703 on our stock list. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
From time to time we receive the beautiful, large hillstream loaches Annamia normani (see https://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/fish-archives/annamia_normani_en/) from Vietnam. Recently we received again a shipment of very similar specimens, but they differ clearly from the A. normani we know well by the very contrasting tail fin. Since all specimens (over 50) show this feature, it cannot be a coincidence. The attempt of a determination turned out to be difficult, because important determination characteristics – above all the mouth and lip form) are not recognizable at the living animal without aids. The only hillstream loach of the region with similar body shape and marked caudal fin, for which useful picture material exists, is Vanmanenia crassicauda. But also this species is clearly different from our animals, so that we first decided to call them Vanmanenia sp. Vietnam.
Now we finally got the chance to photograph the animals in peace. The shape of mouth and lips proves: the species is a member of the genus Annamia. From this genus there are only two described species, namely the already mentioned A. normani and a species described in 2005, A. thuathienensis (River Bô, Thua Thiên Province, Huê, Vietnam). However, this species is so poorly described that even proven specialists do not feel confident to evaluate it. Therefore we prefer to call our new Giraffe Hillsteam Loach Annamia sp. (= Vanmanenia sp.) Vietnam.
The care of the animals is pleasantly simple. They like strong currents and oxygen-rich water, but are otherwise undemanding. Among themselves and against other fish they are very peaceful. They eat all common fish food of suitable size, but we have no experience with flake food. Our largest animals are about 10 cm long (incl. tail fin).
For our customers: the animals have code 473134 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
We could import some specimens of the pretty white fringed flying catfish Pseudolithoxus nicoi from Venezuela. This very rarely available species grows to a length of about 12 cm.
P. nicoi originates from the Rio Casiquiare, which connects the Rio Negro with the Orinoco. There is great similarity to P. anthrax (L235), which is why P. nicoi is sometimes referred to as L235b. Typical P. nicoi, unlike P. anthrax, have white fin seams; however, not all specimens exhibit this color feature.
Typical of all Pseudolithoxus are the huge pectoral fins, which led to the popular name “aviator catfish. In the care the Pseudolithoxus do not differ from other predominantly aufwuchs feeding loricariids, like e.g. Ancistrus, however they require as strong a current as possible and higher water temperatures (26-30°C).
For our customers: the fish have code 284633 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
One of the very first tetra species ever imported for aquaristics was the red fin tetra, Aphyocharax anisitsi. Its first import was in 1906 and it soon succeeded in breeding, making further imports unnecessary. It is very likely that the redfin tetras living in the aquarium today are also descendants of these first import fish.
Aphyocharax anisitsi was scientifically described in 1903 from the surroundings of Asuncion in Paraguay, but at first the imports were not correctly identified, but were thought to belong to a new species, which was described in 1921 as A. rubripinnis. Under this name one finds in older aquarium literature the information about Aphyocharax anisitsi. The natural distribution of the redfin tetra is in Argentina, Paraguay and southern Brazil (rivers Paraná, Paraguay and Uruguay and the Laguna dos Patos drainages). Therefore the species is rather insensitive to low temperatures (down to approx. 14°C), as they could occur before the 1st World War because of the difficult heating possibilities of aquaria.
The species grows to a maximum length of 5.5 cm. Males can be recognized by many small hooks on the anal fin. They are very peaceful fish, which also leave plants undisturbed. No demands are made on the chemical composition of the water. These schooling fish thrive in literally any water that is also suitable for drinking. Nowadays most redfin tetras come as offspring from Indonesia, so also the specimens photographed for this post.
For our customers: the animals have code 206405 on our stock list. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
From India we were able to import Rasbora daniconius. This minnow usually grows to 6-8 cm in length, the largest specimen ever measured supposedly measured 15 cm. The species is found in Bengal together with such well-known and popular ornamental fishes as zebra danio (Danio rerio), rosy barb (Pethia conchonius), dwarf gourami (Colisa lalius) and chameleon fish (Badis badis). Rasbora daniconius is a wonderful contrast fish to the above species in the community aquarium.
The animals are completely peaceful omnivores, plants are ignored. Like the majority of minnows, this species appreciates the company of its conspecifics and should be kept in a group of at least five, preferably 10-15 specimens. The water temperature can be between 18 and 28°C, any tap water suitable as drinking water is suitable for the care. R. daniconius are free spawners without brood care.
For our customers: the fish have code 451703 on our stocklist. Please note that we supply exclusively to wholesalers.
Petruichthys brevis is a species of loach that originates from Burma. Here it occurs only in Inle Lake. The species attains a length of only 4-5 cm and thus belongs to the small species of fish. In contrast to most other species of loach, this one is a free swimming, schooling species. The swimming behaviour is similar to that of the penguin tetra (Thayeria boehlkei), eg the fish prefer to swim in a head-up position. The caudal peduncle is slightly snapped off, an adaption to the special swimming style.
Petruichthys brevis can be bred quite easily in aquaria. The fish spawn among fine underwater plants. Males are smaller, have longer pectoral fins and usually a longitudinal stripe on the side, while females grow larger and have a spotted pattern.
Lake Inle has comparatively hard water, so most types of tap water are perfectly suited for keeping this fish. The water temperature can be between 16 and 26°C what makes a heater unnecessary in living rooms.
For our customers: the fish have code 478003 on our stocklist. Please note the we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
The “Peru Bleeding Heart” (Hyphessobrycon erythrostigma) is exported primarily from Peru, but is quite widely distributed in the upper Amazon and is also found in Brazil, Ecuador, and Colombia.
The three species of bleeding hearts are closely related and look very similar. H. pyrrhonotus is the easiest to recognize because it has a blood red stripe on its back that the other species lack. H. socolofi and H. erythrostigma are most easily distinguished by the coloration of the anal fin: H. socolofi has a bright shiny stripe here that does not run into the anterior tip of the anal fin, while in H. erythrostigma this stripe goes into the anterior tip of the anal fin, making a hook. You can see this well in the photos.
Hyphessobrycon erythrostigma grows to about 6 cm long, with caudal fin this makes about 8 cm total length, the females remain smaller and do not have such a long extended dorsal fin. The fish is rarely bred. The reason is not that it can’t be done, but because it is a portion spawner that lays only a few eggs a day for long periods of time. This makes rational breeding impossible, because 10 young fish make just as much work as 1,000 young fish. That is why professional breeders have no interest in these fish, but this is not a problem at all, because the Peru bleeding heart is common and thus means a good, regular and environmentally friendly income for the fishermen in Peru.
For a community aquarium Hyphessobrycon erythrostigma is particularly suitable and here a troop (there should always be at least 10-15 specimens, the gender composition is irrelevant) is a real feast for the eyes, which also regularly inspires even non-aquarists.
For our customers: the fish has code 260103 on our stocklist. Please note that we supply exclusively to wholesalers.
We received once more from Guinea the comparatively small (20-25 cm) and very pretty Polypterus palmas. Currently our fish are 10-12 cm long. Formerly the species has been splitted in several subspecies, but this seems not to reflect the real situation.
For our customers: P. palmas has code 164502 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
The large cichlids of South and Central America have a firm place in aquaristics. However, aquarists have a mental problem with the no less magnificent large cichlids of Africa. When the name “tilapia” is mentioned in a fish discussion, everyone immediately thinks of gray underwater lawnmowers with carp format.
There is a grain of truth in this prejudice. In fact, many tilapias are mainly herbivores, and some of the important food fish among them, such as Oreochromis niloticus or Sarotherodon galilaeus (this is the biblical fish from the Sea of Galilee) are really no color wonders. But there are also really beautiful animals among the tilapia. Among them is Heterotilapia buettikoferi, a species distributed from Guinea-Bissau to western Liberia. It belongs to the largest tilapias at all, it is said that already 50 cm long specimens have been caught. Normal in nature are 15-20 cm, in the aquarium maybe 30 cm. They become sexually active much earlier. The photographed pair is only 8-10 cm long and started spawning already one day after entering the photo aquarium. There are hardly any external sex differences.
Heterotilapia buettikoferi is an open breeder and forms a parent family. The care is really easy, water values secondary. Vegetable matter (oat flakes, vegetable flake food, over-brooded lettuce) should play a role in the diet, but basically the fish are omnivores; in the wild they are snail-eaters. In sufficiently large aquariums they are usually peaceful animals. Under too cramped conditions, however, they can become real bullies.
We offer H. buettikoferi as offspring from Southeast Asia.
For our customers: the animals have code 576903 on our stocklist. Please note that we supply exclusively to wholesalers.
We have received beautiful Semaprochilodus from Colombia. Unfortunately the naming of the Semaprochilodus species was very wrong in the past. According to current knowledge, our animals are definitely S. laticeps. In the aquaristic literature and in the internet the species is mostly called S. taeniurus (this is another species from Brazil) or S. theraponura (this species is today considered as synonym to S. insignis and originates from Peru). Therefore we have listed the animals under the name S. taeniurus.
The “real” S. taeniurus can be easily distinguished from S. latipes. S. taeniurus lacks the black stripe behind the opercle completely and the species is much more slender than S. latipes.
For care the species affiliation is irrelevant, because all Semaprochilodus grow to 30-40 cm in length and are beautiful, impressive large tetras. They are Aufwuchs and detritus eaters and can be compared aquaristically quite well with kissing gouramis (Helostoma). Like the latter they have only a narrow throat and cannot do much with coarse food, which is why they can also be kept with much smaller fish. Among themselves they are sometimes somewhat incompatible. This can be counteracted by keeping at least 5-6 specimens together.
Our animals are currently 11-14 cm long and show partly quite pronounced sex differences. At least in some specimens the dorsal fin is extended long (male?) and in others of the same size not (female?). In nature, these fish perform spectacular spawning migrations, during which the huge shoals also overcome rapids and waterfalls, similar to salmon in Europe in the past. Semaprochilodus do not practice brood care, they are prolific free spawners.
For our customers: the animals have code 290508 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
The Real or Heckel Discus (Symphysodon discus) is always somewhat behind its close relatives, the Blue and Green Discus, in popularity. This is certainly only because it breeds less willingly. There is no doubt about its special beauty.
The Heckel Discus “Blue Moon” is found only in a rather remote region of the Alto Nhamunda (i.e. the upper reaches of the Rio Nhamunda). To the nearest “normal” collecting station it takes four hours by speedboat!
Nevertheless, the Blue Moon are selected animals. Although the Blue Moon is only found in the Alto Nhamunda, not all of the Heckels of the Alto Nhamunda are Blue Moon. Only a relatively small percentage show the unique coloration. Some of these Blue Moon are so intensely colored that at first glance they could be mistaken for Area Turquoise Discus, a breeding form that evolved from Blue and Green Discus. However, all Blue Moon are wild caught.
For our customers: the animals have code 735036 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply to wholesalers.
We have received a beautiful color variation of the zebra crayfish from New Guinea, which is characterized by deep blue claws. These are quite magnificent animals! For basic information about the species see https://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/fish-archives/cherax-peknyi-4/
For our customers: the animals have code 483025 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
The two-banded dwarf cichlid, Apistogramma diplotaenia, is one of the dream fish of many Apistogramma lovers. The species originates from the Rio Negro drainage in Brazil. Unfortunately, this fish is also one of the most demanding species of the genus and even minor carelessness – e.g. a missed water change and the resulting increase in bacterial load of the water – is very resented.
Because of its unique coloration, A. diplotaenia was previously considered to be unmistakable until 2019 when a twin species, A. psammophila was described from the Rio Atabapo in Colombia. In fact, it is impossible to distinguish the two species in the juvenile stage without knowledge of their origin. There is one distinct feature that differentiates A. diplotaenia and A. psammophila, and that is vertical black stripes on the belly of A. psammophila, which never occur in A. diplotaenia. Unfortunately, this stripe coloration cannot be provoked well. It is obviously only shown depending on the mood, but in which mood? Strongly stressed animals fade completely and during aggressive actions the stripes are also not visible or at most indicated. Apparently they are best seen in relaxed, rather “bored” animals. A second characteristic is the shape of the caudal fin (round in A. diplotaenia, lanceolate in A. psammophila), but this is only clearly visible in fully grown males and therefore irrelevant for juvenile determinations.
In any case we are very proud to be able to offer this precious specimen. For the care of this fish we recommend only experienced specialists. It seems to us that the fish, although they are still very small with 2-3 cm and just sexually mature, are extremely incompatible with each other. There are no damage fights, but constant stress seems to be enough to harm the immune system to such an extent that severe diseases occur.
For our customers: the animals have code 626632 on our stock list. Please note that we only supply wholesale. Only very few specimens available!
From Paraguay we received a nice shipment of mouthbrooding whiptail catfishes (Loricaria). Because of the known difficulties to identify species in Loricaria exactly, we first named them provisionally as L. simillima, the aquaristic best known species of the genus, which also occurs in Paraguay.
Now that the animals are somewhat acclimated and also the latest scientific literature could be evaluated, we are pretty sure that our new imports are at least for the most part L. luciae, a species scientifically described only in 2013. Within the 13 accepted species of the genus, this is the most recently described species.
The unique feature of L. luciae is the shape of the ventral plates in combination with the fact that the shoulder girdle is completely naked, i.e. unplated. In two of the three species occurring in Paraguay together with L. luciae, namely L. apeltogaster and L. simillima, the ventral plates also cover the shoulder girdle. Thus, these two species are excluded with respect to our new import. On the other hand, L. coximensis is very similar, from which L. luciae differs in its larger adult size (130-190 mm SL compared to less than 130 mm SL) and greater postural plate length (17.0-20.3% compared to 7.4-14.2% of HL). It also differs from L. coximensis in having a greater number of total lateral plates (32-33 versus 28-31). The shape of the lateral abdominal plates was crucial for our determination. Comparing the illustrations in the original descriptions of L. luciae and L. coximensis, in L. coximensis the two lateral rows of abdominal plates are much longer, reducing the middle abdominal plates, which are assembled like a mosaic, to a relatively narrow wedge. Two other species might be confused with L. luciae: L. holmbergi and L. pumila. L. holmbergi, as far as we know, only occurs in the Rio San Francisco in Argentina (not to be confused with the Sao Francisco in Brazil!) and L. pumila lacks the iris lobe that is distinct in our Loricaria.
We are pleased to have once again brought in a new species. It can be assumed that L. luciae can be maintained and bred similarly to the well-known L. simillima. The sexes of our apparently sexually mature animals (they are 9-12 cm long) can be distinguished by the orange teeth along the front sides of the head in the male.
For our customers: the animals have code 266584 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
The “golden cichlid” is one of the first cichlid species that became known for aquaristics. It originates from Mexico. Already in 1911 the first imports took place. However, the species never really caught on in general, in contrast to its cousin T. meeki, which was first imported more than 20 years later and is still one of the most commonly kept and bred cichlids. Astonishing, as the “meeki” with nearly the same shape and size (maximum 15 cm) is by far not as colorful and also on average much more aggressive than T. aureus.
The reason is probably the much more inconspicuous juvenile coloration of T. aureus. Up to a length of about 10 cm this fish comes along rather pastel colored. Meekis are colored much earlier. Therefore T. aureus is rather a fish for connoisseurs.
Normally we have only relatively small juveniles (mostly 4-7 cm) of these animals in our offer. Now it happened by chance that one of our breeders had to give away a big pair. We think the pictures speak for themselves, don’t you?
For our customers: the animals have code 688170 (4-5 cm) to 688174 (8-10 cm) on our stocklist. The big pair found a new home right away. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
One of the rarest animals in the world is this Madagascar cichlid, which was only scientifically described in 2006 and already in 2013 it was feared to be extinct. It existed in only one river on Madagascar, the Mangarahara, after which the perch is also called Mangarahara cichlid. A dam project and excessive water extraction for agriculture caused the river to dry up. Along with the river, all the fish that lived in it died. It borders on a miracle that a few living specimens of Ptychochromis insolitus were discovered in a residual water area in the Amboaboa Basin and that breeding succeeded with them. Committed conservationists, including many private aquarists, are now trying to protect this last refuge on Madagascar. At the same time, a conservation breeding program for the fish species is being established.
Both actions are successful. Also we can now offer some offspring specimens of this open brooding fish with maternal brood care. We very much hope that the animals will become part of the conservation breeding program and that the future owners will participate in the Citizen Conservation project (https://citizen-conservation.org/arten/mangarahara-buntbarsch/?lang=en). Because the experience from the past shows on the one hand that it is quite possible to breed fish species healthy in the aquarium over decades, even over a century without inbreeding damages, but for species like the Mangarahara cichlid, which does not necessarily correspond to the ideal image of an “ornamental fish”, special efforts are needed.
Ptychochromis insolitus grows to about 15 cm in length. It is best kept in a group in relatively large aquariums (500l), because this species – typical cichlid – can sometimes be a bit robust against conspecifics. Then it is good, if the beating is distributed on several animals and these also have place to evade. From the troop it is also easiest to find a pair that harmonizes well with each other and finally ensures that the Mangarahara cichlid does not disappear from our planet.
For our customers: the animals have code 574152 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
Text: Frank Schäfer, photos: Frank Schäfer and H. Zell
The tetra Astyanax fasciatus is – if one follows the literature until the recent past – the most widespread fish in America, from the Rio Negro in Argentina to the Rio Grande in Texas. This was doubted early on, but the similarity of these fish was enormous no matter where they were caught. Only a few years ago it was possible to create an overview based on modern views. According to this, the actual A. fasciatus only occurs in the Rio Sao Francisco in Brazil. The Mexican and Central American representatives of this group were subsequently merged under “Astyanax aeneus”. Schmitter-Soto processed the group in 2017. He concludes that there are 19 valid species behind A. aeneus, plus 14 synonyms. Difficult remains: they all look extremely similar.
Aquaristically, all these Astyanax are of no importance. They are silvery fishes, which grow 10-15 cm long. There is only one reason why Astyanax mexicanus, a species which according to Schmitter-Soto is restricted to the Rio Balsas basin in Mexico, makes some aquarists curious: it is supposed to be the seeing ancestral form of the Blind Cave Tetra (Anoptichthys jordani, according to other authors also Astyanax jordani)! Unfortunately Schmitter-Soto does not comment on this.
If you look at both together, there are hardly any similarities. Nevertheless: we are pleased to be able to offer some Astyanax mexicanus to aquarists interested in natural history, which by the way are offsprings from the Wilhelma in Stuttgart. We have adopted the name under which we received them. In comparison these fishes fit well to the diagnosis of A. mexicanus in Schmitter-Soto.
For our customers: the animals have code 209003 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
Literature:
Schmitter-Soto, J. J. (2017): A revision of Astyanax (Characiformes: Characidae) in Central and North America, with the description of nine new species. Journal of Natural History v. 51 (no. 23/24): [1-94] 1331-1424.
After many years we received again this beautiful pastel colored dwarf cichlid from Guinea. Only in 2009 the species, which belongs to a group of species popularly also called king cichlids, was scientifically determined, before it was known in the hobby as “Pevicachromis sp. aff. roloffi Blue Fin”. The females of this species show – uniquely among all the king cichlids of West Africa – a neon blue shining dorsal fin. Additionally a black spot decorates this fin.
The males look completely different in color. In them, the upper half of the caudal fin and the soft-rayed part of the dorsal fin have many spots. Both sexes usually have a dark longitudinal band.
Like all species of the king cichlids formerly grouped under Pelvicachromis, Enigmatochromis lucanusi is a cave-breeder with a biparental brood care, the female being more concerned with care of the spawn and larvae, the male more concerned with territorial defense. When the young swim free and leave the breeding cave, both parents care for the offspring equally.
Enigmatochromis lucanusi is one of the most peaceful dwarf cichlids and is well suited for keeping in community aquariums with smaller tetras, barbs, killifishes and catfishes of the region. Males grow to a maximum length of 8 cm, females to a maximum length of 6 cm. When setting up, make sure the aquarium contains sandy bottom at least in places. Otherwise the aquarium for Enigmatochromis lucanusi should be well planted and contain a lot of dead wood and dead leaves. For breeding the animals need soft and slightly acidic water, for normal care this is not necessary.
For our customers: the animals have code 560492 on our stock list. Please note that we supply only wholesale.
From Peru we could import some Lamontichthys filamentosus. This graceful, beautiful species reaches a body length of about 20 cm, the fin filaments can become even that long.
Lamontichthys are very sensitive fish, which need optimal water conditions. In addition, the fish are often difficult to bring to the food. Obviously they are very shy and tend to stop feeding at even minor disturbances.
Lamontichthys are therefore best kept in species tanks. There even the breeding can succeed, which is similar to the related genus Sturisoma.
Lexicon: Lamontichthys: dedication name (ichthys: ancient Greek for “fish”) in honor of Francesca La Monte. filamentosus: filamentous (referring to the extended fins).
For our customers: the fish have code 264814 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
Text & Photos: Frank Schäfer
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