This dwarf mouth-breeder comes from the middle and upper Congo, from where ornamental-fish-imports almost never reach us. Pseudocrenilabrus nicholsi is therefore only available as bred ones. The males are beautiful, the females are rather plain colored. The maximum length is about 7 cm, but also this size is reached rather rarely; the photographed, sexually mature animals are 3-4 cm long.
For our customers: the animals have code 566501 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
We obtained very nice Procatopus aberrans from Nigeria. These lampeyes are very peaceful schooling fish that live near the water surface or at least in the upper third of the water column. In contrast to most other species of lampeye that have an iridescent blue zone in the iris, in P. aberrans the iridescent zone in the eye is copper red. This is seen best when the light comes from top. It is recommended to keep lampeyes in general in a tank in which at least a few hours per day natural sunlight can shine in. Under these conditions the brillant turquoise flanks and the bright copper red eyes shine in a way the delights the heart of every real aquarist! Males become considerably larger than the females, the latter have moreover a differently shaped, much shorter anal fin.
For our customers: the animals have code 343102 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
For the first time we could (recognized) import this dolphin catfish from Peru. The small species (the biggest scientifically known animal had a standard-length – therefore without tail fin – of barely 8,5 cm) occurs in the area of the upper Amazon, where the river is still called Solimoes.
Tympanopleura cryptica was described scientifically only in 2015; before that the species was probably always confused with other species, hence the species name cryptica, which means “hidden, concealed”. The males of T. cryptica get a strongly extended back-fin during the reproductive-time – like all dolphin-catfish – that serves during the mating to press the female against the side of the male. The inner fertilization takes place on that occasion with a mating-organ, that is formed from the first five rays of the anal fin. One can recognize the males by it also outside the reproductive-period while the long back-fin-spine is shed. One can compare this quite well with the antlers of the stags, that is formed also again annually. The photographed animal is a male, clearly recognizable at the mating organ.
Interesting are the very large nose pores, which at first made us think that the animals had bumped somewhere. But since this phenomenon occurs in many specimens and always on both sides, and can also be seen in the preserved type specimens, we think it is normal.
In our facility these catfish are strictly nocturnal and move during the day only when food is given, as it is known from other driftwooid catfishes (e.g. Duringlanis (former Tatia) perugiae). Concerning the feeding it is to be said that one should be careful with Tympanopleura, what concerns the tankmates. Tympanopleura are predatory fish that can eat surprisingly large fish. However, the catfish also accept all usual frozen food.
For our customers: the animals have code 203033 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
Loricaria simillima has a very wide distribution in South America. It is found in the Orinoco-, Amazon- and La Plata basins. A result of this large area many different color forms are known, which differ clearly regarding coloration and pattern. The species occurs in different water types. Black water forms are more demanding in maintenance and breeding than fishes originating from white water. For keeping them middlehard water with a pH of 6 – 8 and temperatures between 24 – 27°C is sufficient.
As omnivorous fishes they are rather undemanding in their nutrition, tablet food, flakes and frosted food are accepted. The aquarium should have a sandy soil, some dark corners made by stones and bogwood increase the comfort for the fish. With a total length of 25 cm they should be kept in not to small tanks, they are mouthbrooders, the male guards the eggs and larvae.
For our customers: the fish have code 266653 on our stocklist.Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
Lexikon: Loricaria: from the Latin word „lorica“which is the chest protector of the Roman legionnaire, eg „one that wears a chest protector“. simillima: Latin, means “very similiar”, which refers to the similarity of the species to L. cataphracta.
At least three species of mollies are the parent species of the numerous breeding forms that exist of these fish today: Poecilia sphenops, P. latipinna, and P. velifera. Possibly P. mexicana was also involved, but this is unclear, as this species was long considered a synonym of P. sphenops.
Some color and fin characteristics could only be established in the strains through species crosses, but others occur naturally in wild mollies. These include the gene for black coloration, which is found in many natural populations of all four species mentioned. In its maximum expression it leads to the so-called Black Molly.
Very popular at present are the black speckled mollies, which are called “Dalmatians” after the dog race. In the wild, only one black speckled specimen occurs among thousands of normally colored animals, but the color morph, being inherited on only one allele and in both sexes, can be well established in selection breeding (when a morph is inherited from several alleles, possibly even on different chromosomes, breeding becomes complicated).
The largest of the Dalmatian mollies is the sailfin molly – and the most beautiful!
For our customers: the animals have code 433053 (lg) and 433054 (7-8 cm) on our stocklist. Please note that we supply only wholesale.
Lake Inle in Burma is a mountain lake located on the Shan Plateau about 900 meters above sea level; it is about 65 km long and 10-22 km wide. The water is relatively hard (12-17° GH) and in February the water temperatures drop to 14-18°C. Lake Inke is world-famous for its human inhabitants, whose entire life is completely focused on the lake. They live in villages built on stilts and practice agriculture on floating meadows. For aquarists the lake is especially interesting because of the many endemic small fish species, which are only found there.
One of them is Sawbwa resplendens, which is also called “Naked Microrasbora” because it has no scales – which is very rare among carp fish. In former times S. resplendens, which is nowadays also available as “Asian rummynose”, was a sought-after rarity, today it can be regularly purchased from Indonesia as offspring.
The maximum length of the species is 4-5 cm, mostly it stays 1-2 cm smaller. Males and females look completely different, only the male has a red head and the red spots in the caudal fin. The body of the males has a blue-green shine, the females are beige. And even very young animals can be distinguished quite well, because the females have a strong black spot directly above the anus, as we know from Microrasbora species.
Indoor aquariums for Sawbwa resplendens (there is only one species of the genus) do not need and should not be heated, water temperatures above 24°C are unhealthy for the fish. The peaceful animals prefer to live in a school (10-20 specimens) with their own kind. They can be kept along with all other peaceful fish with similar demands, even most tender plants leave Sawbwa in peace.
The spawn-behavior is quite unusual, the animals spawn in surface-proximity at the underside of broad-leaved plants. The rearing of the young is difficult, because although they are comparatively large, they can eat only finest food (infusoria, rotatoria). If no adequate food is available, only a small percentage of the fish survive the first 10 days until freshly hatched Artemia nauplii can be taken. If nutrient-rich rotifers (rotatoria) are available, this period can be shortened to up to four days.
For our customers: the animals have code 454002 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
Some of the earth-eaters of the genus Satanoperca have frightening names (Satanoperca = devil-perch, Jurupari = devil, Daemon = demon, Lilith = the bride of the devil), but there are only few cichlids that are as peaceful and harmless as they are. The most important thing they need in an aquarium is a part of the bottom with sand. Then they have fun and dig around in it all day long. Like children in a sandbox, but enough with the humanization. For an explanation of the devilish names see here: https://www.aqualog.de/blog/satanoperca-daemon-die-dreipunkt-teufelsangel/ (in German only, sorry).
Satanoperca jurupari grows up to 20 cm long. The animals are widespread in South America. They live in groups over sandy areas and are therefore territorial for a short time only during the breeding season. As ovophile, biparental mouth-breeders (i.e. both parents take the eggs into the mouth immediately after spawning) they defend the spawning place only for a few hours. Because of the wide distribution and because the animals look a little different everywhere, they are best named in the hobby with place of origin. The type locality of S. jurupari is the mouth of the Rio Negro into the Amazon (below Manaus).
We have currently very beautiful Juruparis of the population from the Rio Tapajós as offsprings in stock.
For our customers: the animals have code 678523 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
For the first time we can offer these cute dwarf spined loach from Vietnam. They become (without caudal fin) at most 3,5 cm long. Lepidocephalichthys kranos was not recognized as an independent species until 2010. The species differences in Lepidocephalichthys are very subtle (otherwise they would have been scientifically identified earlier), but it is quite likely that our animals are L. kranos. The unique character of the species, the relatively large scales on the head (therefore kranos = helmet) are unfortunately not recognizable on the living animal.
In contrast to our native spined loach (Cobitis taenia), which is a typical inhabitant of gravelly soil, L. kranos tend to live in swampy terrain. The care of these dwarfs is very easy, one should offer them soft sandy ground, otherwise one can care for the sociable little animals excellently in each community aquarium with peaceful small fish.
For our customers: the fish have code 424102 on our stocklist. Please note that we supply wholesale only.
Since some time we can offer a very interesting knife-fish species of the genus Rhamphichthys, which we receive as offspring from Indonesia. Rhamphichthys are attractive fish, but they require strong nerves from their keeper, because they rest lying on their side and look like dead at first sight. But they are very happy, only sleeping. Apparently they can rely so much on their camouflage coloration that they can really lie around everywhere. Since they are twilight and nocturnal animals that rest during the day, this can be quite disturbing for the worried keeper!
In contrast to many other weakly electric fish species – to which Rhamphichthys belongs – which are usually quite quarrelsome with each other, Rhamphichthys like to cuddle and are looking for the physical closeness of conspecifics.
There are 8 currently recognized Rhamphichthys species, which look extraordinarily similar. Since we do not know the original origin of the bred animals, we keep the name Rhamphichthys rostratus for the time being. This species has a wide distribution in South America: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, the Guyana countries, Colombia and Uruguay. It grows to a maximum length of 100 cm, although such dimensions are probably very rare. Realistically, one must presumably proceed from approximately 50 cm in the aquarium, however, they need a very big aquarium in any case on a long-term basis. At present our animals are 15-20 cm long.
As the wide distribution already suggests, hardness and pH-value do not play a significant role for this species, the water temperature can be in the range of 22-28°C. Soft sandy ground, in which the animals can dig in, is highly recommended. In our facility they eat living Tubifex and frosted mosquito larvae. With their small, tubular mouth they are hardly dangerous for other fish.
For our customers: the animals have code 287403 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
For many aquaristis the Bucktooth tetra, Exodon paradoxus, is simply the most beautiful tetra from South America. The splendid fish glitter and glimmer like diamonds and they never stay still. They hunt and hit their conspecifics permanently and an uneducated watcher may become quite concerned that the fish will eventually hurt each other. But this doesn´t happen. In the wild, Exodon paradoxus feed almost exclusively on scales of other fish. Their highly specialized teeth enable that. Like a flash they attack their prey and the victim doesn´t understand what actually happened. The game of the Bucktooth tetras has two purposes. First: the game fools the potential victims and makes them „believe“ that the Bucktooth tetras are not interested in them. And second: for sure this permanent swimming is a perfect training for the small predators.
The species has a very wide distribution in South America. It can be found in Guyana and the whole Amazon and Orinoco basins. E. paradoxus attains a maximum length of about 7.5 cm. Keeping this fish is not complicated, but the tank should be large and the fish should be kept in a school as large as possible. Any type of usual fish food will be accepted readily. However, in respect of eventually planned tankmates one must be very careful. Best choice are catfish, for they have no scales at all and so they don´t fit the prey scheme of the Bucktooth tetras.
For our customers: the fish have code 253502 on our stocklist. Pleae note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
This wonderful dwarf cichlid belongs to the rarest and most wanted species of Apistogramma in the trade. Nevertheless the animals are not very difficult to keep at all. If the fish is kept under the correct conditions it belongs to the hardier species of the genus. There do exist elder reports on the fish that say the opposite, but we learned in the meantime that the limited number of specimens available at this time led to this erroneous point of view. We currently have medium sized wild collected and fully grown offspring of the “Red Belly” selection in stock. The pictures in this post show the “Red Belly”, pictures of wild collected ones can be found here: https://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/fish-archives/apistogramma-elizabethae-2/
The successful keeping of these beautiful fish requires the basic rules of Apistogramma keeping: clean, bacteria-poor water (this can be settled the most easy way in soft water with an pH between 5.5 and 6.5), diversified food and at least on some places in the tank fine sand on the bottom. Especially the sand is important and the meaning of it often underestimated. In fact the sand is more important than the water chemistry (hardness, pH). In the wild, these fish feed mainly on particles they find in the sand. To find them the fish takes a mouth full of sand, chews the sand and releases the sand through the gill openings. Food particles attach on special anatomical structures on the gill arches and can be swallowed subsequently. In case an Apistogramma can find no sand it comes in a situation comparably to humans that get no opportunity to clean their teeth. This may work for a while, but in most cases sooner or later one becomes sick of it.
For our customers: the wild collected fish have code 618723, the bred ones 618704 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
Suggestion of a common name: Elizabeth´s Dwarf Cichlid
Lexicon: Apistogramma: ancient Greek, means “with unreliable line”. It is not known whether the lateral line organ or the pattern is meant. elizabethae: dedication name for Elizabeth Cabot Cary Agassiz (1822-1902), the second wife of Louis Agassiz, who travelled with her husband on the famous Thayer expedition (1865-66) and wrote on the topic later. The name refers to the close relationship of A. elizabethae and A. agassizii.
The cardinal tetra, Paracheirodon axelrodi, is one of the most traded ornamental fish worldwide. It is a big exception in the ornamental fish trade, because it was mainly traded as a wild catch; it is different with almost all other important ornamental fishes, which are mainly or exclusively traded as bred ones. It is said that in the 1980s up to 10 million specimens were exported annually from Brazil. Scientific studies prove that this is without negative consequences for the natural stocks.
Unfortunately, ornamental fish exports from Brazil became increasingly difficult for political reasons. That is why nowadays more and more bred cardinal tetras are appearing on the world market, certainly at the expense of the natural environment – the unemployed ornamental fish catchers have to try to feed themselves and their families by slash-and-burn and gold mining, with devastating consequences for nature.
When an animal species is domesticated, it does not take long before mutations – i.e. changes in the genes – occur among the offspring. In contrast to nature, where 99.99% of all born animals die before they reach adulthood, up to 90% survive in human care. Although mutations also occur in nature, the probability that they will survive and pass on their genes is almost zero. For ornamental fish breeders, on the other hand, a mutation is virtually a survival advantage if it looks interesting. One such mutation is the Golden Red Neon.
Technically speaking it is a partial albino. The Golden Red Neon lacks the guanine, that is the silvery shining color, which almost all fish have. This makes the eye red and you can see the eggs in the belly of the females, because the normally silver reflecting belly skin is now transparent. The Golden Red Neon therefore look very strangely beautiful.
Due to the low genetic diversity – usually such breeding forms go back to only one specimen, which is crossed with a normally colored one; by inbreeding one finally gets hereditary strains – the Golden Red Neon are considerably less adaptable than normally colored conspecifics. One should treat it therefore very carefully.
For our customers: the animals have code 216614 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
The dotted Chaetostoma joropo is already for many years a popular sucker-catfish. Before its scientific description in the year 2016 it was given several names, e.g. sp. Spotted, cf. milesi, Villavicencio I, L187a etc. It originates from creeks in the catchment area of the Rio Meta in Colombia and therefore does not need to be kept as warm as many other L-numbers, 23-27°C are just right. With its large sucking mouth it is a striking appearance and an excellent glass-cleaner. The maximum length is around 20 cm.
We have just received very cute juveniles of this species. Many of them had such a strong metallic-green shimmer when they arrived two weeks ago that there was nothing to see of the species-typical spots. This phenomenon is also known from Corydoras catfish. In the aquarium this green shimmer disappears after a while.
For our customers: the animals have code 214831 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
The so-called filament barbs of the genus Dawkinsia were assigned earlier all together to the types Barbus or Puntius. They received the popular name because the back-fin of the males with its long fin-rays. The differentiation of the species is extraordinarily tricky, although several scientists tried in the last decades at them. Only a few weeks ago, a new study on filament barbs appeared, in which three new species are described and in a DNA-based phylogeny, also published only a few weeks ago, it was found that the red-striped topedo barbs (Sahaydria denisonii and S. chalakkudiensis) cannot be distinguished from Dawkinisia on a molecular level.
In the hobby, many filament barbs are only called Dawkinsia filamentosa or D. mahecola; the latter is particularly wrong because mahecola is a Puntius species that has nothing in common with the filament barbs except for the tail-root spot. P. mahecola has no markings at all in the caudal fin (filament barbs have a beautiful red-black marking in the caudal fin tips) and the males of P. mahecola do not get any extended dorsal fin rays either. P. mahecola is so colorless that it was or is practically never kept in an aquarium. Nevertheless, the name P. mahecola can hardly be eliminated from the trade at the moment, since an ornamental fish trade is not a museum business and the fish names in the merchandise management systems must be traceable for years. Particularly with species whose nomenclature is still subject to constant changes, new scientific findings are therefore very slow to establish themselves in the trade.
Dawkinsia assimilis
Dawkinsia assimilis was already described in 1849, but was seen as a synonym for D. filamentosa until the turn of the millennium. In a recent paper (Kateway et al., 2020), a neotype was defined in order to make the distinction possible (an original type apparently never existed), because it turned out that in the Indian state of Karnataka, where D. assimilis occurs, a second double species still exists. This double has been called “mascara barb” in the hobby so far – because of the dark eye mask. It was now described as Dawkinsia apsara.
Dawkinsia apsara
We have now received wonderful wild catches of filament barbels from Karnataka, which are a mixture of D. assimilis and D. apsara. While adult males of both species can be easily separated, it is a completely different matter with the females. For this reason we cannot sort the animals. Apart from the fact that this would mean enormous stress for the fish, the result would be more than questionable.
In any case, these are magnificent fish, which with their maximum length of 12 cm (without caudal fin) are an enrichment for every larger aquarium with river character.
Dawkinsia filamentosa, bred
Of course these animals are not cheap; but we also have a alternative in stock: European offspring of the actual filament barb (Dawkinsia filamentosa) – if it is this species. Young animals of all filament barbs in the narrower sense cannot be distinguished from each other without knowledge of their origin.
For our customers: the wild Dawkinsia (6-8 cm) have code 369504, the offspring (3-4 cm) 369912 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
Literature
Katwate, U., J. D. Marcus Knight, V. K. Anoop, R. Raghavan & N. Dahanukar (2020): Three new species of filament barbs of the genus Dawkinsia (Teleostei: Cyprinidae) from the Western Ghats of India. Vertebrate Zoology v. 70 (no. 2): 207-233.
The identity of Colisa labiosa, a gourami from Burma, is unclear; there is some evidence that the species so named in the hobby is actually not identical with C. labiosa in the sense of the first describer (Day, 1877), but it is much more likely that it is a scientifically not yet named species. But be that as it is: the “Aquarium Labiosa” is the ideal gourami for every well-kept and densely planted community aquarium: it is extremely colorful, calm, peaceful and not very susceptible to diseases.
From the “Aquarium-labiosa”, there is a stripless bred sport, with altogether the blue color portions are missing and which comes along therefore in a splendid yellow-orange. The sometimes used variety name “peach” is well chosen, because as with this fruit, the coloration is not evenly distributed over the whole body, but as with the wild form, different parts of the body have different intensity.
The males can be recognized by the pointedly extended dorsal fin (rounded at the end in the female). With approximately 6 cm of maximum-size, the „Aquarium-labiosa” of both color-forms (therefore wild type and orange) are fully grown. They are typical bubble nest builders with father-family, like all other gouramis of the genus also. In respect of feeding the animals are not very demanding, but you should consider that Colisa have a narrow throat and therefore cannot take up very large food chunks. They prefer to slurp finely grated dry food from the water surface.
Sexually mature males of the “Aquarium labiosa” have, just like the “real” Colisa labiosa, thickened lips – the species name “labiosa” means “lipped” and alludes to this anatomical peculiarity.
For our customers: the fish have code 411443 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
The pikeheads (Luciocephalus) are highly specialized labyrinth fish. They live as predators in blackwaters of Southeast Asia. Only two species are known, the “common” pikehead, which occurs on the Malay Peninsula and in Indonesia, and the Peppermint Pikehead, which is known so far only from the Province Jambi on Sumatra.
Currently we are able to offer the latter once more. The beautiful fish become about 10-12 cm long. Due to their feeding habits (they feed exclusively on live food, preferably shrimps, for feeder fish often transmit dangerous diseases) and the high demands regarding water qualtiy, pikeheads should be kept by experienced keepers only.
For our customers: the fish have code 424914 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
For many years the up to 60 cm long moray eel species Gymnothorax tile has been sold as “freshwater moray”. It is true that G. tile can live in pure fresh water for a while (a few months) without showing any discomfort. But practice shows that this moray eel species is much more persistent in brackish or sea water (15-30 grams of salt per liter), as known from other fish species of the tidal zone, such as Scats, Monos etc. When keeping the fish in fresh water, the pH-value should not drop below 8, otherwise the moray eels will stop eating.
They are predatory fish that feed exclusively on carnivorous food: small fish, crabs and shrimps form their natural food. In the aquarium Frutti di Mare are an ideal substitute, frozen smelts and shrimps should be used as addition. It may take several weeks before these morays accept food. This is normal and not a cause for concern. The best thing is to put some live food fish in the aquarium; once they have disappeared, the spell is broken, the moray eel is accustomed and from now on it becomes a greedy eater. You have to watch your fingers a little bit; the moray eels see badly and orientate themselves by their sense of smell. If the keeper’s fingers still smell of food, it can happen that the moray eel bites him. This is not poisonous, but it bleeds violently and is in danger of infection.
Gymnothorax tile is very tolerant against conspecifics, as well as other large fish. The water temperature can be between 22 and 30°C. As with all brackish and saltwater fish the oxygen demand is high. The species is distributed along large parts of the coasts of the Indian Ocean.
For our customers: the animals have code 419675 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
Corydoras fowleri from Peru becomes 6-8 cm long and certainly belongs to the most beautiful Corydoras at all. Nevertheless, the species is only rarely bred, because the eggs are relatively small and the fish – despite their size – relatively unproductive. Therefore we are especially pleased to be able to offer wonderful German bred ones now.
Red Jewel Cichlids are gorgeous fishes. Their splendid coloration can be hardly topped. And they have a fascinating behaviour. They form a biparental family, both male and female take carefor the offspring together. No real hobbyist can hestitate to be banned by that look. The only negative aspect of these fishes is: they can be really nasty against tankmates, especilally when they have young (and they almost always have young). The degree of aggressivness depends both on the indiviual and on the respective strain.
Hemichromis sp. Red Gabon belongs – technically speaking – to the species Hemichromis stellifer. However there are many differences regarding the coloration between this Gabon population (our specimens are German bred ones) and the population from the Congo, from where H. stellifer has been described scientifically. So prudent people prefer to name the fish „sp. Gabon“. This Red Jewel is extremely colorful and belongs to the more peaceful members of its kind. In our tanks – they are, of course, rather densely populated – hardly ever even a small fin damage can be spotted.
For our customers: the fish have code 537502 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
With the swordtails (Xiphophorus), the males carry a sword-like extension at the low end of the tail fin in many species. This is a luxury structure, that serves the intraspecific communication. Sword-bearing males appear especially sexy on the females and especially intimidating on male conspecifics. The also with primates (the ape-like animals) well known game “who has the longest” always wins Xiphophorus montezumae with the Xiphos.
We have now once again received a small number of offspring of this magnificent swordtail, which has a comparatively limited distribution area in nature (rivers in the state of San Lous Potosi, on the Atlantic side of Mexico). Since the Montezuma swordtail prefers relatively low temperatures (18-22°) for permanent keeping – it does no harm if the temperatures climb above 24°C in summer – it grows rather slowly. The species is also by far not as productive as for example Green Swordtails (X. hellerii), the litters usually include much less than 20 young. This explains why this beauty will always remain a rarity in the hobby.
For the care it is important that one has to pay attention to constantly good water quality. Generous weekly partial water changes are therefore absolutely necessary. The water should preferably be hard and the pH should be in the slightly alkaline range (8 – 8.5). A good flake food can be the nutritional basis, in addition one feeds frost and live food of all kinds. Regular feeding of Artemia nauplii (also to adult fish, 2-3 times a week) has proved very successful.
For our customers: the fish have code 420143 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
The genus Brachyrhamdia includes only five described species, another one, that is still scientifically undescribed, was imported over 10 years ago as accidental catch, since then, one heard nothing more of it. Brachyrhamdia are relatively small-growing catfish. Brachyrhamdia meesi comes from Brazil and grows to about 8 cm in length. Like all species of the genus, it swims as young-fish with different species of Corydoras in the same swarm. Although the coloration of B. meesi is not particularly similar to that of – for example – Corydoras schwartzi, B. meesi almost doesn’t stand out at all in the Corydoras school. The sense of this imitation is not yet explored. It could be a protection (however, Brachyrhamdia have powerful thorns in the pectorals and the back-fin, with which they can give very painful stings), the Corydoras could serve also to the camouflage, however, that makes it possible for the predatory Brachyrhamdia to come nearer to small prey.
In the aquarium, one should keep Brachyrhamdia meesi in a swarm with conspecifics and should add also a swarm of Corydoras in order to be able to observe and analyze the living together of the two species. One should choose a Corydoras with blindfold, approximately the already mentioned C. schwartzi or also C. leucomelas, C. agassizii and similar types. B. meesi are completely peaceful towards fish that are not suitable as food (i.e. all species that are about half the size or larger than the Brachyrhamdia). In the aquarium, the catfish are omnivores, that take any dry, frost and live-food. Plant-food doesn’t play any role, plants are completely ignored by the fish also otherwise.
The aquarium for B. meesi should have a fine sandy bottom, should be decorated with numerous roots and not be too brightly lit. It is best to cultivate a solitary plant – for example an Amazon sword plant (Echinodorus) – in a culture pot and illuminate only this plant specifically, while in the rest of the aquarium a little diffuse light can be used. The water values are of minor importance (pH between 5.5 and 8, dGH between 5 and 20° dH), the water temperature should be between 22 and 28°C.
Male Brachyrhamdia meesi develop enlarged dorsal and caudal fins with the onset of sexual maturity. With the females, the size of the fins remains constant. They debvelop eggs easily and are then very thick, however, a successful breeding was not yet reported in the aquaristic literature. Probably the reason for this is a too low interest of the aquarists in these beautiful catfish – what a pity! It can be assumed that B. meesi does not care for the brood and can be stimulated to spawn similar to the Corydoras species of the central Amazon basin. There are observations from the 1980s, according to which the species B. imitator from Colombia, which is related to B. meesi, was also stimulated to spawn by the spawning of Corydoras brevirostris, with whom they were kept together.
For our customers: the animals have code 211603 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
It was believed for quite a long time that the genus Auchipterichthys would contain only one or two, very far spread species. In 2005 Ferraris, Vari, and Raredon revised the genus and could show that in reality four different species are involved. The species that was thought so far to be the most common in the hobby turned out to be restricted in distribution to the upper Rio Madeira basin: A. thoracatus. The most often imported species from the Amazon river basin is A. coracoideus and the most widespread species of the genus A. longimanus.
As early as 1840 a species of Auchenipterichthys was described by Cuvier and Valenciennes under the name of Auchenipterus punctatus. The species was forgotten for a long time, only 1996 it was „rediscovered“ and placed in the genus Auchenipterichthys. This is the only species in Auchenipterichthys with clearly visible round spots and so pretty easy identifyable. So far it has been reported only from the upper Orinoco and the Rio Negro in Venezuela, and from the central portion of the Amazon river in Brazil. The maximum size the species can attain is about 15-20 cm.
Now we were able to import Auchenipterichthys punctatus that were collected in Venezuela. It is quite astonishing that the females, despite they are only 6-7 cm long, already show a belly swollen from eggs.
For our customers: the fish have code 209653 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
Now it is season for the cute chessboard dwarf cory, Corydoras habrosus. The fish grows to a maximum of four centimeters. It is completely peaceful and leaves the plants in peace, so it is very suitable for community aquariums. The usual care-recommendations for Coryoras are valid, which means they should be kept in groups and at least some places of the bottom should be covered with fine sand. Since C. habrosus originates from the Orinoco drainage (Colombia and Venezuela) and it is very warm there, the water temperature should be somewhat higher than usual, 26-30°C are correct. Any usual fish food is eaten, if it only fits into the little mouth.
For our customers: the animals have code 231003 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
The Goldeneye cichlid (Nannacara anomala) is a classic among aquarium fish. Already 80 years ago this species taught the aquarists what emancipation means, because here the female is the absolutely dominant fish. And the female often is only half as big as the maximum 8 cm long male.
Dwarf cichlids from the closer relationship of N. anomala can be found everywhere along the coast of the Guyana countries, where they inhabit the many smaller rivers, which usually flow into the sea without detour. Everywhere these Nannacara look somewhat different. It is not researched whether they are local variants, subspecies or even independent species. From a research trip, aquarists brought back collected Nannacaras from Crique Canceler (French Guyana, northwest of Roche Brigandin, west of Anse Canceler)and bred them, we can now offer these beautiful animals for the first time.
For our customers: the fish have code 684452 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
For the first time we could import this beautiful barb from Burma. The largest scientifically known specimen of Systomus binduchitra (the species name comes from Sanskrit and means “spotted”) was 8 cm long including tail fin. Due to its close relationship to S. sarana, it can be assumed that it will probably grow somewhat larger in large aquaria over the years. In fact S. binduchitra was synonymous with S. sarana for decades.
They are very lively, extremely social animals, which one should absolutely care for in a school. It was hardly ever possible to have only one specimen in the picture, they stick together so closely. Otherwise, the usual rules of the barb-care apply, therefore here and there sandy ground to enable digging and varied nutrition, in which also vegetable components may not be missing. The water temperature can be in the range between 18 and 30°C, whereby a seasonal rhythm does the animals very well. The chemical composition of the water is rather indifferent, any drinking water is suitable for the care of S. binduchitra.
For our customers: the animals have code 369073 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
Again and again it is circulated that the wild caught of ornamental fish threatens species and the diversity of species, is predatory exploitation of nature. However, there are no scientific studies that would prove this. All scientifically founded, serious work on the topic proves the opposite: Wild caught of ornamental fish is a clean thing!
In an elaborate documentation Don McConnell illuminates the background of the wild caught of ornamental fish in Amazonia. This documentary is a must for all those who are interested in ornamental fish, aquarium science and species protection even in the slightest.
Click here for the stream: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/wildcaughtaquariumfish/471489992?fbclid=IwAR1LOxszF-f6CkFa4SjmYaCJMgqQIb61He-oGgPTiksI5-7IfO6BqneMBQk
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This cute dwarf armored catfish reaches a maximum length of only 3 cm. Aspidoras pauciradiatus comes from the central Rio-Negro area and is an ideal community fish for characins, dwarf cichlids etc. Strangely enough, the specimens on which the scientific description is based were allegedly collected in the Rio Araguaia near the town of Aruana, about 2,000 km from the usual fishing grounds of the species. Since then they could not be found there again.
For our customers: the animals have code 208704 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
Several goodeids are a parade play for the fact that conservation of species in captivity by hobby aquarists is possible and partially extraordinarily successful. The species Charcodon audax occurs endemically (i.e. exclusively there) in parts of the catchment area of the headwaters of the Rio Mezquital in the Mexican state of Durango. It is threatened by many influences. Mainly the species inhabits springs as long as they are clear enough. Because of the great drought in recent years, the individual populations are widely scattered and have hardly any contact with each other. In the remaining habitats released fishes are the biggest threat: Gambusia senilis, sunfish (Lepomis), black bass (Micropterus) and tilapias were exposed there, partly for mosquito control (which is useless, because they are eaten by Characodon as well), but mainly as food fish. Nowadays there are released tilapias in almost all habitats, which compete for habitat, food and oxygen, but also are direct predators, at least for young animals.
This year we had five different populations of this colorful goodeid on offer, but three of them were sold out before we could create a newsletter. Still in stock are “Guadalupe Aguilera” and “Puente Pino Suarez”. We ask our customers for understanding that we can not deliver such treasures by pairs and also the sizes are quite variable. There are only a few specimens available each year anyway, and we buy them all to support the conservation breeding efforts.
For our customers: Puente Pino Suarez has code 216273, Guadalupe Aguilera code 216243 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
The first Indian dwarf puffer fish (Carinotetraodon travancoricus) of the new season have arrived. These cute animals – they are freshwater puffers – only grow 2-3 cm long in nature, in the aquarium they may grow a little bigger, but not much. You should keep these animals in a swarm if possible; then they form a ranking and are so busy with themselves that the dreaded fin biting, which almost all pufferfish species can (but do not have to!) show, is largely absent. Only among each other, there are slight fin-damages, that heal without complications.
The males can be recognized by the fact that they are much slimmer and have a longer head, they also become somewhat larger than the females. All pufferfish prefer to eat snails, mussels and shrimps. Thanks to their well-developed teeth, pufferfish can bite off well. So they can easily be fed with mussel meat and other Frutti di Mare from the freezer. All the usual types of frozen food can be added to it, red and white mosquito larvae are particularly sought after as live food, but daphnia (water fleas) are also healthy and an excellent occupation for the small animals, which, like all pufferfish, are always curious and playful. In nature, insects and their larvae, worms and crustaceans make up the largest part of the diet, but algae also make up a not to be underestimated food portion (approx. 25-30%), although it is not clear whether these algae are actively eaten or rather accidentally ingested. Dry food is not eaten by dwarf puffer fish.
Indian dwarf pufferfish originate from South India (Kerala), where they are unfortunately considered increasingly endangered by dam construction, deforestation and the conversion of forest areas into farmland. One can breed them quite well in the aquarium, they are plant-spawners without brood-care, but it is ecologically more meaningful and probably the only possibility to do something for the protection of these animals in this country if one buys wild catches. Although it is claimed occasionally that the catch for the aquarium supply would have led to a strong decline of the populations, there is no proof for that; one should look at such desk considerations, that are not supported by scientific field research, very, very skeptically.
For our customers: the animals have code 436302 on our stocklist. Please note that we supply wholesale only.
This is certainly one of the most peculiar loaches ever. The genus Vaillantella – at present three species are distinguished – has a band-shaped dorsal fin running over the entire back, while all other loaches have relatively short, triangular dorsal fins.
Vaillantella are black-water-inhabitants and become 12-15 cm long, usually remain however clearly smaller; V. maassi is widespread in the peat-swamp-areas of Malaysia and Borneo, a habitat extremely endangered through destruction for oil palm plantations. Unfortunately, therefore all fish (and other living beings), that occur there, must be classified as highly endangered. The catch of ornamental fish can help to preserve at least parts of these biotopes as economic areas and is therefore an active environmental and species protection.
Vaillantella maassi has so far only very rarely been kept in aquariums. One should care for it analogous to the well known Kuhli loaches (Pangio). The very large, forked tail fin enables Vaillantella an explosive propulsion; the aquarium must be covered therefore absolutely gaplessly, so that the animals do not land on dry land, if they are grabbed by the well-known wandering instinct, which many loaches show temporarily in the aquarium.
For our customers: the animals have code 473053 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
There is a nice story about the discovery of the king tetra, which we don’t know if it’s true, but it’s worth telling: In the Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA), Manaus, Brazil, aquatic plants were kept in an aquarium. Fish were actually not in it. But suddenly, as if from nowhere, cute baby fish, apparently characins, appeared. When the animals had grown up, they fascinated by the bright blue color of the males. Moreover, it turned out to be a genus and species not yet known to science. So, one moved into the area, in which the water-plants had been collected, because obviously the fish had come as eggs, attached to the water-plants, into the aquarium. In the north of the federal state of Mato Grosso, in the Rio Aripuanã (a tributary of the upper Rio Madeira) they found what they were looking for. The genus was then described in honor of the institute: Inpaichthys, i.e. fish of the INPA. The species name kerri honors the then director of the institute, Warwick Estevam Kerr.
The king tetra is a very pretty, small (3-4 cm) tetra. In the wild type, only the male becomes blue in the back. The females (recognizable by the red adipose fin, that is blue with the male) have a beige-brown back in the wild type. Super Blue does not only turn blue earlier than the wild form (already at about 2 cm), but also the females get a blue back.
For our customers: the Super Blue has code 264722 on our stocklist Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
No other classic aquarium fish has had to put up with such a drastic renaming regarding the scientific name as the tiger barb. This is due to the fact that in earlier decades, characteristics that we now consider important species characteristics were only considered an unimportant variance. The actual tiger barb, Puntigrus tetrazona, which comes from Sumatra, has black in its fins, where our aquarium tiger barb has red. In the hobby this real Sumatran barb was practically never represented. Our aquarium fishes come from Borneo. The species P. anchisporus was already scientifically described in 1902, long before the first import of the fish for the aquarium in 1935. However, because of the small differences, which are only to be found in the living coloration, the species was considered to be identical to the P. tetrazona, which was described in 1855 from Sumatra.
The generic name Puntigrus is admittedly very young; it was coined only in 2013, when one finally went to classify the Asian small barbs correctly and according to the natural relations. Previously, one had accommodated it provisionally for centuries in so-called catch-all genera (Barbus, Puntius, Systomus), of which it was quite clear that they don’t form any natural unit. But the gigantic biodiversity of the Asian small-barbs, that is not completely grasped also today yet by far, let earlier attempts, to divide them up reasonably, fail again and again.
For our customers: the magnificent XL tiger barbs illustrating this post have code 371914 on our stocklist. Please note that we supply wholesale only.
The sword platy, Xiphophorus xiphidium, belongs to the top rarities among the live-bearers. The species is found on the headwaters of the Soto La Marina River and its tributaries, Tamaulipas State, on the Atlantic side of Mexico. The very pretty species remains with approx. 3 cm (male) resp. 4 cm (female) clearly smaller than the common Platy (Xiphophorus maculatus). Since both species can cross in the aquarium, one should refrain in view of the rarity of X. xiphidium from maintaining it together with its close relatives.
There are sword platies that look slightly different, for example those with a circular spot on the tail base, those with two small dots or with a crescent moon. Since these different colour forms also represent different populations, one should also pay attention to pure breeding on this level. Currently we have a variant without any tail pattern in stock.
Young males look very similar to females, also because they also have a “pregnancy spot”. Fully developed adult alpha males are very attractive fish with their tiger pattern.
The care and breeding of the sword platy is much more demanding than that of the ordinary platy. Above all, X. xiphidium should not be kept too warm, preferably at room temperature without additional heating.
For our customers: the animals have code 476702 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesalers.
This pleco from the Rio Xingu is an old friend, however, it received a scientific name only in 2005. It received the L-number 31 already in 1989.
The genus Parancistrus is closely related to the genus Spectracanthicus; the formerly often used genus Oligancistrus is invalid and declared synonymous with Spectracanthicus. The only difference between Parancistrus and Spectracanthicus is the size of the gill opening, which is significantly smaller in Spectracanthicus than in Parancistrus. Unfortunately, this is not visible in living animals.
The Peppermit Pleco reaches a respectable size of almost 25 cm; however, in nature the animals usually remain smaller by a third; in an aquarium, where the fish live much longer than in nature, a more significant size can be reached, therefore P. nudiventris can only be recommended to owners of large aquariums. There it is a peaceful and beautiful inhabitant.
Like all species from the Rio Xingu, it requires comparatively high temperatures of 26-30°C. L31 feeds on Aufwuchs and accepts almost every common fish food in the aquarium, as long as it is lying on the bottom.
For our customers: the animals have code 26480-L 031-3 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
This very elongated Piranha can be confused hardly with other species because of its characteristic body shape. Type locality is the Rio Guaporé, Mato Grosso, Brazil. Aquaristic imports are mostly from Peru.
Serrasalmus pingke from Venezuela was described from the Rio Apure. The holotype (54 mm long) is shown in MACHADO-ALLISON (2002); it has a black spot on the tail base. MACHADO-ALLISON evaluates this, as well as FERNÁNDEZ-YÉPEZ & RAMIREZ, 1967 as a juvenile pattern. S. pingke is a synonym for S. elongatus. This has been repeatedly contradicted and S. pingke is seen sometimes as a good species. The solution for this riddle can be found in the appendix of the “Piranha Book” by MYERS (1972). There are hand drawings of all piranha species from Venezuela by FERNÁNDEZ-YÉPEZ, which he distinguished. And there is a young specimen of S. manueli called S. elongatus. The assumption that S. pingke is a different species than S. elongatus was based on this confusion and S. pingke is surely a synonym for S. elongatus.
From about 8 cm length on S. elongatus develop a color pattern of vertical lines in the front part of the back and dots on the flanks. But some specimens are evenly dotted all over the body. A relatively small, roundish humeral spot is often present, but sometimes indistinct, the whole caudal fin is blackish up to the outermost edge, which is transparent. From about 10-12 cm length the iris is red, before silver. Sexually mature males seem to get a red belly and gill cover area. Striking and typical for S. elongatus is a dark eye mask. With a maximum length of about 30 cm S. elongatus is one of the largest piranha species. The species is considered to be very aggressive, is a notorious fin biter and should be cared for individually if possible to avoid losses.
The distribution area of Serrasalmus elongatus covers the entire entry of Orinoco and Amazon.
For our customers: S. elongatus has code 291804 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
Text & photos: Frank Schäfer
Literature:
FERNANDEZ-YEPEZ, A. & M.V. RAMÍREZ (1967): Los caribes (serrasalmidos) de Venezuela y las pesquerías. Trabajos anexos a la Comisión Contribuciones al tema. Ier Foro Internacional sobre Planificación y Desarrollo Pesquero, Caracas: 1-25 + 18 Figs.
MACHADO-ALLISON, A. (2002): Los peces caribes de Venezuela: una aproximación a su estudio taxonómico. Boletín de la Academia de Ciencias Físicas Matemáticas y Naturales de Venezuela, 62: 35-88
MYERS, G. (1972): The Piranha Book. Trop. Fish. Hob. Publ., Neptune City, NJ. 125 pp.
Only rarely does the pretty barbel Acrossocheilus paradoxus reach us, which is native to China and Taiwan. It is a medium sized species; in the wild you usually find specimens up to 12 cm total length, but the record for this species is 22.5 cm. Such large animals look different, the head is longer and the banded pattern gives way to a uniform green-golden shine.
In nature this subtropical species lives in boulder-filled rivers, which resemble smaller alpine rivers in their structure. The mouth of this barbel has a horny layer at the front edge, which probably serves to rasp off growth from the rock. In addition, A. paradoxus also has two well developed barbels, which are used for detecting small animals in the sand.
In behavior Acrossocheilus paradoxus resemble other algae-eating barbels, like Garra or sharks (Labeo and allies). Among themselves they can be a bit quarrelsome. Regarding the water composition A. paradoxus is undemanding. Since the water-temperatures in the home-waters of the species can sink under 15°C in the winter, one should maintain it occasionally cool with reduced lighting. Then also the breeding should be possible, about which was not reported yet. One can assume however that it is a free spawner without special brood-care.
For our customers: the animals have code 361903 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
One of the smallest loricariid species at all is Parotocinclus eppleyi, the Peppermint-Oto. The species is fully grown with a length of 3 cm (without caudal fin), but such animals can already be seen as xxl-format and are extremely rare. Usually the species, which is common in the upper and middle Orinoco, is 0.5-1 cm smaller.
These cute dwarfs are considered to be tricky, especially in the acclimatization phase. One should always give them dead leaves and roots, which have been in the water for a long time and have a lot of Aufwuchs, in the tank. In addition, food tablets are a well suited food for Parotocinclus species.
As so often it seems to be decisive with these animals, with how much expertise they were treated in their home country after the catch; our current import from Venezuela is very stable and does not cause any problems.
For our customers: the animals have code 276562 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
Via Manaus we have been able to import splendid Brochis splendens. The Emerald Cat comes from a huge area, from Peru to the Pantanal in Brazil; based on the experience with other Corydoras it is more than likely that there are several species hiding behind the name “Brochis splendens”. But such things should be subject of a scientific revision and not the speculation of hobbyists. One should only be aware that it makes little sense to assemble a breeding group from different imports from different countries of origin. For further variations see https://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/fish-archives/brochis-splendens-and-b-cf-splendens-cw-35/
For our customers: Brochis splendens “Rio Negro” has code 212496 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
Since its first import in the 1930er years, the White Cloud Mountain minnow (Tanichthys albonubes) is available practically exclusively as offspring for the aquarium hobby. Nowadays, this is all the more true since the free-living stocks are considered highly endangered due to environmental pollution. However, the “simple” white cloud is not really bred by most professional breeders, but only multiplied, however in masses and very successful.
What is possible, however, if you dedicate yourself to breeding in the literal sense of the word, is just shown to us by one of our German breeders, who is specialized in a few fish species, among them white clouds. Currently he supplies us with e.g. “Gold Longfin”. We think the pictures speak for themselves.
For our customers: The animals have code 457552 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
The identification of many Piranha species is difficult. One of the earliest described piranha species and therefore with many taxonomic problems is Serrasalmus humeralis. Valenciennes was the first descriptor in 1850, but there is no question that he had received the type specimen, for which he states “Amazon” as the type locality, from Castelnau. In Valenciennes ́ description no picture is provided. Castelnau made up for this in 1855 and at the same time corrected the type locality to “Araguaia”. It must therefore be assumed that S. humeralis is found in the Tocantins system. Castelnau’s drawing is very true to detail and there is no reason to assume that it does not correspond to nature in the essential details.
The piranhas, which we now imported from the Tocantins as Serraslmus humeralis, correspond in all essential characteristics (shoulder spot, caudal fin pattern, body shape, coloration) to Castelnaus’ illustration, but have so far been identified in the aquaristic and scientific literature as S. eigenmanni. The latter species was described in 1929 on the basis of a specimen from Guyana. If S. humeralis and S. eigenmanni are identical, the valid name would be S. humeralis. However, we currently assume that both species are valid and only very similar.
Serrasalmus humeralis grows about 20 cm long. It belongs to the group of fin-eating piranhas, which are best kept individually in the aquarium on a long-term basis, if one wants undamaged specimens. For unpredictable reasons, Piranhas of the fin-eating behavior type – often after months of living together – look out and mob an individual of the group. The mobbed individual becomes marked with a bite mark directly before the dorsal fin. Usually the mobbed fish is eaten after some days by the remaining herd, independently of the available food supply. The attempt of a group-attitude requires by the way really very big aquariums, in basins under 150 cm length, such attempts are hopeless from the outset.
For our customers: the fish have code 292254 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
The pearl gourami (Trichogaster leerii, Trichopodus leerii) is one of the most popular aquarium fishes at all. It is probably not exaggerated if one assumes millions of individuals in aquariums all over the world. All these fish are bred ones. It is only little known that the pearl gourami belongs to the endangered species as a black water inhabitant in the wild, because the habitat is dwindling more and more. We have already succeeded in importing animals from southern Thailand (https://www.aquariumglaser.de/fischarchiv/trichogaster-leerii-wild/) and from Sumatra (Jambi), now also from Borneo.
We very much hope that interested enthusiasts will succeed in building up strains of this wonderful animal of known origin by the occasional import (a threat to the free-living stocks by such removals is excluded from a scientific point of view). This would be an active contribution to the protection of species. Already frequently, species or populations of small fishes could be saved from extinction by such hobbyist—based breedings. However, a possible return to nature may only be attempted with animals whose original origin is known.
For our customers: the fish have code 469513 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
Where does a species start, where does the location variant end? This question is really difficult to answer for some groups of fish, e.g. killies and cichlids from Lake Malawi and Lake Tanganyika. In the case of Pseudotropheus sp. “Acei” from Lake Malawi, the species is not described scientifically. Mostly the light blue, yellow-fin “Acei” from the area around Msuli is in trade at the moment. (https://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/fish-archives/pseudotropheus-sp-acei-2/). But the “White Tail” from the area around Ngara has been swimming in the enthusiasts’ basins for a longer time, since about 30 years. It is very dark, often almost black, to which the white caudal fin and the other light-coloured fin elements contrast wonderfully.
Like all “Aceis”, the “White Tail” is a hardly aggressive animal; in nature swarms with thousands of individuals have been seen. This species does not form territories. In the lake the fish feed primarily on algae, which they graze on trees that have fallen into the water. In nature these cichlids grow to about 12 cm (males) and 10 cm (females) in length, but in the aquarium they can become considerably larger. One should not feed these fish with a high protein diet, then they will remain more graceful and more colourful.
Like all cichlids from Lake Malawi the “Acei” also requires a pH-value above 8; otherwise the care is completely problem-free. Whether you keep more males or more females or even just groups of males is ultimately a matter of taste. But less than 5 individuals should not be kept in the “Acei”, otherwise the species-specific behaviour will not come into effect.
For our customers: the animals have code 568362 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
The toadfishes a very odd creatures. A total of about 73 species exists which are placed in around 22 genera and three subfamilies. One of these subfamilies – the Thalassophryninae – is also known as the “venomous toadfishes”. Thalassophryne amazonica, one of the very few freshwater species of the family, is placed in that subfamily.
The Amazon Toadfish can be easily told apart from all other toadfishes in South- and Central America. It is the only species in which dorsal, caudal, and anal fin are connected with each other. Although there are reports of a small number of additional species of the Thalassophryninae that enter occasionally brackish and fresh water, Thalassophryne amazonica is the only species of the subfamily that lives exlusively in fresh water. Our specimens originate from Peru.
The Thalassophryninae are thought to be the fishes with the highest developed venomous apparatus of all fishes in the world, despite the fact that there are a lots of venomous fishes – just think of the stonefish (Synanceia), which can place deadly stings to humans, or the stingrays, or the weeverfish (Trachinus) which are responsible for unpleasant experiences of thousands of holidaymakers in the Mediterranean each year.
The venomous glands are placed on the base of two hollow prickles (derived from dorsal fin spines) on the back and two additional prickles on the operculum. There are no reports on accidents with Thalassophryne amazonica, but each year appear several cases with the closely realated marine and brackish species Thalassophryne nattereri which is very abundand in Brazil. The sting causes strong pain, inflammation and sometimes necrosis, but the venom has obviously no systemic components. There are no reports on fatalities.
In the aquarium, Thalassophryne amazonica, which can attain a maximum length of about 8-10 cm, are very interesting fish to study. They need sandy bottom in which they can burrow themselves. The fish are fed with small feeder fishes. Against each other and any other fish that does not work as food, Thalassophryne amazonica are very peaceful. Due to the fact that toadfish don´t move unnecessarily they can be kept in comparatively small aquaria. Toadfish are said to take care for the brood, but no details are published so far.
For our customers: the animals have code 296451 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
Lexicon: Thalassophryne: means “sea-toad”. amazonica: means “coming from the Amazon”. nattereri: dedication name for the naturalist Johann Natterer (1787-1843).
The characins of the genus Pyrrhulina can be better compared to cichlids than to other characins in terms of their behavior. The males occupy small territories in the breeding season, color themselves splendidly and defend the spawn energetically until the young hatch.
The generic name Pyrrhulina means “small bullfinch” because the males of many species develop splendid reds in the coloring in the breeding mood, that remind of the red plumage of the male bullfinch. Also Pyrrhulina brevis from Peru, which we can offer just once again, has this characteristic. The males first get strong orange fins with increasing spawning readiness, later they develop additionally cherry red spots on the body.
Unfortunately our current imports are not quite so far (but it can’t take long anymore), so we add to this post, which – as always – shows animals from our current stock, also a picture of a young adult male and a splendid male from previous imports.
Pyrrhulina brevis grows to about 7-8 cm in length, eats all common fish food and has no special requirements on the water quality. The water temperature can be between 22 and 30°C. Apart from the territoriality of the males at spawning time, the species can be considered peaceful, plants are not damaged.
For our customers: the fish have code 286753 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
Now the season for the very beautiful and much beloved orange blotch corys has started. There does exist a good number of different species and varieties, all have in common a brightly shining spot on the neck. Depending on light this glows from yellow to almosr red. This glowing spot helps the fish in the black waters of their homeland to stay together in a school.
In the past years it was often difficult for us to obtain Corydoras burgessi. Most often varieties reached us, for example spotted ones that were not as popular as the plain varieties among many of our customers. But now – finally – the pure stuff is available agian!
For our customers: the fish have code 225104 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
The magnificent pacus of the genus Mylossoma that reach at most approximately 30 cm of length (the average length in the nature amounts to approximately half of this measure), are only with difficulty determinable. The last revision from 2018 (Mateussi et al.) distinguishes 4 species south of the Andes (another species, M. acanthogaster, occurs in Lake Maracibo, i.e. north of the Andes): M. albiscopum and M. aureum from the Amazon and Orinoco basins, M. duriventre from the Paraguay-Parana-Uruguay basins, and M. unimaculatum from the Araguaia-Tocantins basin.
All Mylossoma species look the same in their youth dress. They are silver colored with an eye spot in the middle of the body. We have now received adorable, 3-4 cm long young animals from Venezuela. According to that they are either M. albiscopum or M. aureum. Since the difference between the two species can only be seen on x-rays and the name M. albiscopum is unknown in the aquarium world, but M. aureum is mentioned here and there, we decided to call the animals M. aureum. However, it is not excluded that it is a mixed swarm, consisting of both species.
Mylossoma are mixed feeders, which in nature feed on fruits, seeds and insects. They are regarded as white water fish; M. albiscopum is one of the most important food fish in the Brazilian Amazon, while M. aureum is less important in this respect.
The care should be done in the swarm in an accordingly large aquarium. The water temperature should be between 24 and 30°C. Mylossoma are usually peaceful among each other and against other fish. A planting is usually only possible with especially robust plants (Javafarn, Anubias etc.), sometimes however, also these are eaten. This can be counteracted by feeding green food (chickweed, salads, dandelion etc.). These Scheibensalmler do not have special requirements to the water composition.
For our customers: the animals have code 271001 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
The genus Microphysogobio comprises more than 30 species of small (6-10 cm) gudgeons. Many species look very similar to each other and for many of them it became clear only by molecular examinations (DNA) that the comparatively small differences are in fact species differences. Aquaristically, these animals, which usually colonize fast-flowing, cool waters in nature, have not yet made a significant appearance. They look simply too similar to our native gudgeon (Gobio gobio). The most important difference to the native gudgeon is usually not visible: the underside of the mouth region of Microphysogobio is fleshy and has numerous papillae.
We just succeeded in importing a really spectacular species of this genus, which originates from the southern Chinese province of Zhejiang, where it is endemic (i.e., seen worldwide, only there) in the system of the most important river of this province, the Qiantang. This province is not located in the tropics, the climate is subtropical; in winter, temperatures drop to just below 10°C, in summer they rise to 30°C. Accordingly, one should not keep the fish too warm and especially at seasonally varying temperatures.
The males of Microphysogobio tafangensis have sail-like, bluish dorsal fins with reddish fin rays, which looks truly magnificent; the import of females is still pending. They are peaceful among each other and against other fish. One should keep them, according to their origin, with good current and clear water; the bottom should be gritty-sandy.
For our customers: the animals have code 430814 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade. Only available in small quantities and only males!
Once more we were able to import a new species of tetra from Venezuela which does not resemble to any species known to us. According to the supplier the animals were collected in small brooks in the surroundings of Puerto Inirida.
There are no doubts that our new imports belong to the Astyanax relationship in the broadest sense, most probably to the genus Jupiaba. However, the diagnostic character of Jupiaba – elongated, sharp pelvic bones – are not visible in life fish. But our animals remind in respect of the shape of the body in J. pirana and in respect of the longitudinal band in J. antheroides. Unique in our fish is the black pigmented lateral line organ and the prominent caudal spot which is accompanied by two brillant red spots. Currently the fish are about 7 cm long, very lively and with a slight tendency to panic. The settlement of the animals is so far without any problems.
For our customers: the fish have code 209353 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
The Cockatoo Dwarf Cichlid is one of the most popular members of the genus Apistogramma and found in petshops all over the World. Almost exclusively bred specimens of very colourful sports are traded. These do not appear in the wild.
However, “the” wild form of A. cacatuoides does not exist at all. Like so many other Apistogramma, this one is polychromatic in males. This means that even within one population males can look very different. The biological sense of the phenomenon is not understood at all. But the polychromatism is without any doubt the reason why in so many cases Apistogramma sports can be developed after only a few generations of breeding the fish.
Currently we have wild collected specimens of A. cacatuoides from Peru in our stock, where many males show a particularly high degree of yellow in coloration.
For our customers: the animals have code 617234 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
We received very nice, fully grown specimens of this only very rarely available species from Peru. This species of Corydoras is very variable in respect of the pattern. However, we think the darkest animals are the males.
For our customers: the fish have code 225215 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
About from the end of May to the end of September the season of the beautiful Golden Nuggets of the genus Baryancistrus lasts. Although the fish are considered to be extremely common in nature, are also found in shallow water and have been used as food fish since time immemorial, they were only scientifically described as Baryancistrus xanthellus in 2011.
Although L18, L81, L81n and L177 are all considered to belong to the same species from a scientific point of view, in the ornamental fish trade they have been assigned different L-numbers because they are differently colored. All Baryancistrus xanthellus come from the Rio Xingu and its tributaries. One can distinguish four color forms: L18, “the” Golden Nugget, has relatively large spots, it comes from the main river. L81, on the other hand, has much smaller dots, and apparently occurs together with L18 in the main river. The largest points of all are found in L177, which comes from a tributary of the Xingu, the Rio Iriri. Recently, a variety has appeared on the market that resembles L81 in terms of the dot size, but has a much broader dorsal fin seam and a stronger yellow coloration. Since there is no L-number available for this form yet, it is called L81n “New Stardust” (the “n” stands for “new”). Nothing is known about the exact origin of these animals, only that they too are said to come from the Xingu.
In all four of them the dot sizes, the width of the fin seams and the yellow portion in the coloration vary considerably, so that sometimes it is difficult to assign them to an L-number in single animals. When they are fully grown – all four can reach a length of 25-30 cm – they all look relatively the same and the spots are much smaller than in the young animals.
The breeding of the animals can also succeed in the aquarium. They are typical cave breeders. However, the special requirements of these animals mean that breeding successes are very rare.
First of all you have to know that the Xingu has relatively warm water all year round. The catfish are sensitive to temperatures below 28°C. Then they are extremely needy animals, which are adapted in nature to constantly take up a relatively nutrient-poor food. With one or two feedings per day these catfish do not get along. Finally, they are territorial and quarrelsome animals, which need space once they have exceeded the 20-cm mark.
In summary one can say that the Baryancistrus L18, L81, L81n and L177 are very beautiful and desirable fish, but the care and breeding in the aquarium can only be successful if their very special requirements are met intensively.
At the moment we have especially beautiful L81 and L81n in stock, of which we present you here current pictures.
The redtail barb Discherodontus ashmeadi originates from the tropical Southeast Asia. It can reach an overall length of up to 14 cm. They occur widespread in the Mekong and Meklong areas. In their appearance especially the dark dorsal fin spot and the strong red markings of the caudal fin stand out.
In their native country they inhabit streams and rivers with clear water, a moderate to strong current and gravelly ground. There, they live from insects and other invertebrates, that they look for in decomposing leaves at the water-ground. Lively swarm-fish of this size need spacious aquariums.
More robust representatives of the Asian fish fauna are suitable for a community tank with D. ashmeadi. Especially loaches (Botias in the farthest sense) or other barb-types come into consideration for it.
From Venezuela we could import Anodus orinocensis for the first time. As a young fish A. orinocensis often lives in mixed shoals with Hemiodus gracilis. The two species really look amazingly similar, but Anodus is a Aufwuchs eater, and also filters the water for small organisms and swims mostly in “normal” horizontal swimming position, while H. gracilis is a small animal eater and almost always swims in slanting head-up position. With a final length of a good 30 cm A. orinocensis becomes considerably larger than H. gracilis.
They are peaceful animals, which require an attentive diet with the smallest possible food (cyclops, fine flake food, small granules). The water composition is not important, but like so many species from the Orinoco, A. orinocensis needs warmth and should therefore be kept in the range of 24-30°C.
For our customers: the animals have code 205403 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
There are no blue paradise fish in nature, they are a cultivated form with a blue back (vs. red-brown in the wild form). When exactly and in whom the first blue paradise fish appeared is not documented. It must have been in the late 1940s or early 1950s, because from then on they were mentioned in the aquaristic literature.
We currently have very beautiful, fully grown specimens of the blue form in stock, some of which truly deserve the name “paradise fish”. Since paradise fish are rather quarrelsome, one rarely sees adult males that do not show any fin damage, because the large fins – especially the caudal fin – are the target in ranking fights. Missing pieces of fins grow back, but for a while many paradise fish males look a little plucked, which of course reduces their aesthetic value.
Our current blues are a laudable exception. Obviously the breeder has not only attached importance to good looks, but also to peaceful behaviour; because behaviour is inherited in fish similar to colouring and certain behaviours can be intensified or restricted by appropriate breeding choices.
For our customers: the animals have code 425804 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
Unfortunately, Roloff’s Pygmy Barb – the popular name dates back to the 1950s and refers to the synonym Puntius roloffi – very rarely finds its way into our aquariums. The cute animal grows only about 3 cm long and its appearance is somewhat reminiscent of the Checkered barb, Oliotius oligolepis (formerly: Puntius o.). In contrast to the Checkered barb, which is a free-spawner, Oreichthys parvus attaches the eggs and spawns under plant leaves with its belly up. Roloff’s dwarf barb originates from Thailand.
The males of Oreichthys parvus get a vermilion-red dorsal fin, in which the otherwise typical black spot is hardly recognizable. The completely peaceful fish is excellently suited for well planted community aquariums; the species does not make any special demands on the composition of the water, medium-hard water and a pH value around the neutral point is particularly suitable for this fish that appreciates clear water with a light current. Every common fish food of suitable size is eaten.
For our customers: the animals have code 440752 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
The sulphur head aulonocara, Aulonocara maylandi, is one of the most peaceful species of Malawi cichlids. The species reaches a maximum length of 12 cm (male) and 10 cm (female). In the wild these fish only live in two reefs of the south-eastern Lake Malawi, namely Chimwalani Reef (formerly Eccles Reef) and Luwala Reef (formerly West Reef). It is feared that the species could be endangered because of its small distribution area and over-collecting. However, there are always offspring available in the trade which can be bought without hesitation.
The 5-7 cm long offsprings, which we have in stock, are just beginning to colour, but are already very pretty. In adult males the pale yellow of the pale blaze is not only pale yellow, but yolk yellow – hence “sulphur head” – and in the large anal fin of the males very numerous egg spots develop.
The aquarium set up for these beauties should represent the border between rock and sand zones, because this biotope is inhabited by the fish in nature. A. maylandi must not be accompanied with aggressive and hectic cichlids, they will perish in such company.
Aulonocara cichlids are carnivorous fish, which specifically look for worms, insect larvae, small crabs etc. They are helped in this task by the large sensory pits on the underside of their heads, which are so sensitive that they perceive the electrical impulses emanating from the muscle movement of a buried worm as if they had an ECG.
The animals are mouth breeders in the female sex. They are most enjoyed when kept in a larger group of 3-4 males with 5-6 females. The aquarium should be rather dark, the pH should always be above 8. Regular and generous partial water changes and water temperatures between 22 and 26° ensure the fish feel well.
For our customers: the animals have code 502653 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
Right now we have especially large and beautiful Betta coccina from Indonesia in stock. As the pictures show, this time the males have particularly extensive blue patches on their flanks; the females of Betta coccina generally do not have blue flank scales.
Betta coccina can be kept well in groups, but even these comparatively peaceful fighting fish have fire and during the ranking fights there is slight damage to fins and scales, but these heal quickly.
For the first time we have obtained this highly interesting, small spiny eel. The species rarely grows larger than 20 cm and inhabits China and parts of Vietnam. According to its origin, care in unheated aquariums is recommended. In Sinobdella the dorsal, caudal and anal fins are fused together, in Asian spiny eels this is otherwise a sign of large species. From all other spiny eels, the animals differ in the peculiar nose/nozzle region. For us aquarists, the shining white edge of the anal fin is an eye-catching characteristic.
The coloration of S. sinensis (there is only one species in the genus) is individually very variable. Among each other, the animals are peaceful, as one knows this from spiny eels generally. Small fishes are potential prey, other, bigger species are not considered further. One should choose soft sand as ground, in which the spiny eels like to dig themselves. If this possibility is missing, the spiny eels tend to get skin infections. Frozen and live food of suitable size is taken, especially worm food. We assume that settled animals also feed on granules, but there is still a lack of experience.
For our customers: the animals have code 455233 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
From Indonesia we have received extraordinarily beautiful and especially large Sphaerichthys vaillanti. According to our supplier they come from the vicinity of the Danau Senatrum National Park in the part of Borneo belonging to Indonesia called Kalimantan.
For more information about this magnificent animal see https://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/fish-archives/sphaerichtys-vaillanti/
The magnificent panaques of the nigrolineatus complex have long been sought-after aquarium fish. All species seem to grow around 40 cm long. One of the most spectacular species comes from Peru and was given the L-number 418. It is probably identical with the described species Panaquetitan, but since this is not completely certain, the animal is better called P. cf. titan in the hobby. Characteristic for the fish, which exporters call “shampupa” after the river in Peru where they catch the animals, are the broad, light-coloured tail fin seam and the blue-green base colouring.
Shampupa is a very rare species that is always available only in very small quantities. Like all panaques they are specialized wood eaters, so plenty of dead wood is a must for the basic equipment of a panaque aquarium. However, numerous other types of food are also accepted.
All the specimens we have imported so far – regardless of size, although we have never received animals under approx. 14 cm and over approx. 25 cm in length – had the same colour (see https://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/fish-archives/panaque_sp_l418_shampupa_en/). But all 6 specimens of the current import (they are 14-16 cm long) have an additional white-yellow zone in the caudal fin directly at their base.
For our customers: the fish have code 26480-L-418-5 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
Lexicon: Panaque: after the native name of P. nigrolineatus in Venezuela.
Suggestion of a common name: Shampupa Royal Pleco.
Manacapuru is the third largest city in the state of Amazonas in Brazil. It is located about 80 km west of Manaus at the confluence of the Rio Manacapuru and the Amazon. A large, lake-like extension of the Rio Manacapuru near the city is called Lago Cabaliana.
From the surroundings of Manacapuru, especially the red-backed angelfish have become famous. But there are also wonderful local forms of other cichlids. One of them is the Heros sp. Manacapuru. “Technically” the species belongs most likely to H. efasciatus, but as the fine systematics of this cichlid species is not really understood, it seems more reasonable at present to use the locality name instead of an uncertain species name.
We currently have beautiful German offspring of this Heros in stock.
For our customers: the animals have code 682995 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
The clown barb, Barbodes dunckeri, is a well-known and beautiful aquarium fish, but for decades it has been incorrectly called Barbus everetti, sometimes under the generic name Puntius, which is also incorrect for this species. The wrong name is based on a mix-up, the “real” Barbodes everetti is unfortunately almost never on the market (see https://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/fish-archives/barbus_everetti_real__en/).
Barbodes dunckeri originally comes from the Malaysian peninsula, where it is at home in smaller jungle rivers with soft, acidic water. Due to the progressive destruction of these biotopes, the clown barb must therefore unfortunately be counted among the species that are highly endangered by extinction. However, it has been reproduced for decades in commercial ornamental fish farms, from where all the animals on the market come.
The peaceful schooling fish grows to a length of 10-15 cm and should therefore be kept in a larger aquarium. As far as food is concerned, the species makes hardly any demands, dry, frozen and live food of suitable size is accepted. Soft aquatic plants are also consumed. The bottom of the aquarium should consist of fine sand at least in places, so that the barbels can dig typically for the species. The water temperature should be between 20 and 28°C, some dead leaves, peat or alder cones bring the beneficial humic substances into the water. For the care pH-value and hardness hardly play a role (extremes should however be avoided), but for breeding you have to set natural water values (pH below 6, hardness below 5°dGH).
For our customers: the animals have code 369702 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
One of the absolute classics among the large fish, which have been an indispensable part of the assortment of zoos, show aquariums and also private large aquariums for decades, is the silver arowana, Osteoglossum bicirrhosum, which is widespread in the Amazon region and the rivers Rupununi and Oyapock (Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, French Guyana and Peru). The species grows up to 90 cm long and is an important food fish in its native countries. Arowanas practice brood care, the species is a mouth-breeder in the male sex.
In trade are both imported animals from Peru and Colombia – mostly young fish up to about 10 cm long – but also offspring from Singapore and Indonesia. From these breeding centres often larger animals are imported, sometimes also breeding forms which do not exist in nature. Since arowanas are identified with dragons in Asian mythology and dragons bring luck, among other things, platinum-coloured (https://www.aquariumglaser.de/fischarchiv/osteoglossum-bicirrhosum-platinum/) or albino arowanas are sought-after and also expensive fish.
We now have a few albino youngsters from Indonesia on offer. The ivory body lacks any black markings, only the yellow spots on the scales immediately behind the head, which in the natural form frame the black shoulder spot, and the yellow vertical stripes on the anal fin are present. The eye is not red, as is common in mammalian albinos; fish have more types of colour pigment cells than mammals, so albinism in them is not necessarily coupled with red-eye.
Here we show 7-9 cm long specimens of the same size of an albino from Indonesia and a wild form from Colombia, the differences are obvious.
For our customers: Albino Arowans have code 273242, wild code 273202 on our stock list. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
This beautiful freshwater goby was originally described as a subspecies of Stiphodon elegans. It originates from West Sumatra (Indonesia), where it lives in clear streams. Stiphodon ornatus feeds on an Aufwuchs, i.e. it feeds on algae and the small creatures that live in them. In the aquarium any form of dry, frost and live food is gladly accepted. Unfortunately, breeding in an aquarium is hardly possible, because the tiny juveniles develop in the sea and, as is well known, the rearing of marine fish is very demanding due to the difficulty of obtaining the correct food. But even without the possibility to reproduce them, Stiphodon offer many, exciting observation possibilities.
Males and females look so different in Stiphodon ornatus (and most other Stiphodon species) that one could think they are different species and in fact they are often offered as different species by the suppliers. The females of all Stiphodon species are white with black longitudinal stripes. One can hardly distinguish the females of the different (there are 37) Stiphodon species. Males grow about 6 cm long, females stay a little smaller. Stiphodon live in a flock, only to spawn single males settle down and establish a territory. They spawn in caves, mostly under stones. The male guards the spawn until the tiny larvae hatch. The water current drifts them into the sea where the larvae spend the first weeks of their life. Then they migrate into fresh water, which they do not leave anymore for the rest of their lives.
For our customers: the animals have code 456072 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
Only in 2012 this pretty cichlid was scientifically described, before that it was known in the hobby as Krobia sp. “Xingu Red Head”. As the name suggests, the animal originally comes from the Rio Xingu in Brazil. However, the species is only available as bred ones.
This beautiful Aequidens relative is the ideal cichlid for beginners: there is hardly any other cichlid species that is so peaceful. Furthermore the animals are very attractively coloured and belong with less than 10 cm final size to the dwarf cichlids. This is true at least for specimens in the wild, old aquarium fish might become bigger. K. xinguensis are typical open brooders with parent family.
For our customers: the animals have code 683263 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
A very wonderful dwarf glassfish reached us from Indonesia: Gymnochanda flamea, the red filamentous glassfish. All Gymnochanda species (G. filamentosa, G. flamea, G. limi, G.ploegi and G. verae) are pure freshwater fish, you should never add salt to the water.
Only two species, G. flamea (South-Borneo) and G. filamentosa (Malaysia, Sumatra (?), West-Borneo) have thread-like long dorsal and anal fin rays, red in G. flamea, white-blue in G. filamentosa.
The care of the cute, maximum 4 cm long animals is not very difficult, but they only eat live food. Among each other they are very peaceful, even against other fish, but one should – if at all – only keep these treasures with other tiny and peaceful species. Soft, slightly acidic water (pH 6-7) and a temperature of 24-28°C are recommended.
The animals are egglayers without brood care. The eggs are deposited in fine-grained plants. As far as we know, no successful rearing of the brood under aquarium conditions has been reported so far.
For our customers: the animals have code 419642 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
The history of becoming a domesticated animal is hardly researched for many species and is full of secrets, as it is with Betta splendens. There is some evidence that its true domestication only occurred after the collapse of the Khmer Empire in the 15th century. Before that, Betta splendens had been used for fish fights, but with specimens from the ditch next door. First secured evidence of a true breeding form (a short-finned fighter type with a lancet-shaped, pointed tail fin) only exists from the early 19th century. The Veiltails even originated in Thailand between the world wars, first imports into the USA and Germany took place in the 1920s.
In 1978 all types of fins (Crowntail, Double Tail, Half Moon, Veiltail, Pla Kat etc.), as they are admired and bred all over the world today, were known for a long time already, they were just called differently and in the trade they were not represented, only by a handful of specialists. In the trade one found only „Veiltails“ in their various colours. Only at the turn of the millennium this changed, a Betta-Hype developed and for the first Crowntails, which suddenly appeared in the general ornamental fish market, fantastic prices were achieved.
The Betta-Hype is still going on. Nice! But – and this is also nice – the well-known Veiltails did not fall into oblivion. If you take an unbiased look at the “completely normal” Veiltail shown here, it is easy to see why…
For our customers: Veiltail bettas in all colours have code 390003 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
There are many colour varieties of Apistigramma agassizii. The species – as it is currently understood – occurs in the complete Amazon river area in Colombia, Peru, and Brazil. The most wanted variety is probably the „Tefé“ variety. It is, however, not really proven that this variety really comes from the Rio Tefé, a right hand tributary of the Amazon in the Brazilian state of Amazonas. The trade name „Tefé“ was created at a time when a lot of money was payed for these fish and the people who collected them were not interested at all to share their knowledge about the collecting sites. The only thing that can be taken for granted in the Tefé-Agassizii ist that it is a blackwater form.
The Tefé-Agassizii is as variable in coloration as any other A. agassizii. A. agassizii is a polychromatic species. In the Tefé-Agassizii this polychromatism appears mainly in the individually changing content of orange or yellow in the fins and the neck. But all males of the Tefé-Agassizii have the typical zigzag-pattern on the belly. The females look almost like all females of A. agassizii, but can be recognized by the orange-red seam along the dorsal fin.
For our custimers: the animals have code 614833 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
From the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso, more precisely from the upper Rio Guaporé, comes the pretty Corydoras caudimaculatus, which reaches 5-6 cm in length. C. caudimaculatus is the most round-nosed and high-backed species of the “tail-spotted armored catfish”, which all have a similar pattern, but without being closely related to each other. The evolutionary advantage of the similar pattern is that fish-eaters – birds, snakes, predatory fish, etc. – who have once tried such a spiny, armored fish, will avoid it in the future, because it scratches the throat considerably. This is how this colour similarity, which is often found in Corydoras catfish, occurs between different species living in the same area.
Corydoras caudimaculatus is a much sought-after species, which unfortunately can only occasionally be found on export lists. However, it is also easy to breed; many enthusiasts report that this species needs comparatively high water temperatures (26-28°C) to feel comfortable in the long term. Cooler kept animals are often shy and nervous.
For our customers: the animals have code 225604 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
The Port Hoplo Megalechis thoracata – maybe the synonym (now invalid) name Hoplosternum thoracatum is more familar to some readers – is one of the earliest aquarium fish at all. The fish has only one real disadvantage: the maximum size, which is about 15 cm (or sometimes even larger). However, the species has a comparatively small mouth and so it fits quite well in a community tank with more robust and somewhat larger fish. Megalechis have a great fan community who calls them the „fighting sausages“.
Breeding Megalechis is very interesting, for male Port Hoplos build up a foam nest, similar to that known from anabantoids. Megalechis prefers to build it under a swimming item (breeders often use the covers of old coffee boxes, but this is hardly ever available in the wild). The male is very pugnacious while guarding the nest and will even jump in the keeper´s face if this curious person comes too close to the nest!
We have currently offspring of a particularly pretty, very contrasty variant in stock. Despite their small size – 5-6 cm – the animals are already sexually differentiated (sexually ripe males have greatly enlarged pectoral fin spines and the bone plates covering the breast are much larger than the corresponding bone plates of the females) and in the females you can see the orange spawn shimmering through the belly sides.
For our customers: the animals have code 250302 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
The pretty swordtail breeding form Xiphophorus hellerii Wagtail Red White is still young, it was only created in our millennium. The animals are descendants of the red and white “Koi swordtails”, which by the way are mostly born red and in which the white areas only develop with increasing growth.
These fish have less silvery scale dye (guanine) than “normal” swordtails, therefore the gill covers appear transparent, the blood-red gills shimmer through. The red body colour in the red-white Koi swordtails – and thus also in the black-finned Wagtail variant – appears for the same reason as a kind of transparent orange-red, which gives it its special charm.
For our customers: the animals have code 420043 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
In northern tributaries of the Amazon, namely the Rio Nhamunda (L475), the Rio Padauari (L499) and the Rio Uatumá (L500), there are very similar Hypancistrus, which have a relatively stocky body in common. In colour they resemble very much the Hypancistrus furunculus (L199) from the upper Orinoco. All four Hypancistrus are extremely variable in colour, there are many animals with nice contrasting black and white markings, but also many that – especially when they are old – are quite dark in colour.
Since L500 is currently only available as offspring, breeders naturally try to breed these attractive animals with a high white content in the basic colouring preferentially.
All four mentioned Hypancistrus are peaceful fishes, which reach sizes of 12-15 cm and can be kept like the other Hypancistrus.
For our customers: L500 has code 26480-L 500X-1 (3-4 cm) on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
The Pygmy gourami, Trichopsis pumila, is one of the prettiest labyrinth fish. With a maximum length of 4 cm (usually it stays one centimeter smaller) it is a real dwarf fish. The species occurs in Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia. Although the species is an obligatory air breather, so would drown if you block its way to the water surface (which of course nobody would do), the Pygmy gourami lives more bottom-oriented. Often you can see the animals searching the ground for potential food in a 45° angle with their head down.
Also the foam nest is usually not built at the water surface but near the ground. The male likes to erect the usually walnut-sized foam structure on the underside of an aquatic plant, e.g. a Cryptocoryne.
The colouring varies enormously from one individual to another. A horzitontal band is always present, it can appear more or less as a dark stripe or be formed by a row of dots. The dots in turn can be round or oval. Above these central band there is a second band, usually formed by dots. The dots are brown-red, the scales are shiny emerald-green depending on the angle of the incoming light.
Unfortunately the sexes are very difficult to distinguish. The best way to do this is with the “see-through method”. In the back light the visceral sac of the males appears rounded at the rear end, that of the females appears triangular because of the ovaries rising to the back. Males can also be eavesdropped, because in T. pumila only the males can growl. With the other Trichopsis species the females, however, give strong answers.
For our customers: the animals have code 470803 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
The driftwood catfishes enjoy an increasing popularity, since it succeeds regularly to reproduce them. All species have – as far as known – an internal fertilization, the females spawn later without the presence of a male. Most driftwood catfishes are active at night or twilight. Many species are known to hunt land insects that have fallen into the water by swimming just below the water surface.
Balroglanis (formerly Centromochlus) schultzi originates from the upper reaches of the Rio Xingu and Rio Tocantins in Brazil. The species grows to about 10 cm long; each specimen has an individual dot pattern. The downward pointing eyes are covered with a protective skin, which makes the eye appear clouded. The sense of this anatomical peculiarity is unknown.
For our customers: the animals have code 214684 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
Silver Dollars, which are the piranha relatives that eat mainly vegetable food, usually grow quite large, most species grow to over 20 cm, some to 40-60 cm long. The smallest known species is Metynnis lippincottianus, of which we can offer sexually mature specimens. They are currently 8-12 cm long, more than 15 cm total length is not to be expected for this species.
Males and females of sexually mature animals can be easily distinguished by the shape and colouring of the anal fin. Metynnis species are free spawners without brood care.
M. lippincottianus differs from the similar, larger species M. maculatus by its more elongated body, M. maculatus is therefore more highbacked. M. lippincottianus is widespread in South America and occurs in Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia and French Guyana.
For our customers: the animals have code 267906 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
For the first time, we have this beautiful Corydoras, that was described already 1903 from Paraguay, as bred ones in stock. However, there is no possibility to distinguish the Corydoras aurofrenatus from C. ellisae, which was also described from Paraguay in 1940.
Therefore both species were synonymised by Axenrot and Kullander in 2003, the name C. aurofrenatus is older and therefore valid. According to this we know Corydoras aurofrenatus quite well in our hobby, because C. ellisae is a quite popular and well breedable Corydoras catfish, which we can also import from time to time (see https://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/fish-archives/corydoras_ellisae_en/).
For our customers: the animals have code 223002 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
Stoliczka´s barb, Pethia stoliczkanus, originates from Burma and was a popular aquarium fish until the 1960s, as the up to 6 cm long animals are very temperature tolerant and do not require heating in the aquarium. Later it was displaced by more colourful species and today it is a rarity.
Sometimes it is coincidence that determines whether a fish species can establish itself in the hobby. In the case of this Corydoras sp. Peru, a Corydoras fan noticed the fish when visiting a wholesaler; they were so-called by-catches that had been sorted out. Unfortunately, the wholesaler could not remember exactly where the animals originally came from, but believes it was Peru. The Corydoras fan took the fish with him and was able to breed them. So they first spread among Corydoras specialists. We have now received offspring from one of these specialists.
This Corydoras species does not really fit to any species known so far. It has a lot of similarity to C115/C116 (also from Peru), but the horizontal stripe on the middle of the tail, which is so typical for C115/C116, is missing.
Corydoras sp. Peru is in any case a very beautiful Corydoras catfish, which can be predicted to have a long aquaristic career because of its easy breeding.
For our customers: the animals have code 245548 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
The short-tailed freshwater pipefish (Microphis brachyurus) has been described from Indonesia. For a long time it was believed to be a species with a worldwide distribution, which differed only slightly at the subspecies level in the various distribution areas. And so M. lineatus (code 430104 on our stocklist) and M. aculeatus (code 149104) were considered as subspecies of M. brachyurus for a long time. Today all three are considered as independent species.
As an adult animal M. brachyurus lives in freshwater, where the tiny young are born. However, these drift into the sea within 2-3 days, where they live for some time in plankton, until they migrate back into freshwater. The breeding in freshwater has not yet been successful – as far as we know.
Some specimens of M. brachyurus have a deep red stripe on the front third of the body. It is unknown what this stripe, which can occur in both sexes, means. The males can be easily recognized by the brood pouch on their stomach.
In our current import we could observe males during courtship. The snout and the brood pouch turn deep black in a flash. Just as fast the male can switch off the black color again.
For our customers: M. brachyurus has code 430115 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
This killifish from North America is one of the evergreens in the aquarium hobby and has delighted many generations of aquarists. Unfortunately it has become quiet around this attractive animal in the last years. But now beautiful and stable American Flag fish are available again from Southeast Asian breeders.
Jordanella floridae grows 4-6 cm long and is very temperature tolerant, which is why it is also well suited for stocking mini ponds in the warm season, where it reliably prevents the occurrence of mosquito larvae. Furthermore, filamentous algae are part of the food spectrum, which certainly does not annoy the pond owner. The eggs are also laid in algae cushions, the male defends the spawning ground against possible predators. In very small aquariums or miniature ponds, the American Flag is kept in pairs, otherwise group keeping is also possible without any problems.
Males and females are easily distinguished by the black spot in the dorsal fin, which only the females show.
As soon as the water temperature falls permanently below 15°C, you have to bring the American Flag into the house.
For our customers: the animals have code 327503 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
In great parts of South America there are large (up to 50 cm) piranhas, which usually become black when they are old. Another common feature of these piranhas is a red iris. It is currently common practice to refer to all these animals as Serrasalmus rhombeus because they are indistinguishable as adult fish. However, young and adolescent specimens look very different, depending on their origin. It is therefore not very likely that all of them are actually S. rhombeus. The “real” S. rhombeus comes from Guyana and is currently not available in the hobby due to the bad export situation of the Guyana countries.
There are some synonyms of S. rhombeus, but only one from the Peruvian Amazon: Serrasalmus immaculatus. This species was described by Cope in 1878 and in 1906 Fowler made a drawing of the type specimen. We have raised young Serrasalmus “rhombeus” from Peru and can now present here a development series documenting the various changes in colouration. These differ considerably from S. rhombeus from Guyana and are an excellent match for S. immaculatus. Therefore we think that it makes more sense to use the name S. immaculatus in future for the “Peru-rhombeus”.
Three specimens of 15-18 cm length from the experiment are now available for sale.
For our customers: the animals have code 292277 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
One of the smallest Ancistrus species is Ancistrus claro, which was known as LDA 8 before its scientific description. The catfish originates from clear water streams with a strong current in the upper part of the Rio Paraguay-Paraná river basin and becomes at most 6-8 cm long.
The sexes are not quite as easy to distinguish as with other Ancistrus species, because just like the dwarf women in Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings”, the females of the dwarf ancistrus have mighty beards…
For our customers: the animals have code 26480-LDA 008-2 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
The cute blue-eyes of the species Pseudomugil gertrudae are actually always in our stock. We usually get them as bred ones from Indonesia. Originally they are found in northern Australia and southern Papua New Guinea.
At the moment we have fully grown, about 4 cm long animals in stock, which we received from a European breeder. The population Aru II is characterized by a high proportion of yellow in colouration. The Aru-Islands are located about 150 km in southern direction off the coast of New Guinea. The males of P. gertrudae are wonderful when they try to attract the attention of the – probably only in our eyes – inconspicuous females with their fins spread wide apart.
For our customers: the animals have code 446014 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
From Vietnam we have once again been able to import beautiful hillstream loaches of the genus Sewellia under the name Sewellia breviventralis. The species S. breviventralis exists and it is anatomically very similar to the imported animals, but there are differences in colouring compared to the live imported animals, whose exact origin is unknown, but of which it is suspected (like several other commercially interesting ornamental fish from Vietnam) that they are collected in the central Vietnamese province of Hue.
In the hobby such animals imported as S. breviventralis have been given the codes SEW02, SEW03 and SEW04. Occasionally they have also been associated with the species S. diardi or S. elongata. It does not seem to make sense to speculate about the name at the moment, also in view of the great colour variability that these hillstream loaches exhibit. We are therefore retaining the name Sewellia breviventralis used on the export lists, without claiming that it is really this species. Most of our currently imported animals correspond best to the colour form (or new species), which is called SEW03 in the hobby, but there are all conceivable intermediate stages to SEW04 and SEW02; therefore it seems likely that SEW02, SEW03 and SEW04 represent the same species.
Anyway: these hillstream loaches are beautiful aquarium fishes, which you should keep in an aquarium with strong current, with many stones, and well maintained, organically little polluted water. The temperature should be not too high: 22-24°C. The hillstream loaches eat all usual ornamental fish food, i.e. dry food, granules and frozen food, they are somewhat clumsy when catching live food. They are not algae eaters in the actual sense, however, the algae growth on the stone should be promoted by strong lighting, because these algae are often thinned by the hillstream loaches for microorganisms.
For our customers: the animals have code 455044 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
The “universal dwarf shrimp for all occasions” also comes in green: Neocaridina davidi Jade Green. Indeed, some of the animals shine quite unbelievably, the comparison with Jade is in this case no flowery exaggeration. In terms of care and breeding, the dwarf shrimps are no different from their different-coloured conspecifics.
For our customers: the animals have code 485250 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
The Congo Tetra, Phenacogrammus interruptus, sometimes also called the Blue Congo Tetra, is the only one of the approximately 350 tetra species in Africa that is always available in pet shops. This is of course due to its beautiful colouring, which shimmers differently on the flanks depending on the incidence of light, the reddish-brown back, and the long fins of the males. Nowadays, almost all Congo Tetras are bred ones, one of the breeding centres is Indonesia.
The peaceful animals should always be kept in a group of at least eight or more individuals. The sex ratio is not important, but there should be at least two males, because the males display against each other and encourage courtship. So if you only have one male in the tank, you miss this wonderful spectacle.
The Congo Tetra become sexually mature with a length of approximately 4-5 cm, they can become almost twice as big, however, and with each centimeter, the animals become more splendid. Congo Tetras are therefore kept in an aquarium as large as possible, where they can grow into splendid specimens.
In nature, Congo Tetras are mainly insectivores that feed on small flies etc. that fall from the air onto the water surface. In the aquarium, Congo Tetras are greedy eaters, who readily accept any commercial ornamental fish food, be it flakes, granules, frozen or live food. Plants are not harmed. Any drinking water is suitable for maintenance, but males develop much more elongated fins in slightly acidic water (pH 6 – 6.5) than in slightly alkaline water with pH above 7.5.
For our customers: the animals have code 159304 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
Pseudohemiodon laticeps from Paraguay belongs to the longest known mouth-breeding Whiptail Catfish in the hobby, even if this large (up to 35 cm) species with its species-specific broad, triangular head was confused for a long time with the very similar, narrow-headed species P. platycephalus from Brazil. Mostly one sees both species in a fawn-brown colouring with a darker wormline pattern; concerning the colouring there are actually no differences between the two species.
Through the imports of P. sp. “Chamaeleon” from Peru and P. apithanos from Venezuela, attention was drawn to the wide colour spectrum that can also be shown by Whiptail Catfish. We currently have a consignment of wild collected specimens of P. laticeps from Paraguay in stock, where some specimens show a dark coloration, which is so far unknown to us from P. laticeps. It is possible that breeders will develop a contrast-colored strain of P. laticeps from such animals – who knows?
These Whiptail Catfish require aquariums with the largest possible floor area, as little decoration as possible, fine sandy bottom and good water hygiene. All common fish feeds can be used as food, but large live bloodworm are an ideal food for the animals. Especially Pseudohemiodon laticeps can be kept in moderately heated aquariums due to its southern origin, because in its home country the water temperature drops to values around 16°C at least during certain seasons.
For our customers: the animals have code 284303 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
From Peru we occasionally receive beautiful young Metynnis. We have not yet been able to identify them; they either belong to a scientifically undescribed species or represent a local form of M. maculatus. They certainly belong to the species cluster around Metynnis maculatus and we think that the final size, similar to M. maculatus, is around 20 cm. Conspicuously at the young animals, which are 4-6 cm long at present, are the particularly large spots at the body. They also have a deep red anal fin and a strong orange-red zone on the gill cover. The larger the animals become, the more points they develop. However, we have not yet had these fish larger than 8-10 cm with us, so we do not know what the final coloration looks like.
It is absolutely necessary to keep these silver dollars in groups of at least eight – better more – specimens. They are lively swimming animals, which require a relatively large aquarium. Planting is usually not possible, as plants are generally seen by fish as a food supplement.
For our customers: the animals have code 268072 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
This archer fish that lives exclusively in freshwater originates from Burma. It has been discovered as early as 1860 and received its correct scientific name in 1892. Since then it has not been found anymore. Only in 2004 the first specimens appeared in the international trade and were celebrated as a sensation. These first specimens were extremely expensive, but nowadays the price is on a normal level and so any real fish enthusiast is able to keep this beautiful fish at home. Currently we received a shipment with really nice specimens of this extraordinary archer fish.
For our customers: the fish have code 468352 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade
Via Singapore we have once again received Nandus nebulosus in beautiful, fully grown specimens. The species can, like all other leaf fish, change its colouring very fast and drastically, furthermore each specimen has an individually different marble pattern. Some of our new arrivals have a head profile which is much more pointed than expected from N. nebulosus and therefore look like the species N. proxilus described from Borneo and have – like these – only 14 dorsal fin spines (15-16 in N. nebulosus). But there are also typical N. nebulosus in our import.
The short-tailed freshwater pipefish (Microphis brachyurus) has been described from Indonesia. For a long time it was believed to be a species with a worldwide distribution, which differed only slightly at the subspecies level in the various distribution areas. And so M. lineatus (code 430104 on our stocklist) and M. aculeatus (code 149104) were considered as subspecies of M. brachyurus for a long time. Today all three are considered as independent species.
As an adult animal M. brachyurus lives in freshwater, where the tiny young are born. However, these drift into the sea within 2-3 days, where they live for some time in plankton, until they migrate back into freshwater. The breeding in freshwater has not yet been successful – as far as we know.
Some specimens of M. brachyurus have a deep red stripe on the front third of the body. It is unknown what this stripe, which can occur in both sexes, means. The males can be easily recognized by the brood pouch on their stomach.
In our current import we could observe males during courtship. The snout and the brood pouch turn deep black in a flash. Just as fast the male can switch off the black color again.
For our customers: M. brachyurus has code 430115 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
From Peru we occasionally receive beautiful young Metynnis. We have not yet been able to identify them; they either belong to a scientifically undescribed species or represent a local form of M. maculatus. They certainly belong to the species cluster around Metynnis maculatus and we think that the final size, similar to M. maculatus, is around 20 cm. Conspicuously at the young animals, which are 4-6 cm long at present, are the particularly large spots at the body. They also have a deep red anal fin and a strong orange-red zone on the gill cover. The larger the animals become, the more points they develop. However, we have not yet had these fish larger than 8-10 cm with us, so we do not know what the final coloration looks like.
It is absolutely necessary to keep these silver dollars in groups of at least eight – better more – specimens. They are lively swimming animals, which require a relatively large aquarium. Planting is usually not possible, as plants are generally seen by fish as a food supplement.
For our customers: the animals have code 268072 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
The Dwarf rasbora (Boraras maculatus, formerly known as Rasbora maculata) is the species of genus Boraras that is known for the longest time in the hobby. None of these species grows bigger than 2-3 cm and thus they are perfect candidates for the so-called nano-aquaria. All like to be kept in soft and acidic water, rather dark tanks, that should nevertheless be well planted (best use swimming plants), fine live food (although they also take readily dried food) and company of their own kind.
The Dwarf rasbora inhabits the malayian peninsula, southern Thailand and Sumatra. Initially it was often thought to represent the juvenile of the much larger growing species Rasbora kalochroma, but observations of the fish in aquaria and their successful breeding left no doubt on the validity of the species.
There do exist lots of varieties of the Dwarf rasbora which may proof to be different species one day. Typical for all of them is the large shoulder spot, which is in any cases bigger than the eye. The ground coloration of the body depends on the variety and can be light orange up to deep red. Some populations have an additional black spot (all Dwarf rasboras have three black blotches: one on the shoulder, one on the origin of the anal fin, and one on the caudal fin base) on the beginning of the caudal peduncle right above the anal fin.
Our animals currently in the stock, of which the photos for this post were also taken, come from Indonesia.
For our customers: the species has code 452702 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply to the wholesale market.
Among the largest loricariid catfish are some of the wood-eating Panaque species. Panaque schaeferi is one of them, the species will certainly grow to about 60 cm long. Since P. schaeferi was described on the basis of adult specimens, the assignment to the young animals belonging to it has never been scientifically confirmed. However, it is assumed that the Panaque from Peru, first named as L90c and later as L203, is the juvenile form of P. schaeferi. The adult P. schaeferi has received the number LDA 65.
Usually the juveniles of L203/L90c do not exhibit a spectacular pattern. Typical for the L90 relationship is a bright “window” in the colouring at the base of the caudal fin, which many of the juveniles show, but which disappears in adult fish. L203/L90c has – in contrast to L90, which is probably identical with the species Panaque bathyphilus – no long extended caudal fin filaments.
Recent shipments of juvenile P. schaeferi, which originates from the entry of the Rio Ucayali into Peru, contain exceptionally beautiful, very colourful individuals. The photographed animals have a size of 6-8 cm. Since each of the animals is drawn differently (some are also “normal” L-90c-typical), we assume individual colour variations and not a new collecting site variation or even new L-numbers.
For our customers: the animals have code 26480-L 203-1 (4-5 cm) or 26480-L 203-2 (6-8 cm) on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
Betta apollon was scientifically in 2006 and comes from forest streams in the hilly country west of Narathiwat in Thailand. The mouthbrooding species belongs to the immediate relationship of Betta pugnax. The fish was named after the Greek god Apollon, who stands for beauty and elegance among other things – an aptly chosen name for the only 4-5 cm (standard length without tail fin) long, peaceful species, which we can now offer in fully grown specimens.
For our customers: the animals have code 376503 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesalers.
There are three beautiful, very closely related, small (4-5 cm) armored catfish species on the Guyana Shield in South America, which look so similar to each other that they have already been seen as synonymous with each other in the past: Corydoras bondi, C. coppenamensis and C. sipaliwini. However, most lovers of Corydoras share the current view of the scientists working on them that these are three good, valid species. Nevertheless, their determination is a tricky matter.
Fortunately, the determination of the Corydoras sipaliwini, which we currently have as a top rarity in stock, was easy for us, because they are offspring of the world-famous catfish specialist Ingo Seidel and if he does not know the name of his fish, who does? Originally the species comes from Surinam, where it was first collected in the Sipaliwini River.
For our customers: the animals have code 245832 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
Finally we were able to import once more this charming dwarf cichlid. The fish was known in the hobby under the name of Laetacara sp. “Buckelkopf” ( = humphead) before the scientific description. For more informations, please click https://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/fish-archives/laetacara_araguaiae_en/
For our customers: the animals have code 603002 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
Currently we import very pretty young Oscars from Brazil, which are offered under the name “Astronotus crassipinnis”. The species A. crassipinnis exists in Brazil, but there is no possibility to check if the species identification is correct. We suspect that the animals are bred ones.
The beautiful fish show the typical behaviour of all Astronotus children: they have a strong need to be with conspecifics. The conspicuous colouring of all young Oscars is in fact a camouflage. The animals form larger groups and swim so close together that they look like one big fish to a potential attacker.
The loss of the child’s pattern is indicated by the fact that the animals develop their typical eye spot on the tail root. From then on, the young Oscars begin to live rather individually (or in small groups). The eye spot is used to mislead attackers (who orient themselves by the eye of the victim when preying). Oscars from this size upwards prefer to eat small fish themselves, but in the aquarium they also take any other kind of strong food of carnivorous nature.
How these Oscars look like as adult fish, we do not know, therefore a safe scientific determination is not possible. However, it can be assumed with some certainty that this Astronotus species also grows to a length of about 25-30 cm.
For our customers: the animals have code 632302 (4-6 cm) and 632303 (5-7 cm) on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
The number of scientifically described species in the genus Gymnotus increases rapidly recently. Since the last complete revision of the New World Knifefishes by Francisco Mago-Leccia in 1994 34 new species and 7 subspecies have been described, raising the total number of known species to 43. Members of the genus Gymnotus are cylindrical shaped and most often they have a quite attractive pattern. The maximum size that can be reached depends on the particular species. The smallest ones are said to reach only 10 cm, the largest up to 40 cm.
The Banded Knifefish (Gymnotus carapo) is the first species that became known to science and been described already back in 1758. The species has an enormous distribution in South America; however, one should keep in mind that many mis-identification probaly have appeared in elder literature. Gymnotus carapo belongs to the larger species of the genus. In 2017, 7 new subspecies of G. carapo have been described. The specimens from Venezuela, which we have currently in stock, belong to the subspecies Gymnotus carapo septentrionalis. In some specimens the banded pattern becomes a spotted pattern when they grow larger than about 20 cm. Smaller specimens are all banded. Maybe the pattern shows the sex in larger specimens?
Principically speaking Gymnotus carapo would make excellent aquarium fishes – despite the size they can grow. They species inhabits often swamp areas, has an accessory breathing organ and is very undemanding, has a very attractive pattern and swims – like all knifefishes – in a fascinating way. But sadly all Gymnotus are extremely aggressive against conspecifics. This makes it most often impossible even to keep a pair together. External differences between the sexes are unknown for Gymnotus. That is really a pity, because breeding Gymnotus would make a great project. Gymnotus are paternal broodcarer. From the wild, nest-building males have been described, in captivity they proofed to be mouthbrooders. Most probably sibling, but different speces were involved in the two studies.
Currently we have very nice specimens from Venezuela in stock. The fish are between 12 and 15 cm long and all banded, with one exception, a large spotted specimen, 25-30 cm long. Doesn´t that make a good opportunity to try the species?
For our customers: the fish have code 255204 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
Text & photos: Frank Schäfer
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