Again we can offer the friends of livebearers a special treat: Xiphophorus variatus Rio Coacuilco is a wild form of the variable platyfish that has only recently become available in the hobby. The Rio Coacuilco (unfortunately we originally made a typo when adding the species to our stock list, the spelling of the river used here is the correct one) is a very fast flowing, small river in the state of Hidalgo in Mexico, where also the swordtail species X. birchmanni occurs. The Rio Coacuilco is part of the Río Pánuco system.
Variable platys are known to be very variable in coloration, even within a population. This is also true for the Rio Coacuilco form. Normally the fish are pale lilac with black speckles; the males always have a “pregnancy spot”, a band in the dorsal fin and rather pale vertical stripes on the flanks. In courtship the males become very beautiful: the chest turns yellow-orange, the tiger pattern becomes intense and two dark bands appear in the caudal fin.
From the Rio Xingu in Brazil we have received frog catfishes, which are assigned to the species Batrochoglanis villosus. Batrochoglanis was previously placed with Pseudopimelodus. More recent work has divided the frog catfishes into a whole series of genera, which makes it difficult to see through, especially since many species from different genera look darn similar purely in color.
But in this case we are sure – at least concerning the genus. Batrochoglanis can be easily distinguished from Cephalosilurus, which contains very similar species, by the structure of their mouths. In Cephalosiliurus the lower jaw is longer than the upper jaw, so it is clearly protruding, and in Batrochoglanis it is just the opposite.
Admittedly, one cannot be completely certain about the species identification, because B. villosus, as the species is currently understood, is supposed to have a vast distribution range in the Amazonian, Orinoco, and Guyanese lands (Demera and Essequibo). Almost all fish species with such a large range, when looked at more closely, have turned out to be different species that only resemble each other. That is why it is so special that we have these catfishes with locality.
Batrochoglanis villosus is a small one among the big catfishes. It probably does not grow longer than 15 cm, at least no larger specimens have been deposited in scientific collections. Grant writes in his book “Pims” (2021) about a 20 cm long specimen, which he raised from a 3 cm long juvenile. The animal was very peaceful, he said, but ate any fish that would fit in its mouth.
For our customers: the fish have code 209983 on our stock list. Please note that we supply exclusively to wholesalers.
The brook gobies (Rhinogobius) are as adult fishes pure freshwater inhabitants, which are found at most once in the brackish water of the lower reaches of running waters; but even this is the exception, not the rule. With 140 described species, 72 of which are generally considered valid, there is still a wide open field here for aquarists with an urge to explore. All species can be maintained well in the aquarium. When breeding, there are those Rhinogobius that have tiny larvae that grow in the sea and those that have large larvae that grow in freshwater. All species are cave spawners, the male guards the clutch until the larvae hatch. Brood care ends when the larvae swim free.
For the first time we could import Rhinogobius shennongensis from China. It originates from the Yangriwan, upper Hanjiang River, Mount Shennnong, Hubei Province. The maximum length is about 5-6 cm, males are larger than females. The sexes are most easily distinguished by the shape of the head. According to their origin, the fish are kept not too warm (18-24°C), in clear, oxygen-rich water with a good current. They are bottom fish, the males form territories. Rhinogobius shennongensis is somewhat quarrelsome; therefore possible tank mates should not be too squeamish. All common ornamental fish food is eaten, although some specimens do not like dry food. Frozen food is always accepted.
For our customers: the fish have code 453480 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
We have the great ambition to open up new species for aquaristics again and again. Therefore it is not excluded that we also import species whose scientifically exact determination is not successful, because simply not enough scientific research has been done about the animals so far. The extremely species-rich genus Rhinogobius is a good example of this. Under the name “Rhinogobius davidi” we imported freshwater gobies from an exporter in China that was new to us. Basically you can’t really go wrong, because all Rhinogobius species are well suited for aquaristics: small, colorful, comparatively easy to care and of interesting behavior. After settling in, the “Rhinogobius davidi” turned out to be a mix of three species, none of which matched the scientific description of Rhinogobius davidi.
We sent pictures of our animals to the world’s leading expert on Rhinogobius, I-Shiung Chen, with a request for identification. His answer is: unfortunately, identification is not possible without exact knowledge of the locality and without preserved material. Fortunately, there were no losses among our imports, so there is no possibility to preserve animals and locality is always to be treated with caution when importing ornamental fishes. So we have to live with not being able to name these Rhinogobius more exactly. In order not to cause name chaos for future imports, we therefore leave the name “Rhinogobius davidi” for the animals and modify it only to Rhinogobius sp. “Davidi” to make clear that it is only a provisional name.
The three species of the import can be distinguished quite well at a closer look, two of them have a similar basic coloration. However, these two differ clearly in the head pattern. One species has a vertical red line under the eye, which is surely species specific, because both sexes show it. The second, similar species has exclusively horizontal streaking and dots below the eye and in the rest of the head. The males of this somewhat smaller and more slender form (about 3.5-4 cm) also develop a conspicuously pale lower lip when excited. The third species has a completely differently shaped first dorsal fin, which is also adorned with a conspicuous black spot. All three Rhinogobius sp. “Davidi” have turned out to be robust, easy to care for fishes, which are a lot of fun to watch.
For our customers: the animals have code 453442 on our stocklist. Please note that we supply exclusively to wholesalers.
Just as indeterminate sucker catfishes (Loricaridae) receive L and LDA numbers, indeterminate armored catfishes (Corydoras) receive C and CW numbers. The very first C-number assigned was given in 1992 by Werner Seuß to a Corydoras from the upper Rio Negro (Rio Icana). This fish is remarkable in many ways, but the most striking is: there are hardly two specimens with identical coloration! Somewhat later, in August 1993, Warren E. Burgess described this fish in TFH as Corydoras incolicana, not noticing that it was the same species as C1 (he had Seuss’ book, we know).
The case of CW113 is quite similar. This beautiful, long-snouted corydoras is overall very similar to C. incolicana, but originates from the Rio Meta, i.e. the Orinoco drainage. It has received two CW numbers: CW113 and CW182, because the fish look so different. And maybe CW90, which however originates from the border area of Colombia, Venezuela and Brazil at the Rio Negro (i.e. Amazonas drainage), also belongs to this species, in any case our current import of CW113 from the Rio Meta also includes animals that look very similar to CW90.
The most important difference between CW113 and Corydoras incolicana is the expression of the spot on the back just below the dorsal fin. This is also one of the most constant color characteristics of both species. Here C. incolicana normally shows a horizontal bar, which often extends over the entire width of the dorsal fin base, CW113 only a relatively small, round spot. Typical for both Corydoras species is the eye band, which extends only to the upper edge of the eye, but unites on the top of the head, so that with a little imagination the impression is given that the fish have a beret on. Corydoras incolicana usually has an unmarked caudal fin, in CW113 the caudal fin is usually clearly banded. However, it must unfortunately be stated that with individual specimens of unknown origin it will not always be possible to assign them without doubt to one or the other species, so similar are C. incolicana and CW113.
For our customers: CW113 has code 236254 on our stock list. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
In 1896 Jordan and Evermann described a spotted swordtail form from the Rio Chisoy in honour of Günther from the British Museum as a separate species, Xiphophorus guntheri (sic!); they knew that there occur also unspotted green swordtails of the species X. hellerii. Over 60 years later, in his revision of the genus Xiphophorus, Rosen declared Günther’s swordtails as a valid form, which he classified as a subspecies of Xiphophorus hellerii. It is important to note that Rosen did not recognize X. h. guntheri on the basis of the black spots, because Rosen excluded the common occurrence of two swordtail species in the same biotope, which were only distinguished by colouring details. So the X. h. guntheri in Rosen’s sense could be spotted as well as unspotted. Rosen included numerous spotted and unspotted populations from Guatemala, Belize, Honduras and Mexico in X. h. guntheri, which represents the southernmost form of the races around X. hellerii, as Rosen understood the species.
At present, no subspecies are recognized in the Green Swordtail, although several local forms look quite different. In seemingly eternal fidelity the aquarists hang on the name “guentheri (sic!)” for the spotted ones among them. The variant from the Rio Atoyac (Veracruz, Mexico) is such a guentheri. In 1985 Wischnath and Meyer reported about this swordtail population. They especially noticed it during a collecting tour in November 1980, because there were red-colored wild males. They were found together with “normal” green swordtails, of both colours, red and green, there were also black-spotted individuals.
Whether the Güntheri, which are bred today as “Rio Atoyac”, still go back to the collection at that time, we do not know. In any case, they are very beautiful animals, which all show a strong spotting thanks to breeding selection. Very attractive is the different coloration of the males, if the fish are kept in sufficiently large aquaria, which allow to keep several males together with a group of female animals. This is when alpha males with orange-red lower half of the tail develop, while subordinate males have intensely orange-red to transparent dorsal fins in varying degrees.
Because this form is so popular, we have them from different breeders in stock. Recently we received animals with orange-red backs; according to the breeder this is a selection breeding, i.e. the animals were bred out of naturally occurring color variants by selection and not by crossbreeding of breeding forms.
For our customers: the animals have code 476774 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
Already since 1958 a tetra from Peru enjoys great popularity among aquarists under the fantasy name “Hyphessobrycon robertsi”. The males like to impress each other with their enormously extended dorsal fins, which led to the German common name “Sichelsalmler” (= sickle tetra). However, the species was not scientifically named for a long time. In a study on the relationship of the „rosy tetras”, to which the robertsi-tetra belongs, the scientists Stanley Weitzman and Lisa Palmer assumed in 1997 that the animals were the same species as Hyphessobrycon bentosi.
Then Axel Zarske of the Senckenberg Museum presented a new study in 2014 in which he identified differences between Hyphessobrycon bentosi and the robertsi-tetra. He concluded that the two belong to different species and described the robertsi-tetra with the valid name Hyphessobrycon jackrobertsi. With this Zarske honors the discoverer of the species, Jack Roberts from Miami, who was already meant with the invalid name “robertsi”.
We just have again beautiful young adult wild specimens of the species in the stock. The type specimens for the first description of H. jackrobertsi originated also from our fishhouse.
For our customers: the animals have code 261703 on our stocklist. Please note that we supply exclusively to wholesalers.
From Venezuela we could import this pretty and lively thorny catfish. The species is widespread in South America and reaches a length of about 18 cm. In behavior these diurnal catfishes resemble the Corydoras species; however, they are much more active swimmers and constantly on the move in the aquarium.
They are peaceful, sociable animals. In the beginning they can be a bit shy, but after acclimation this will disappear.
For our customers: the animals have code 255711 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
For a long time there were very different ideas among ichthyologists about the generic classification of the thorny catfishes. Aquaristically mainly the genera Doras, Hassar, Hemidoras, Leptodoras, Tenellus and Anduzedoras cause classification problems due to their similar appearance and relatively few useful color characteristics. Fortunately, this has little practical impact because they are all fairly similar in their care habits and rarely grow over 20 cm in length. They are peaceful schooling fish that seem like overgrown, stream-loving armored catfish, but are much livelier than one is commonly accustomed to with Corydoras.
One of the easily identifiable species is Hassar orestis, which we recently imported from Venezuela. Only by a hint of a customer we realized that some bycatch were with the H. orestis. Because of the intensive group behavior of the Hassar we had not noticed the deviant colored animals in the shoal. Of course we sorted the fish immediately and it turned out that there were still a few specimens of the second species, in which we believe to recognize the species Hemidoras boulengeri. Four to five species of Hemidoras are distinguished: H. boulengeri, H. morrisi (there is doubt about the validity of this species), H. morei, H. stenopeltis, and H. stuebeli. All are eligible from a geographic point of view, but H. morrisi and H. stuebelii seem too long-nosed compared to our animals, and H. stenopeltis has a strong black spot on the dorsal fin tip. H. morrisi is much darker in coloration (see https://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/fish-archives/extraordinary_rare_thorny_catfish_from_peru_en/). In contrast, H. boulengeri (illustrated in Steindachner, 1917) matches our fish quite well.
Hemidoras boulengeri grows to about 20 cm in length and, like Hassar orestis, is very gregarious. It is hardly possible to take a photo of a single animal, body contact to conspecifics is always sought immediately!
For our customers: the fish have code 257702 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
The species-rich genus Leporinus includes some quite large trout-sized species, which are therefore, despite their beauty, rather used as food fish than as ornamental fish. However, there are also species that remain small, such as Leporinus sexstriatus, which reaches only 10-12 cm.
This small Leporinus is a zoological rarity, because the species has only a small, remote distribution area. So far it has been found only in the Rio Papagaio (Mato Grosso) and in the Rio Juruena (one of the headwaters of the Tapajós) in Brazil. The price is still very high, but the breeding has already been successful, so we expect that this beautiful novelty will be available for many hobbyists in a few years.
At the moment we have one specimen of this treasure in our stock.
For our customers: the 6-8 cm long animal has code 265993 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
The small island of Mafia is located off the coast of Tanzania. It is the southernmost island of the so-called Zanzibar archipelago and has an area of about 435 km2. In 1972 Edith Korthaus, editor of the magazine “Das Aquarium”, visited the island. She found there a yellow Nothobranchius, which one year later – in her honor – was scientifically described as Nothobranchius korthausae. Later, red males were also found. The females of all color morphs are colored the same.
Nothobranchius korthausae is only known from a tiny species area with very few localities. This alone makes the species highly endangered. The few collections by traveling aquarists are not a threat to the natural populations, all scientists agree. There are of course no commercial catches of this species, all animals kept in aquariums are captive bred. The current aquarium population has a mixed heritage, i.e. all possible forms from yellow to red with intermediate forms occur. However, aquaristically more and more the red ones prevail, they are just perceived as prettier.
The relatively small Nothobranchius (4-5 cm) is not complicated to maintain. It likes soft, slightly acidic water best. It is one of the very few Nothobranchius species whose eggs hatch even if they have not gone through a dry phase.
For our customers: the fish have code 334502 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
Finally we were once more able to import some of the very rarely offered Leporellus vittatus from the Rio Xingu in Brazil. This extraordinary species attains a length of approximately 25 cm and belongs to the headstander tetra relationship. However, in Leporellus the air bladder is mostly reduced and so the fish live strictly bottom orientated.
Our animals are currently 7-12 cm long. Like all headstanders, these fish establish a hierarchy among themselves. They look most beautiful in strongly lightened aquaria with a good current. Leporellus feed readily on any type of fishfood, but all headstanders have a type of teeth that are specialized for feeding on plant material. So one should offer the fish a great variety of plant material for a proper feeding.
For our customers: the fish have code 265725 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
Lexicon: Leporellus: diminuative of Leoprinus, eg “small Leporinus”; Leporinus is another genus of tetra. vittatus: Latin, means “striped”.
Suggestion of a common name: Yellow-golden Striped Tetra
From the Rio Nanay in Peru comes this beautiful spotted armored catfish, which probably belongs to a scientifically undescribed species. It was first mentioned and pictured in aquaristic literature as Corydoras punctatus in the 1930s, but C. punctatus is a completely different species that looks similar to C. julii. Later, the “Nanay” was sometimes assigned to C. ambiacus and sometimes to C. agassizii, both determinations that do not stand up to close scrutiny.
At the moment we have especially beautiful, about 5 cm long specimens of this Peruvian in our stock, which is why we present the species here one more time. With this length the “Nanay” is also largely fully grown in nature, although old aquarium specimens can certainly add another centimeter. They are very peaceful, easy to care for and adaptable fish. The Rio Nanay is a black water river, therefore this corydoras can be kept well in soft and acidic water, but any tap water suitable as drinking water is equally well suited for care. Breeding on the other hand has probably never been successful (see https://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/fish-archives/corydoras-punctatus-nanay-2/).
For our customers: the fish have code 242053 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
The colorful New Guinea crayfish of the genus Cherax have revolutionized aquaristics in some ways. Before their aquaristic discovery in the late 1990s, large crayfish in the aquarium were more a matter for specialists. They were considered formidable plant destroyers, tireless burrowers, and at night they would eat sleeping fish. These are all attributes, with which one does not necessarily make oneself popular. Cherax are different; basically they are also typical “armored robber barons”, but in the light version. And they are very, very colorful.
Now happened, what always happens, when the hobby turns to a hitherto hardly noticed group: there are big identification problems, because always new forms appear. Are these new species, local color variants or simply color forms that form a reproductive community together with other color forms? Such questions are difficult to answer and led to countless trade names and so far 13 new scientific descriptions (previously 12 species were known, so the number of known species has more than doubled!). Once again it became obvious: Biodiversity research benefits immensely from animal live trade! And without basic research there is no species conservation.
The “Red Brick” came late into the hobby, between 2005 and 2008. There is also a rather blue morph of it, called “Blue Brick”. Unfortunately also Cherax boesemani was sometimes already called “Red Brick” in the trade. Explicitly the former “Red Brick” has now been scientifically described by Chris Lukhaup and Rury Eprilurahman as Cherax wagenknechtae. The species name honors the German politician Sahra Wagenknecht. According to the authors, the “Red Brick” is from the Beraur River system, and the “Blue Brick” is from the Klasabun River drainage, both localized in the western part of the Vogelkop Peninsula (Kepala Burung), West Papua, Indonesia. Lukhaup and Eprilurahman assign the “Blue Brick” to their new species. According to the authors, the closest related Cherax is C. pulcher (the “Hoa Creek”). Besides color characteristics, C. wagenknechtae and C. pulcher also differ in anatomical details, but listing them here would lead too far, especially since they are difficult to study on living animals.
Cherax wagenknechtae is very well suited for aquarium care. It is best to keep them in pairs in well structured aquariums. Basic food is dead leaves, besides that they will eat pretty much anything.The crayfish like it rather dim and not too warm (18-24°C), so they fit perfectly in our time, when electricity costs are no longer a negligible factor for aquaristics.
For our customers: C. wagenknechtae has code 481458 on our stock list. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
From Peru we received wonderful, large angels (Pterophyllum). They have a yellowish to reddish back and many brown-red spots on the flanks. This exceptionally beautiful wild form has been called Pterophyllum leopoldi for decades due to a misidentification in aquarium circles. The “true” P. leopoldi originates from Brazil and is the fish always referred to in the hobby as P. dumerilii, while the “true” P. dumerilii from Brazil is considered synonymous with P. scalare. Other names, equally incorrect, that circulate for Peru scalars are “Peru Altum” or “Pterophyllum peruensis”.
In fact, the “Red Spots Peru” is a scientifically undescribed species. This has nothing to do with the red spots: this species also exists without red spots. Rather it is the black, comma-shaped spot, which extends as extension of the 2nd body bandage into the dorsal fin, which is characteristic for the species (in the order: eye bandage – 1st body bandage – 2nd body bandage – tail root bandage, thus four dark vertical bands, of which the tail root bandage is often only indistinctly visible).
Regardless of the name, the red-spotted angelfish from Peru are magnificent animals, which unfortunately can be imported only very rarely and in small numbers.
For our customers: the animals have code 699307 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale. Only available in limited numbers!
The 1980s and 1990s were the high times of traveling aquarists who wanted to shed light on Central American cichlids. And this succeeded more than satisfactorily! One of these amateur researchers in the best sense of the word was Hans-Günther Breidohr (1938-2017). In his honor Uwe Werner and Rainer Stawikowski named a cichlid Paratheraps breidohri, which was discovered on such trips and recognized as a new species due to the subsequent aquarium care. Today it is – research progresses – placed in the genus Vieja, so it is called Vieja breidohri.
We are very happy that this cichlid, which is apparently very rarely found in the wild – it is only known from a reservoir in Chiapas, Mexico – has been included in the program of Southeast Asian breeders. Right now we have juveniles from Indonesia in the stock. The animals are still somewhat inconspicuous in color. Thankfully, Uwe Werner, one of the discoverers of the species, has allowed us to use his pictures of adult specimens for this post.
Vieja breidohri grows 25-30 cm long, so it belongs to the large cichlids. You only need to offer them enough space, then you can enjoy these character fish for many years. They are – as usual in the Cichlasoma relatives – open breeders with parent family. It is strongly discouraged to combine different Vieja species with each other, as they can hybridize. The days when it was so easy to take research trips and bring back fish are, unfortunately, long gone. This is very much to the detriment of nature, but the ignorant bureaucracy is not expected to change this situation in the foreseeable future. That is why we have to take care to keep the existing strains pure in conservation breeding.
For our customers: the animals have code 688521 (3-4 cm) and 688523 (6-8 cm) on our stocklist. Please note that we supply exclusively to wholesalers.
Central American cichlids often require large aquariums. Not so much because of their swimming needs, but because they form territories and are often unbearably aggressive in aquariums that are too small. In large aquariums, on the other hand, this is hardly a problem. But there are also dwarf cichlids among the Central Americans, which – according to the definition of the word dwarf cichlid – do not grow larger than 10 cm. The beautiful Cryptoheros species belong to them, also C. myrnae.
So even owners of medium (standard) aquariums can enjoy Central American cichlids and their varied, interesting behavior and fiery colors. Unfortunately, nowadays it cannot be assumed that regular fishing trips to the countries of origin – in this case Costa Rica, where C. myrnae occurs in rivers on the atlantic side – are possible. Commercial imports from there never existed anyway. Therefore the conservation of species in the aquarium is of special importance and for this purpose it is important to breed “true to species”, i.e. on a population basis, wherever possible. Therefore we are very pleased to be able to offer C. myrnae offspring even with locality designation. However, the animals are German offspring.
The sexes of this peaceful, hardly burrowing and also for suitably furnished and occupied community aquariums suitable species, are to be distinguished well starting from a size of approximately 3 cm. Then the females develop a black and white spot in the dorsal fin. The water values are unimportant for care and breeding, any drinking water is suitable. The temperature can be between 22 and 28°C, medium values have proven. Every usual ornamental fish food is eaten. It is very interesting if the animals have territorial differences. Then they color themselves within seconds in the face and on the chest deep black!
For our customers: the animals from Rio Sarapiqui have code 674432 on our stocklist. Furthermore we have very nice “no name” C. myrnae, code 674402 in our stock.
It is a well known fact that the Betta splendens kept in the aquarium hobby as ornamental fish do not represent the species as it appears in the wild, but a domesticated fish. Initially this sport has been bred for combats, similar like sports of cocks and dogs. Only in the 1920ies, when supplying ornamental fish for the aquarium hobby became more and more an important economic factor for people in Southeast Asia, breeders started to select veiltailed sports and aberrant colour varieties. These fish are useless for combats.
The tradition of fish fights is still alive in many parts of Asia. Due to the high sums of money people bet here – and which lead to the ruin of many bet-junkies – these combats are under legal control, but in many areas they are also cultural property under special protection.
Here in central Europe is no interest in watching animals fighting and to bet on the winner, we are focussed on the empathy with the animal we keep. Nevertheless it is very interesting for a real enthusiast to get the possibility for studying these real fighters among the Bettas. These fish are called Pla Kat Luk Maw in Thai, which means about „biting fish of the earthen pot“. „Earthen pot“ refers to the traditional pottery vessels used for breeding the fish. There are Pla Kat Luk Maw mainly in blue, occasionally turquoise or wild colored fish appear.
For our customers: the fish have code 391019 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade. Available in limited numbers only!
From Indonesia we received the interesting catfish Pseudeutropius moolenburghae. This shoaling fish, which grows to a maximum length of 10 cm, is very similar in behavior to the well-known glass catfish Kryptopterus vitreolus (formerly known as K. bicirrhis), but is slimmer, livelier and above all has eight long barbels, while the glass catfish has only two.
In the aquarium, these blackwater fish should be acclimated carefully, because from the wild they know practically no bacterial water pollution. Their home are the river systems Batang Hari on Sumatra and Kapuas on Borneo, from where many popular aquarium fish come. As company are suitable e.g. mouth-breeding fighting fish, Rasbora species, coolie loaches etc.. Under no circumstances should these delicate catfish be kept along with bullies such as tiger barbs. Pseudeutropius moolenburghae eat all common ornamental fish food, they are not interested in plants. A dimly furnished tank with Cryptocoryne bushes, floating ferns on the surface and dead leaves on the bottom is ideal. Soft, acidic water corresponds to natural conditions, but is not necessary for long-term maintenance. The water temperature should be 24-28°C.
For our customers: the animals have code 445503 on our stock list. Please note that we supply exclusively to wholesalers.
Perhaps this form may seem less attractive than the red cousins at first sight. But these little jack-of-all-trades more than make up for it with their lively courtship displays, in which the black and white dorsal fin is visually very striking.
For our customers: the animals have code 268538 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply to wholesalers.
The unusual term “Aphyoditeinae” is a collective term for small-sized tetra genera in the form of a subfamily, which could not be reasonably placed anywhere else. The world-renowned tetra specialist Jaques Géry introduced the term in 1972 in reference to the genus Aphyodite, but not as a subgenus, but as a vaguely defined term Aphyoditeini. The small Morse tetra, which is the subject here, is scientifically still undescribed. It has characteristics of many different genera, probably therefore even a new genus must be created for it. Until then, however, it needs a provisional name in the trade, because it must somehow be recorded in the merchandise management system. That’s why we decided to group it in Aphyoditeinae when it was first imported in 2006. Others refer to it as Hemigrammus or Brittanichthys sp. The very apt and catchy name Morse tetra has caught on with everyone.
This tiny, only 2 – 2,5 cm long growing fish is a very calm representative of the tetras. It comes from Peru, more detailed information is missing. Mostly it stands near a conspecific, the head slightly tilted downwards, and twitches now and then with the fins. Unnecessary movements are far away from him. That is why the Morse tetra is an ideal fish for small aquariums, so-called nano tanks. The care is easy and corresponds in all basic features to that of the Neon Tetra (Paracheirodon innesi).
For our customers: the animals have code 206173 on our stock list. Please note that we supply exclusively to wholesalers.
This cute blue eye belongs to our standard offer; the animals are bred ones from Indonesia. Recently we received some very nice specimens. This “no name” variant stays a bit smaller (around 3 cm) than the popular variant from the Aru Islands (https://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/fish-archives/pseudomugil-gertrudae-aru-ii-xl-2/), which reaches almost 4 cm length.
Pseudomugil gertrudae has a relatively wide distribution in northern Australia, but does not occur uniformly everywhere, being scattered. In addition, it is found on many small islands and on Papua New Guinea. Since the different populations have no contact with each other, there are many subtle differences in coloration. However, this is probably also related to the respective biotopes. The measured water values in waters with P. gertrudae vary enormously: Temperature: 12 – 34 °C, pH 3,7 – 9,4, conductance 12 – 650 µS/cm, total hardness 0 – 18° dH, carbonate hardness 0 – 10° dH.
From this you can see: they are tough little creatures! In nature they usually live only one year. But in the aquarium they can live up to four years. During the day the males are continuously busy with courtship acts, flapping their fins like a butterfly with its wings. From time to time they also stretch their fins to the breaking point and sail around their mate or a rival. It is a great pleasure to watch the fish.
In the aquarium are continuous spawners that lay a few eggs a day – up to 10 or 12 per female, but usually less. The eggs are deposited in fine aquatic plants or artificial spawning substrates (spawning mobs). The parents do not care about the eggs or the fry, which hatch after 4-9 days (depending on water temperature).
For our customers: the fish have code 446002 on our stock list. Please note that we supply only wholesale.
The marble hatchetfish (Carnegiella strigata) is a very common, small-bodied surface fish in the wild. Its maximum length is about 4.5 cm. A very dark form (“vesca”) comes from the upper Amazon (Peru) , a lighter, more delicately marked one from the middle Amazon (Brazil). For “vesca” see here: https://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/fish-archives/carnegiella-strigata-vesca-2/ From Brazil we have just large, fully grown specimens in stock.
When caring for them, it is important to keep in mind that these fish have a high food requirement. One should feed at least 2x, better 3-4x daily, but always only as much as is eaten up completely in a few minutes. An automatic feeder can be helpful. Maybe it is the hugely enlarged ventral keel, where the “flight muscles” are attached, which is responsible for the fact that the stomach is not very expandable and therefore the fish have to eat frequently. If you pay attention to this, you will enjoy these beautiful animals for a long time.
For our customers: the fish have code 214205 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply to wholesalers.
The species status of Betta strohi is controversial. It is a form from the species complex around Betta foerschi (see https://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/fish-archives/betta-foerschi-bred/). Some authors consider B. strohi to be a synonym of B. foerschi, others a valid species. “Technically” the two differ by a rather inconspicuous feature, namely the eye line. In Betta strohi the line runs from the gill cover through the eye, in B. foerschi it runs below the eye. In living animals this is hardly ever visible, but in preserved animals it is. A very important feature is the coloration of the gill cover in mating animals. It is bright yellow in B. strohi and bright red in B. foerschi. But also to see this feature you need patience. If they are not in mating mood, the fish do not show it. However: also this characteristic is controversial. In the original description animals of B. strohi have red gill cover stripes and B. foerschi yellow ones!
Anyway: we have splendid, fully grown German offspring of this species in our stock. The breeder has studied the fish intensively and is sure that it is B. strohi. All species of the Betta foerschi complex are found only in Borneo, B. foerschi in the Mentaya River drainage, B. mandor in the lower Kapuas River drainage and B. strohi is found about 30 km south of Sukamara; there is no major river named there (but nameless rivers do exist).
In any case, these fish are a splendid as well as interesting enrichment for well maintained blackwater aquaria. B. strohi is a reserved fish, which can be socialized very well with other peaceful blackwater fish, e.g. rasboras, chocolate gouramis, pearl gouramis etc.. The sexes can be distinguished quite well by the extension of the fins. If you like, you can also keep several males together, they bicker, if at all, only harmlessly with each other.
For our customers: the fish have code 391023 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
The Seychelles archipelago off East Africa in the Indian Ocean is known mainly for the giant tortoises that live there. There are hardly any freshwater fish in the Seychelles, most of the freshwater species were brought there by man as food fish. The vast majority of the rest – apart from a few gobies – consists of marine fish, which only migrate to freshwater intermittently. The endemic killifish Pachypanchax playfairii is something very special.
The Golden Panchax, as it is called in English, was brought to Germany as early as 1924 and has been bred in aquariums ever since. In the 1960s and 1970s, however, it was somewhat forgotten, because at that time small aquariums, especially with small tetras, were in fashion. There P. playfairii attracted unpleasant attention, because it can be quarrelsome under such conditions.
But a few aquarists kept faith with him and so we are very happy to be able to offer some specimens as German offspring. Concerning the water values the Golden Panchax is completely undemanding, in nature it even goes into brackish waters. A special feature of the species is that the scales along the back appear slightly ruffled. This is completely normal for this species, which by the way usually grows to 7 cm, according to literature up to 10 cm, and is not a sign of disease. The females can be easily recognized by the black spot in the dorsal fin, which is missing in the males.
For our customers: the animals have code 342402 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
The long-nosed Corydoras treitlii from the lower Amazon – specimens caught for export mostly come from the Belem area – is one of the real rarities in the trade, although the species is one of the longest known armored catfishes. It was scientifically described already in 1906.
With over 7 cm maximum length C. treitlii belongs to the larger Corydoras species. Nevertheless it is genus-typical peaceful and fits into every larger, well maintained community aquarium. You should offer the animals at least in places soft, fine sand as substrate. Incidentally, there are duplicate species from the upper Amazonian drainage (Madre de Dios in Peru and Rio Purus in Brazil), the latter of which has been assigned C number 78.
For our customers: Corydoras treitlii has code 247303 on our stock list. Please note that we supply only wholesale.
For the first time we could import large (10-12 cm), beautiful Lebiasina tetras from Colombia. The species identification is not completely sure. The animals originate from the Choco region in the south of Colombia; from there e.g. the emperor tetras Nematobrycon lacortei and N. palmeri are exported regularly, between which also young individuals of Lebiasina are found from time to time. In the Choco region there are seven Lebiasina species, namely L. astrigata, L. aureoguttata, L. chocoensis, L. festae, L. narinensi and L. multimaculatus. Of these species, L. astrigata, L. chocoensis, L. narinensi and L. multimaculatus have a similar color pattern. Without more detailed research, only after optical comparisons, our animals come closest to L. multimaculatus. But since all other species are only known from alcohol preparations, we are rather cautious and add a small “cf. ( = confer, so compare with) between genus and species name.
In any case they are beautiful fishes. The sexes can be easily distinguished by the anal fin, which is much larger in sexually mature males of comparable size than in females. Unfortunately, these animals are incredibly incompatible with each other and also the photo session could be carried out only under greatest precautions with a pair. With their impressive teeth these animals cause heavy damage very fast in case of conflicts! The second attribute that distinguishes them is the incredible voracity. It took less than 30 seconds after the release and the two fish were greedily searching for the remains of a food tablet that was still in the tank from the previous session. One gets the impression that part of the incompatibility is also due to them trying to eat each other. Adding a large batch of Tubifex was supposed to distract the fish and did. The more dominant specimen, the male, ate the Tubifex immediately and then left the somewhat shyer female largely alone.
Lebiasina are undoubtedly highly interesting and beautiful fish, but because of their characteristics they are only suitable for (predatory fish) specialists. By the way, the animals are obligatory air breathers. About a possible brood care with Lebiasina nothing is known; they are – systematically seen – relatives of the pencil fish (Nannostomus and Co.). Also with these there is the sex difference with the enlarged anal fin of the males.
For our customers: the fish have code 265184 on our stocklist. Please note that we supply exclusively to wholesalers.
The Scat is one of the fish species known to science almost from the beginning of scientific naming. Scatophagus argus was already described in 1766. This first description refers to a red scat. The name “rubifrons” for red scats that is always bandied about in the hobby is a purely fanciful name with no scientific value. We have now received quite adorable red scats from Indonesia, which are about the size of a 1 Euro coin. As small juveniles red scats are vertically striped, as you can see on the pictures. It is not until they are 4-5 cm long that the striped pattern changes to a dotted pattern.
Scats use virtually any food source, they are opportunists. Studies in nature showed that larvae (scats spawn in the sea, this is also where larvae develop) eat mainly plant microplankton near the water surface. Juveniles migrate to the mangrove. Here they eat small particles both free-floating and bottom-dwelling. These are diatoms, animal plankton, aufwuchs and mulm. Adults will eat anything that fits in their relatively small mouths, but especially aufwuchs and mulm. But the absolute favorite food is filamentous algae. Scats prefer these to any other food. In the aquaristic literature one often reads that scats are herbivores. However, they are not stricly herbivorous, but omnivorous!
As euryhaline fishes, scats can be kept in fresh, brackish or marine water. The fish do not care. But the pH should never drop below 7.5 for long periods of time, this is very important. Otherwise scats will get seriously ill and may even die. The maximum size of scats is about 30 cm, a size that is usually not reached in nature or in the aquarium. Usually they stop growing at about 15-20 cm in both habitats. Then you can also distinguish the sexes: Males are more high-backed and have a steeper forehead, they also grow larger than females. Scats are free spawners without brood care. They do not spawn in freshwater, for this you need a marine aquarium.
For our customers: the animals have code 454800 on our stock list. Please note that we supply only wholesale.
The cardinalfishes (Apogonidae) are a species-rich (ca. 370 species), mainly marine group of mostly small-bodied, mouth-breeding perch-like fish. Very well known species are the Kauderni or Banggai Cardinalfish (Pterapogon kauderni) or the Pyjama Cardinalfish (Sphaeramia nematoptera), several other species belong to the standard assortment of marine aquaristics. Only very few species have made it into freshwater. The most important freshwater genus is Glossamia with currently 11 recognized species. All of them originate from New Guinea and Australia. Since hardly any ornamental fishes are exported from there – and if they are, they are rainbow fishes – Glossamia remained almost unknown in the aquaristics of the western world until now. This is a pity, because they are not colorful, but highly interesting species, all of them usually do not grow larger than 8-10 cm, whereas the largest specimen of G. aprion ever caught measured 18 cm.
In the wild, Glossamia often form a very substantial portion of the biomass of the waters they inhabit. The fish are attached to dense underwater vegetation. Without it, they do not feel safe and are shy and skittish. This changes immediately when they have “herbage” in the tank. Their diet consists of aquatic insects, crustaceans (shrimp) and small fish. In Australia, the species has a funny popular name: mouth almighty!
Among themselves and towards fish that do not qualify as food, the mouths almighthy are completely peaceful. They are, as with all cardinalfish, mouthbrooders in the male sex. At first we thought the females are very plump and a bit smaller than the males, because otherwise there are no external sex differences visible. But then we observed a brooding animal, a small fat one! Apparently the smaller ones are the males and eat themselves really big and round before they take care of the brood!
We have now received for the first time a nice, larger shipment of Glossamia aprion from New Guinea.
For our customers: the animals have code 417043 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
The Marble Platy (Xiphophorus meyeri) is one of the rarest species on earth. It was known only from a small area in Mexico, where it was found only in very few places. The species is already considered extinct in the wild. As with its close relative, the Monterrey Platy (X. couchianus), it was the increasing water consumption in the region that caused the few occurrences to dry up.
So it is very good that some aquarium fish enthusiasts breed and propagate this – compared to the colorful cultivated forms – less attractive fish and thus at least preserve it for posterity. From time to time a few specimens come to us in this way. Our now offered fish are German offspring. This wild platy grows to about 3 cm (male) and 4 cm (female). Care and breeding are roughly similar to the well known parrot platy (Xiphophorus variatus), but X. meyeri is not very productive.
There is a conservation breeding program for X. meyeri, also known as Northern Platy. The head of the program wrote to us:
I just thought it might be interesting for you to know that Xiphophorus meyeri is extinct in the wild (last seen in 1997). This was published in the IUCN Red List in 2019. Just in case you want to update your information.
I am coordinating a conservation breeding programme for northern platyfish since 2018 and we are working hard to reintroduce the species one day – with major help from hobbyists. But that’s not relevant, it only explains why I care. I believe that people should know when they keep a species which is extinct in the wild…
Best regards,
Markéta
Markéta Rejlková
Curator of aquarium/terrarium
Zoo Ostrava
Michálkovická 197
710 00 Ostrava
Czech Republic
Many thanks for this info! This is – also against the background of a planned EU-wide positive list, which wants to prohibit the private keeping of wild animals in principle – very interesting! The EU would decide with a positive list by law the eradication of X. meyeri, because this relatively inconspicuous and demanding species would certainly not be included on the positive list!
For our customers: the fish have code 476532 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade. Available in small numbers only!
A splendid new breed from Sri Lanka are the Guppy Galaxy Koi, in whose males the hereditary red head and tail markings have been combined with the body color of a Snakeskin. They are beautiful, very vital animals!
For our customers: the animals have code 418563 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
The large wood-eating Panaque of the relationship around P. nigrolineatus are fantastic fishes. Juveniles are almost splendidly colored, so also L191, a species which is still not described scientifically. L191 originates from Colombia. According to the available information the native area is the Rio Caguán in Caquetá. Particularly splendid is with young L191 the green shimmer, which the animals show.
L191 is exported again and again mixed with a quite similar species, the L190. This is probably the “real” P. nigrolineatus, but the experts are still bickering. Easiest distinguishing feature in juveniles is eye color: red in L190, yellowish, grayish or blackish in L191. The pattern of both species is very variable. By the way, they do not occur together, L190 comes from another area in Colombia (drainages of the Rio Meta and the Rio Orituco). The two species are mixed only at the exporter. Mostly they are sold as a mix, you should know this if you want to build breeding groups.
Among themselves the large Panaque – they become consistently over 40 cm long, see https://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/fish-archives/we_can_big_too_l191_en/) are to some extent compatible, but they fight with each other and demand individual free space. Large aquariums must therefore be planned for if they are to be cared for, also because of the considerable amounts of feces that are produced when caring for these fish. An essential food component of the animals is soft wood. This has hardly any nutrients and therefore a Panaque eats a lot. And who eats a lot, the sh…, um, also puts down a lot of excrement.
For our customers: the animals have code 274404 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
New catch areas bring immediately new species! That these are also wonderfully colored animals, as in the case of the bright red Nannostomus or the Apistogramma sp. Amaya (also called A. sp. Cenepa II) presented here, is surprising. Because Peru is really well collected! But let’s not be surprised, but enjoy the beautiful new imports! The Rio Amaya in Peru is a tributary of the Rio Morono, which in turn is a left bank tributary of the Amazon, which there, in its upper reaches, is called Marañón. Both the Rio Amaya and the Rio Morono flow not far from the border of Peru with Ecuador.
The photographed males of Apistogramma sp. Amaya are 4-5 cm long (including caudal fin) and obviously sexually mature. With their bright yellow chests and two-tipped, red-fringed caudal fin, they are truly beautiful. Among themselves the males are quite aggressive, at least clearly more aggressive than other Apistogramma, but more reserved towards the female. Naturally, there is no long-term experience with this novelty, but for the time being we recommend keeping them in pairs or one male with several females rather than keeping them in a group of both sexes.
For our customers: the fish have code 614963 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale. Unfortunately, the animals are already sold out, but we did not want to deprive you of this unusual beauty.
The splendid Corydoras sterbai probably knows every aquarist child. As one of the most beautiful corydoras at all it belongs to the standard offer of the pet trade and is bred in large quantities; there is also an albino breeding form, which does not occur in the wild.
Wild Corydoras sterbai from the Rio Guaporé in Brazil are rare to get and therefore definitely worth a mention once they are here.
For our customers: the animals have code 246003 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
At first sight one could think Labidochromis sp. “Mbamba” (the species is not yet scientifically described) is a typical mbuna of Lake Malawi: blue ground color, zebra stripes. But in reality Labidochromis sp. “Mbamba” is quite different. It is not a mbuna in the real sense, which are known to be algae/Aufwuchs eaters and aggressively defend their relatively large territories, because algae growth is sparse there, but a small animal picker. This can also be seen by their single pointed, forward facing teeth, which are not at all suitable for scraping off algae/Aufwuchs. L. sp. “Mbamba” thus specifically picks up small food particles. It is considered one of the most peaceful Malawi cichlids, but this should always be seen relatively. Disheveled fins can also be found in this species from time to time.
In any case Labidochromis sp. “Mbamba” is a very shy fish. And he is very exciting to watch, because he changes his colors all the time. This is how these fish communicate. In neutral dress they are light blue, the vertical stripes rather indistinct, the fins nice yellow. Strongly disturbed they become dark blue. And the boss in the ring turns black in the head area, the vertical stripes stand out intensely. Females are very light blue, going into brownish. Males that are low in the rank order turn the same color as females. One can spend hours watching a troop of perhaps 15 or 20 specimens and studying their communication!
So far this species is only known from Mbamba Bay in Tanzania, hence the name, where the species exists in four known populations. In the aquarium the usual rules of Malawi cichlid care apply: as large as possible, well-structured aquariums (i.e. many rocks, caves, hiding places), clean water, temperatures around 24-28°C, pH not below 7.5. As far as nutrition is concerned, these fish are less sensitive to the “normal” ornamental fish diet, which for many growth-eating Mbunas is nevertheless too nutrient-rich, which is why they grow significantly larger in the aquarium than in nature. A good brand flake food and frozen food in the form of small crustaceans (Artemia, Daphnia, Cyclops) ensure healthy, colorful Labidochromis.
For our customers: the animals have code 541402 on our stocklist. Please note that we supply exclusively to wholesalers.
The kings of the discus fishes are the “Royal” varieties. A discus is called Royal if green or blue pattern elements are spread over the entire body surface. Among the green discus the Royal from Tefé in Brazil (which is also one of the type localities of S. aequifasciatus, i.e. the locality from which the specimens on which the scientific description is based were collected) is the legendarily most beautiful. Here one finds particularly many Royal fishes, which additionally have orange-red spots on the flanks.
However, it should be clear to every discus lover that there are royal fish in (almost) every discus population and that this is not a species or race characteristic, but an individual color variation. In nature royals and “normal” color varieties, which are far less attractive in our eyes, live together and form a reproductive community with them. Only in the export stations the animals are sorted by color. Just like the royal coloration, the eye coloration is not a race characteristic. There are always specimens with yellow and red iris ring among the wild fish.
We have very nice Royal selections of Tefé in the stock right now. Each fish is – seen for itself – a gem. Currently the animals have a length of 12-15 cm.
For our customers: the fish have code 733095 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
The whiptail catfishes belong to the popular and well breedable loricariids. For example, the Real Royal Farlowella (Sturisomatichthys festivus) has been in continuous breeding for almost 50 years, wild catches of this species are very rare. For other species, wild catches and offspring coexist in the hobby.
In former times Sturisomatichthys was considered to mainly one species, the relatively small S. leightoni, while the other, larger species were counted to Sturisoma. Today it is different, almost all aquaristic important species of these catfishes are in Sturisomatichthys. The designations Sturisomatichthys sp. Colombia I and S. sp. Colombia II originate from the earlier times. At that time it was found that S. leightoni was almost never exported from Colombia, but two very similar other species, which have not yet been described scientifically. In respect of coloration Colombia I and Colombia II hardly differ. Colombia II, however, already as a relatively small fish, has many skin teeth (odontodes), i.e. bristles. In the import trade are mostly animals of the species Colombia I, which is also much bred.
We have now received German offspring of the original strain Colombia II from a breeder. The pretty animals have indeed already in the relatively small size, in which we can offer them (6-8 cm, the final size is around 10-15 cm) clear bristles, which can be seen best in the photo of the animal sucked at the front glass.
For our customers: the fish have code 294452 on our stock list. Please note that we supply only wholesale.
Only very rarely this beautiful, long-snouted Corydoras reaches us, because the catch areas are far away from the usual routes. The species was scientifically described only in 1980, but it is known much longer. Because already in 1972 during the examination of the Corydoras material of the species Corydoras oiapoquensis it was noticed that beside round-nosed animals (these are the “real” Corydoras oiapoquensis) there are also long-nosed fish. At first it was thought at that time that this was the natural variability, but in 1980 it was decided to separate the long-nosed as a separate species Corydorascondiscipulus.
These two armored catfishes occur together in the Rio Oyapock in French Guyana; the species name condiscipulus means „schoolmate” because the two species swim together. There are hardly any ornamental fish exports from French Guyana; it is usually too expensive. But fortunately the Oyapock also flows in neighboring Brazil (state of Amapa) and so specimens from there come to us from time to time. By the way: we also received C. oiapoquensis, maybe more about that later…
For our customers: the animals have code 226105 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
Snail cichlids are fascinating animals. They have chosen empty snail shells – in Lake Tanganyika there are large accumulations of empty shells of snails of the genus Neothauma – as their center of life. Neothauma snails are with a diameter of 4-5 cm relatively large snails from the relationship of the mystery snails. However, in the aquarium snail cichlids are also satisfied with other snail shells of comparable size, e.g. Roman snail shells, which can be bought in the grocery store at any time. Here in the photo session we used the house of an Asian apple snail (Pila sp.).
There is disagreement about the genus of Lamprologus brevis. Some scientists assign only the species of the lower Congo to the genus Lamprologus and put all species of Lake Tanganyika in Neolamprologus (and other genera), others think this is nonsense and leave especially the snail cichlids (there are several species) in Lamprologus. For us aquarists it doesn’t matter, you should just know that Lamprologus brevis can also be found under the name Neolamprologus brevis. Both are the same species.
Lamprologus brevis was already described in 1899 from the area of Albertville, Congolese shore of Lake Tanganyika. Males grow to about 5 cm long, females remain somewhat smaller. Both partners inhabit the same snail shell. The area around their home snail shell is vigorously defended, but otherwise these small fish need little space because of their “house-hopping” habits. They will eat any common fish food. Both parents take care of the brood and often there are floor broods where the fry of several clutches live together with the parents in the same snail shell until the parents eventually chase the offspring away.
For our customers: the animals have code 542001 on our stocklist. Please note that we supply exclusively to wholesalers.
Now we have obtained a third variant, which this time best corresponds to the “real” P. paskai, also a beautiful little animal. However, experts agree that this is also a color variant of P. luminatus, which we call P. luminatus “Blue” on our stock list. In contrast to the two previously imported forms, the Blue is much more surface oriented and almost always swims just below the water surface.
For our customers: the animals have code 446463 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
From Paraguay we regularly receive shipments of the small whiptail catfishes of the genus Rineloricaria. No less than 65 species are currently recognized, which makes identification in many cases almost impossible without knowledge of the origin. But in the case of Paraguay, there is a recent revision of the species known from this river system by Vera-Alcaraz et al. (2008), so at least trying to determine the exact species name is not just a waste of time.
Then we received a larger consignment of “Otocinlus negros”, which in reality is called Otothyropsis piribebuy. And with these animals were two whiptail catfish by-catches, which even developed to a pair, which belongs perfectly to the species Rineloricaria aurata! Why R. aurata comes so rarely to us is unknown. The species will probably not be rare in nature. But its behavior gives a hint: more than the other two species R. aurata tends to burrow. That’s why on all our photos there are always a few grains of sand on the animals. Without sandy bottom these fishes do not feel well! But in Paraguay they don’t bother to sift sandy areas to catch ornamental fish.
The pair went, after the animals had grown up and we had taken photos, to our proven breeder Kurt Jülich. What is almost unbelievable: the first juveniles are already swimming and most likely we will be able to offer Rineloricaria aurata, the Golden Witch Catfish, for sale for the first time soon! What a nice Christmas present…
The spotted danio (Danio nigrofasciatus) originates from Burma (Pegu and Mulmein) and is a close relative of the zebra danio (Danio rerio), to which it is completely similar in behavior. However, the spotted danio remains somewhat smaller with a maximum total length of 4 cm.
The cute schooling fish come from subtropical regions; in winter they are kept at 18-22°C, otherwise at 24-26°C, for breeding they are kept at 2°C higher. They are absolutely peaceful and do not eat plants.
Like all Danio species, Danio nigrofasciatus is a free spawner, which likes to lay the eggs over fine-feathered plants. The parents care for the spawn only insofar as they like to eat it. Not every male harmonizes with every female and vize versa. Therefore breeding should be done best in a shoal. The spotted danio is by far not as productive as the zebra danio. In the trade are therefore mainly wild collected specimens.
For our customers: the fish have code 407642 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
Among the large antenna catfishes (Pimelodidae) Pimelodus pictus belongs to the dwarfs. Scientifically proven are 11-12 cm length, but in the aquarium, where these fish can become very old, also 25 cm are said to have occurred. In nature these fishes probably do not live longer than 2-3 years, the keeping record in the aquarium is 18 years.
Anyway, P. pictus is a very attractive fish, if kept correctly. This includes a lot of swimming space, because the catfish is highly active, and company of at least 5, better 10 or more conspecifics. Individually kept specimens are shy. P. pictus, also known as Angel Catfish, is a diurnal catfish. Older specimens become calmer and appreciate retreats (roots and caves). Aquaristically, the species, which was scientifically described as early as 1876 and is very widely distributed in Amazonia (Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela), was not discovered until 1968. Aquaristic expeditions to Colombia led to the fish being initially imported into the United States. The fanciful name “Pimelodus angelicus” (i.e. “Angel-like Pimelodus”), which promoted sales, certainly contributed to its popularity, but also the fact that in the USA less importance was traditionally attached to planted aquariums. People preferred to keep relatively large, herbivorous, representative fish like the Silver Dollars (Metynnis and Myleus) and cichlids. There the Pimelodus pictus fitted well to it.
Pimelodus pictus leaves plants and even relatively small fish completely alone. However, to be on the safe side, by-fish should not be much smaller than about one third of the body length of the Pimelodus. No one has tried to breed these fish so far, which are free spawners without brood care, at least no breeding reports have become known.
For our customers: the fish have code 279804 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
We have received very nice offsprings of L75, which are currently 6-8 cm (26480-L 075x-2) and 10-12 cm (26480-L 075x-4) long. Here the report of the breeder, for which we thank very much:
hdrpl
Breeding report Ancistomus cf. sabaji L75
Until breeding L75 was a long way. I tried it for seven years with two groups. It turned out: patience is always the key to success with difficult plecos.
L75 is a pleco that has fascinated me for some time, so I was happy when I got three adults (two males and one female) in 2014. I had no success with this group, but six years later, in 2020, I bought seven more. Things went very quickly with this group. Several of the males showed interest in the caves, and I was happy to soon find one on a large clutch. The fight for the cave with other males stressed the brooding animal quite a bit, and after 3 days he threw the clutch out of the cave.
I managed to recover about fifty eggs, but because of a fungus, only six hatched, all of which fortunately survived. Later I removed four adults, so I ended up with the breeding male and two presumed females. Further reproduction now went very well, with the male mating with both females and taking care of the eggs and young, this time without disturbance.
The adults are 20-25 cm and are fed an insect-based diet with some fresh fish and mussels. Soft, neutral water, 28-30 degrees Celsius. The number of eggs per clutch was 150-250, depending on the size of the female. The fry grow very well on a varied diet under the same conditions, are gray at first and get the leopard pattern at about 3 cm. All in all, due to its more active behavior compared to other plecos, L75 is a very entertaining species whose care and breeding can only be recommended.
The genus Parotocinclus currently exists in a kind of shadowy existence in aquaristics. In contrast to their cousins of the genus Otocinclus, hardly anyone knows these equally small loricariids, which are, however, equally zealous algae exterminators. We have received from the Northeast region (Região Nordeste), more precisely from the states of Cereá and Bahia of Brazil two species of Parotocinclus, which have not come to us before, at least not recognized: Parotocinclus bahiensis and P. cearensis.
Honestly we have to admit that the species identification of these animals is extremely tricky and therefore we simply rely on the expert judgement of our supplier in this case. There are at least 30 species of Parotocinclus! The care of our new imports is without any problems. They behave as you would expect from small sucking catfish, they are lively and not very shy. The expected final size is 4-5 cm for the females, which are significantly larger and more plump than the males.
For our customers: The animals have code 276462 (P. bahiensis) and 276472 (P. cearensis) on our stock list. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
This pretty, at most 5 cm long corydoras wandered for many years under different names through the aquariums, until it was finally described in 1997 by Steven Grant as an independent species: Corydoras kanei. Unfortunately the description is flawed by the fact that the type specimens came from the trade and therefore the type locality is not exactly known (probably from the area of Boa Vista, Roraima, Brazil, maybe Rio Branco). This is a pity with this group of taxonomically complicated armored catfishes, but it cannot be helped.
Corydoras kanei is relatively easy to distinguish from all other spotted Corydoras with round, short snouts by the following combination of characteristics: a distinct eye mask is present; the first rays of the dorsal fin are usually black; there is no sharply defined saddle patch below the dorsal fin; a fine banding of the caudal fin composed of dots. Not everything is always pronounced in a perfect, textbook manner in every individual, but on the whole the species is readily recognizable, which, incidentally, Grant named after his sick son.
In the aquarium C. kanei is a pure joy, because it is a lively, hardly shy armored catfish, which is easy to maintain and also to breed.
For our customers: the animals have code 232802 on our stocklist. Please note that we supply only wholesale.
One of the most popular goldfish breeds is the Oranda Red Cap. Its name is a Japanese corruption of the word for “Dutchman”, because the first Orandas came to Japan via a Dutch trading post in 1800; however, the animals were bred in China. The hood, called “wen” in technical jargon, is – technically speaking – a fat growth, as it occurs in nature, for example, in the minnow species Pimephales promelas. “High heads” are so particularly popular in Asia because the Chinese god of longevity (shou xing gong) is depicted with an elongated head.
Everything about the goldfish is symbolism. The coloration of the Oranda Red Cap reminds Asian enthusiasts of the crane with its red head plate, and the crane in turn is another symbol of longevity. It is believed that this breeding form originated around 1590. The ideal “Tancho” should have a compact hood, as high as possible, which does not reach the eye or mouth. A red ring around the eye is desirable. The body should be compact and silvery white in color, and the caudal fin should be large and as long as the body. Because of the huge genome of the goldfish, it is impossible to manifest the ideal form by breeding. Therefore, only a few individuals out of thousands are top animals.
In Europe, it is childhood memories that these fish awaken in people receptive to them. As the German name “Rotkäppchen-Oranda” says: the Brothers Grimm, whose folk tales have become general cultural heritage, cause associations to the fairy tale of Little Red Riding Hood when we see Red Cap Oranda.The compact goldfish breeding forms with their spherical head and the relatively large googly eyes also correspond to the so-called Kindchenschema, which arouses affection and protective instincts in humans. The colors red and white are festive colors, especially now, at Christmas time.
Like all goldfish, these animals are gregarious and should be kept in a troop. The temperature of the water may be in the range of 10-30°C, admittedly sudden temperature changes should be strictly avoided. Part of the substrate must consist of fine sand, because all goldfish like to dig. Vegetable food – preferably duckweed – should not be missing on the menu, which otherwise may consist of dry and frozen food. Usually this breeding form reaches a body length (without fins) of about 15 cm, so it needs a corresponding water volume, because goldfish eat a lot. Year-round garden pond keeping is rarely possible in our latitudes, and in any case requires years of adaptation and careful observation of the animals. Keep in mind that many goldfish nowadays are bred in tropical areas where the water temperature hardly ever drops below 20°C.
For our customers: the animals have code 814501 on our stock list. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
In 2010 this beautiful rainbowfish was discovered on a private expedition in eastern West Papua. It lives there in the Taritatu River (former: Idenburg River). At first it was thought to be a Chilatherina species, but genetic studies rather point to Glossolepis. The species could be brought back alive and propagated in the aquarium. Nowadays captive bred specimens even appear in the regular trade (eg not only among spezialised hobbyists), so good was the success to establish the species in the hobby.
This slender Glossolepis becomes about 12 cm long, females remain smaller. The photographed specimens are 8-9 cm long. A particularly striking feature of this species is the red anterior dorsal stripe, which the females also show, although much weaker than the males. In the high courtship (in this mood the animals come naturally in the photo tank hardly) the body ground coloration darkens to a wonderful blue.
For our customers: the fish have code 417603 on our stocklist. Please note that we supply exclusively to wholesalers.
Similar to rainbowfishes, hardyheads (Craterocephalus) are exclusive elements of the Australian fauna. That is, they are found only on the Australian continent and offshore islands (including New Guinea) that formed the large landmass called the Sahul during the Ice Age. Craterocephalus have two separate dorsal fins and, like rainbowfishes, belong to the mullet relatives, but in a different lineage called silverside relatives.
Aquaristically Craterocephalus hardly appeared outside Australia so far. We have now received from Indonesia – probably from the Indonesian part of the island of New Guinea known as Papua – hardyheads that are most likely Craterocephalus stercusmuscarum. This species grows to 9 cm long and there is also some aquaristic experience with it. It is considered to be very durable and peaceful. Concerning the water composition there are no special demands, a temperature between 24 and 28°C suits it. They will eat any common ornamental fish food, including dry food. The fish spawn on fine plants, they do not practice broodcare. There are hardly any external sex differences, females become a little more plump and the yellow coloration of the belly is less pronounced.
All in all Craterocephalus stercusmuscarum is a pretty, if not very colorful fish, but because of its unusual body shape it enriches a community aquarium very much. Craterocephalus should always be kept in a group, single individuals do not feel well.
For our customers: the animals have code 412453 on our stocklist. Please note that we supply exclusively to wholesalers.
A funny name for a funny loach! In 2000, Kottelat assigned it to a loach from Laos when describing it scientifically. Quasimodo was the hunchbacked bell-ringer in a world-famous novel by Victor Hugo. And the loach from Laos has a hump – hence the name. However, the loach from Laos has a second characteristic that is extremely unusual for loaches. Loaches are bottom-dwelling fish and eat from the bottom. Accordingly, the mouth slit is directed downwards (underslung). Not so with Schistura quasimodo. Here the mouth fissure is almost horizontal (subterminal).
We have now received for the first time a loach from northern Thailand, which also has a clearly terminal mouth. It differs from Schistura quasimodo from Laos by the absence of the hump – but this may be a matter of age – and coloration. S. quasimodo is striped (juveniles up to 10 stripes, 6-8 in adults of 5-6 cm length), ours are monochromatic. Therefore we assume that our fishes are a scientifically undescribed species.
At present our animals are 4-6 cm long, it is expected that they will grow another 1-2 cm. Among themselves they are peaceful, but it is obvious that we have no long-term experience with the animals yet.
For our customers: the fish have code 454862 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
an emotional and eventful year 2022 lies behind us. And the coming year 2023 certainly holds many challenges for all of us in view of the world political situation and the still raging pandemic. That’s why this Christmas, even more than usual, we hope that you and your loved ones will be able to find a few days of peace and quiet and wish you strength, happiness and health for the New Year!
Red jewel cichlids are among the most popular aquarium fishes of all. For over 100 years, they have delighted aquarists around the world with their blaze of color and wonderful breeding habits. There is disagreement about the number of species, because these fish are very variable. Until now the red jewel cichlids were known under the generic name Hemichromis.
It has always been known that Hemichromis consist of two very different groups of species, namely the so-called five-spotted cichlids and the already mentioned red jewel cichlids. The five-spotted cichlids were recently (November 2022) subjected to a scientific revision by A. Lamboj and S. Koblmüller. One of the results was that the red jewel cichlids and the five-spotted cichlids are not as closely related as previously thought, but represent different evolutionary lineages. Accordingly, they must be in different genera. Type species of Hemichromis is a five-spotted cichlid (H. fasciatus), so the five-spotted cichlids remain in Hemichromis, while for the red jewel cichlids a new generic name had to be coined: Rubricatochromis. This means nothing else than “red coloured perch”. Type species is Rubricatochromisguttatus.
The following species are now in the new classification:
The species H. frempongi Loiselle, 1979, has already been synonymized with H. fasciatus by Bitja-Nyom et al., 2021.
Rubricatochromis Lamboj & Koblmüller, 2022, with nine described species:
Rubricatochromis bimaculatus (Gill, 1862).
Rubricatochromis cerasogaster (Boulenger, 1898)
Rubricatochromis cristatus (Loiselle, 1979)
Rubricatochromis exsul (Trewavas, 1933)
Rubricatochromis guttatus (Günther, 1862)
Rubricatochromis letourneuxi (Sauvage, 1880)
Rubricatochromis lifalili (Loiselle, 1979)
Rubricatochromis paynei (Loiselle, 1979)
Rubricatochromis stellifer (Loiselle, 1979)
and at least four scientifically not yet described taxa:
Rubricatochromis sp. „Gabon“
Rubricatochromis sp. „Guinea 1“
Rubricatochromis sp. „Guinea 2“
Rubricatochromis sp. „neon“
Literature:
Lamboj, A. & S. Koblmüller (2022): Molecular phylogeny and taxonomic revision of the cichlid genus Hemichromis (Teleostei, Cichliformes, Cichlidae), with description of a new genus and revalidation of H. angolensis. Hydrobiologia, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-022-05060-y
Do you know this tetra? The species is unusual in several respects! First of all there is its strange species name, goethei. Was the species named after our poet prince and universal genius, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe? Unfortunately no. It was dedicated to the controversial eugenicist Charles Matthias Goethe (1875-1966). But that is rather beside the point. The little fish – it grows to only 3-4 cm in length – looks at first glance like perhaps the most common tetra in Amazonia, Hemigrammus bellottii, but it belongs to a completely different family and is actually a closer relative to predatory tetras such as the freshwater barracudas of the genus Acestrorhynchus. What you can’t see with the naked eye is that the dentition of Hoplocharax goethei is not made up of jagged incisors like Hemigrammus bellottii but of needle-sharp fangs! Nevertheless, this miniature predator is a peaceful animal that will not harm any of its equally sized tankmates. Maybe the fish prefers to eat fish larvae in nature, who knows? In the aquarium it accepts any common fish food, including dry food. By the way, the bright red eye of Hoplocharax goethei is much more brilliantly colored than in any other tetra species.
Until recently Hoplocharax goethei was imported rather accidentally as cardinal tetra bycatch from Colombia and Brazil; these were mostly single specimens. For some years we have been able to import a somewhat larger number of animals from Venezuela from time to time. Maybe one day we will even succeed in breeding them?
For our customers: the animals have code 258853 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
There is a saying: “The Internet forgets nothing”. This may be true, but books are even more durable, especially if errors have been printed in them. These are often so stubborn that one could almost despair. This is what happened to a very pretty armored catfish that occurs in huge numbers in the tri-border area of Peru-Colombia-Brazil, i.e. in the upper Amazon. Because it is so common, it was also brought to Europe early, to Germany in 1935, when it was misidentified as Corydoras punctatus (which is a completely different species that looks similar to C. julii), an error that was carried over into the most important identification book on exotic ornamental fishes at the time, the “Arnold-Ahl”, in 1936. Since then, this error has apparently stuck, and exporters still send this species (and some close relatives that look very similar) under this misnomer. In reality it is a species from the close relationship of C. agassizii and C. ambiacus. Since this group of species is scientifically very poorly researched, nothing can be said for sure, but it is very probable that this particular Corydoras is scientifically still undescribed and best named Corydoras sp. aff. agassizii.
The species is, as already mentioned, widespread in the entire upper Amazonas drainage up to at least Manaus in Brazil and appears here in huge swarms. A particularly nice variety comes from the Rio Nanay in Peru, which we currently have in stock. The Rio Nanay is a left bank Amazon tributary and about 450 km long. It is considered a blackwater river. Concerning the water values and the care Corydoras “punctatus” Nanay is however everything else than demanding. Only breeding has not been successful yet, which is probably due to the fact that the animals spawn at night and are strong spawn predators, which is why the egg blessing has already landed in the stomach of the parents before the breeder notices anything.
For our customers: the fish have code 242053 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
Knifefishes are found in Africa, Asia, and South America, with Old World and New World species not closely related. As aquarium fishes, knifefishes are particularly attractive because their elegant swimming style, created by the long anal fin extending over the belly and tail, is fascinating to watch. Like ghosts, the animals glide forward as well as backward through the water.
We currently have a very rare imported knifefish in the stock. Brachyhypopomus brevirostris is a species that grows to about 20-40 cm in length but only as thick as a thumb. It is a representative of the family Hypopomidae. B. brevirostris is widespread in South America, our animals come from Peru. Males and females clearly differ in head shape, males also grow larger and in uninjured specimens they also have a small caudal fin, which females lack. However, in their native habitat, many fish apparently specialize in biting off part of the tail of knifefish. Therefore, South American knifefishes are the only fishes that can regenerate the tail including the spine.
Among themselves Brachyhypopomus are pleasantly peaceful. They are small carnivores, easy to feed with frozen and live food. Like all South American knifefish, they possess a weakly electrical organ that they use much like bats use their ultrasound. This allows South American knifefish to move in complete darkness without ever bumping into anything.
For our customers: the animals have code 210803 on our stock list. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
At present three species of the strange genus Tetranematichthys are distinguished. None of them comes more frequently or even regularly into the trade, because their hidden way of life makes their catch a pure matter of luck. So we were particularly pleased to be able to import the species T. wallacei from Colombia. We are even more pleased that sexually mature males and females are included in the import.
As in the closely related genus Ageinosus, male Tetranematichthys develop a huge dorsal fin at breeding time. The male uses the heavily spined dorsal fin spine to clamp the female during mating. Fertilization occurs internally with a penis-like structure formed from the anteriormost rays of the anal fin. After the reproductive period, both sexual characteristics are said to regress and then become almost indistinguishable from that of the female.
T. wallacei differs from the identically colored species T. quadrifilis by the profile of the underside of the head. The cheeks of T. wallacei run almost parallel on the left and right side, while in T. quadrifilis the distance between left and right head edge increases clearly recognizable towards the abdomen.
These highly interesting and rare catfishes reach about 20 cm total length. They feed predatorily, preferred food being small fish. An aquarium for Tetranematichthys should contain a fine sandy bottom, be dimly lit and contain plenty of root wood for hiding. During the day the animals often lie on their sides sleeping, this is quite normal and need not worry the keeper. Among themselves Tetranematichthys are completely peaceful.
For our customers: the fish have code 296415 on our stock list. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
Lexicon: Tetranematichthys: means “fish with four filaments”, referring to the barbels. wallacei: dedication name for Alfred Russel Wallace (1823-1913).
Suggested common name: Wallace’s root dolphin catfish.
From India (Orissa) we have received quite adorable tiger perch babies of the species Datnioides polota. Most of the only 1-2 cm long babies still have the dark baby dress, which is only interrupted in the front third of the body by a bright band. But single animals change already into the adult dress, which is silver-colored with vertical dark bands. Cheeky as Oskar they roam the aquarium and are incredibly curious.
Tiger perch (Datnioides) are large, magnificent fish. As predatory fish, they develop significantly more behavior that seems intelligent to us humans than most other fish. Datnioides species grow up to 30 cm long. Accordingly, they need large aquariums, not so much for swimming space as for water stress. Such a large tiger perch eats quite a lot during a meal and everything that disappears through the gullet in the body (live and frozen food of all kinds), comes converted back into the water. And that’s why you need volume, otherwise there will be a water chemical catastrophe.
But true tiger perch fans provide large aquariums for the animals anyway. In the many years that a tiger perch accompanies its keeper through life, the animal becomes tame and develops into a real pet! Among themselves tiger perch are relatively compatible, other fish that do not come into question as food, they ignore. Datnioides polota is a brackish water fish that is also commonly found in pure freshwater. Aquaristically, it has been found to be best to make sure that the pH does not drop below 8 on a permanent basis.
For our customers: the animals have code 414051 on our stocklist. Please note that we supply exclusively to wholesalers.
This interesting species, which we obtained from Venezuela, belongs to the Curimata-relationship. At the first glimps it reminds one strongly to the well known headstander (Chilodus punctatus), but it can be easily recognized by the black stripe through the eye. Moreover, Cyphocharax swims in a “normal” horizontal way.
Cyphocharax feed on Aufwuchs and look the whole day through on stones, roots, and plants for algae and the small animals inside them. Against each other C. multilineatus are very peaceful. Maximum length reported for the species is about 10 cm.
For our customers: the fish has code 251353 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
Lexicon: Cyphocharax: from ancient Greek, means “Charax with a hump”; Charax is another genus of tetra. multilineatus: Latin, means “with many stripes”. Chilodus: ancient Greek, means “with teeth on the lips”. punctatus: Latin, means “spotted”.
Which species is the largest snakehead fish? Unfortunately, this question cannot be answered unambiguously, because the expression “angler’s lingo” has already become proverbial for uncertain statements. Anglers (and not only them!) like to exaggerate a little. But indisputable is: Channa marulius from India belongs to the top candidates for the race. The largest documented catch of a Channa marulius was a specimen about 120 cm long that weighed 13.6 kg, but allegedly there has also been a 183 cm long specimen weighing a good 30 kg. Nevertheless, the normal size of the species is “only” about 50 cm, which is also quite decent!
In India, its homeland, there are huge, tame C. marulius that live in ponds in sacred temple precincts and are worshipped and fed by believers. These animals are so tame that they will take rice balls from your hand. However, rice is not an adequate food for these animals, which are predatory fish.
In the aquarium, Channa marulius are pleasant contemporaries, but they are reserved for owners of very large aquariums, zoos and display aquariums because of their size. Their aggression potential is low compared to that of other snakeheads. This changes at breeding time. Then these giants form pairs, which build a nest around the numerous brood sustainably defend. Nobody wants to be attacked and bitten by a 50 cm snakehead, because they have quite decent teeth and are really fearless!
The young animals, as we can offer them now once again after many years, are completely different colored than adult animals. As long as they wear the juvenile dress, they are schooling fish. However, when they lose the yellow longitudinal stripe they come into puberty, in which every conspecific is seen as a food competitor. Only when they reach sexual maturity do they become interested in conspecifics again. These phases are typical for large predatory fishes, especially during puberty it is impossible to keep more than one specimen in the aquarium. But with Channa marulius everything runs moderately and manners, why primarily the possible final size is a restriction for the suitability as an aquarium fish.
Ancistrus species belonged to aquaristics long before one even thought of the term L or LDA number. Unfortunately, the systematics of the group is complex, there have been and still are misidentifications and – this is especially unfortunate – the species can apparently often be crossed, so that aquarium hybrids have been created unintentionally. Such hybrids have no scientific name. The well-known Aquarium Ancistrus is such a hybrid. Aquarists with a deeper scientific interest therefore prefer to breed with defined strains and wild caught specimens. With LDA 72 we succeeded in importing a species from Colombia, in which the males develop particularly impressive nose ornaments and the females are also bearded.
The Ancistrus species of the area from which our animals must originate have only recently undergone a scientific revision (de Souza et al., 2019). If one follows the identification key in this paper, our imports come to Ancistrus triradiatus, a highly variable species described already in 1918 by Eigenmann. Probably the species name Ancistrus triradiatus hides – so de Souza et al. assume – several species, because the animals look quite different depending on their origin. Therefore in the hobby one should not dissolve the number LDA 72, but keep it until this question is clarified. Typical for LDA 72 of our current import is the following combination of characteristics: a small black spot at the base of the dorsal fin just behind the dorsal fin spine, a regular dot pattern on the fin rays of dorsal and caudal fin, an indistinct honeycomb pattern on the back of the forebody, a light vertical band at the end of the caudal peduncle, a unicolored, unspotted abdomen and a total of three bright dots on the tips of the dorsal and caudal fin even in fully adult animals. Our fish are currently 9-12 cm long.
For our customers: the fish have code 26480-LDA 072-4 on our stocklist. Please note that we supply exclusively to wholesalers.
Literature: de Souza, L. S., Taphorn, D. C. & J. W. Armbruster (2019): Review of Ancistrus (Siluriformes: Loricariidae) from the northwestern Guiana Shield, Orinoco Andes, and adjacent basins with description of six new species. Zootaxa 4552: 1-67.
There is a very great number of scientifically described species of Schistura – more than 300. About 200 of them are currently considered as valid. Only very few species have been imported so far as aquarium fishes. One of the most spectacular of them Schistura cf. balteata, a species collected in the region of Ranchaburi. This population can be recognized by the spotted dorsal fin. Another colllecting site is near Kanchanaburi. Here the fish have only one band on the base of the fin.
The biotope is said to be a small rivulet, the water never deeper than 20 cm. The water is fast running, cool, and rich of oxygen. The rivulet is running through a wood.
We obtain these fishes about 5-6 cm long. At that size the sexes are recognizable (males have a proportionally broader head). We have heard rumours of about 10 cm long specimens in the internet, but have never seen such large animals ourselves.
Schistura balteata has been described from Birma in 1948. The species has a vertical double band over the middle of the body. Specimens imported from Birma always showed a beige body color, while in Thai specimens the frontal portion of the body can become dark olive and the tail bright red or yellow with dark bars. It is unknown wether the red ones (which are currently imported) and the yellow ones occur together. They have been imported together in the past occasionally. Specimens that do not show the red or yellow tail pattern (this is mood depending) look the same. These loaches can change their coloration drastically and very fast. It is very interesting to observe their behaviour.
These types of Schistura are territorial fish and defend their territory against other fish. So it is necessary to keep these loaches in tanks with a lot of hiding places.
For our customers: the fish have code 454933 on our stocklist. Please note we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
The desert goby (Chlamydogobius eremius) is a wonder of nature in terms of temperature adaptability. Originally it comes from the desert of South Australia. There it can be very hot during the day, but very cold at night. The high heat capacity of the water prevents the fish from having to endure sudden temperature changes, but the temperature range that the Desert Goby can tolerate is between 10 and 35°C!
Under no circumstances should this tempt the fish to be exposed to sudden temperature changes. They cannot tolerate this at all and may even die in extreme cases. For maintenance hard rather than soft water is recommended, in any case the pH should be above 7.5, better in the range of 8-8.5. Acidic water is bad for the animals. However, they are very tolerant to salinity.
The sexes are easily distinguished by coloration; in addition, the males have a much thicker head. They are cavity breeders with brood care in the male sex. Within the territory a male does not tolerate a conspecific of the same sex, it is essential to take this into account when caring for them. If you want to keep several males of the usually 4-5 cm long species (in the literature you can also find 6 cm as final size, but this seems a bit exaggerated to us), you need an aquarium with a lot of structure, i.e.: many stones, caves and roots. Desert gobies are bottom fish. A sandy bottom is recommended. They are peaceful towards other fishes.
For our customers: the animals have code 411002 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
The Rio Nanay is a large, left-bank tributary of the upper Amazon River. It is considered a blackwater river. The Rio Nanay is home to Green Discus, which have always been sought after in the hobby. In the past, in the 1950s and 1960s, these precious animals came to us via the Colombian city of Leticia, which is still a major hub for South American ornamental fish. This is because Leticia is located in the triangle of Peru, Colombia and Brazil. In fact, the Colombian city of Leticia and the Brazilian city of Tabatinga are one municipality and you can get from one to the other without border controls.
Discus are and have always been relatively expensive fish, which is partly due to the fact that they have to be packed and transported individually and therefore there is only room for a few animals per box. This results in a high freight price. In addition, however, discus of all varieties and locality forms are also sorted in the country itself. Depending on rarity and demand, different prices for animals from the same locality arise. In the case of green discus from the Rio Nanay, specimens with many spots on the flanks are particularly sought after and therefore significantly more expensive than their cousins in which these spots are less numerous or missing. The number of spots says nothing about the sex and is not necessarily inherited. And, of course, the animals with numerous spots are, according to their status, a bit more reserved towards the paparazzo in front of the glass who wants to photograph them, than their bourgeois cousins …
For our customers: the animals are 10-14 cm long and have code 749944 (spotted) and 749934 (few spots) on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
The golden pufferfishes – the genus name Auriglobus means roughly “golden globe“ – are pure freshwater pufferfishes. For a long time it was thought that there was only one species, A. modestus, which was placed in the genus Chonerhinos. Then it was discovered that there are actually five species, darn similar to each other.
We have now received from Sumatra, more specifically, from the Indragiri River, a nice shipment of Golden Puffers. In all probability it is A. modestus. This is supported by anatomical characteristics (snout and caudal peduncle shape) and also by the locality, because the last reviser of the genus (Roberts, 1982) identified specimens from the Indragiri as A. modestus.
This golden pufferfish reaches a length of about 10 cm. It is a restless swimmer and, like all pufferfishes, very curious. What is true for almost all puffers also applies to this species: there are peaceful specimens and those that can be classified in their behavior between insolent and pushy. The latter also like to bite off pieces of fin. Under no circumstances should keep gold puffers along with quiet, shy species. Larger barbs, catfish, perch, knifefish, spiny eels and the like, on the other hand, are usually fine. If you are unlucky enough to obtain a downright troublemaker gold puffer, solitary keeping is usually required. What applies to other fish species also applies to conspecifics. Usually gold puffers get along well with each other, but there are also loners that attack each conspecific violently with bites.
Nothing is known about the reproductive behavior of the Golden Puffers. They eat very gladly live food of all kinds and accept also frozen food well. They are by no means food specialists, in nature they eat mainly insects. Vegetable material is ignored.
For our customers: the animals have code 366593 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
The redhump eartheater (Geophagus steindachneri) from Colombia has had a regular place in the aquarium since it was first imported to Germany in 1972. There are numerous reasons for this. First of all it is very attractively colored. The males develop a red colored forehead hump, which varies very much in size. Over all: the size. In fact, G. steindachneri can grow up to 25 cm long! But sexual maturity starts already with 6 -7 cm length.
Geophagus steindachneri is considered to be the most specialized mouthbrooder of South America, because the eggs are taken into the maternal mouth immediately after spawning. Instead of egg spots in the anal fin, as found in many African mouthbrooding cichlids, G. steindachneri have orange spots in the corners of the mouth, which achieved the same effect.
We have at the moment nice offsprings of the species in the stock, where the males have as a special feature green-golden areas in the area of the gill covers.
For our customers: the animals have code 678212 on our stocklist. Please note that we supply exclusively to wholesalers.
There are four species of beautiful corydoras, which are practically without exception available as wild collected specimens from Brazil, because even experienced breeders have a hard time with them. In addition, these species occur in masses and can therefore be offered in large numbers and very cheaply, so there is little incentive to breed them. After all, sustainable natural harvests make more ecological sense than captive breeding and provide local people with an environmentally sound, secure income.
These four species we are talking about here are Corydoras agassizii, C. ambiacus, C. schwartzi and C. sodalis. Unfortunately, they are repeatedly given wrong names. A portrait of Cordoras schwartzi can be found here: https://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/fish-archives/corydoras-schwartzi-2/
This post is about Corydoras sodalis. For reasons that go back to a mistake in the 1960s, this actually hardly to be confused armored catfish is traded again and again as C. agassizii. This is especially difficult to eradicate, because C. sodalis and the “real” agassizii often occur together and are therefore often imported mixed. C. agassizii on the other hand is – also wrongly – mostly called C. punctatus, as well as C. ambiacus, which is furthermore difficult to distinguish from C. agassizii. A real name drama!
Concerning care there is not much to say about C. sodalis, the fish will do practically everything, if you fulfill the basic requirements of Corydoras: no sharp-edged substrate, preferably soft river sand, low-germ water and specific feeding. Corydoras are not scavengers! The water temperature should be between 22 and 28°C, pH and hardness are irrelevant.
The reason why these catfishes evade breeding lies in their natural history. The mass occurrences are most likely nothing more than spawning migrations that take the fish to small, shady tributary streams where they spawn. In the aquarium, they spawn only at night, in complete darkness. And because they are strong spawn predators, there is nothing left of the egg splendor the next morning.
For our customers: the animals have code 221504 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
Along the west coast of India runs a mountain range known as the Western Ghats. There is a hotspot of biodiversity. An unusually large number of species of freshwater fish are endemic there, i.e. only found there and nowhere else in the world. These include the two species of the genus Bhavania, namely B. annandalei and B. australis. We were now able to import the latter for the first time.
If you look at our currently about 3-4 cm long animals, they look like many other hillstream loaches. It will be exciting when they reach 8-9 cm, their final size. Then they develop an attractive, contrasting leopard pattern.
Genetic investigations showed that behind the name Bhavania australis probably 7 different species are hiding, which however cannot be distinguished by external characteristics. For aquaristic practice this means that specimens from different sources should never be used for breeding. Otherwise the danger of unintentionally producing hybrids is very high.
For our customers: the animals have code 396001 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
The L-catfishes or Loricariidae from South America belong to the most popular and most desired catfishes for the aquarium. However, even experienced aquarists have hardly ever had the opportunity to see a living representative of the genus Astroblepus.
It is the only genus of the family Astroblepidae, the closest relatives of the Loricariidae, distinguished from the latter by their naked body. In contrast, the Loricariidae have a bony carapace that encases the body. Nevertheless, the Astroblepidae were still listed by Regan (1904) only as a highly specialized subfamily to the Loricariidae, so strong are the other similarities of the two catfish groups.
There are currently (as of November 2022) 71 generally accepted species of the genus Astroblepus and they have not been comparatively scientifically studied for over 100 years. In the last 11 years alone, Colombian scientist C. A. Ardila Rodriguez has described 27 new species from Colombia and Peru! It is easy to see that the identification of a species is very difficult, especially since there is practically no aquaristic literature about these fishes.
The largest species of Astroblepus known so far is A. grixalvii from Colombia (Rio Magdalena basin), which can grow to about 30 cm in length. However, most species seem to remain much smaller. No matter if big or small: the flesh of the Astroblepidae is considered to be very tasty and in their areas of occurrence they are therefore eagerly pursued.
Quite recently we succeeded after 2011 (then from Peru) the second larger (thus more than one fish) import of these interesting animals. This time they came from Colombia, but without any indication of origin. This means that they do not even have to be caught in Colombia, because the Colombian city Leticia at the Amazon is located in the border triangle Brazil-Peru-Colombia and is one of the main transshipment points for ornamental fish of all three countries.
Purely optically one can distinguish four color forms with the new import, but whether these are also different species? We are still at the very beginning with our research and do not know yet where the way will lead. One thing is for sure: a very important characteristic for the identification of Astroblepus species is the structure of the adipose keel (upper dorsal edge behind the dorsal fin) and the adipose fin. All four Columbians have a tiny, free adipose fin, but it has a spiny ray and in front of it is a long, flat adipose keel. Differences can be seen in the dentition, the two contrasting phenotypes have red, small teeth in the upper jaw, the solid yellowish fish has small white teeth in the upper jaw and the solid brown has much larger, again red colored teeth. So it all points to at least three species, maybe four. The size of the fish is currently 5-6 cm.
For the care you should consider that Astroblepus need a strong current and cool water (18-22°C). Otherwise the care is similar to Ancistrus species. Astroblepus are peaceful among themselves and against other fish. Our animals are still very shy, which makes photography very difficult. When they get the chance, the catfish hide under root wood.
For our customers: the fish have code 208773 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
The Blue Dempsey is a beautiful blue variant of the normally rather dark colored Rocio octofasciata (formerly: Cichlasoma or Nandopsis octofasciatum). In the youth Blue Dempsey still have relatively many black color parts, the extremely intensive, then almost solid blue coloration develops only with increasing age.
Presumably the animals are descendants of a mutant, which originated in Argentina (however, the fish is not native there, the ancestors of the Blue Dempsey were commercial aquarium fish) and was stabilized by backcrossing to “normal” Rocio octofasciata.
According to various keepers, the animals also seem to be significantly less aggressive than the wild form, which makes them particularly valuable for the aquarist. They do not make special demands on the water chemistry, according to their final size of about 20 cm the aquariums should not be chosen too small.
For our customers: the animals have code 657021 (2-3 cm) and 657022 (3-4 cm) on our stocklist. Please note that we supply exclusively to wholesalers.
At the moment we can again offer Horadandia from South India (Kerala). This miniature fish is also known as the dwarf fire rasbora, as they are closely related to the fire rasboras of the genus Rasboroides. Horadandia reach only a length of 1,5-2 cm.
For a long time it was believed that there was only one species, Horadandia atukorali. It was discovered in 1943 on Sri Lanka, later Horadandia was also found in South India. The South Indian population was described as subspecies H. a. brittani in 1992, but this subspecies was initially not accepted by the scientific community and declared synonymous. It was not until 2013 that another revision of the genus revealed that brittani was not only valid, but even an independent species. With the naked eye no differences are to be recognized however, so in the trade mostly no distinction is made between H. atukorali and H. brittani. Our animals belong to H. brittani.
Despite their small size, Horadandia are robust and easy to care for fish, which are ideal for nano aquariums. They should be kept in shoals. The water values (pH-value and hardness) are insignificant for the care, every drinkable water is suitable. The water temperature can be between 22 and 28°C.
For our customers: the animals have code 121673 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesalers.
The representatives of the genus Aspidoras are popularly also called loach armored catfishes, which is quite a good description. Because the animals are slimmer and more scurrying, than one is generally used to from Corydoras. With 25 species recognized so far, the genus is quite species rich. Their identification is difficult for non-specialists, because species diagnoses are often based on skeletal features, which are not visible without elaborate preparation of preserved specimens. That is why there was quite a lot of confusion about the correct naming for a long time. Just now, when we have received wild catches of an Aspidoras species again for a long time, a revision of the genus came out as well. With this the identification of the animals sent as Aspidoras rochai from the Brazilian state of Ceará should be possible without any problems – we thought!
Unfortunately we thought wrong. First a short overview, how the genus is represented after the current revision. Tencatt et al. accept only 18 species, among them one newly described. A. pauciradiatus was (provisionally) transferred to Corydoras, C. virgulatus to Scleromystax. The aquaristic – at least by name – known species A. eurycephalus and A. taurus were declared synonyms of A. albater. A. albater now also includes the “Black Phantom” or C35. A. menezesi and A. spilotus now belong to A. raimundi, A. microgaleus and A. marianae to A. poecilus.
Our fish from Ceará corresponded quite well to the preserved specimen of A. rochai from the Amsterdam Museum illustrated in the book by Evers and Fuller “Identifying Corydoradinae Catfish”. But in the revision by Tencatt et al. one learns that at the time of manuscript publication only two doubtless specimens of A. rochai were known, namely the almost completely decolorized type specimens from the Zoological Museum of the University Sao Paulo. So what are our fishes now? In my distress I turned to Hans-Georg Evers and he wrote me: “You have Aspidoras raimundi. In Ceará there are two species, besides A. raimundi from the Parnaiba drainage also A. rochai from the Jaguaribe drainage, mountain range of Guaramiranga (type locality of A. rochai). …. Your animals are imported regularly, sometimes as A. spilotus, sometimes as C125, both synonyms to A. raimundi. The elongated body is typical, the pattern is highly variable.” A thousand thanks to Hans for the valuable information!
Aspidoras raimundi is an easy to care, very cute catfish, which grows 3,5-4,5 cm long and deserves the rating “highly recommended”!
For our customers: the animals have code 208713 on our stocklist. Please note that we supply exclusively to wholesalers.
Text & photos: Frank Schäfer
Literature:
Tencatt LFC, Britto MR, Isbruecker IJH, Pavanelli CS. Taxonomy of the armored catfish genus Aspidoras (Siluriformes: Callichthyidae) revisited, with the description of a new species. Neotrop Ichthyol. 2022; 20(3):e220040. https://doi.org/10.1590/1982-0224-2022-0040
From India we could import again this pretty loach. With its 5-7 cm final length it is an ideal bottom fish for moderately tempered (16-22°C) community aquariums with fish of this region, like zebra danios (Danio rerio), rosy barbs (Pethia conchonius), dwarf gourami (Colisa lalia) etc..
In nature, all these species are also occasionally found together, e.g. in the shore area of rivers and lakes over sandy-stony substrate, but only P. botia colonizes streams with stronger currents. In the aquarium, P. botia are adaptable and undemanding. In contrast to many Schistura species, which occasionally become quite aggressive towards other fish, Paracanthocobitis are completely peaceful fellows.
For our customers: the fish have code. 360803 on our stock list. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
There is a conspicuous group of tetras in South America, which we will call “humpback tetras”. They have attracted the interest of researchers since the beginning of fish science (ichthyology), but proved to be a very difficult group in terms of their relationship classification. There are three genera of humpback tetras, which can hardly be distinguished purely visually, according to external characteristics: Charax (18 species), Cynopotamus (12 species), and Roeboides (22 species). The most important feature to distinguish them are the teeth. Cynopotamus are the most specialized fish eaters with long, tusk-like teeth, followed by Charax, which probably eat mostly small fish in nature and also have tusk-like but much shorter teeth, and finally Roeboides, which appear to be small animal and scale eaters and have small teeth suitable for rasping. Of course, this is highly simplified, but gets to the heart of the matter. However, some species are so ambiguous in their characteristics that they have already been placed in all three genera over the last 150 years …
We were able to import interesting humpback tetras from Colombia, which of course presented us with identification problems. The animals are of a nice orange coloration, slightly transparent like glass. They are currently 5-7 cm long. They are attractive animals, peaceful among themselves. After many attempts we had a sufficiently sharp identification photo, in which the teeth were reasonably well visible. According to the tooth structure it had to be a Charax species. Some animals had a black shoulder spot, others a black tail root spot , some both, some neither. Close observation revealed that the fish can switch this feature on and off, apparently due to mood.
There are currently (2022) 9 Charax species described from Colombia. We found the most similarities with Charax michaeli, a species described only in 1989, which is widespread in the Amazonian drainage of Brazil, Colombia, Peru and probably also Ecuador; of course we cannot be completely sure because of the described situation, therefore the “cf. ( which means: confer, so: compare with) between genus and species name.
Charax michaeli becomes about 20 cm long according to the available publications. We warn against keeping them with small fish (less than a quarter of the length of Charax), they could end up as food, but otherwise the fish proved to be peaceful, somewhat shy contemporaries with us.
For our customers: the animals have code 216313 on our stock list. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
An absolute rarity among the rainbowfish relatives is the ornate rainbowfish Rhadinocentrus ornatus. Within the genus Rhadinocentrus there is only one species, of which however several local variants exist. The reasons for the rarity of this fish in the hobby are that it is a subtropical species, so in the long run it needs certain seasonal variations in temperature (16-17°C on the one hand and 26-28°C on the other) and the water chemistry in its natural habitat, which is unusual for rainbowfish. There, the water is usually soft and acidic. Of course, the animals do not die if they are kept in normal tap water at the usual 25°C, but in the long run this is nothing and the reason why strains of the beautiful fish are lost again and again. Since there are no exports from Australia, its home country (it occurs from Fraser Island (southern Queensland) southward to Evans Head (northern New South Wales)), it can take many years before animals are available again for the hobby once a strain has become extinct.
These very slender, somewhat nervous fish absolutely must be kept in a group of at least 10, preferably 20 or more specimens. They grow to a length of 6-7 cm, are absolutely peaceful and do not harm plants. As plant spawners they show their full color only in well planted tanks and this most likely early in the morning when the sun rises; in our photo tank we cannot realize this well; of course we have the ambition to provide you with pictures of courting males yet, but this may take some weeks; by then we have probably already sold the fish. That’s why we decided to present them here already.
For our customers: the fish have code 453401 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
At first sight the Micropoecilia species resemble the Guppy; however, they are not closely related. Nevertheless Micropoecila picta is often called “swamp guppy” in Surinam, because the species is not only very common in general, but also very common in swampy habitats.
Now one could think, the care of such fish of slightly disreputable origin (in the swamp it stinks properly!) can not be particularly difficult. This is true, but only for adult fish. The opposite is true for breeding: only very experienced aquarists manage to breed M. picta healthy over generations. Who thinks swampy origin saves water changes, is wrong! Fortunately we have a breeder who masters this difficult species and so we are very happy to be able to offer this lovely livebearer in good numbers and squeaky clean.
For our customers: the animals have code 268443 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
The small cichlid Biotodoma cupido – it reaches about 12-15 cm total length, but is already sexually mature at 6-8 cm – is probably the most widespread cichlid species in Amazonia. Among experts there is cheerful disagreement whether all the different looking animals are only local color variants or independent species.
Be that as it may: the animals from the area of Iquitos in Peru can be easily recognized by the large bronze to copper colored spot that the males show and which makes the fish very attractive. We have also posted a video about these animals: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZFRAksTFew
These extremely peaceful fish are open breeders with parent families. Only when they get into breeding mood their behavior changes and they become very rabid. In nature they prefer to live in moving water, otherwise they have few demands and some populations of Biotodoma can even be found in tidal areas.
For our customers: the animals have code 634005 on our stock list. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
Lexicon: biotodoma: means “house of life” (these fish were once thought to be mouthbrooders). cupido: after a Roman god of love.
The flood of newly discovered Badis species does not stop. It is astonishing that 23 new species of these fishes have been scientifically accepted in the last 20 years and only four in the 200 years before! Badis pallidus was only described in 2019; it belongs to the immediate relationship of Badis badis and cannot be distinguished from it without intensive research. The native country of B. pallidus is Bangladesh.
We can now offer German offspring of this pretty little chameleon fish for the first time. Because of the great similarity to Badis badis no great aquaristic career can be predicted for this animal, but who knows? After all, since there are no significant commercial ornamental fish exports from Bangladesh, the opportunity to get this fish in the future should be very rare.
For our customers: the animals have code 368382 on our stock list. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
We have the probably most beautiful of all snakeheads once again available in limited numbers. This species grows up to 50 cm long in the aquarium, but normally they reach only 20-25 cm in the wild; our currently stocked fish are 14-18 cm long. The species is endemic (i.e. only found there) in northern India. They are mouthbrooders in the male sex.
For breeding, which is quite possible, the distinct annual rhythm of the fish must be taken into account. A hibernation at reduced temperatures, shortened photoperiod (i.e. the time when the tank is illuminated, it should be only 6-8 hours during hibernation or omitted altogether, depending on the location of the hibernation tank; in nature the animals hibernate in caves, there it is always gloomy) and without food. Feeding is the critical factor. Animals fed all year round become obese, animals that are too lean do not hibernate well; in both cases the sexual organs are degenerated, the animals then cannot reproduce.
The sexes differ in color and head shape, but these differences are of limited use, since by no means every male and female together form a harmonious pair; in this species the females are often very dominant. In case of serious breeding intentions, the acquisition of a group of specimens from which pairs can be formed is therefore strongly recommended.
For our customers: the animals have code 409013 on our stocklist. Please note that we supply exclusively to wholesalers.
We have received fantastic leopard cactus plecos L600. They are german bred ones. One specimen is as beautiful and flawless as the other! We are extremely enthusiastic about the quality of the animals. They are currently 6-8 cm long.
For our customers: the fish have code 26480-L 600-2 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
The tiny dwarfs of the genus Sundadanio were listed in the genus Rasbora until 1999. At that time only one species was known, namely S. axelrodi. Later other species were imported. They were still nameless, but clearly differed in color. Thus, there were blue, green and red Sundadanio. In 2011 the genus was revised and now it includes 8 species. Unfortunately, two blue colored of them can be distinguished only microscopically: S. axelrodi from Bintan and S. gargula from Bangka. Bangka is located off the west coast of Sumatra, Bintan off the coast of Singapore.
Sundadanio males are clearly distinguished from females by their intense black zone in the anal fin. These miniature fish grow to only about 1.5-2 cm in length and live in nature in very soft, dark colored black water with a very acidic pH (pH around 4.5, no hardness detectable). In the aquarium, however, they are quite undemanding in this respect. In our show room they have been swimming in normal tap water for many years. However, breeding in such water is not successful, it requires near-natural conditions.
For our customers: the animals have code 450504 on our stocklist. Please note that we supply exclusively to wholesalers.
The genus Parancistrus includes only two scientifically accepted species, the Golden Parancistrus (P. aurantiacus), which was erroneously also assigned L-number 56 (this is incorrect) and P. nudiventris, which was assigned L-numbers 31 and 176; this is a black catfish with very fine white spots. In addition, we know L258 from Rio Iriri, a black catfish with small white dots, L300/LDA48 from Rio Xingu, which is very similar to L258 and probably the same on species level (it just has slightly larger dots) and L332, also from Rio Xingu, olive green with light fin fringes.
The Parancistrus we have now been able to import in various sizes from the Rio Araguaia in Brazil is completely different in color from all these species. It has a bright worm pattern on the body and dots on the head. This species has been given the LDA number 46. For a long time LDA46 was thought to be the juvenile of P. aurantiacus, but this is wrong. Very special about LDA46 is, that the markings become more and more intense with larger animals – the species probably grows to about 15-17 cm long. With most loricariids it is the other way round, the juveniles are the more beautiful.
LDA46 is in any case an independent, scientifically probably still undescribed species. The designation L56n was additionally given, because Parancistrus aurantiacus is still called L56 in the trade. This is objectively wrong, but nobody cares about that. The letter “n” in this context simply means “new” and indicates that the fish is similar to P. aurantiacus, but something different.
For our customers: the fish have code 26490-L 056N-3 (8-10 cm) and 26490-L 056N-5 (14-16 cm) on our stock list. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
The Hulk is a comic character from the Marvel universe, a strong, green colored fellow with high destructive potential. We assume that the new dwarf shrimp Neocaridina denticulata Hulk orange, which we could now exclusively import from Taiwan for the first time, is called Hulk because of its green main coloration, because you can hardly imagine anything more harmless and peaceful than a dwarf shrimp.
Under the green main color an orange second color emerges. According to our supplier, “This shrimp is very special that its body color is variant according to the environment.”
Fancy!
For our customers: the animals have code 485447 on our stock list. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
In Apistogramma panduro from Peru (drainage of the Rio Ucayali, east of Jenaro Herrera) the females are absolutely emaciated. They are at least as beautiful as the males, if not more so; they fight as if they were males, and they show marked polychromatism. Polychromatism, or multicolorism, is when animals are individually, not species-specifically, differently colored.
The phenomenon of polychromatism is found among Apistogramma in males of many species. There are e.g. red, blue or yellow morphs, which all live together at the same locality. In A. panduro on the other hand all males look more or less the same, but each female can be recognized by its individually distinctive black markings.
At the moment we can offer A. panduro in splendid wildcatches and as beautiful offsprings.
For our customers: the animals have code 626203 (wild catch) and 626213 (offspring) on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
The beautiful cichlid Rocio octofasciata from Mexico is still known by many older people as Cichlasoma biocellatum. But all over the world young and old know him also under the popular name “Jack Dempsey”, although you have to be quite old to have experienced this legendary heavyweight boxer still in his active time: Jack Dempsey’s fights for the world championship took place in the 1920s.
R. octofasciata got its popular name from its combative nature. However, one must keep in mind that in the 1920s a 60-cm aquarium was considered quite large. In such small tanks, many cichlids actually behave very aggressively against tankmates, because they claim the entire space as their territory. In today’s common, much larger aquariums the Jack Dempsey can be classified as rather peaceful.
In the photo tank, we had used one male and four females for this session; after all, the real Jack Dempsey was married four times. One of his wives was silent film star Estelle Taylor, considered one of the most beautiful women of her time. And the cichlid females are really very fancy, too. Hardly in the aquarium, they dyed themselves almost black and fenced a hierarchy among themselves, while the well double so large gentleman observed the happening unimpressed and drew measured his courses…
Rocio octofasciata is an open breeder with parent family. Breeding usually succeeds without problems with a harmonizing pair, which is best found from a group.
For our customers: the animals have code 657002 on our stocklist. Please note that we supply exclusively to wholesalers.
For the first time we can offer this very nice Hypostomus from the Rio Jaguaribe (Cerea State, Brazil). It is a species that was described scientifically only in 2017, although 19 specimens of this species were found in the scientific collection of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, U.S.A., which had been collected and deposited there by R. von Ihering already in about 1936. Sometimes it takes a little longer…
Hypostomus sertanejo becomes about 20-25 cm long. It is a typical representative of its genus and a diligent algae exterminator. The nice juvenile markings with large white spots remain for a long time, even about 10 cm long specimens still show them. In fully adult fish the spots are much smaller. Our animals are currently 4-5 cm long and very lively little fellows, which are active also during the day a lot in the aquarium. Among themselves they are peaceful, and also against other fish no aggressive behavior is to be expected. In nature, the fish lives in clear water, the bottom consists of boulders and sand, sometimes with underwater vegetation. Fish species, with which the species lives together in nature, are e.g. Parotocinclus jumbo (LDA25), Moenkhausia costae and Tetragonopterus argenteus.
For our customers: the fish have code 263741 on our stock list. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
The tetras of the genus Nannostomus, called pencil fish because of their somewhat stiff swimming style reminiscent of traveling zeppelins, have been among the most popular ornamental fish for decades. They are very beautiful, usually peaceful and remain small. Three species swim at an angle with their heads up: Nannostomus eques, N. britzkii and N. unifasciatus. While N. britzkii has never been imported in numbers, the other two are commonplace in the ornamental fish market. They are extremely widespread (Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Guyana states) and occur in large numbers. However, there are distinct color differences locally. The variant of N. eques from Peru, which we present here, differs clearly by the coloration of the anal and caudal fin from the conspecifics exported from Brazil (Rio Negro drainage) (see https://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/fish-archives/nannostomus-eques-and-n-unifasciatus-two-odd-birds/).
Nannostomus eques is a very peaceful species, which is always a real eye-catcher due to its unusual swimming style. You should always keep these fish in a group of 10-20 specimens, because they are very social and always stay close to conspecifics in the aquarium.
For our customers: the animals have code 271804 on our stocklist. Please note that we supply exclusively to wholesalers.
For almost 20 years, ichthyologists have disagreed on which rule of the International Rules of Zoological Nomenclature is more important for the gouramis of South and Southeast Asia: the prime directive, according to which everything else must be subordinated to the stability and universal applicability of scientific names, or the various rules that regulate which names are valid in synonyms (i.e. multiple names of the same genus or species).
Those who want stability use Colisa for western gouramis and Trichogaster for eastern gouramis, those who see rules more like lawyers use Trichogaster for western gouramis and Trichopodus for eastern gouramis. In this, the two camps are quite irreconcilably opposed to each other, a sad example of how things should not go in the scientific naming of animals and plants.
The species Colisa/Trichogaster fasciata, which belongs to the western gouramis and was described by Bloch & Schneider in 1801, has always been a problematic case in zoology. The specimen on which the description is based was lost, the drawing to the species is inaccurate and where the fish is supposed to come from (Tranquebar in India, nowadays Tharangambadi) no gouramis of any species could be found until recently, although intensive searches were made.
Until now Colisa/Trichogaster fasciata was considered to be either the large gourami of the Ganges-Brahmaputra system, which was described in 1822 and for which the name Colisa/Trichogaster bejeus is available or (my humble self counts to this) for a South Indian species, which has not been found again as a wild form so far, but which should rather originate from the west coast (Tranquebar and Pondicherry (= Puducherry), from where also a gourami is described, are both located at the east coast; the area was a French colony from 1673 until Indian independence, which is why both Bloch & Schneider and Cuvier & Valenciennes were able to obtain naturalia via ports there; this does not mean, however, that the fish were also caught there).
Now new life came into the matter. A team of authors around J. D. M. Knight believes that the fish described by Bloch & Schneider is our well-known dwarf gourami. They support their thesis with the fact that preserved dwarf gouramis can have a round-appearing caudal fin and that Bloch’s description of Trichogaster fasciatus explicitly mentions a round caudal fin. However, in reality NO gourami species has a round caudal fin and the dwarf gourami Colisa lalia/Trichogaster lalius was not found in southern India until 1999. It is extremely likely that the dwarf gourami there are due to abandoned or escaped ornamental fish which were not found there in Bloch & Schneider’s time. Nevertheless, Knight et al. are so certain that they declare Colisa lalia/Trichogaster lalius to be an invalid synonym of Trichogaster fasciata.
So now the dwarf gourami has three “official” names, depending on the personal opinion of the scientists involved with it, and five spellings: Colisa lalia, Colisa lalius, Trichogaster lalia, Trichogaster lalius, and Trichogaster fasciata. Whether one writes lalia or lalius depends on whether the name lalius, chosen by the first describer Hamilton in 1822, is an adjective or a noun; Hamilton did not comment on this. In the former case, the fish is called lalia (Colisa and Trichogaster are female (femininum), in which case the Latin word ending for adjectives is -a); in the latter, i.e., if lalius is a noun, it remains unchanged no matter what the gender of the generic name is. With fasciata/fasciatus (Latin for striped) this question does not arise, this is indisputably an adjective and must be adjusted in the gender of the genus. The striped gourami, previously called Colisa/Trichogaster fasciata, should be called Trichogaster bejeus according to Knight et al.
In our stock list, the dwarf gourami and its breeding forms continue to be called Colisa lalia. This has technical and economical reasons, but at the same time we are out of this name mess. The pictures for this post show Colisa lalia „Neon Colour“, Code 411605, „Flame Red“, Code 411705, „Cobalt“, Code 411555, and wild coloured, Code 411505 on our stock list. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
Literature
Knight, J. D. M., Nallathambi, M., Vijayakrishnan, B. & P. Jayasimhan (2022): On the identity of the banded gourami Trichogaster fasciata with notes on the taxonomic status of Trichopodus bejeus (Teleostei: Perciformes: Osphronemidae). Journal of Fish Biology: [1-5].
The livebearers are the backbone of aquaristics. The hobby would be unimaginable without Guppy, Platy, Molly and Co. We notice two trends in the breeding of these fish: one deals with the wild forms, which were very rare or not available at all in the trade; and the other develops new, colorful breeding forms, but without the fin enlargement that used to accompany them, so that the charm of the wild fish is preserved, just in colorful. Breeders in Asia refer to these wild-type-like animals as “ancient”, meaning “original”.
The short-finned Molly (the correct spelling would actually be Mollie, as the genus was named after a Mr. Mollien), which we can currently offer, is a prime example of a successful breeding form. The beautiful animals are insensitive and show the diverse behavior of the wild forms. The position in the rank order is shown in the males in the form of the yellow and black portion in the coloration. The higher the rank, the more contrasting the coloration of the fish!
For our customers: the animals have code 432182 on our stocklist. Please note that we supply exclusively to wholesalers.
Lexicon: Mollienesia: dedication name in honor of Monsieur Mollien; the genus is currently generally considered a subgenus to Poecilia. sphenops: ancient Greek, means “pointed head”.
We have received an incredibly beautiful pair of wild caught Oscars from the Rio Tapajos. At least the male absolutely competes with the breeding form “Red Tiger Oskar” in color, but as we said, they are wild-caught!
The sexes are difficult to distinguish externally in Astronotus, but the striking color difference and the expression of the dorsal, anal and ventral fins make it very likely that our animals – they are 20-25 cm long – are indeed a pair. However, for safety reasons we have housed the precious animals individually and therefore cannot say whether they get along.
For our customers: the animals have code 633427 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply to wholesalers.
The tetras of the genus Curimatopsis are widely distributed in South America. The prettiest species is C. evelynae. Nevertheless, this attractive fish has hardly found its way into aquariums so far.
C. evelynae grows to a maximum length of 4 cm. The males can be recognized by their clearly higher caudal peduncle, furthermore the females always have a strong black caudal spot, which is usually superimposed by the red coloration in the male. This means any animal with a red tail root patch is a male, but not every individual without this patch is a female. Socially weak males show the red coloration likewise not or only indistinctly!
C. evelynae is a very peaceful fish, ideal for a community aquarium. It is most beautiful in water slightly colored yellow by peat or foliage, then a neon green stripe shines along the body flank, during courtship this green stripe turns into red in the male.
We were able to import Curimatopsis evelynae, which occurs in the Amazon and the Orinoco, currently from Venezuela.
For our customers: the fish have code 251314 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
When this beautiful Apistogramma first arrived in January 2003, we were thrilled. At that time we wrote:
„King Barbarossa lives!
A new, wonderful dwarf cichlid has now been imported from Peru for the first time. The species is still unknown both scientifically and aquaristically.
The species is collected in the Tapiche river, a tributary of the Ucayali river, near Requena. Mr Edgard Panduro named the species Apistogramma “BARBAROJA”, i.e. “red beard”, because of the conspicuous red spots on the face. While in the last time mainly new species and new variants around Apistogramma cruzi and A. nijsseni made the hearts of the dwarf cichlid fans beat faster, this Apistogramma is from a completely different site. It reminds in various respects of A. bitaeniata, which is also one of the most beautiful Apistogramma species. At first sight, however, the new “Redbeard” can be distinguished from all known Apistogramma species by the large tail spot, which has not yet become known from any dwarf cichlid in this form.“
Then, in July 2004, Ready and Kullander described the species as Apistogramma eremnopyge based on specimens collected two years earlier by Oliver Lucanus in the Rio Pintuyacu (drainage of the Rio Itaya), 48 km on the road from Iquitos to Nauta (Loreto Province in Peru).
Since then, unfortunately, it has become quite quiet about this pretty little fish. Sexually mature wild specimens are usually not larger than 5 cm, females always stay smaller, but it is of course possible that the species grows a bit larger if kept in aquaria for a long time. In any case, it is a true dwarf cichlid.
We are very happy to have this species in our fishhouse again after a long time. Currently it is called Apistogramma “Diamond” in the trade, in the past it was sometimes called Apistogramma sp. “Fresa” or “Strawberry” (both mean strawberry).
For our customers: the animals have code 628792 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
We received a limited number of this extraordinary Corydoras from Colombia. The overall appearance is very much alike Corydoras brevirostris (formerly known as Corydoras melanistius brevirostris), but CW 27 has a much much higher dorsal fin and the “glowspot” on the nape is much brighter.
For our customers: the animals have code 224954 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
When we think of flatfishes like flounders, plaice, butts and tongues, we actually think of the sea and edible fishes. However, it is little known that several species are also purely freshwater dwellers. Among the Achiridae (American sole) in South America, for example, 26 species are known from freshwater, but many of them are euryhaline, i.e. they live in the sea, brackish water and freshwater. Among the species living exclusively in freshwater is Apionichthys nattereri, which we were able to import from Peru.
The animals were sent to us as Apionichthys finis, a closely related species, which also occurs only in freshwater and is also reported for Peru; a first comparison on the day of import with the original description of A. finis from 1912 did not raise any concerns at first. One week later we found time to study the animals more intensively. The revision of the genus Apionichthys by Ramos from 2003, which we consulted, quickly showed that our animals must be A. nattereri. In contrast to A. finis, the dorsal, caudal and anal fins of A. nattereri are clearly distinguishable from each other, but nevertheless connected. In A. finis the three fins are separated from each other. The identification became unambiguous when an animal attached itself to the front glass of the photographic aquarium. The black border on the blind side of the flatfish is characteristic for A. nattereri and does not occur in any other species.
Quite droll are the tiny eyes sitting on stalks and the no less tiny mouth. However, you don’t often get to see the pretty spotted pattern of the animals in a properly set up aquarium, because like all flatfishes, these animals spend a large part of the day buried in fine sand.
Apionichthys nattereri grows to about 25 cm in length, making it one of the largest members of the genus. The species is found throughout the Amazon basin. There is no information about the reproduction. The animals are certainly egg-layers without brood care, but how, where and when the fish spawn and the larvae develop is unknown. Examination of the ear stones (otoliths) of two related freshwater species, namely A. finis and Hypoclinemus mentalis, revealed that these two species probably spawn in freshwater and never live in the sea, even as larvae (Matsushita et al., 2020).
For our customers: the animals have code 207075 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale. Only a few specimens available!
Text & photos: Frank Schäfer
Literature:
Eigenmann, C. H. (1912): The freshwater fishes of British Guiana, including a study of the ecological grouping of species, and the relation of the fauna of the plateau to that of the lowlands. Memoirs of the Carnegie Museum v. 5 (no. 1): i-xxii + 1-578, Pls. 1-103.
Matsushita, Y., Miyoshi, K., Kabeya, N., Sanada, S., Yazawa, R., Haga, Y., Satoh, S., Yamamoto, Y, Strüssmann, C. A., Luckenbach, J. A. & Yoshizaki, G. (2020): Flatfishes colonised freshwater environments by acquisition of various DHA biosynthetic pathways. Communications biology, 3(1), 1-9.
Ramos, R. T. C. (2003): Systematic review of Apionichthys (Pleuronectiformes: Achiridae), with description of four new species. Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters v. 14 (no. 2): 97-126.
In 1996, ichthyologists Santos, Jegu, and Lima described an unusual Leporinus from the Rio Xingu and Trombetas as L. julii. The new species is closely related to L. pachycheilus, an extremely color variable Leporinus species. Unique to L. julii, which was named in honor of Júlio Garavello, is the completely underslung mouth and teeth position. In 2008 the subgenus Hypomasticus, which was already established for Leporinus mormyrops in 1929, was elevated to generic rank and 12 species from the large collective genus Leporinus were assigned to it.
For the first time we were able to import 2 specimens of this rapids inhabitant from the Rio Xingu. In the photographic aquarium they behaved like two too large ground tetras, sitting on the bottom and supporting themselves with their strong pelvic fins. It can be assumed that in nature they have to swim strongly against the current and graze stones. Our two specimens are somewhat differently colored, one animal is darker than the other and has a strikingly different colored adipose fin. We do not know if this is a sex difference.
In the photographic aquarium the animals, in which intense red spots in the corner of the mouth and in the shoulder area are very conspicuous color features, were rather uninterested in each other, but the darker animal shooed the lighter specimen energetically out of its immediate vicinity after a certain period of acclimation. Because of the known tendency of Leporinus to quarrel, we have housed them separately in our fish house anyway.
The maximum length of the species is about 20 cm (standard length without tail fin).
For our customers: the animals have code 262205 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
Although this dwarf among the thorny catfishes – it only grows to about 3 cm in length – was scientifically described as early as 1872, it was completely unknown to aquarists until a few years ago. This is a pity, because they are droll, very interesting small catfishes, which are also suitable for small and smallest aquariums. Our specimens originate from Peru.
Like many other thorny catfishes, this species is able to make noise. When you catch them with the net, they prostate loudly and audibly against it. This sounds like a creak. However, you have to be very careful when catching them, with their sharp and numerous thorns, the small catfish get entangeled very easily in the net and are then difficult to get out again unharmed. It is better to catch them with a large (very fine mesh) net, but do not lift them out of the water, but scoop them out of the net with a small cup or the like. This way you can safely transfer them.
Every usual ornamental fish food is eaten. The small “Robocop catfish” – as the exporters call them – are by no means sensitive, but since they rarely move, one often notices too late when they are not well. It is therefore advisable to keep a few small and harmless by-fish with the Physopyxis, e.g. tetras, which serve as bio-indicators if something should be wrong with the water.
For our customers: the fish have code 278602 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
The Australian northern trout gudgeon (Mogurnda mogurnda) belongs to the very few fishes of the fifth continent, which became native already before the 2nd world war in the aquaria. They are very beautifully colored animals, which in contrast to many other gobies are also relatively easy to breed.
Unfortunately, the animals are only of limited suitability for socialization, because they can be extremely quarrelsome with incorrectly selected tankmates. And so the species gradually disappeared. But some breeders and exporters remained faithful to the beautiful species and we are glad to have them once again in the stock.
The species designation is not completely certain, because there are several similar species and even specialized scientists cannot determine the species without performing genetic tests and/or without knowing the exact area of origin.
Mogurnda are free-swimming gobies and therefore do not form their territories on the bottom, as many other gobies do, but throughout the water column. The tank must be arranged rich in hiding places, so that conspecifics do not have to see each other constantly. Rainbowfish, large danios or barbs, but also robust tetras are suitable as tankmates.
Northern trout gudgeons are carnivores, plant material is ignored. Spawning is not done in caves, but on wood, stones, broad-leaved plants etc., the male guards the spawn. The sexes are most reliably distinguished by the genital papilla (males flat and acuminate, females thickened and fringed at the end), but head shape also provides good clues. Males develop a distinct humped head.
Water can be soft or hard, pH should be around neutral, temperature between 22 and 28°C. The maximum length is given with 17 cm, usually the animals reach around 10 cm, they are ready to spawn already with 6 cm length.
For our customers: the animals have code 436402 on our stocklist. Please note that we supply exclusively to wholesalers.
The Rio Tapajós in Brazil is a more than 800 km long tributary of the Amazon. It is also the largest tributary of the Amazon River and flows to its right side when viewed downstream. It is not surprising that the great Tapajós River contains numerous endemic species, i.e. species that only occur there and nowhere else. Among these is the still scientifically undescribed Crenicichla sp., also known as Cobra Pike ( = Snake Pike) because of its striking juvenile pattern. Adult this fish, which can reach over 30 cm length, becomes splendidly red. For pictures of the adult please see https://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/fish-archives/crenicichla_sp_tapajos_en/
Crenicichla sp. Tapajos does not only grow big, it is also very aggressive. Among themselves it can come to wild, sometimes deadly fights with adult animals and even young animals can only be characterized with the adjective “cheeky”. With them the first priority is to examine every tankmate for its eatability and in the puberty – from about 8-10 cm in length – conspecifics are perceived only as annoying food competitors. Only adult pairs get along relatively well. The key to successful breeding of this species – they are cave breeders with a parental family – therefore lies in huge aquariums. Here one can raise a group of juveniles so that pairs can be found. However, a single fish can also be kept in normal sized tanks, because the swimming requirement of these animals is relatively low.
For our customers: the species has code 671832 (8-10 cm) and 671833 (10-12 cm) on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
The snails of the Malili Lakes on Sulawesi (formerly: Celebes) belonging to the family Pachychildae are great animals to keep for their own sake and not just as useful algae and debris eaters, like many other snails. All Tylomelania species of the region have in common that they occur in warm (around 30°C), soft and alkaline water. However, in aquaristic practice they have proven to be very adaptable.
Tylomelania towutensis grows to about 8 cm in length. The shell is black, has 6-9 distinctly sculpted whorls, and the soft body is black with bright yellowish spots, which has led to the popular name gold-spotted snail. They are separately sexed animals, not hermaphrodites, but the sexes cannot be distinguished externally. All Tylomelania species are viviparous and breathe through gills.
For our customers: the animals have code 488965 on our stocklist. Please note that we supply exclusively to wholesalers.
A typical companion fish of harlequin barbs (Trigonostigma), chocolate gouramis (Sphaerichthys) and other blackwater fish is Rasbora einthovenii. The species is unfortunately very rarely imported, although it has a large range. It is found on the large Sunda islands of Sumatra and Borneo, on the Malay Peninsula and in southern Thailand in suitable biotopes. Usually it is found in moderately flowing, small streams, which are only a few meters wide and 1-2 meters deep.
At first sight R. einhovenii resembles the ubiquitous longitudinal striped rasboras of Southeast Asia (Rasbora paviana and related species), but a closer look reveals the species-typical characteristics: the somewhat stocky build with the relatively blunt head profile, the fact that the longitudinal black stripe runs through the middle of the caudal fin (this ends at the base of the caudal fin in all other longitudinal striped rasboras), and the delicate blue and pink longitudinal stripes above the prominent black band.
Rasbora einthovenii usually reaches a length of 5-6 cm, but can grow up to 9 cm in exceptional cases. It is a perfect community fish for well planted aquariums with dark substrate and peaceful fish, such as labyrinths, barbs, etc. They are typical free spawners, caring for spawn and juveniles only insofar as they see them as a change from their usual diet. External sex differences are only weakly pronounced, males are slightly smaller and more delicate than females.
For our customers: the fish have code 451902 on our stock list. Please note that we supply exclusively to wholesalers.
Unfortunately the beautiful penguin tetra, Thayeria obliqua, from the upper Amazon is offered only very rarely, in contrast to its cousin T. boehlkei, which can always be found in the trade. In the trade are only offsprings of T. boehlkei; it originates from the Rio Xingu drainage in Brazil. A third species, T. ifati from Guyana is restricted to the Maroni River and is probably extinct in the hobby, while a fourth species, T. tapajonica, was only scientifically described in 2017 and has probably only been maintained in aquaria by accident. T. tapajonica is very similar in color to T. boehlkei and even occurs locally with it.
All Thayeria species swim obliquely at an angle of about 30° to the water surface. The contrasting black and white pattern, along with the unusual swimming style, breaks up the typical fish outline, making Thayeria better protected from predatory fines.
All penguin tetras grow to 5-6 cm in length and are peaceful schooling fish. We are very pleased to once again offer T. obliqua from Peru.
For our customers: Thayeria obliqua has code 296704 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
Text & photos: Frank Schäfer
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