Author Archives: Frank Schäfer

Apistogramma kullanderi

7. June 2023

The “Giant Apistogramma” caused a flurry of excitement when it was discovered in 2009 during an expedition to the Serra do Cachimbo (Pará, Brazil). The discoverers, J. L. O. Birindelli and M. Sabaj Perez, reported on this great fish in various journals, initially under the name A. sp. “Gigas”. Then in 2014, Varella and Sabaj Perez formally described it as Apistogramma kullanderi.

The breeding coloration of adults is very beautiful and impressive. With a good 8 cm standard length, i.e. without tail fin, A. kullanderi in the male sex is twice as large as the many, many other Apistogramma species usually are, which after all are not called dwarf cichlids without reason. The import of A. kullanderi turned out to be a bumpy affair, because in the same area (upper Rio Curua) there is a second still undescribed Apistogramma species, which does not occur together with A. kullanderi, but looks darn similar when young. When importing young animals one buys the famous (expensive) pig in a poke and the disappointment was regularly big, when the hoped for A. kullanderi turned out to be the gray mice of the second species after a few weeks. 

In the meantime there are well established breeding strains of the “real” A. kullanderi and for the first time we have German offspring available in wholesale. The animals still show only a hint of their later beauty, but we present them here anyway. The photographed pair will grow in our show facility and we hope to be able to provide pictures of adult animals in their full splendor and glory in about half a year.

For our customers: the fish have code 623443 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Atractosteus spatula “Platinum“

5. June 2023

At the moment we can offer several of the precious and rare Platinum animals of the caiman fish. All have the glistening white body ground coloration. Individually different black speckles are present on the currently 12-15 cm long juveniles. 

These rarities are bred in Indonesia. They are intelligent fish, which come in expectation of food immediately to the front glass, if they perceive a human there. More införmation about the gar giant of the freshwater of North America you can find here: https://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/fish-archives/atractosteus-spatula-4/.

For our customers: the animals have code 847003 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Ancistrus sp. L 267 Pozuzo

2. June 2023

The “four-striped Ancistrus” L267 is still a somewhat mysterious species. Even if the first specimen became known already in 1996, this Ancistrus always remained a top rarity in the trade and was not available at all for years. Even the origin remained unknown until now. We get the fish from an exporter in Peru, who runs his station near Pucallpa. Unconfirmed rumors say that the catch area of this very uniquely marked Ancistrus – there is no other known species with such distinct longitudinal stripes – should come from the upper drainage of the Rio Ucayali (Rio Pozuzo near Codo del Pozuzo in the central Peruvian province of the same name).

The basic coloration of L267 is very variable. Both sexes can be very dark brown, orange-brown or silver-gray-blackish in the basic coloration, in addition there is a strong physiological color change. But always a worm pattern in the head area and the characteristic longitudinal stripes are recognizable. Our animals are 9-12 cm in size and sexually differentiated. They will probably still be able to grow a bit, but in terms of size they are obviously in the range of the known “Common Aquarium Ancistrus”. Let’s hope that breeding will be successful soon and then the price will drop to a range that makes this beautiful Ancistrus affordable for many hobbyists.

For our customers: the animals have code 26480-L 267-5 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Microctenopoma fasciolatum

2. June 2023

Unfortunately imports from the Congo are only rarely possible. But now it was once again so far and among other species we have received nice wild catches of the Banded ctenopoma (Microctenopoma fasciolatum, formerly Ctenopoma f.).

The currently imported form – the exact locality is unknown to us – differs quite clearly in color from the animals we could import last in 2020, see https://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/fish-archives/microctenopoma-fasciolatum-2/ On the linked page you will also find further information about these attractive and interesting labyrinth fish.

For our customers: the animals have code 117002 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Austrolebias nigripinnis

31. May 2023

The Blackfin pearlfish (Austrolebias nigripinnis, formerly Cynolebias n.) is a true classic among killifish. Since its first importation in 1908, this small natural wonder has delighted fish lovers. It is only a maximum of 4.5 cm long (females remain smaller) a typical seasonal fish, which lives in nature only a few weeks. It uses this time continuously to feed, grow, bicker with conspecifics and spawn. For the latter, both partners dive deep into the bottom. The eggs laid there can remain alive in the dried out soil for up to 3 years. Fully developed, the larvae wait for the next rain. Once the puddle is filled, they hatch and the game begins again.

In the aquarium, the little jewels can live a considerably longer life than in nature. A life span of up to one year can be observed in the aquarium, especially if they are kept at room temperature (about 18°C). Higher temperatures shorten the life and increase the susceptibility of these fish to disease. They originate from the south of South America (Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and southern Brazil), but are exclusively traded as offspring. The eggs require special treatment. Without a dry period for the eggs it is not possible to breed this species successfully. 

Important in the care is above all to take into account the enormous food requirements of these animals. Normally one cannot warn enough about the dangers of overfeeding aquarium fish, but here one may feed as often and as heartily as one likes. But above this, water maintenance must not be neglected! In dirty broth killies inevitably fall ill.

The sexes are very different in color; but don’t be fooled by pale males! After a losing fight, previously black fish become very, very pale. Females are also light colored, but have irregular brownish spots all over their bodies, which are always absent even in pale colored males.

For our customers: the fish have code 320502 on our stock list. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Corydoras hastatus

26. May 2023

Now is the season for the southern dwarf cory Corydoras hastatus. We get this cute Corydoras, which grows to about 2-3 cm long, from Paraguay. In contrast to most other Corydoras, C. hastatus is less bottom bound. He swims just as gladly in the free water. Often schools of C. hastatus are mixed with several tetra species that have exactly the same coloration. What this is good for, you can read here: https://www.aqualog.de/blog/die-paraguay-connection/. (sadly available in German only).

For our customers: the animals have code 232004 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Oryzias minutillus

26. May 2023

There are three tiny Oryzias species in the Mekong River basin of Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, which only grow to about 16 mm in length when fully grown in the wild; animals kept in aquariums can grow somewhat larger because they live much longer here (2-5x as long, i.e. 2-3 years). These are Oryzias minutillus, O. mekongensis and O. songkhramensis.

We have now once again been able to import Oryzias minutillus from Thailand. These tiny fishes are not very sensitive despite their small size. Their care and breeding is similar to that of the currently so popular Medaka (O. latipes), but the food has to be small and the water temperature should not drop below 18°C. In the aquarium it is advisable to give freshly hatched Artemia nauplii two to three times a week. Otherwise the tiny fishes like to eat finely grated dry food, frozen cyclops, microworms etc.

While taking pictures we noticed that there are also some equally tiny bycatch between our O. minutillus. They have a very different head shape and orange dots at the base of the caudal fin, and some specimens have orange stripes on the upper and lower edges of the caudal fin. The similarity to O. mekongensis, which we have been able to import occasionally in the past, is great, but the males have small hooks on the anal fin. This is the distinguishing feature of O. songkhramensis. So we can announce with some pride to have imported this species now for the first time (at least recognized).

Because of the delicacy of these tiny fishes, sorting them is prohibited. Any handling should be kept to an absolute minimum, because the risk of mechanical injury is simply too great. It is best to catch such miniature fish in nets as large as possible and then scoop them out of the net with a suitable container, avoiding contact with air. This way, injuries to the small fish are almost impossible.

For our customers: the animals have code 340053 on our stock list. Please note that we supply only wholesale.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Gasteropelecus sternicla

24. May 2023

The so-called common hatchetfish Gasteropelecus sternicla is found in practically the entire tropical area of South America. In this huge area probably different genetic lines have developed. In any case, it is extremely unlikely that this is not the case. Nevertheless, they look extremely similar everywhere: they are simply success models of evolution!

A recent import from Colombia – we have Gasteropelecus sternicla practically always in our stock, sometimes also as offspring from Indonesia – is interesting because these animals originate from the Rio Magdalena. This river, which is about the size of the Rhine, is quite isolated from other river systems in South America and that is why many of its fish species occur exclusively there; the technical term is: they are endemic there. In fact, a hatchetfish species was also scientifically described from the Rio Magdalena in 1912, namely Thoracocharax magdalenae. Today it is considered a synonym of Gasteropelecus maculatus. Of course we were curious if the G. sternicla from the Rio Magdalena would look different than their cousins from other areas. Wrong! Nevertheless it is interesting to have seen them once…

For our customers: due animals have code 254406 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Pseudolaguvia muricata

22. May 2023

In recent years many highly interesting catfish species ideally suited for aquaristics have been discovered from Asia and imported for aquarists.

The first species of the genus Pseudolaguvia were described already in 1927, but only recently it was recognized that this is a very species-rich genus of dwarf catfishes, which usually grow only about 2-3 cm long. Thus, from 1927 until 2013 only four species were described, since then 21 (!) new species were added!

Typical for Pseudolaguvia is a sucking apparatus on the ventral side. The species live in streams and small rivers, which usually have fine sand as substrate. Here the dwarf catfishes can be found among decaying plant remains (detritus).

Once again we could import Pseudolaguvia muricata from North Bengal in India. These cute animals grow to a length of about 2.5-3 cm and are thus perfectly suited for keeping in small aquariums, especially since they are not very fond of swimming. The aquarium for Pseudolaguvia should have a fine sandy bottom. Additionally, add some dead leaves to the aquarium. They eat all common fish food, as long as it fits into their mouth. Pseudolaguvia are completely peaceful towards conspecifics and alien fish, also plants are not damaged.

There are rather dark, slender fish and somewhat lighter colored, stronger specimens. Perhaps this is a sex difference. Nothing is known about reproduction, but it can be assumed that the little animals attach their eggs, similar to armored catfishes, to plants etc. without further brood care. Care is best at room temperature, the water in their natural habitat is soft and neutral. Especially important are two things: low germ water and low food competition, because the Pseudolaguvia are slow eaters and easily get short.

For our customers. the animals have code 445425 on our stock list. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Lexicon: Pseudolaguvia: means “false Laguvia”: Laguvia is another genus of catfish. muricata: means “spiny like a murex snail”.

Text & Photos: Frank Schäfer

Xiphophorus maculatus Platy Mickey Mouse White Red Tail

19. May 2023

A long name for a small fish, but this extremely pretty platy is surely worth to break your tongue for. The base coloration is snow white, the fins are transparent, the eye (the iris) sky blue. The famous “Mickey Mouse” pattern is emblazoned on the caudal peduncle, which is called “moon complete” in the breeder’s language. The vermilion dorsal patch, which in dominant males extends well into the ventral region and may extend to the root of the tail, stands out effectively from this.

Xiphophorus maculatus Platy Mickey Mouse White Red Tail is not a new breed in the actual sense – all mentioned colors are known in the Platy for decades – but in him it succeeded in a particularly beautiful way to combine these different characteristics to a new, purely bred variant.

For our customers: due animals have code 443253 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Sineleotris saccharae

19. May 2023

From the Hong Kong area comes this beautiful, but also delicate goby. The maximum length of the species is about 10 cm. The basic temperature requirements are well known from the White Clouds (Tanichthys albonubes), which occurs in the same region: 16-22°C for normal care, somewhat higher for breeding, short-term up to 28°C are tolerated.

There is still very little experience with Sineleotris saccharae. In our normal fish house aquarium (140 x 60 x 30 cm, L x D x H) with a stock of 25 specimens and a piece of root wood as the only furnishing (no substrate, no plants) the animals show a rather free swimming behavior, comparable to Stigmatogobius sadanundio. Each fish defends a zone of about 5-10 cm around itself against conspecifics. If a conspecific enters this space, it is threatened, with the throat region turning black, and driven away. If he does not want to give way, it can also come to mouth tugging, as one knows it from cichlids. Over a larger distance than 15 cm the opponent is not pursued however, it comes to no damage fights.

In the photo tank the behavior is completely different and more typical for gobies. Here they are bottom oriented and hide behind stones etc.. One specimen has even burrowed into the sand, so there is still a lot to explore about these beautiful fish! Concerning the food they are unproblematic. We feed them live food (red and white mosquito larvae, Tubifex) in the photo tank they also snatched parts of food tablets, which were actually intended for feeding other animals.

For our customers: the animals have code 455223 on our stock list. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Helostoma temmickii

17. May 2023

The kissing gourami (Helostoma temmickii) in its pink breeding form is one of the best known labyrinth fish. It is not actually bred as an ornamental fish, but as a food fish. The species grows up to 30 cm long under suitable (fattening) conditions and is considered delicate. In the nutrient-rich, turbid breeding ponds, the pink-colored animals are much easier to see than the green-gray wild form, which greatly facilitates control, care and fishing.

In the aquarium the fish usually reaches only 15-20 cm in length and is a rather peaceful, but in any case interesting ornamental fish for larger aquariums. The peculiar mouth is covered with numerous teeth, which are used to graze aufwuchs (algae and the small animals they contain). The famous “kissing” of these fish has nothing to do with expressions of affection, but is a form of mouth writhing, a ritualized fighting action widespread among fish.

The sexes are hardly distinguishable in the kissing gourami. The males are slightly less high-backed. Unlike very many other labyrinth fishes, kissing gouramis do not engage in any brood care, but simply release the spawn (many thousands in larger fishes) freely into the water during a labyrinth fish-typical embrace. The eggs have small oil droplets and therefore float on the water surface. In Europe breeding is almost not practiced, it is much easier and ecologically more sensible to import them from Southeast Asia, where breeding of Helostoma has been practiced for centuries.

The care of kissing gouramis is not difficult, any water is accepted, any usual food is eaten, it should only not be too coarse. The water temperature can be between 20 and 30°C. One should always keep several specimens, even if Helostoma temmickii does not need conspecifics for well-being. But it is interesting to watch the “kissing” of these animals and for kissing you have to be at least two…

For our customers: the animals have code 421302 (4-5 cm) and 421305 (7-9 cm) on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Corydoras sp. aff. aeneus Neon Goldstripe Albino

15. May 2023

Albinos occur in all animal species, including humans. Due to a mutation they lack the ability to form black pigments completely or partially. In nature, albinos are extremely rare, because they are too conspicuous and thus quickly become the victim of predators, in human care albinos occur sooner or later in all animal species. Since albinos are felt by many people as particularly desirable, one continues to breed them.

So it happened also with the Corydoras sp. aff. aeneus Neon Goldstripe, which is also known as CW 10 in the hobby. Originally this scientifically still undescribed species comes from Peru. Actually it is closer to C. melanotaenia than C. aeneus, but that need not be of interest here. In the albino form of this fish the ability to form yellow pigment is very pronounced. As a result, the famous neon gold stripe is always clearly visible. By the way of feeding you can control if you rather want them a little bit lighter – say: with whitish – body base color or rather with an orange-yellow body base color. A lot of food containing astaxanthin (e.g. Cyclops) gives orange-yellow coloration, food poor in astaxanthin leads to white fish. Both colorations can be reversed at any time by changing the feed. For the fish themselves this is meaningless.

For our customers: the animals have code 221092 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Cetopsorhamdia molinae

12. May 2023

For the first time we could import this cute dwarf catfish from Peru. In the scientific literature the maximum size is given as 3,6 cm (without caudal fin). It is absolutely incomprehensible, why this attractively striped fish (however, there are numerous individual colour morphs from banded to almost completely black, some animals are also of reddish brown basic coloration) has never appeared aquaristically (at least as far as we know). 

Originally the species was described from the upper Rio Cauca in Colombia, our animals are from Peru (surroundings of Pucallpa), scientific collections exist also from the Rio Tocantins in Brazil. These are completely different river systems, each of these rivers has a high proportion of endemic species (i.e. species that only occur there). It seems more likely then that there is a whole species complex of dwarf catfishes that merely look similar, rather than all of them being the same.

Anyway: this tiny catfish is an absolute enrichment for the aquarium science and we are very proud that we succeeded in such an interesting import.

For our customers: the animals have code 214712 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Crenicichla zebrina

12. May 2023

Crenicichla zebrina is one of the still extremely high-priced fishes, because the finding areas are located far away and it is very costly to transport live fishes healthy and lively from there to the export stations. The wonderful coloration makes the animals nevertheless desirable.

Unfortunately it is hard to tell the sexes of C. zebrina apart and furthermore randomly mated animals rarely get along. Juveniles, on the other hand, are inconspicuous in coloration and still expensive, but quite peaceful among themselves. A troop of young animals is the best chance to get to a breeding pair. 

At the moment we can offer once again adult animals (for pictures see https://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/fish-archives/first_import_crenicichla_zebrina_arrived_en/ and https://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/fish-archives/crenicichla_zebrina_en-2/ and also youngsters (actual photos in this post and https://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/fish-archives/crenicichla_zebrina_en/).

For our customers: the animals have code 674051 (5-8 cm) and 674058 (24-28 cm) on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Oryzias latipes “PINK”

10. May 2023

The rice fish of Japan are also called medaka and enjoy a great popularity. They belong to the first foreign ornamental fish ever, which came to Europe. Already in 1887 the first “golden panchax” were imported to Germany. But one cared for the fish at first wrongly. One wanted to do the exotics something good and heated their aquariums on 25-30°C (at that time a technical challenge, because electrical aquarium heaters did not exist yet). So the animals died out in the aquarium. It was not until over 100 years later that a new hype arose around the small cold-water fish in the western world.

When exactly the Medaka was domesticated in Japan is unknown. However, one assumes several hundred years of breeding history. Today, more than 450 breeding variants are distinguished. But you have to be a specialist to recognize them. Among the best known and already in the 19th century imported breeding forms are the golden yellow forms. Among them is also the “Pink”, which we have just received from Taiwan. They are strong, orange colored animals, some of which have silver glittering scales.

The only 3-4 cm long Medaka are perfect fish for mini garden ponds, where they reliably prevent mosquitoes. Of course, you should not put the freshly imported animals into the mini-pond now, but only when it has become permanently warm! In autumn, when the water temperatures drop below 10°C, fish them off and overwinter them indoors. Males are distinguished from females by a larger anal fin and a small gap in the dorsal fin. As with all Oryzias, females carry the spawn around in the form of a cluster under their abdomen for a few hours until they find an egg-laying site they like. The brood care ends with the stripping of the egg cluster.

For our customers: the animals have code 339753 on our stock list. Please note that we supply only wholesale.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Platycephalus indicus

8. May 2023

If anything, marine aquarists are familiar with the flatheads of the genus Platycephalus. There are 17 species, P. indicus, which can be easily recognized by its black and white stalked caudal fin, is the best known and most common species. It is found in large parts of the Indo-West Pacific and the Red Sea. The fish has also migrated to the Mediterranean Sea through the Suez Canal.

Platycephalus indicus is thus a marine fish, but juveniles are occasionally caught in freshwater, including the specimens we currently offer, obtained from the lower reaches of the Hooghly River in Bengal. We maintain the animals at a salinity of 5 g salt/liter (seawater has a little over 30 g salt/liter). This is obviously good for them and they eat excellently. However, one must be aware that long-term care is only possible in strong brackish water or seawater. Platycephalus indicus grows to about 100 cm in length, so it is not a small fish, even though the normal average length of the popular food fish is “only” about 50 cm.

Platycephalus indicus are obligate predatory fish. We are glad that they eagerly eat live white mosquito larvae, but in the long run they must be accustomed to eating whole fish. Since P. indicus are not particularly shy, we think that after habituation they will eat well from tweezers. Among themselves the animals are peaceful, they hardly take notice of other fish species. An aquarium for Platycephalus should have as large a bottom area as possible. Sand should be chosen as substrate. Planting is not necessary. The water temperature can be between 18 and 28°C. When keeping them in fresh water you have to pay attention to the pH-value, which should not drop below 8.

We have also made a small film about these fish, which you can watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wksku16nN7g.

For our customers: the animals have code 443702 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Pao palembangensis (= Tetraodon palembangensis)

5. May 2023

Every now and then we can import this incredible freshwater pufferfish in small numbers. It is a very specialized species that only occurs in nature in Sumatra and Borneo, where it inhabits very soft, acidic water. This puffer fish is a purely freshwater species, never frequenting brackish or seawater.

The strangely colored belly is used for food acquisition. Pao palembangensis is a predatory fish that pretends to be dead to hunt. It then hangs around in the most impossible body positions, its marbled belly looking like carrion. If a small fish or shrimp comes to eat from the carrion, the animal itself becomes the prey.

According to unconfirmed rumors, females are less humped than males; in any case, males remain somewhat smaller. Clear external sex differences are absent. Breeding has already been successful, the fish, which becomes about 12-15 cm long, is a cave-breeder.

In literature Pao palembangensis (former: Tetraodon palembangensis) was incomprehensibly confused with the “figure-8 pufferfish”, Dichotomyctere ocellatus (former: Tetraodon biocellatus), a brackish water pufferfish growing about 8 cm long, which is still called “Palembang pufferfish” (see https://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/fish-archives/dichotomyctere-ocellatus-formerly-tetraodon-biocellatus/). For Pao palembangensis, therefore, the colloquial name “Dragon Pufferfish” is becoming more and more common.

For our customers: Pao palembangensis has code 462555 on our stocklist, Dichotomyctere ocellatus code 46250. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Text & Photos: Frank Schäfer

Aplocheilus lineatus Wild

5. May 2023

The striped panchax (Aplocheilus lineatus) is the largest of the Aplocheilus species. It reaches a length of up to 10 cm in the aquarium. In nature, such capital specimens are hardly ever found, because wild fish do not grow old enough for this. Accordingly, sexual maturity begins at about 5 cm in length.

Since 1909 A. lineatus live in the aquarium and are bred here. The origin of the fish is South India. There they look – depending on the locality – quite different, while the aquarium strains show a rather uniform outfit. Usually this fish, which is common in nature, is sold as offspring, but just now we can offer some wild catches from the Indian state of Kerala. It is very exciting to study such wild fish in comparison to their domesticated cousins!

For our customers: the animals have code 303623 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Arnoldichthys spilopterus

3. May 2023

The African Red-eyed Tetra is one of the few permanently available tetra species from tropical Africa; the species lives endemically in Nigeria, so it is found only there. The species owes this to its magnificent appearance and the fact that it is very easy to keep. Unfortunately, the species is now considered endangered in parts of its range due to massive water pollution caused by oil production. Catching and exporting it as an ornamental fish has no influence on the population. Nevertheless: it could happen that this old aquarium fish has to be taken into conservation breeding one day to prevent its extinction. It should be noted that there are different color variants, which apparently live geographically separated from each other. In our current stocked animals, the males have yellow colored anal fin stripes and the females have a clearly separated spot in thatr fin. But there are also populations with red anal fin stripes, where the anal fin spot also looks different in the females (see pictures). Therefore one should always breed only with animals from the same import, in order not to risk producing a mongrel pet form.

The maximum length of Arnoldichthys spilopterus is about 8 – 10 cm, females are generally larger than males. It is very easy to distinguish the sexes by the coloration of the anal fin, only the males show the beautiful stripes in this fin. The care should take place in a shoal of at least 10-15 animals.

There are hardly any demands on the water composition, but Arnoldichthys are somewhat sensitive to organic pollution. The water temperature should be between 22 and 26°C. Every usual fish food is eaten. Plants and other fish are disregarded, as long as the latter are not too small. For breeding you have to provide the fish with approach food (small insects), otherwise the females will hardly develop eggs. They are productive free spawners without brood care.

For our customers: the animals have code 100204 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply to wholesalers.

Lexicon: Arnoldichthys: dedication name for the eminent aquarist Johann Paul Arnold (1869-1952). spilopterus: means “with spot in the fin”.

Common name: African Red-eyed Tetra.

Text & Photos: Frank Schäfer

Macrobrachium agwi Candy Shrimp

28. April 2023

Many species of animals and plants have been discovered only because they were imported for the purpose of keeping them alive. This is very important, because species knowledge is the absolute basic requirement for species protection. You cannot protect a species that you do not know. In the north of India, in the district of Coochbehar, a very enterprising and knowledgeable man, Bipul Gope, has been active in ornamental fishing for many years. On his extensive excursions he has already discovered many species, such as the colorful snakehead fish species Channa andrao and C. bleheri, he rediscovered Dario dario, lost since 1822, and many other species more, including a freshwater shrimp. We first imported this species in 2007 and gave it the makeshift name Macrobrachium sp. “Banded”. Werner Klotz described the species one year later as M. agwi based on our imported animals. Now we could finally import this species again. Our supplier sent it this time under the name “Candy shrimp”, a nice popular name for a pretty shrimp!

Macrobrachium agwi belongs to the species where the males can develop very long claw arms. The maximum length of the animals is 5-6 cm (not counting claw arms), females remain smaller. The Candy Shrimp belongs to the large-armed shrimps, which can be bred well in the aquarium, that it lays few, large eggs (approx. 20) and the young shrimps hatch already far developed. They do not go through a larval phase in the sea. The experiences with Macrobrachium show in general that they can be kept together with not too small fishes. They are omnivorous, but clearly have a preference for carnivorous food. Many species like to eat small snails. Long-term experience especially with M. agwi has not been reported yet. The aquarium should not be too small and should have many hiding places, because these animals can become aggressive among themselves. The water temperature can be between 18 and 26°C.

For our customers: the animals have code 484232 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Polypterus polli

28. April 2023

For many years this small bichir from the Congo did not come to us. Now we finally succeeded in importing them again. Polypterus polli remains under 30 cm total length and thus belongs to the smallest species of these ancient fishes. It can easily be confused with P. palmas from Guinea and with P. retropinnis, which also originates from the Congo. The easiest way to distinguish the two species from the Congo is to look closely at the pectoral fins. In P. polli, these are lemon yellow, without banding, and have a bold dark spot at the base of the fin. In P. retropinnis, these fins are more gray, delicately banded, and lack the dark spot at the base of the fin. In addition, P. retopinnis is much more slender than P. polli.

On the other hand, it is more difficult to distinguish between P. polli and P. palmas in small Polypterus of unknown origin. These species are so similar to each other that they formerly used to be listed only as subspecies to each other. However, they do not occur together anywhere. P. palmas lacks the black spot at the base of the pectoral fins (but a dark spot may be present, just not as strong and distinct as in P. polli), the pectoral fins are usually distinctly spotted, as is the top of the head. 

Polypterus polli is a peaceful fish, but considers small fish as food. Keeping this in mind, P. polli is very good to keep in community aquariums with other Congo fish. No Polypterus is engaged in brood care. The animals spawn freely in the water. Sexually mature males and females differ clearly in the shape of the anal fin, which is greatly enlarged in the male.

For our customers: the fish have code 164702 on our stock list. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Rubricatochromis “lifalili” (formerly: Hemichromis)

26. April 2023

There is no doubt about it: the Red Jewel Cichlids, formerly called Hemichromis bimaculatus, are among the most popular aquarium fishes. For several generations of mankind they have been swimming in the aquariums of the world and find again and again new, enthusiastic followers – however also aquarists who swear an oath: never again Red Jewel Cichlids! The latter comes from the unfortunately in individual cases unpredictable belligerence of these fish. Most of them are really sociable, but there are some unbearable troublemakers, which make life hell for all fish in the aquarium. Since this characteristic occurs individually, it is absolutely unpredictable.

The most beautiful red jewel cichlids are those that have numerous blue shiny spots on their bodies, called iriodophores. The distribution of the iriodophores is individually different. In the wild, specimens completely without and those completely covered with iriodophores are found in the same population of several species. This is therefore not a species characteristic, but can be selected by appropriate breeding. Thus, over the decades, aquarium strains have been created that are much, much more colorful than their wild cousins. If these fish have a particularly large number of iriodophores, they are called Lifalili in the hobby. 

This is somewhat unfortunate in that the species Rubricatochromis lifalili really does exist. It lives in the Congo. In the trade the “real” R. lifalili hardly ever appears – at least we have not seen it yet.

What you can buy as Rubricatochromis (or Hemichromis) lifalili are either selection breedings of R. guttatus or breeding forms which have their origin in crossing different species. At the moment we have especially nice animals of a wild form selection breeding (R. guttatus) in our stock. By the way, on the pictures you can see very nicely how it comes that these fish can glow in deep red at lightning speed. The body cells, in which the red pigment is located, can be contracted. Then they appear only as fine red dots. 

For our customers: the fish have code 536602 on our stock list. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Sarcocheilichthys davidi

24. April 2023

With the energy crisis, fish species that do not require supplemental heating are increasingly becoming the focus of attention. Among these species is Sarcocheilichthys davidi, a bottom-oriented carp fish from China found in the Yangtze River basin. 

This species grows to a maximum size of 10 cm. Our first thought when we unpacked the fish was: boah, huge brass barbs! Actually they are very beautiful fish, but unfortunately also very shy. Therefore they show only hints of their possible colorfulness. Males get a fiery red head at spawning time and the typical spawning rash on the snout of so many carp fish. It is important for the animals to have a quiet tank location, large aquariums with plenty of shelters in the form of roots. 

Sarcocheilichthys davidi is very peaceful and sociable. It is favorable if the animals are kept together with other peaceful fish from similar climates, these may even be goldfish, which take away their shyness.

For our customers: the animals have code 453703 on our stock list. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Annamia sp. (= Vanmanenia sp.) Vietnam

21. April 2023

From time to time we receive the beautiful, large hillstream loaches Annamia normani (see https://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/fish-archives/annamia_normani_en/) from Vietnam. Recently we received again a shipment of very similar specimens, but they differ clearly from the A. normani we know well by the very contrasting tail fin. Since all specimens (over 50) show this feature, it cannot be a coincidence. The attempt of a determination turned out to be difficult, because important determination characteristics – above all the mouth and lip form) are not recognizable at the living animal without aids. The only hillstream loach of the region with similar body shape and marked caudal fin, for which useful picture material exists, is Vanmanenia crassicauda. But also this species is clearly different from our animals, so that we first decided to call them Vanmanenia sp. Vietnam.

Now we finally got the chance to photograph the animals in peace. The shape of mouth and lips proves: the species is a member of the genus Annamia. From this genus there are only two described species, namely the already mentioned A. normani and a species described in 2005, A. thuathienensis (River Bô, Thua Thiên Province, Huê, Vietnam). However, this species is so poorly described that even proven specialists do not feel confident to evaluate it. Therefore we prefer to call our new Giraffe Hillsteam Loach Annamia sp. (= Vanmanenia sp.) Vietnam.

The care of the animals is pleasantly simple. They like strong currents and oxygen-rich water, but are otherwise undemanding. Among themselves and against other fish they are very peaceful. They eat all common fish food of suitable size, but we have no experience with flake food. Our largest animals are about 10 cm long (incl. tail fin).

For our customers: the animals have code 473134 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Pseudolithoxus nicoi

21. April 2023

We could import some specimens of the pretty white fringed flying catfish Pseudolithoxus nicoi from Venezuela. This very rarely available species grows to a length of about 12 cm.

P. nicoi originates from the Rio Casiquiare, which connects the Rio Negro with the Orinoco. There is great similarity to P. anthrax (L235), which is why P. nicoi is sometimes referred to as L235b. Typical P. nicoi, unlike P. anthrax, have white fin seams; however, not all specimens exhibit this color feature. 

Typical of all Pseudolithoxus are the huge pectoral fins, which led to the popular name “aviator catfish. In the care the Pseudolithoxus do not differ from other predominantly aufwuchs feeding loricariids, like e.g. Ancistrus, however they require as strong a current as possible and higher water temperatures (26-30°C).

For our customers: the fish have code 284633 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Aphyocharax anisitsi 

19. April 2023

One of the very first tetra species ever imported for aquaristics was the red fin tetra, Aphyocharax anisitsi. Its first import was in 1906 and it soon succeeded in breeding, making further imports unnecessary. It is very likely that the redfin tetras living in the aquarium today are also descendants of these first import fish.

Aphyocharax anisitsi was scientifically described in 1903 from the surroundings of Asuncion in Paraguay, but at first the imports were not correctly identified, but were thought to belong to a new species, which was described in 1921 as A. rubripinnis. Under this name one finds in older aquarium literature the information about Aphyocharax anisitsi. The natural distribution of the redfin tetra is in Argentina, Paraguay and southern Brazil (rivers Paraná, Paraguay and Uruguay and the Laguna dos Patos drainages). Therefore the species is rather insensitive to low temperatures (down to approx. 14°C), as they could occur before the 1st World War because of the difficult heating possibilities of aquaria.

The species grows to a maximum length of 5.5 cm. Males can be recognized by many small hooks on the anal fin. They are very peaceful fish, which also leave plants undisturbed. No demands are made on the chemical composition of the water. These schooling fish thrive in literally any water that is also suitable for drinking. Nowadays most redfin tetras come as offspring from Indonesia, so also the specimens photographed for this post.

For our customers: the animals have code 206405 on our stock list. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Rasbora daniconius

17. April 2023

From India we were able to import Rasbora daniconius. This minnow usually grows to 6-8 cm in length, the largest specimen ever measured supposedly measured 15 cm. The species is found in Bengal together with such well-known and popular ornamental fishes as zebra danio (Danio rerio), rosy barb (Pethia conchonius), dwarf gourami (Colisa lalius) and chameleon fish (Badis badis). Rasbora daniconius is a wonderful contrast fish to the above species in the community aquarium.

The animals are completely peaceful omnivores, plants are ignored. Like the majority of minnows, this species appreciates the company of its conspecifics and should be kept in a group of at least five, preferably 10-15 specimens. The water temperature can be between 18 and 28°C, any tap water suitable as drinking water is suitable for the care. R. daniconius are free spawners without brood care.

For our customers: the fish have code 451703 on our stocklist. Please note that we supply exclusively to wholesalers.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Petruichthys  brevis (formerly: Yunnanilus brevis)

14. April 2023

Petruichthys brevis is a species of loach that originates from Burma. Here it occurs only in Inle Lake. The species attains a length of only 4-5 cm and thus belongs to the small species of fish. In contrast to most other species of loach, this one is a free swimming, schooling species. The swimming behaviour is similar to that of the penguin tetra (Thayeria boehlkei), eg the fish prefer to swim in a head-up position. The caudal peduncle is slightly snapped off, an adaption to the special swimming style.

Petruichthys brevis can be bred quite easily in aquaria. The fish spawn among fine underwater plants. Males are smaller, have longer pectoral fins and usually a longitudinal stripe on the side, while females grow larger and have a spotted pattern.

Lake Inle has comparatively hard water, so most types of tap water are perfectly suited for keeping this fish. The water temperature can be between 16 and 26°C what makes a heater unnecessary in living rooms.

For our customers: the fish have code 478003 on our stocklist. Please note the we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Hyphessobrycon erythrostigma

14. April 2023

The “Peru Bleeding Heart” (Hyphessobrycon erythrostigma) is exported primarily from Peru, but is quite widely distributed in the upper Amazon and is also found in Brazil, Ecuador, and Colombia. 

The three species of bleeding hearts are closely related and look very similar. H. pyrrhonotus is the easiest to recognize because it has a blood red stripe on its back that the other species lack. H. socolofi and H. erythrostigma are most easily distinguished by the coloration of the anal fin: H. socolofi has a bright shiny stripe here that does not run into the anterior tip of the anal fin, while in H. erythrostigma this stripe goes into the anterior tip of the anal fin, making a hook. You can see this well in the photos.

Hyphessobrycon erythrostigma grows to about 6 cm long, with caudal fin this makes about 8 cm total length, the females remain smaller and do not have such a long extended dorsal fin. The fish is rarely bred. The reason is not that it can’t be done, but because it is a portion spawner that lays only a few eggs a day for long periods of time. This makes rational breeding impossible, because 10 young fish make just as much work as 1,000 young fish. That is why professional breeders have no interest in these fish, but this is not a problem at all, because the Peru bleeding heart is common and thus means a good, regular and environmentally friendly income for the fishermen in Peru.

For a community aquarium Hyphessobrycon erythrostigma is particularly suitable and here a troop (there should always be at least 10-15 specimens, the gender composition is irrelevant) is a real feast for the eyes, which also regularly inspires even non-aquarists.

For our customers: the fish has code 260103 on our stocklist. Please note that we supply exclusively to wholesalers.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Polypterus palmas

14. April 2023

We received once more from Guinea the comparatively small (20-25 cm) and very pretty Polypterus palmas. Currently our fish are 10-12 cm long. Formerly the species has been splitted in several subspecies, but this seems not to reflect the real situation. 

For our customers: P. palmas has code 164502 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Heterotilapia buettikoferi (formerly: Tilapia b.).

12. April 2023

The large cichlids of South and Central America have a firm place in aquaristics. However, aquarists have a mental problem with the no less magnificent large cichlids of Africa. When the name “tilapia” is mentioned in a fish discussion, everyone immediately thinks of gray underwater lawnmowers with carp format.

There is a grain of truth in this prejudice. In fact, many tilapias are mainly herbivores, and some of the important food fish among them, such as Oreochromis niloticus or Sarotherodon galilaeus (this is the biblical fish from the Sea of Galilee) are really no color wonders. But there are also really beautiful animals among the tilapia. Among them is Heterotilapia buettikoferi, a species distributed from Guinea-Bissau to western Liberia. It belongs to the largest tilapias at all, it is said that already 50 cm long specimens have been caught. Normal in nature are 15-20 cm, in the aquarium maybe 30 cm. They become sexually active much earlier. The photographed pair is only 8-10 cm long and started spawning already one day after entering the photo aquarium. There are hardly any external sex differences.

Heterotilapia buettikoferi is an open breeder and forms a parent family. The care is really easy, water values secondary. Vegetable matter (oat flakes, vegetable flake food, over-brooded lettuce) should play a role in the diet, but basically the fish are omnivores; in the wild they are snail-eaters. In sufficiently large aquariums they are usually peaceful animals. Under too cramped conditions, however, they can become real bullies. 

We offer H. buettikoferi as offspring from Southeast Asia.

For our customers: the animals have code 576903 on our stocklist. Please note that we supply exclusively to wholesalers.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Semaprochilodus laticeps “taeniurus”

6. April 2023

We have received beautiful Semaprochilodus from Colombia. Unfortunately the naming of the Semaprochilodus species was very wrong in the past. According to current knowledge, our animals are definitely S. laticeps. In the aquaristic literature and in the internet the species is mostly called S. taeniurus (this is another species from Brazil) or S. theraponura (this species is today considered as synonym to S. insignis and originates from Peru). Therefore we have listed the animals under the name S. taeniurus. 

The “real” S. taeniurus can be easily distinguished from S. latipes. S. taeniurus lacks the black stripe behind the opercle completely and the species is much more slender than S. latipes.

For care the species affiliation is irrelevant, because all Semaprochilodus grow to 30-40 cm in length and are beautiful, impressive large tetras. They are Aufwuchs and detritus eaters and can be compared aquaristically quite well with kissing gouramis (Helostoma). Like the latter they have only a narrow throat and cannot do much with coarse food, which is why they can also be kept with much smaller fish. Among themselves they are sometimes somewhat incompatible. This can be counteracted by keeping at least 5-6 specimens together.

Our animals are currently 11-14 cm long and show partly quite pronounced sex differences. At least in some specimens the dorsal fin is extended long (male?) and in others of the same size not (female?). In nature, these fish perform spectacular spawning migrations, during which the huge shoals also overcome rapids and waterfalls, similar to salmon in Europe in the past. Semaprochilodus do not practice brood care, they are prolific free spawners.

For our customers: the animals have code 290508 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Text & Photos: Frank Schäfer

Symphysodon discus “BLUE MOON”.

6. April 2023

The Real or Heckel Discus (Symphysodon discus) is always somewhat behind its close relatives, the Blue and Green Discus, in popularity. This is certainly only because it breeds less willingly. There is no doubt about its special beauty.

The Heckel Discus “Blue Moon” is found only in a rather remote region of the Alto Nhamunda (i.e. the upper reaches of the Rio Nhamunda). To the nearest “normal” collecting station it takes four hours by speedboat!

Nevertheless, the Blue Moon are selected animals. Although the Blue Moon is only found in the Alto Nhamunda, not all of the Heckels of the Alto Nhamunda are Blue Moon. Only a relatively small percentage show the unique coloration. Some of these Blue Moon are so intensely colored that at first glance they could be mistaken for Area Turquoise Discus, a breeding form that evolved from Blue and Green Discus. However, all Blue Moon are wild caught.

For our customers: the animals have code 735036 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply to wholesalers.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Cherax peknyi Super Blue

3. April 2023

We have received a beautiful color variation of the zebra crayfish from New Guinea, which is characterized by deep blue claws. These are quite magnificent animals! For basic information about the species see https://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/fish-archives/cherax-peknyi-4/

For our customers: the animals have code 483025 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Apistogramma psammophila

31. March 2023

The two-banded dwarf cichlid, Apistogramma diplotaenia, is one of the dream fish of many Apistogramma lovers. The species originates from the Rio Negro drainage in Brazil. Unfortunately, this fish is also one of the most demanding species of the genus and even minor carelessness – e.g. a missed water change and the resulting increase in bacterial load of the water – is very resented. 

Because of its unique coloration, A. diplotaenia was previously considered to be unmistakable until 2019 when a twin species, A. psammophila was described from the Rio Atabapo in Colombia. In fact, it is impossible to distinguish the two species in the juvenile stage without knowledge of their origin. There is one distinct feature that differentiates A. diplotaenia and A. psammophila, and that is vertical black stripes on the belly of A. psammophila, which never occur in A. diplotaenia. Unfortunately, this stripe coloration cannot be provoked well. It is obviously only shown depending on the mood, but in which mood? Strongly stressed animals fade completely and during aggressive actions the stripes are also not visible or at most indicated. Apparently they are best seen in relaxed, rather “bored” animals. A second characteristic is the shape of the caudal fin (round in A. diplotaenia, lanceolate in A. psammophila), but this is only clearly visible in fully grown males and therefore irrelevant for juvenile determinations.

In any case we are very proud to be able to offer this precious specimen. For the care of this fish we recommend only experienced specialists. It seems to us that the fish, although they are still very small with 2-3 cm and just sexually mature, are extremely incompatible with each other. There are no damage fights, but constant stress seems to be enough to harm the immune system to such an extent that severe diseases occur.

For our customers: the animals have code 626632 on our stock list. Please note that we only supply wholesale. Only very few specimens available!

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Loricaria luciae

31. March 2023

From Paraguay we received a nice shipment of mouthbrooding whiptail catfishes (Loricaria). Because of the known difficulties to identify species in Loricaria exactly, we first named them provisionally as L. simillima, the aquaristic best known species of the genus, which also occurs in Paraguay.

Now that the animals are somewhat acclimated and also the latest scientific literature could be evaluated, we are pretty sure that our new imports are at least for the most part L. luciae, a species scientifically described only in 2013. Within the 13 accepted species of the genus, this is the most recently described species. 

The unique feature of L. luciae is the shape of the ventral plates in combination with the fact that the shoulder girdle is completely naked, i.e. unplated. In two of the three species occurring in Paraguay together with L. luciae, namely L. apeltogaster and L. simillima, the ventral plates also cover the shoulder girdle. Thus, these two species are excluded with respect to our new import. On the other hand, L. coximensis is very similar, from which L. luciae differs in its larger adult size (130-190 mm SL compared to less than 130 mm SL) and greater postural plate length (17.0-20.3% compared to 7.4-14.2% of HL). It also differs from L. coximensis in having a greater number of total lateral plates (32-33 versus 28-31). The shape of the lateral abdominal plates was crucial for our determination. Comparing the illustrations in the original descriptions of L. luciae and L. coximensis, in L. coximensis the two lateral rows of abdominal plates are much longer, reducing the middle abdominal plates, which are assembled like a mosaic, to a relatively narrow wedge. Two other species might be confused with L. luciae: L. holmbergi and L. pumila. L. holmbergi, as far as we know, only occurs in the Rio San Francisco in Argentina (not to be confused with the Sao Francisco in Brazil!) and L. pumila lacks the iris lobe that is distinct in our Loricaria.

We are pleased to have once again brought in a new species. It can be assumed that L. luciae can be maintained and bred similarly to the well-known L. simillima. The sexes of our apparently sexually mature animals (they are 9-12 cm long) can be distinguished by the orange teeth along the front sides of the head in the male.

For our customers: the animals have code 266584 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Thorichthys aureus

31. March 2023

The “golden cichlid” is one of the first cichlid species that became known for aquaristics. It originates from Mexico. Already in 1911 the first imports took place. However, the species never really caught on in general, in contrast to its cousin T. meeki, which was first imported more than 20 years later and is still one of the most commonly kept and bred cichlids. Astonishing, as the “meeki” with nearly the same shape and size (maximum 15 cm) is by far not as colorful and also on average much more aggressive than T. aureus.

The reason is probably the much more inconspicuous juvenile coloration of T. aureus. Up to a length of about 10 cm this fish comes along rather pastel colored. Meekis are colored much earlier. Therefore T. aureus is rather a fish for connoisseurs.

Normally we have only relatively small juveniles (mostly 4-7 cm) of these animals in our offer. Now it happened by chance that one of our breeders had to give away a big pair. We think the pictures speak for themselves, don’t you?

For our customers: the animals have code 688170 (4-5 cm) to 688174 (8-10 cm) on our stocklist. The big pair found a new home right away. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Ptychochromis insolitus

29. March 2023

One of the rarest animals in the world is this Madagascar cichlid, which was only scientifically described in 2006 and already in 2013 it was feared to be extinct. It existed in only one river on Madagascar, the Mangarahara, after which the perch is also called Mangarahara cichlid. A dam project and excessive water extraction for agriculture caused the river to dry up. Along with the river, all the fish that lived in it died. It borders on a miracle that a few living specimens of Ptychochromis insolitus were discovered in a residual water area in the Amboaboa Basin and that breeding succeeded with them. Committed conservationists, including many private aquarists, are now trying to protect this last refuge on Madagascar. At the same time, a conservation breeding program for the fish species is being established. 

Both actions are successful. Also we can now offer some offspring specimens of this open brooding fish with maternal brood care. We very much hope that the animals will become part of the conservation breeding program and that the future owners will participate in the Citizen Conservation project (https://citizen-conservation.org/arten/mangarahara-buntbarsch/?lang=en). Because the experience from the past shows on the one hand that it is quite possible to breed fish species healthy in the aquarium over decades, even over a century without inbreeding damages, but for species like the Mangarahara cichlid, which does not necessarily correspond to the ideal image of an “ornamental fish”, special efforts are needed.

Ptychochromis insolitus grows to about 15 cm in length. It is best kept in a group in relatively large aquariums (500l), because this species – typical cichlid – can sometimes be a bit robust against conspecifics. Then it is good, if the beating is distributed on several animals and these also have place to evade. From the troop it is also easiest to find a pair that harmonizes well with each other and finally ensures that the Mangarahara cichlid does not disappear from our planet.

For our customers: the animals have code 574152 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Text: Frank Schäfer, photos: Frank Schäfer and H. Zell

Astyanax mexicanus

27. March 2023

The tetra Astyanax fasciatus is – if one follows the literature until the recent past – the most widespread fish in America, from the Rio Negro in Argentina to the Rio Grande in Texas. This was doubted early on, but the similarity of these fish was enormous no matter where they were caught. Only a few years ago it was possible to create an overview based on modern views. According to this, the actual A. fasciatus only occurs in the Rio Sao Francisco in Brazil. The Mexican and Central American representatives of this group were subsequently merged under “Astyanax aeneus”. Schmitter-Soto processed the group in 2017. He concludes that there are 19 valid species behind A. aeneus, plus 14 synonyms. Difficult remains: they all look extremely similar.

Aquaristically, all these Astyanax are of no importance. They are silvery fishes, which grow 10-15 cm long. There is only one reason why Astyanax mexicanus, a species which according to Schmitter-Soto is restricted to the Rio Balsas basin in Mexico, makes some aquarists curious: it is supposed to be the seeing ancestral form of the Blind Cave Tetra (Anoptichthys jordani, according to other authors also Astyanax jordani)! Unfortunately Schmitter-Soto does not comment on this.

If you look at both together, there are hardly any similarities. Nevertheless: we are pleased to be able to offer some Astyanax mexicanus to aquarists interested in natural history, which by the way are offsprings from the Wilhelma in Stuttgart. We have adopted the name under which we received them. In comparison these fishes fit well to the diagnosis of A. mexicanus in Schmitter-Soto.

For our customers: the animals have code 209003 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Literature: 

Schmitter-Soto, J. J. (2017): A revision of Astyanax (Characiformes: Characidae) in Central and North America, with the description of nine new species. Journal of Natural History v. 51 (no. 23/24): [1-94] 1331-1424.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Enigmatochromis lucanusi

24. March 2023

After many years we received again this beautiful pastel colored dwarf cichlid from Guinea. Only in 2009 the species, which belongs to a group of species popularly also called king cichlids, was scientifically determined, before it was known in the hobby as “Pevicachromis sp. aff. roloffi Blue Fin”. The females of this species show – uniquely among all the king cichlids of West Africa – a neon blue shining dorsal fin. Additionally a black spot decorates this fin. 

The males look completely different in color. In them, the upper half of the caudal fin and the soft-rayed part of the dorsal fin have many spots. Both sexes usually have a dark longitudinal band.

Like all species of the king cichlids formerly grouped under Pelvicachromis, Enigmatochromis lucanusi is a cave-breeder with a biparental brood care, the female being more concerned with care of the spawn and larvae, the male more concerned with territorial defense. When the young swim free and leave the breeding cave, both parents care for the offspring equally.

Enigmatochromis lucanusi is one of the most peaceful dwarf cichlids and is well suited for keeping in community aquariums with smaller tetras, barbs, killifishes and catfishes of the region. Males grow to a maximum length of 8 cm, females to a maximum length of 6 cm. When setting up, make sure the aquarium contains sandy bottom at least in places. Otherwise the aquarium for Enigmatochromis lucanusi should be well planted and contain a lot of dead wood and dead leaves. For breeding the animals need soft and slightly acidic water, for normal care this is not necessary.

For our customers: the animals have code 560492 on our stock list. Please note that we supply only wholesale.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Lamontichthys filamentosus

24. March 2023

From Peru we could import some Lamontichthys filamentosus. This graceful, beautiful species reaches a body length of about 20 cm, the fin filaments can become even that long. 

Lamontichthys are very sensitive fish, which need optimal water conditions. In addition, the fish are often difficult to bring to the food. Obviously they are very shy and tend to stop feeding at even minor disturbances.

Lamontichthys are therefore best kept in species tanks. There even the breeding can succeed, which is similar to the related genus Sturisoma.

Lexicon: Lamontichthys: dedication name (ichthys: ancient Greek for “fish”) in honor of Francesca La Monte. filamentosus: filamentous (referring to the extended fins).

For our customers: the fish have code 264814 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.

Text & Photos: Frank Schäfer

Xiphophorus variatus Rio Coacuilco

22. March 2023

Again we can offer the friends of livebearers a special treat: Xiphophorus variatus Rio Coacuilco is a wild form of the variable platyfish that has only recently become available in the hobby.  The Rio Coacuilco (unfortunately we originally made a typo when adding the species to our stock list, the spelling of the river used here is the correct one) is a very fast flowing, small river in the state of Hidalgo in Mexico, where also the swordtail species X. birchmanni occurs. The Rio Coacuilco is part of the Río Pánuco system.

Variable platys are known to be very variable in coloration, even within a population. This is also true for the Rio Coacuilco form. Normally the fish are pale lilac with black speckles; the males always have a “pregnancy spot”, a band in the dorsal fin and rather pale vertical stripes on the flanks. In courtship the males become very beautiful: the chest turns yellow-orange, the tiger pattern becomes intense and two dark bands appear in the caudal fin.

We have also made a small film about these fish, which you can watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAhLK5fCkb4

For our customers: the animals have code 442988 on our stock list. Please note that we supply only wholesale.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Batrochoglanis villosus

20. March 2023

From the Rio Xingu in Brazil we have received frog catfishes, which are assigned to the species Batrochoglanis villosus. Batrochoglanis was previously placed with Pseudopimelodus. More recent work has divided the frog catfishes into a whole series of genera, which makes it difficult to see through, especially since many species from different genera look darn similar purely in color. 

But in this case we are sure – at least concerning the genus. Batrochoglanis can be easily distinguished from Cephalosilurus, which contains very similar species, by the structure of their mouths. In Cephalosiliurus the lower jaw is longer than the upper jaw, so it is clearly protruding, and in Batrochoglanis it is just the opposite.

Admittedly, one cannot be completely certain about the species identification, because B. villosus, as the species is currently understood, is supposed to have a vast distribution range in the Amazonian, Orinoco, and Guyanese lands (Demera and Essequibo). Almost all fish species with such a large range, when looked at more closely, have turned out to be different species that only resemble each other. That is why it is so special that we have these catfishes with locality.

Batrochoglanis villosus is a small one among the big catfishes. It probably does not grow longer than 15 cm, at least no larger specimens have been deposited in scientific collections. Grant writes in his book “Pims” (2021) about a 20 cm long specimen, which he raised from a 3 cm long juvenile. The animal was very peaceful, he said, but ate any fish that would fit in its mouth.

For our customers: the fish have code 209983 on our stock list. Please note that we supply exclusively to wholesalers.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Rhinogobius shennongensis

17. March 2023

The brook gobies (Rhinogobius) are as adult fishes pure freshwater inhabitants, which are found at most once in the brackish water of the lower reaches of running waters; but even this is the exception, not the rule. With 140 described species, 72 of which are generally considered valid, there is still a wide open field here for aquarists with an urge to explore. All species can be maintained well in the aquarium. When breeding, there are those Rhinogobius that have tiny larvae that grow in the sea and those that have large larvae that grow in freshwater. All species are cave spawners, the male guards the clutch until the larvae hatch. Brood care ends when the larvae swim free.

For the first time we could import Rhinogobius shennongensis from China. It originates from the Yangriwan, upper Hanjiang River, Mount Shennnong, Hubei Province. The maximum length is about 5-6 cm, males are larger than females. The sexes are most easily distinguished by the shape of the head. According to their origin, the fish are kept not too warm (18-24°C), in clear, oxygen-rich water with a good current. They are bottom fish, the males form territories. Rhinogobius shennongensis is somewhat quarrelsome; therefore possible tank mates should not be too squeamish. All common ornamental fish food is eaten, although some specimens do not like dry food. Frozen food is always accepted.

For our customers: the fish have code 453480 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Rhinogobius sp. “Davidi”

17. March 2023

We have the great ambition to open up new species for aquaristics again and again. Therefore it is not excluded that we also import species whose scientifically exact determination is not successful, because simply not enough scientific research has been done about the animals so far. The extremely species-rich genus Rhinogobius is a good example of this. Under the name “Rhinogobius davidi” we imported freshwater gobies from an exporter in China that was new to us. Basically you can’t really go wrong, because all Rhinogobius species are well suited for aquaristics: small, colorful, comparatively easy to care and of interesting behavior. After settling in, the “Rhinogobius davidi” turned out to be a mix of three species, none of which matched the scientific description of Rhinogobius davidi. 

We sent pictures of our animals to the world’s leading expert on Rhinogobius, I-Shiung Chen, with a request for identification. His answer is: unfortunately, identification is not possible without exact knowledge of the locality and without preserved material. Fortunately, there were no losses among our imports, so there is no possibility to preserve animals and locality is always to be treated with caution when importing ornamental fishes. So we have to live with not being able to name these Rhinogobius more exactly. In order not to cause name chaos for future imports, we therefore leave the name “Rhinogobius davidi” for the animals and modify it only to Rhinogobius sp. “Davidi” to make clear that it is only a provisional name.

The three species of the import can be distinguished quite well at a closer look, two of them have a similar basic coloration. However, these two differ clearly in the head pattern. One species has a vertical red line under the eye, which is surely species specific, because both sexes show it. The second, similar species has exclusively horizontal streaking and dots below the eye and in the rest of the head. The males of this somewhat smaller and more slender form (about 3.5-4 cm) also develop a conspicuously pale lower lip when excited. The third species has a completely differently shaped first dorsal fin, which is also adorned with a conspicuous black spot. All three Rhinogobius sp. “Davidi” have turned out to be robust, easy to care for fishes, which are a lot of fun to watch.

For our customers: the animals have code 453442 on our stocklist. Please note that we supply exclusively to wholesalers.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Corydoras sp. CW113

15. March 2023

Just as indeterminate sucker catfishes (Loricaridae) receive L and LDA numbers, indeterminate armored catfishes (Corydoras) receive C and CW numbers. The very first C-number assigned was given in 1992 by Werner Seuß to a Corydoras from the upper Rio Negro (Rio Icana). This fish is remarkable in many ways, but the most striking is: there are hardly two specimens with identical coloration! Somewhat later, in August 1993, Warren E. Burgess described this fish in TFH as Corydoras incolicana, not noticing that it was the same species as C1 (he had Seuss’ book, we know).

The case of CW113 is quite similar. This beautiful, long-snouted corydoras is overall very similar to C. incolicana, but originates from the Rio Meta, i.e. the Orinoco drainage. It has received two CW numbers: CW113 and CW182, because the fish look so different. And maybe CW90, which however originates from the border area of Colombia, Venezuela and Brazil at the Rio Negro (i.e. Amazonas drainage), also belongs to this species, in any case our current import of CW113 from the Rio Meta also includes animals that look very similar to CW90.

The most important difference between CW113 and Corydoras incolicana is the expression of the spot on the back just below the dorsal fin. This is also one of the most constant color characteristics of both species. Here C. incolicana normally shows a horizontal bar, which often extends over the entire width of the dorsal fin base, CW113 only a relatively small, round spot. Typical for both Corydoras species is the eye band, which extends only to the upper edge of the eye, but unites on the top of the head, so that with a little imagination the impression is given that the fish have a beret on. Corydoras incolicana usually has an unmarked caudal fin, in CW113 the caudal fin is usually clearly banded. However, it must unfortunately be stated that with individual specimens of unknown origin it will not always be possible to assign them without doubt to one or the other species, so similar are C. incolicana and CW113.

For our customers: CW113 has code 236254 on our stock list. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Xiphophorus hellerii “Rio Atoyac”

13. March 2023

In 1896 Jordan and Evermann described a spotted swordtail form from the Rio Chisoy in honour of Günther from the British Museum as a separate species, Xiphophorus guntheri (sic!); they knew that there occur also unspotted green swordtails of the species X. hellerii. Over 60 years later, in his revision of the genus Xiphophorus, Rosen declared Günther’s swordtails as a valid form, which he classified as a subspecies of Xiphophorus hellerii. It is important to note that Rosen did not recognize X. h. guntheri on the basis of the black spots, because Rosen excluded the common occurrence of two swordtail species in the same biotope, which were only distinguished by colouring details. So the X. h. guntheri in Rosen’s sense could be spotted as well as unspotted. Rosen included numerous spotted and unspotted populations from Guatemala, Belize, Honduras and Mexico in X. h. guntheri, which represents the southernmost form of the races around X. hellerii, as Rosen understood the species.

At present, no subspecies are recognized in the Green Swordtail, although several local forms look quite different. In seemingly eternal fidelity the aquarists hang on the name “guentheri (sic!)” for the spotted ones among them. The variant from the Rio Atoyac (Veracruz, Mexico) is such a guentheri. In 1985 Wischnath and Meyer reported about this swordtail population. They especially noticed it during a collecting tour in November 1980, because there were red-colored wild males. They were found together with “normal” green swordtails, of both colours, red and green, there were also black-spotted individuals.

Whether the Güntheri, which are bred today as “Rio Atoyac”, still go back to the collection at that time, we do not know. In any case, they are very beautiful animals, which all show a strong spotting thanks to breeding selection. Very attractive is the different coloration of the males, if the fish are kept in sufficiently large aquaria, which allow to keep several males together with a group of female animals. This is when alpha males with orange-red lower half of the tail develop, while subordinate males have intensely orange-red to transparent dorsal fins in varying degrees.

Because this form is so popular, we have them from different breeders in stock. Recently we received animals with orange-red backs; according to the breeder this is a selection breeding, i.e. the animals were bred out of naturally occurring color variants by selection and not by crossbreeding of breeding forms.

For our customers: the animals have code 476774 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Hyphessobrycon jackrobertsi

10. March 2023

Already since 1958 a tetra from Peru enjoys great popularity among aquarists under the fantasy name “Hyphessobrycon robertsi”. The males like to impress each other with their enormously extended dorsal fins, which led to the German common name “Sichelsalmler” (= sickle tetra). However, the species was not scientifically named for a long time. In a study on the relationship of the „rosy tetras”, to which the robertsi-tetra belongs, the scientists Stanley Weitzman and Lisa Palmer assumed in 1997 that the animals were the same species as Hyphessobrycon bentosi.

Then Axel Zarske of the Senckenberg Museum presented a new study in 2014 in which he identified differences between Hyphessobrycon bentosi and the robertsi-tetra. He concluded that the two belong to different species and described the robertsi-tetra with the valid name Hyphessobrycon jackrobertsi. With this Zarske honors the discoverer of the species, Jack Roberts from Miami, who was already meant with the invalid name “robertsi”.

We just have again beautiful young adult wild specimens of the species in the stock. The type specimens for the first description of H. jackrobertsi originated also from our fishhouse.

For our customers: the animals have code 261703 on our stocklist. Please note that we supply exclusively to wholesalers.

Text & Photos: Frank Schäfer

Hassar orestis

10. March 2023

From Venezuela we could import this pretty and lively thorny catfish. The species is widespread in South America and reaches a length of about 18 cm. In behavior these diurnal catfishes resemble the Corydoras species; however, they are much more active swimmers and constantly on the move in the aquarium. 

They are peaceful, sociable animals. In the beginning they can be a bit shy, but after acclimation this will disappear.

For our customers: the animals have code 255711 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Hemidoras boulengeri

10. March 2023

For a long time there were very different ideas among ichthyologists about the generic classification of the thorny catfishes. Aquaristically mainly the genera Doras, Hassar, Hemidoras, Leptodoras, Tenellus and Anduzedoras cause classification problems due to their similar appearance and relatively few useful color characteristics. Fortunately, this has little practical impact because they are all fairly similar in their care habits and rarely grow over 20 cm in length. They are peaceful schooling fish that seem like overgrown, stream-loving armored catfish, but are much livelier than one is commonly accustomed to with Corydoras.

One of the easily identifiable species is Hassar orestis, which we recently imported from Venezuela. Only by a hint of a customer we realized that some bycatch were with the H. orestis. Because of the intensive group behavior of the Hassar we had not noticed the deviant colored animals in the shoal. Of course we sorted the fish immediately and it turned out that there were still a few specimens of the second species, in which we believe to recognize the species Hemidoras boulengeri. Four to five species of Hemidoras are distinguished: H. boulengeri, H. morrisi (there is doubt about the validity of this species), H. morei, H. stenopeltis, and H. stuebeli. All are eligible from a geographic point of view, but H. morrisi and H. stuebelii seem too long-nosed compared to our animals, and H. stenopeltis has a strong black spot on the dorsal fin tip. H. morrisi is much darker in coloration (see https://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/fish-archives/extraordinary_rare_thorny_catfish_from_peru_en/). In contrast, H. boulengeri (illustrated in Steindachner, 1917) matches our fish quite well. 

Hemidoras boulengeri grows to about 20 cm in length and, like Hassar orestis, is very gregarious. It is hardly possible to take a photo of a single animal, body contact to conspecifics is always sought immediately!

For our customers: the fish have code 257702 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Leporinus sexstriatus

8. March 2023

The species-rich genus Leporinus includes some quite large trout-sized species, which are therefore, despite their beauty, rather used as food fish than as ornamental fish. However, there are also species that remain small, such as Leporinus sexstriatus, which reaches only 10-12 cm.

This small Leporinus is a zoological rarity, because the species has only a small, remote distribution area. So far it has been found only in the Rio Papagaio (Mato Grosso) and in the Rio Juruena (one of the headwaters of the Tapajós) in Brazil. The price is still very high, but the breeding has already been successful, so we expect that this beautiful novelty will be available for many hobbyists in a few years.

At the moment we have one specimen of this treasure in our stock.

For our customers: the 6-8 cm long animal has code 265993 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Nothobranchius korthausae

6. March 2023

The small island of Mafia is located off the coast of Tanzania. It is the southernmost island of the so-called Zanzibar archipelago and has an area of about 435 km2. In 1972 Edith Korthaus, editor of the magazine “Das Aquarium”, visited the island. She found there a yellow Nothobranchius, which one year later – in her honor – was scientifically described as Nothobranchius korthausae. Later, red males were also found. The females of all color morphs are colored the same. 

Nothobranchius korthausae is only known from a tiny species area with very few localities. This alone makes the species highly endangered. The few collections by traveling aquarists are not a threat to the natural populations, all scientists agree. There are of course no commercial catches of this species, all animals kept in aquariums are captive bred. The current aquarium population has a mixed heritage, i.e. all possible forms from yellow to red with intermediate forms occur. However, aquaristically more and more the red ones prevail, they are just perceived as prettier.

The relatively small Nothobranchius (4-5 cm) is not complicated to maintain. It likes soft, slightly acidic water best. It is one of the very few Nothobranchius species whose eggs hatch even if they have not gone through a dry phase.

For our customers: the fish have code 334502 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Leporellus vittatus

3. March 2023

Finally we were once more able to import some of the very rarely offered Leporellus vittatus from the Rio Xingu in Brazil. This extraordinary species attains a length of approximately 25 cm and belongs to the headstander tetra relationship. However, in Leporellus the air bladder is mostly reduced and so the fish live strictly bottom orientated.

Our animals are currently 7-12 cm long. Like all headstanders, these fish establish a hierarchy among themselves. They look most beautiful in strongly lightened aquaria with a good current. Leporellus feed readily on any type of fishfood, but all headstanders have a type of teeth that are specialized for feeding on plant material. So one should offer the fish a great variety of plant material for a proper feeding.

For our customers: the fish have code 265725 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.

Lexicon: Leporellus: diminuative of Leoprinus, eg “small Leporinus”; Leporinus is another genus of tetra. vittatus: Latin, means “striped”.

Suggestion of a common name: Yellow-golden Striped Tetra

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Corydoras sp. “punctatus Nanay”

3. March 2023

From the Rio Nanay in Peru comes this beautiful spotted armored catfish, which probably belongs to a scientifically undescribed species. It was first mentioned and pictured in aquaristic literature as Corydoras punctatus in the 1930s, but C. punctatus is a completely different species that looks similar to C. julii. Later, the “Nanay” was sometimes assigned to C. ambiacus and sometimes to C. agassizii, both determinations that do not stand up to close scrutiny.

At the moment we have especially beautiful, about 5 cm long specimens of this Peruvian in our stock, which is why we present the species here one more time. With this length the “Nanay” is also largely fully grown in nature, although old aquarium specimens can certainly add another centimeter. They are very peaceful, easy to care for and adaptable fish. The Rio Nanay is a black water river, therefore this corydoras can be kept well in soft and acidic water, but any tap water suitable as drinking water is equally well suited for care. Breeding on the other hand has probably never been successful (see https://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/fish-archives/corydoras-punctatus-nanay-2/).

For our customers: the fish have code 242053 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Cherax wagenknechtae (= Red Brick)

1. March 2023

The colorful New Guinea crayfish of the genus Cherax have revolutionized aquaristics in some ways. Before their aquaristic discovery in the late 1990s, large crayfish in the aquarium were more a matter for specialists. They were considered formidable plant destroyers, tireless burrowers, and at night they would eat sleeping fish. These are all attributes, with which one does not necessarily make oneself popular. Cherax are different; basically they are also typical “armored robber barons”, but in the light version. And they are very, very colorful.

Now happened, what always happens, when the hobby turns to a hitherto hardly noticed group: there are big identification problems, because always new forms appear. Are these new species, local color variants or simply color forms that form a reproductive community together with other color forms? Such questions are difficult to answer and led to countless trade names and so far 13 new scientific descriptions (previously 12 species were known, so the number of known species has more than doubled!). Once again it became obvious: Biodiversity research benefits immensely from animal live trade! And without basic research there is no species conservation.

The “Red Brick” came late into the hobby, between 2005 and 2008. There is also a rather blue morph of it, called “Blue Brick”. Unfortunately also Cherax boesemani was sometimes already called “Red Brick” in the trade. Explicitly the former “Red Brick” has now been scientifically described by Chris Lukhaup and Rury Eprilurahman as Cherax wagenknechtae. The species name honors the German politician Sahra Wagenknecht. According to the authors, the “Red Brick” is from the Beraur River system, and the “Blue Brick” is from the Klasabun River drainage, both localized in the western part of the Vogelkop Peninsula (Kepala Burung), West Papua, Indonesia. Lukhaup and Eprilurahman assign the “Blue Brick” to their new species. According to the authors, the closest related Cherax is C. pulcher (the “Hoa Creek”). Besides color characteristics, C. wagenknechtae and C. pulcher also differ in anatomical details, but listing them here would lead too far, especially since they are difficult to study on living animals. 

Cherax wagenknechtae is very well suited for aquarium care. It is best to keep them in pairs in well structured aquariums. Basic food is dead leaves, besides that they will eat pretty much anything.The crayfish like it rather dim and not too warm (18-24°C), so they fit perfectly in our time, when electricity costs are no longer a negligible factor for aquaristics.

For our customers: C. wagenknechtae has code 481458 on our stock list. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Scalare leopoldi Red Spots Peru

27. February 2023

From Peru we received wonderful, large angels (Pterophyllum). They have a yellowish to reddish back and many brown-red spots on the flanks. This exceptionally beautiful wild form has been called Pterophyllum leopoldi for decades due to a misidentification in aquarium circles. The “true” P. leopoldi originates from Brazil and is the fish always referred to in the hobby as P. dumerilii, while the “true” P. dumerilii from Brazil is considered synonymous with P. scalare. Other names, equally incorrect, that circulate for Peru scalars are “Peru Altum” or “Pterophyllum peruensis”.

In fact, the “Red Spots Peru” is a scientifically undescribed species. This has nothing to do with the red spots: this species also exists without red spots. Rather it is the black, comma-shaped spot, which extends as extension of the 2nd body bandage into the dorsal fin, which is characteristic for the species (in the order: eye bandage – 1st body bandage – 2nd body bandage – tail root bandage, thus four dark vertical bands, of which the tail root bandage is often only indistinctly visible).

Regardless of the name, the red-spotted angelfish from Peru are magnificent animals, which unfortunately can be imported only very rarely and in small numbers. 

For our customers: the animals have code 699307 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale. Only available in limited numbers!

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Vieja breidohri

24. February 2023

The 1980s and 1990s were the high times of traveling aquarists who wanted to shed light on Central American cichlids. And this succeeded more than satisfactorily! One of these amateur researchers in the best sense of the word was Hans-Günther Breidohr (1938-2017). In his honor Uwe Werner and Rainer Stawikowski named a cichlid Paratheraps breidohri, which was discovered on such trips and recognized as a new species due to the subsequent aquarium care. Today it is – research progresses – placed in the genus Vieja, so it is called Vieja breidohri.

We are very happy that this cichlid, which is apparently very rarely found in the wild – it is only known from a reservoir in Chiapas, Mexico – has been included in the program of Southeast Asian breeders. Right now we have juveniles from Indonesia in the stock. The animals are still somewhat inconspicuous in color. Thankfully, Uwe Werner, one of the discoverers of the species, has allowed us to use his pictures of adult specimens for this post.

Vieja breidohri grows 25-30 cm long, so it belongs to the large cichlids. You only need to offer them enough space, then you can enjoy these character fish for many years. They are – as usual in the Cichlasoma relatives – open breeders with parent family. It is strongly discouraged to combine different Vieja species with each other, as they can hybridize. The days when it was so easy to take research trips and bring back fish are, unfortunately, long gone. This is very much to the detriment of nature, but the ignorant bureaucracy is not expected to change this situation in the foreseeable future. That is why we have to take care to keep the existing strains pure in conservation breeding.

For our customers: the animals have code 688521 (3-4 cm) and 688523 (6-8 cm) on our stocklist. Please note that we supply exclusively to wholesalers.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Cryptoheros myrnae “Rio Sarapiqui”.

24. February 2023

Central American cichlids often require large aquariums. Not so much because of their swimming needs, but because they form territories and are often unbearably aggressive in aquariums that are too small. In large aquariums, on the other hand, this is hardly a problem. But there are also dwarf cichlids among the Central Americans, which – according to the definition of the word dwarf cichlid – do not grow larger than 10 cm. The beautiful Cryptoheros species belong to them, also C. myrnae.

So even owners of medium (standard) aquariums can enjoy Central American cichlids and their varied, interesting behavior and fiery colors. Unfortunately, nowadays it cannot be assumed that regular fishing trips to the countries of origin – in this case Costa Rica, where C. myrnae occurs in rivers on the atlantic side – are possible. Commercial imports from there never existed anyway. Therefore the conservation of species in the aquarium is of special importance and for this purpose it is important to breed “true to species”, i.e. on a population basis, wherever possible. Therefore we are very pleased to be able to offer C. myrnae offspring even with locality designation. However, the animals are German offspring.

The sexes of this peaceful, hardly burrowing and also for suitably furnished and occupied community aquariums suitable species, are to be distinguished well starting from a size of approximately 3 cm. Then the females develop a black and white spot in the dorsal fin. The water values are unimportant for care and breeding, any drinking water is suitable. The temperature can be between 22 and 28°C, medium values have proven. Every usual ornamental fish food is eaten. It is very interesting if the animals have territorial differences. Then they color themselves within seconds in the face and on the chest deep black!

For our customers: the animals from Rio Sarapiqui have code 674432 on our stocklist. Furthermore we have very nice “no name” C. myrnae, code 674402 in our stock.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Betta splendens – real fighter Pla Kat Luk Maw

22. February 2023

It is a well known fact that the Betta splendens kept in the aquarium hobby as ornamental fish do not represent the species as it appears in the wild, but a domesticated fish. Initially this sport has been bred for combats, similar like sports of cocks and dogs. Only in the 1920ies, when supplying ornamental fish for the aquarium hobby became more and more an important economic factor for people in Southeast Asia, breeders started to select veiltailed sports and aberrant colour varieties. These fish are useless for combats.

The tradition of fish fights is still alive in many parts of Asia. Due to the high sums of money people bet here – and which lead to the ruin of many bet-junkies – these combats are under legal control, but in many areas they are also cultural property under special protection.

Here in central Europe is no interest in watching animals fighting and to bet on the winner, we are focussed on the empathy with the animal we keep. Nevertheless it is very interesting for a real enthusiast to get the possibility for studying these real fighters among the Bettas. These fish are called Pla Kat Luk Maw in Thai, which means about „biting fish of the earthen pot“. „Earthen pot“ refers to the traditional pottery vessels used for breeding the fish. There are Pla Kat Luk Maw mainly in blue, occasionally turquoise or wild colored fish appear.

For our customers: the fish have code 391019 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade. Available in limited numbers only!

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Pseudeutropius moolenburghae

20. February 2023

From Indonesia we received the interesting catfish Pseudeutropius moolenburghae. This shoaling fish, which grows to a maximum length of 10 cm, is very similar in behavior to the well-known glass catfish Kryptopterus vitreolus (formerly known as K. bicirrhis), but is slimmer, livelier and above all has eight long barbels, while the glass catfish has only two.

In the aquarium, these blackwater fish should be acclimated carefully, because from the wild they know practically no bacterial water pollution. Their home are the river systems Batang Hari on Sumatra and Kapuas on Borneo, from where many popular aquarium fish come. As company are suitable e.g. mouth-breeding fighting fish, Rasbora species, coolie loaches etc.. Under no circumstances should these delicate catfish be kept along with bullies such as tiger barbs. Pseudeutropius moolenburghae eat all common ornamental fish food, they are not interested in plants. A dimly furnished tank with Cryptocoryne bushes, floating ferns on the surface and dead leaves on the bottom is ideal. Soft, acidic water corresponds to natural conditions, but is not necessary for long-term maintenance. The water temperature should be 24-28°C.

For our customers: the animals have code 445503 on our stock list. Please note that we supply exclusively to wholesalers.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Micropoecilia picta “Trinidad“

17. February 2023

From the only very rarely offered species Micropoecilia picta we can offer besides the attractive orange-red variant from Surinam (https://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/fish-archives/micropoecilia-picta-red-surinam-2/) also a second locality variant, namely from the island Trinidad. 

Perhaps this form may seem less attractive than the red cousins at first sight. But these little jack-of-all-trades more than make up for it with their lively courtship displays, in which the black and white dorsal fin is visually very striking.

For our customers: the animals have code 268538 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply to wholesalers.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Aphyoditeinae gen. sp. Morse tetra

17. February 2023

The unusual term “Aphyoditeinae” is a collective term for small-sized tetra genera in the form of a subfamily, which could not be reasonably placed anywhere else. The world-renowned tetra specialist Jaques Géry introduced the term in 1972 in reference to the genus Aphyodite, but not as a subgenus, but as a vaguely defined term Aphyoditeini. The small Morse tetra, which is the subject here, is scientifically still undescribed. It has characteristics of many different genera, probably therefore even a new genus must be created for it. Until then, however, it needs a provisional name in the trade, because it must somehow be recorded in the merchandise management system. That’s why we decided to group it in Aphyoditeinae when it was first imported in 2006. Others refer to it as Hemigrammus or Brittanichthys sp. The very apt and catchy name Morse tetra has caught on with everyone.

This tiny, only 2 – 2,5 cm long growing fish is a very calm representative of the tetras. It comes from Peru, more detailed information is missing. Mostly it stands near a conspecific, the head slightly tilted downwards, and twitches now and then with the fins. Unnecessary movements are far away from him. That is why the Morse tetra is an ideal fish for small aquariums, so-called nano tanks. The care is easy and corresponds in all basic features to that of the Neon Tetra (Paracheirodon innesi). 

For our customers: the animals have code 206173 on our stock list. Please note that we supply exclusively to wholesalers.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Pseudomugil gertrudae

15. February 2023

This cute blue eye belongs to our standard offer; the animals are bred ones from Indonesia. Recently we received some very nice specimens. This “no name” variant stays a bit smaller (around 3 cm) than the popular variant from the Aru Islands (https://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/fish-archives/pseudomugil-gertrudae-aru-ii-xl-2/), which reaches almost 4 cm length.

Pseudomugil gertrudae has a relatively wide distribution in northern Australia, but does not occur uniformly everywhere, being scattered. In addition, it is found on many small islands and on Papua New Guinea. Since the different populations have no contact with each other, there are many subtle differences in coloration. However, this is probably also related to the respective biotopes. The measured water values in waters with P. gertrudae vary enormously: Temperature: 12 – 34 °C, pH 3,7 – 9,4, conductance 12 – 650 µS/cm, total hardness 0 – 18° dH, carbonate hardness 0 – 10° dH.

From this you can see: they are tough little creatures! In nature they usually live only one year. But in the aquarium they can live up to four years. During the day the males are continuously busy with courtship acts, flapping their fins like a butterfly with its wings. From time to time they also stretch their fins to the breaking point and sail around their mate or a rival. It is a great pleasure to watch the fish.

In the aquarium are continuous spawners that lay a few eggs a day – up to 10 or 12 per female, but usually less. The eggs are deposited in fine aquatic plants or artificial spawning substrates (spawning mobs). The parents do not care about the eggs or the fry, which hatch after 4-9 days (depending on water temperature).

For our customers: the fish have code 446002 on our stock list. Please note that we supply only wholesale.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Carnegiella strigata lg-xlg

13. February 2023

The marble hatchetfish (Carnegiella strigata) is a very common, small-bodied surface fish in the wild. Its maximum length is about 4.5 cm. A very dark form (“vesca”) comes from the upper Amazon (Peru) , a lighter, more delicately marked one from the middle Amazon (Brazil). For “vesca” see here: https://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/fish-archives/carnegiella-strigata-vesca-2/ From Brazil we have just large, fully grown specimens in stock.

When caring for them, it is important to keep in mind that these fish have a high food requirement. One should feed at least 2x, better 3-4x daily, but always only as much as is eaten up completely in a few minutes. An automatic feeder can be helpful. Maybe it is the hugely enlarged ventral keel, where the “flight muscles” are attached, which is responsible for the fact that the stomach is not very expandable and therefore the fish have to eat frequently. If you pay attention to this, you will enjoy these beautiful animals for a long time.

For our customers: the fish have code 214205 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply to wholesalers.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Betta strohi

10. February 2023

The species status of Betta strohi is controversial. It is a form from the species complex around Betta foerschi (see https://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/fish-archives/betta-foerschi-bred/). Some authors consider B. strohi to be a synonym of B. foerschi, others a valid species. “Technically” the two differ by a rather inconspicuous feature, namely the eye line. In Betta strohi the line runs from the gill cover through the eye, in B. foerschi it runs below the eye. In living animals this is hardly ever visible, but in preserved animals it is. A very important feature is the coloration of the gill cover in mating animals. It is bright yellow in B. strohi and bright red in B. foerschi. But also to see this feature you need patience. If they are not in mating mood, the fish do not show it. However: also this characteristic is controversial. In the original description animals of B. strohi have red gill cover stripes and B. foerschi yellow ones! 

Anyway: we have splendid, fully grown German offspring of this species in our stock. The breeder has studied the fish intensively and is sure that it is B. strohi. All species of the Betta foerschi complex are found only in Borneo, B. foerschi in the Mentaya River drainage, B. mandor in the lower Kapuas River drainage and B. strohi is found about 30 km south of Sukamara; there is no major river named there (but nameless rivers do exist).

In any case, these fish are a splendid as well as interesting enrichment for well maintained blackwater aquaria. B. strohi is a reserved fish, which can be socialized very well with other peaceful blackwater fish, e.g. rasboras, chocolate gouramis, pearl gouramis etc.. The sexes can be distinguished quite well by the extension of the fins. If you like, you can also keep several males together, they bicker, if at all, only harmlessly with each other.

For our customers: the fish have code 391023 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Pachypanchax playfairii

10. February 2023

The Seychelles archipelago off East Africa in the Indian Ocean is known mainly for the giant tortoises that live there. There are hardly any freshwater fish in the Seychelles, most of the freshwater species were brought there by man as food fish. The vast majority of the rest – apart from a few gobies – consists of marine fish, which only migrate to freshwater intermittently. The endemic killifish Pachypanchax playfairii is something very special.

The Golden Panchax, as it is called in English, was brought to Germany as early as 1924 and has been bred in aquariums ever since. In the 1960s and 1970s, however, it was somewhat forgotten, because at that time small aquariums, especially with small tetras, were in fashion. There P. playfairii attracted unpleasant attention, because it can be quarrelsome under such conditions.

But a few aquarists kept faith with him and so we are very happy to be able to offer some specimens as German offspring. Concerning the water values the Golden Panchax is completely undemanding, in nature it even goes into brackish waters. A special feature of the species is that the scales along the back appear slightly ruffled. This is completely normal for this species, which by the way usually grows to 7 cm, according to literature up to 10 cm, and is not a sign of disease. The females can be easily recognized by the black spot in the dorsal fin, which is missing in the males.

For our customers: the animals have code 342402 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Corydoras treitlii

8. February 2023

The long-nosed Corydoras treitlii from the lower Amazon – specimens caught for export mostly come from the Belem area – is one of the real rarities in the trade, although the species is one of the longest known armored catfishes. It was scientifically described already in 1906.

With over 7 cm maximum length C. treitlii belongs to the larger Corydoras species. Nevertheless it is genus-typical peaceful and fits into every larger, well maintained community aquarium. You should offer the animals at least in places soft, fine sand as substrate. Incidentally, there are duplicate species from the upper Amazonian drainage (Madre de Dios in Peru and Rio Purus in Brazil), the latter of which has been assigned C number 78.

For our customers: Corydoras treitlii has code 247303 on our stock list. Please note that we supply only wholesale.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Lebiasina cf. multimaculata

6. February 2023

For the first time we could import large (10-12 cm), beautiful Lebiasina tetras from Colombia. The species identification is not completely sure. The animals originate from the Choco region in the south of Colombia; from there e.g. the emperor tetras Nematobrycon lacortei and N. palmeri are exported regularly, between which also young individuals of Lebiasina are found from time to time. In the Choco region there are seven Lebiasina species, namely L. astrigata, L. aureoguttata, L. chocoensis, L. festae, L. narinensi and L. multimaculatus. Of these species, L. astrigata, L. chocoensis, L. narinensi and L. multimaculatus have a similar color pattern. Without more detailed research, only after optical comparisons, our animals come closest to L. multimaculatus. But since all other species are only known from alcohol preparations, we are rather cautious and add a small “cf. ( = confer, so compare with) between genus and species name.

In any case they are beautiful fishes. The sexes can be easily distinguished by the anal fin, which is much larger in sexually mature males of comparable size than in females. Unfortunately, these animals are incredibly incompatible with each other and also the photo session could be carried out only under greatest precautions with a pair. With their impressive teeth these animals cause heavy damage very fast in case of conflicts! The second attribute that distinguishes them is the incredible voracity. It took less than 30 seconds after the release and the two fish were greedily searching for the remains of a food tablet that was still in the tank from the previous session. One gets the impression that part of the incompatibility is also due to them trying to eat each other. Adding a large batch of Tubifex was supposed to distract the fish and did. The more dominant specimen, the male, ate the Tubifex immediately and then left the somewhat shyer female largely alone.

Lebiasina are undoubtedly highly interesting and beautiful fish, but because of their characteristics they are only suitable for (predatory fish)  specialists. By the way, the animals are obligatory air breathers. About a possible brood care with Lebiasina nothing is known; they are – systematically seen – relatives of the pencil fish (Nannostomus and Co.). Also with these there is the sex difference with the enlarged anal fin of the males.

For our customers: the fish have code 265184 on our stocklist. Please note that we supply exclusively to wholesalers.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Scatophagus argus

3. February 2023

The Scat is one of the fish species known to science almost from the beginning of scientific naming. Scatophagus argus was already described in 1766. This first description refers to a red scat. The name “rubifrons” for red scats that is always bandied about in the hobby is a purely fanciful name with no scientific value. We have now received quite adorable red scats from Indonesia, which are about the size of a 1 Euro coin. As small juveniles red scats are vertically striped, as you can see on the pictures. It is not until they are 4-5 cm long that the striped pattern changes to a dotted pattern.

Scats use virtually any food source, they are opportunists. Studies in nature showed that larvae (scats spawn in the sea, this is also where larvae develop) eat mainly plant microplankton near the water surface. Juveniles migrate to the mangrove. Here they eat small particles both free-floating and bottom-dwelling. These are diatoms, animal plankton, aufwuchs and mulm. Adults will eat anything that fits in their relatively small mouths, but especially aufwuchs and mulm. But the absolute favorite food is filamentous algae. Scats prefer these to any other food. In the aquaristic literature one often reads that scats are herbivores. However, they are not stricly herbivorous, but omnivorous!

As euryhaline fishes, scats can be kept in fresh, brackish or marine water. The fish do not care. But the pH should never drop below 7.5 for long periods of time, this is very important. Otherwise scats will get seriously ill and may even die. The maximum size of scats is about 30 cm, a size that is usually not reached in nature or in the aquarium. Usually they stop growing at about 15-20 cm in both habitats. Then you can also distinguish the sexes: Males are more high-backed and have a steeper forehead, they also grow larger than females. Scats are free spawners without brood care. They do not spawn in freshwater, for this you need a marine aquarium.

For our customers: the animals have code 454800 on our stock list. Please note that we supply only wholesale.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Glossamia aprion

3. February 2023

The cardinalfishes (Apogonidae) are a species-rich (ca. 370 species), mainly marine group of mostly small-bodied, mouth-breeding perch-like fish. Very well known species are the Kauderni or Banggai Cardinalfish (Pterapogon kauderni) or the Pyjama Cardinalfish (Sphaeramia nematoptera), several other species belong to the standard assortment of marine aquaristics. Only very few species have made it into freshwater. The most important freshwater genus is Glossamia with currently 11 recognized species. All of them originate from New Guinea and Australia. Since hardly any ornamental fishes are exported from there – and if they are, they are rainbow fishes – Glossamia remained almost unknown in the aquaristics of the western world until now. This is a pity, because they are not colorful, but highly interesting species, all of them usually do not grow larger than 8-10 cm, whereas the largest specimen of G. aprion ever caught measured 18 cm.

In the wild, Glossamia often form a very substantial portion of the biomass of the waters they inhabit. The fish are attached to dense underwater vegetation. Without it, they do not feel safe and are shy and skittish. This changes immediately when they have “herbage” in the tank. Their diet consists of aquatic insects, crustaceans (shrimp) and small fish. In Australia, the species has a funny popular name: mouth almighty!

Among themselves and towards fish that do not qualify as food, the mouths almighthy are completely peaceful. They are, as with all cardinalfish, mouthbrooders in the male sex. At first we thought the females are very plump and a bit smaller than the males, because otherwise there are no external sex differences visible. But then we observed a brooding animal, a small fat one! Apparently the smaller ones are the males and eat themselves really big and round before they take care of the brood!

We have now received for the first time a nice, larger shipment of Glossamia aprion from New Guinea.

For our customers: the animals have code 417043 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Xiphophorus meyeri (update)

3. February 2023

The Marble Platy (Xiphophorus meyeri) is one of the rarest species on earth. It was known only from a small area in Mexico, where it was found only in very few places. The species is already considered extinct in the wild. As with its close relative, the Monterrey Platy (X. couchianus), it was the increasing water consumption in the region that caused the few occurrences to dry up.

So it is very good that some aquarium fish enthusiasts breed and propagate this – compared to the colorful cultivated forms – less attractive fish and thus at least preserve it for posterity. From time to time a few specimens come to us in this way. Our now offered fish are German offspring. This wild platy grows to about 3 cm (male) and 4 cm (female). Care and breeding are roughly similar to the well known parrot platy (Xiphophorus variatus), but X. meyeri is not very productive.

There is a conservation breeding program for X. meyeri, also known as Northern Platy. The head of the program wrote to us:

I just thought it might be interesting for you to know that Xiphophorus meyeri is extinct in the wild (last seen in 1997). This was published in the IUCN Red List in 2019. Just in case you want to update your information.

I am coordinating a conservation breeding programme for northern platyfish since 2018 and we are working hard to reintroduce the species one day – with major help from hobbyists. But that’s not relevant, it only explains why I care. I believe that people should know when they keep a species which is extinct in the wild…

Best regards,

Markéta

Markéta Rejlková

Curator of aquarium/terrarium

Zoo Ostrava

Michálkovická 197

710 00 Ostrava

Czech Republic

Many thanks for this info! This is – also against the background of a planned EU-wide positive list, which wants to prohibit the private keeping of wild animals in principle – very interesting! The EU would decide with a positive list by law the eradication of X. meyeri, because this relatively inconspicuous and demanding species would certainly not be included on the positive list!

For our customers: the fish have code 476532 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade. Available in small numbers only!

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Poecilia reticulata Guppy Galaxy Koi

30. January 2023

A splendid new breed from Sri Lanka are the Guppy Galaxy Koi, in whose males the hereditary red head and tail markings have been combined with the body color of a Snakeskin. They are beautiful, very vital animals!

For our customers: the animals have code 418563 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Panaque sp. L191

27. January 2023

The large wood-eating Panaque of the relationship around P. nigrolineatus are fantastic fishes. Juveniles are almost splendidly colored, so also L191, a species which is still not described scientifically. L191 originates from Colombia. According to the available information the native area is the Rio Caguán in Caquetá. Particularly splendid is with young L191 the green shimmer, which the animals show.

L191 is exported again and again mixed with a quite similar species, the L190. This is probably the “real” P. nigrolineatus, but the experts are still bickering. Easiest distinguishing feature in juveniles is eye color: red in L190, yellowish, grayish or blackish in L191. The pattern of both species is very variable. By the way, they do not occur together, L190 comes from another area in Colombia (drainages of the Rio Meta and the Rio Orituco). The two species are mixed only at the exporter. Mostly they are sold as a mix, you should know this if you want to build breeding groups.

Among themselves the large Panaque – they become consistently over 40 cm long, see https://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/fish-archives/we_can_big_too_l191_en/) are to some extent compatible, but they fight with each other and demand individual free space. Large aquariums must therefore be planned for if they are to be cared for, also because of the considerable amounts of feces that are produced when caring for these fish. An essential food component of the animals is soft wood. This has hardly any nutrients and therefore a Panaque eats a lot. And who eats a lot, the sh…, um, also puts down a lot of excrement.

For our customers: the animals have code 274404 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Apistogramma sp. Amaya

27. January 2023

New catch areas bring immediately new species! That these are also wonderfully colored animals, as in the case of the bright red Nannostomus or the Apistogramma sp. Amaya (also called A. sp. Cenepa II) presented here, is surprising. Because Peru is really well collected! But let’s not be surprised, but enjoy the beautiful new imports! The Rio Amaya in Peru is a tributary of the Rio Morono, which in turn is a left bank tributary of the Amazon, which there, in its upper reaches, is called Marañón. Both the Rio Amaya and the Rio Morono flow not far from the border of Peru with Ecuador. 

The photographed males of Apistogramma sp. Amaya are 4-5 cm long (including caudal fin) and obviously sexually mature. With their bright yellow chests and two-tipped, red-fringed caudal fin, they are truly beautiful. Among themselves the males are quite aggressive, at least clearly more aggressive than other Apistogramma, but more reserved towards the female. Naturally, there is no long-term experience with this novelty, but for the time being we recommend keeping them in pairs or one male with several females rather than keeping them in a group of both sexes.

For our customers: the fish have code 614963 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale. Unfortunately, the animals are already sold out, but we did not want to deprive you of this unusual beauty.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Corydoras sterbai WILD

25. January 2023

The splendid Corydoras sterbai probably knows every aquarist child. As one of the most beautiful corydoras at all it belongs to the standard offer of the pet trade and is bred in large quantities; there is also an albino breeding form, which does not occur in the wild.

Wild Corydoras sterbai from the Rio Guaporé in Brazil are rare to get and therefore definitely worth a mention once they are here.

For our customers: the animals have code 246003 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Labidochromis sp. “Mbamba”

23. January 2023

At first sight one could think Labidochromis sp. “Mbamba” (the species is not yet scientifically described) is a typical mbuna of Lake Malawi: blue ground color, zebra stripes. But in reality Labidochromis sp. “Mbamba” is quite different. It is not a mbuna in the real sense, which are known to be algae/Aufwuchs eaters and aggressively defend their relatively large territories, because algae growth is sparse there, but a small animal picker. This can also be seen by their single pointed, forward facing teeth, which are not at all suitable for scraping off algae/Aufwuchs. L. sp. “Mbamba” thus specifically picks up small food particles. It is considered one of the most peaceful Malawi cichlids, but this should always be seen relatively. Disheveled fins can also be found in this species from time to time.

In any case Labidochromis sp. “Mbamba” is a very shy fish. And he is very exciting to watch, because he changes his colors all the time. This is how these fish communicate. In neutral dress they are light blue, the vertical stripes rather indistinct, the fins nice yellow. Strongly disturbed they become dark blue. And the boss in the ring turns black in the head area, the vertical stripes stand out intensely. Females are very light blue, going into brownish. Males that are low in the rank order turn the same color as females. One can spend hours watching a troop of perhaps 15 or 20 specimens and studying their communication!

So far this species is only known from Mbamba Bay in Tanzania, hence the name, where the species exists in four known populations. In the aquarium the usual rules of Malawi cichlid care apply: as large as possible, well-structured aquariums (i.e. many rocks, caves, hiding places), clean water, temperatures around 24-28°C, pH not below 7.5. As far as nutrition is concerned, these fish are less sensitive to the “normal” ornamental fish diet, which for many growth-eating Mbunas is nevertheless too nutrient-rich, which is why they grow significantly larger in the aquarium than in nature. A good brand flake food and frozen food in the form of small crustaceans (Artemia, Daphnia, Cyclops) ensure healthy, colorful Labidochromis.

For our customers: the animals have code 541402 on our stocklist. Please note that we supply exclusively to wholesalers.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Symphysodon aequifasciatus “Royal Green Tefé”.

20. January 2023

The kings of the discus fishes are the “Royal” varieties. A discus is called Royal if green or blue pattern elements are spread over the entire body surface.  Among the green discus the Royal from Tefé in Brazil (which is also one of the type localities of S. aequifasciatus, i.e. the locality from which the specimens on which the scientific description is based were collected) is the legendarily most beautiful. Here one finds particularly many Royal fishes, which additionally have orange-red spots on the flanks.

However, it should be clear to every discus lover that there are royal fish in (almost) every discus population and that this is not a species or race characteristic, but an individual color variation. In nature royals and “normal” color varieties, which are far less attractive in our eyes, live together and form a reproductive community with them. Only in the export stations the animals are sorted by color. Just like the royal coloration, the eye coloration is not a race characteristic. There are always specimens with yellow and red iris ring among the wild fish.

We have very nice Royal selections of Tefé in the stock right now. Each fish is – seen for itself – a gem. Currently the animals have a length of 12-15 cm.

For our customers: the fish have code 733095 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Sturisomatichthys sp. Colombia II

20. January 2023

The whiptail catfishes belong to the popular and well breedable loricariids. For example, the Real Royal Farlowella (Sturisomatichthys festivus) has been in continuous breeding for almost 50 years, wild catches of this species are very rare. For other species, wild catches and offspring coexist in the hobby. 

In former times Sturisomatichthys was considered to mainly one species, the relatively small S. leightoni, while the other, larger species were counted to Sturisoma. Today it is different, almost all aquaristic important species of these catfishes are in Sturisomatichthys. The designations Sturisomatichthys sp. Colombia I and S. sp. Colombia II originate from the earlier times. At that time it was found that S. leightoni was almost never exported from Colombia, but two very similar other species, which have not yet been described scientifically. In respect of coloration Colombia I and Colombia II hardly differ. Colombia II, however, already as a relatively small fish, has many skin teeth (odontodes), i.e. bristles. In the import trade are mostly animals of the species Colombia I, which is also much bred.

We have now received German offspring of the original strain Colombia II from a breeder. The pretty animals have indeed already in the relatively small size, in which we can offer them (6-8 cm, the final size is around 10-15 cm) clear bristles, which can be seen best in the photo of the animal sucked at the front glass.

For our customers: the fish have code 294452 on our stock list. Please note that we supply only wholesale.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Corydoras condiscipulus

18. January 2023

Only very rarely this beautiful, long-snouted Corydoras reaches us, because the catch areas are far away from the usual routes. The species was scientifically described only in 1980, but it is known much longer. Because already in 1972 during the examination of the Corydoras material of the species Corydoras oiapoquensis it was noticed that beside round-nosed animals (these are the “real” Corydoras oiapoquensis) there are also long-nosed fish. At first it was thought at that time that this was the natural variability, but in 1980 it was decided to separate the long-nosed as a separate species Corydoras condiscipulus.

These two armored catfishes occur together in the Rio Oyapock in French Guyana; the species name condiscipulus means „schoolmate” because the two species swim together. There are hardly any ornamental fish exports from French Guyana; it is usually too expensive. But fortunately the Oyapock also flows in neighboring Brazil (state of Amapa) and so specimens from there come to us from time to time. By the way: we also received C. oiapoquensis, maybe more about that later…

For our customers: the animals have code 226105 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Lamprologus brevis

16. January 2023

Snail cichlids are fascinating animals. They have chosen empty snail shells – in Lake Tanganyika there are large accumulations of empty shells of snails of the genus Neothauma – as their center of life. Neothauma snails are with a diameter of 4-5 cm relatively large snails from the relationship of the mystery snails. However, in the aquarium snail cichlids are also satisfied with other snail shells of comparable size, e.g. Roman snail shells, which can be bought in the grocery store at any time. Here in the photo session we used the house of an Asian apple snail (Pila sp.).

There is disagreement about the genus of Lamprologus brevis. Some scientists assign only the species of the lower Congo to the genus Lamprologus and put all species of Lake Tanganyika in Neolamprologus (and other genera), others think this is nonsense and leave especially the snail cichlids (there are several species) in Lamprologus. For us aquarists it doesn’t matter, you should just know that Lamprologus brevis can also be found under the name Neolamprologus brevis. Both are the same species.

Lamprologus brevis was already described in 1899 from the area of Albertville, Congolese shore of Lake Tanganyika. Males grow to about 5 cm long, females remain somewhat smaller. Both partners inhabit the same snail shell. The area around their home snail shell is vigorously defended, but otherwise these small fish need little space because of their “house-hopping” habits. They will eat any common fish food. Both parents take care of the brood and often there are floor broods where the fry of several clutches live together with the parents in the same snail shell until the parents eventually chase the offspring away.

For our customers: the animals have code 542001 on our stocklist. Please note that we supply exclusively to wholesalers.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Pseudomugil luminatus „Blue“

13. January 2023

From Indonesia have received once again Neon Blueeye under the name Pseudomugil paskai. The first Neon Blueeye, the “Red Neon” (P. luminatus), was a sensation (see https://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/fish-archives/pseudomugil_cf_paskai_red_neon_en/) and also the yellow variant is beautiful (see https://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/fish-archives/pseudomugil_cf_paskai_en/).

Now we have obtained a third variant, which this time best corresponds to the “real” P. paskai, also a beautiful little animal. However, experts agree that this is also a color variant of P. luminatus, which we call P. luminatus “Blue” on our stock list. In contrast to the two previously imported forms, the Blue is much more surface oriented and almost always swims just below the water surface.

For our customers: the animals have code 446463 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Text & Photos: Frank Schäfer

Soon available: Rineloricaria aurata

13. January 2023

From Paraguay we regularly receive shipments of the small whiptail catfishes of the genus Rineloricaria. No less than 65 species are currently recognized, which makes identification in many cases almost impossible without knowledge of the origin. But in the case of Paraguay, there is a recent revision of the species known from this river system by Vera-Alcaraz et al. (2008), so at least trying to determine the exact species name is not just a waste of time.

Mostly, whiptail catfishes destined for export are collected from Paraguay not far from the capital Asunción. From there three species can be expected: R. aurata, R. lanceolata and R. parva. R. lanceolata and R. parva we receive regularly, see hhttps://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/fish-archives/rineloricaria_lanceolata_en/ and https://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/fish-archives/rineloricaria-parva-2/, R. aurata however (still) never – until some months ago.

Then we received a larger consignment of “Otocinlus negros”, which in reality is called Otothyropsis piribebuy. And with these animals were two whiptail catfish by-catches, which even developed to a pair, which belongs perfectly to the species Rineloricaria aurata! Why R. aurata comes so rarely to us is unknown. The species will probably not be rare in nature. But its behavior gives a hint: more than the other two species R. aurata tends to burrow. That’s why on all our photos there are always a few grains of sand on the animals. Without sandy bottom these fishes do not feel well! But in Paraguay they don’t bother to sift sandy areas to catch ornamental fish.

The pair went, after the animals had grown up and we had taken photos, to our proven breeder Kurt Jülich. What is almost unbelievable: the first juveniles are already swimming and most likely we will be able to offer Rineloricaria aurata, the Golden Witch Catfish, for sale for the first time soon! What a nice Christmas present…

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Danio nigrofasciatus

11. January 2023

The spotted danio (Danio nigrofasciatus) originates from Burma (Pegu and Mulmein) and is a close relative of the zebra danio (Danio rerio), to which it is completely similar in behavior. However, the spotted danio remains somewhat smaller with a maximum total length of 4 cm.

The cute schooling fish come from subtropical regions; in winter they are kept at 18-22°C, otherwise at 24-26°C, for breeding they are kept at 2°C higher.  They are absolutely peaceful and do not eat plants.

Like all Danio species, Danio nigrofasciatus is a free spawner, which likes to lay the eggs over fine-feathered plants. The parents care for the spawn only insofar as they like to eat it. Not every male harmonizes with every female and vize versa. Therefore breeding should be done best in a shoal. The spotted danio is by far not as productive as the zebra danio. In the trade are therefore mainly wild collected specimens.

For our customers: the fish have code 407642 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Pimelodus pictus

9. January 2023

Among the large antenna catfishes (Pimelodidae) Pimelodus pictus belongs to the dwarfs. Scientifically proven are 11-12 cm length, but in the aquarium, where these fish can become very old, also 25 cm are said to have occurred. In nature these fishes probably do not live longer than 2-3 years, the keeping record in the aquarium is 18 years. 

Anyway, P. pictus is a very attractive fish, if kept correctly. This includes a lot of swimming space, because the catfish is highly active, and company of at least 5, better 10 or more conspecifics. Individually kept specimens are shy. P. pictus, also known as Angel Catfish, is a diurnal catfish. Older specimens become calmer and appreciate retreats (roots and caves). Aquaristically, the species, which was scientifically described as early as 1876 and is very widely distributed in Amazonia (Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela), was not discovered until 1968. Aquaristic expeditions to Colombia led to the fish being initially imported into the United States. The fanciful name “Pimelodus angelicus” (i.e. “Angel-like Pimelodus”), which promoted sales, certainly contributed to its popularity, but also the fact that in the USA less importance was traditionally attached to planted aquariums. People preferred to keep relatively large, herbivorous, representative fish like the Silver Dollars (Metynnis and Myleus) and cichlids. There the Pimelodus pictus fitted well to it.

Pimelodus pictus leaves plants and even relatively small fish completely alone. However, to be on the safe side, by-fish should not be much smaller than about one third of the body length of the Pimelodus. No one has tried to breed these fish so far, which are free spawners without brood care, at least no breeding reports have become known.

For our customers: the fish have code 279804 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Ancistomus cf. sabaji L75 offspring

6. January 2023

We have received very nice offsprings of L75, which are currently 6-8 cm (26480-L 075x-2) and 10-12 cm (26480-L 075x-4) long. Here the report of the breeder, for which we thank very much:

hdrpl

Breeding report Ancistomus cf. sabaji L75

Until breeding L75 was a long way. I tried it for seven years with two groups. It turned out: patience is always the key to success with difficult plecos.

L75 is a pleco that has fascinated me for some time, so I was happy when I got three adults (two males and one female) in 2014. I had no success with this group, but six years later, in 2020, I bought seven more. Things went very quickly with this group. Several of the males showed interest in the caves, and I was happy to soon find one on a large clutch. The fight for the cave with other males stressed the brooding animal quite a bit, and after 3 days he threw the clutch out of the cave. 

I managed to recover about fifty eggs, but because of a fungus, only six hatched, all of which fortunately survived. Later I removed four adults, so I ended up with the breeding male and two presumed females. Further reproduction now went very well, with the male mating with both females and taking care of the eggs and young, this time without disturbance.

The adults are 20-25 cm and are fed an insect-based diet with some fresh fish and mussels. Soft, neutral water, 28-30 degrees Celsius. The number of eggs per clutch was 150-250, depending on the size of the female. The fry grow very well on a varied diet under the same conditions, are gray at first and get the leopard pattern at about 3 cm. All in all, due to its more active behavior compared to other plecos, L75 is a very entertaining species whose care and breeding can only be recommended. 

Knut Hatteland Sømme 

Parotocinclus bahiensis and P. cearensis

6. January 2023

The genus Parotocinclus currently exists in a kind of shadowy existence in aquaristics. In contrast to their cousins of the genus Otocinclus, hardly anyone knows these equally small loricariids, which are, however, equally zealous algae exterminators. We have received from the Northeast region (Região Nordeste), more precisely from the states of Cereá and Bahia of Brazil two species of Parotocinclus, which have not come to us before, at least not recognized: Parotocinclus bahiensis and P. cearensis.

Honestly we have to admit that the species identification of these animals is extremely tricky and therefore we simply rely on the expert judgement of our supplier in this case. There are at least 30 species of Parotocinclus! The care of our new imports is without any problems. They behave as you would expect from small sucking catfish, they are lively and not very shy. The expected final size is 4-5 cm for the females, which are significantly larger and more plump than the males.

For our customers: The animals have code 276462 (P. bahiensis) and 276472 (P. cearensis) on our stock list. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Corydoras kanei

4. January 2023

This pretty, at most 5 cm long corydoras wandered for many years under different names through the aquariums, until it was finally described in 1997 by Steven Grant as an independent species: Corydoras kanei. Unfortunately the description is flawed by the fact that the type specimens came from the trade and therefore the type locality is not exactly known (probably from the area of Boa Vista, Roraima, Brazil, maybe Rio Branco). This is a pity with this group of taxonomically complicated armored catfishes, but it cannot be helped.

Corydoras kanei is relatively easy to distinguish from all other spotted Corydoras with round, short snouts by the following combination of characteristics: a distinct eye mask is present; the first rays of the dorsal fin are usually black; there is no sharply defined saddle patch below the dorsal fin; a fine banding of the caudal fin composed of dots. Not everything is always pronounced in a perfect, textbook manner in every individual, but on the whole the species is readily recognizable, which, incidentally, Grant named after his sick son.

In the aquarium C. kanei is a pure joy, because it is a lively, hardly shy armored catfish, which is easy to maintain and also to breed.

For our customers: the animals have code 232802 on our stocklist. Please note that we supply only wholesale.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Oranda Red Cap

3. January 2023

One of the most popular goldfish breeds is the Oranda Red Cap. Its name is a Japanese corruption of the word for “Dutchman”, because the first Orandas came to Japan via a Dutch trading post in 1800; however, the animals were bred in China. The hood, called “wen” in technical jargon, is – technically speaking – a fat growth, as it occurs in nature, for example, in the minnow species Pimephales promelas. “High heads” are so particularly popular in Asia because the Chinese god of longevity (shou xing gong) is depicted with an elongated head.

Everything about the goldfish is symbolism. The coloration of the Oranda Red Cap reminds Asian enthusiasts of the crane with its red head plate, and the crane in turn is another symbol of longevity. It is believed that this breeding form originated around 1590. The ideal “Tancho” should have a compact hood, as high as possible, which does not reach the eye or mouth. A red ring around the eye is desirable. The body should be compact and silvery white in color, and the caudal fin should be large and as long as the body. Because of the huge genome of the goldfish, it is impossible to manifest the ideal form by breeding. Therefore, only a few individuals out of thousands are top animals.

In Europe, it is childhood memories that these fish awaken in people receptive to them. As the German name “Rotkäppchen-Oranda” says: the Brothers Grimm, whose folk tales have become general cultural heritage, cause associations to the fairy tale of Little Red Riding Hood when we see Red Cap Oranda.The compact goldfish breeding forms with their spherical head and the relatively large googly eyes also correspond to the so-called Kindchenschema, which arouses affection and protective instincts in humans. The colors red and white are festive colors, especially now, at Christmas time. 

Like all goldfish, these animals are gregarious and should be kept in a troop. The temperature of the water may be in the range of 10-30°C, admittedly sudden temperature changes should be strictly avoided. Part of the substrate must consist of fine sand, because all goldfish like to dig. Vegetable food – preferably duckweed – should not be missing on the menu, which otherwise may consist of dry and frozen food. Usually this breeding form reaches a body length (without fins) of about 15 cm, so it needs a corresponding water volume, because goldfish eat a lot. Year-round garden pond keeping is rarely possible in our latitudes, and in any case requires years of adaptation and careful observation of the animals. Keep in mind that many goldfish nowadays are bred in tropical areas where the water temperature hardly ever drops below 20°C.

For our customers: the animals have code 814501 on our stock list. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Glossolepis spec. “Gidomen Village”.

30. December 2022

In 2010 this beautiful rainbowfish was discovered on a private expedition in eastern West Papua. It lives there in the Taritatu River (former: Idenburg River). At first it was thought to be a Chilatherina species, but genetic studies rather point to Glossolepis. The species could be brought back alive and propagated in the aquarium. Nowadays captive bred specimens even appear in the regular trade (eg not only among spezialised hobbyists), so good was the success to establish the species in the hobby.

This slender Glossolepis becomes about 12 cm long, females remain smaller. The photographed specimens are 8-9 cm long. A particularly striking feature of this species is the red anterior dorsal stripe, which the females also show, although much weaker than the males. In the high courtship (in this mood the animals come naturally in the photo tank hardly) the body ground coloration darkens to a wonderful blue.

For our customers: the fish have code 417603 on our stocklist. Please note that we supply exclusively to wholesalers.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Craterocephalus stercusmuscarum

30. December 2022

Similar to rainbowfishes, hardyheads (Craterocephalus) are exclusive elements of the Australian fauna. That is, they are found only on the Australian continent and offshore islands (including New Guinea) that formed the large landmass called the Sahul during the Ice Age. Craterocephalus have two separate dorsal fins and, like rainbowfishes, belong to the mullet relatives, but in a different lineage called silverside relatives.

Aquaristically Craterocephalus hardly appeared outside Australia so far. We have now received from Indonesia – probably from the Indonesian part of the island of New Guinea known as Papua – hardyheads that are most likely Craterocephalus stercusmuscarum. This species grows to 9 cm long and there is also some aquaristic experience with it. It is considered to be very durable and peaceful. Concerning the water composition there are no special demands, a temperature between 24 and 28°C suits it. They will eat any common ornamental fish food, including dry food. The fish spawn on fine plants, they do not practice broodcare. There are hardly any external sex differences, females become a little more plump and the yellow coloration of the belly is less pronounced.

All in all Craterocephalus stercusmuscarum is a pretty, if not very colorful fish, but because of its unusual body shape it enriches a community aquarium very much. Craterocephalus should always be kept in a group, single individuals do not feel well.

For our customers: the animals have code 412453 on our stocklist. Please note that we supply exclusively to wholesalers.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Schistura cf. quasimodo

28. December 2022

A funny name for a funny loach! In 2000, Kottelat assigned it to a loach from Laos when describing it scientifically. Quasimodo was the hunchbacked bell-ringer in a world-famous novel by Victor Hugo. And the loach from Laos has a hump – hence the name. However, the loach from Laos has a second characteristic that is extremely unusual for loaches. Loaches are bottom-dwelling fish and eat from the bottom. Accordingly, the mouth slit is directed downwards (underslung). Not so with Schistura quasimodo. Here the mouth fissure is almost horizontal (subterminal).

We have now received for the first time a loach from northern Thailand, which also has a clearly terminal mouth. It differs from Schistura quasimodo from Laos by the absence of the hump – but this may be a matter of age – and coloration. S. quasimodo is striped (juveniles up to 10 stripes, 6-8 in adults of 5-6 cm length), ours are monochromatic. Therefore we assume that our fishes are a scientifically undescribed species.

At present our animals are 4-6 cm long, it is expected that they will grow another 1-2 cm. Among themselves they are peaceful, but it is obvious that we have no long-term experience with the animals yet.

For our customers: the fish have code 454862 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Dear ornamental fish friends around the world,

23. December 2022

an emotional and eventful year 2022 lies behind us. And the coming year 2023 certainly holds many challenges for all of us in view of the world political situation and the still raging pandemic. That’s why this Christmas, even more than usual, we hope that you and your loved ones will be able to find a few days of peace and quiet and wish you strength, happiness and health for the New Year!

The team of Aquarium Glaser

Rubricatochromis: a new genus name for the red jewel cichlids

23. December 2022

Red jewel cichlids are among the most popular aquarium fishes of all. For over 100 years, they have delighted aquarists around the world with their blaze of color and wonderful breeding habits. There is disagreement about the number of species, because these fish are very variable. Until now the red jewel cichlids were known under the generic name Hemichromis.

It has always been known that Hemichromis consist of two very different groups of species, namely the so-called five-spotted cichlids and the already mentioned red jewel cichlids. The five-spotted cichlids were recently (November 2022) subjected to a scientific revision by A. Lamboj and S. Koblmüller. One of the results was that the red jewel cichlids and the five-spotted cichlids are not as closely related as previously thought, but represent different evolutionary lineages. Accordingly, they must be in different genera. Type species of Hemichromis is a five-spotted cichlid (H. fasciatus), so the five-spotted cichlids remain in Hemichromis, while for the red jewel cichlids a new generic name had to be coined: Rubricatochromis. This means nothing else than “red coloured perch”. Type species is Rubricatochromis guttatus.

The following species are now in the new classification: 

Hemichromis Peters, 1858, with four species:

Hemichromis angolensis Steindachner, 1865

Hemichromis camerounensis Bitja-Nyom, Agnése, Pariselle, Bilong-Bilong & Snoeks, 2021

Hemichromis elongatus (Guichenot, 1861)  

Hemichromis fasciatus Peters, 1858 

The species H. frempongi Loiselle, 1979, has already been synonymized with H. fasciatus by Bitja-Nyom et al., 2021.

Rubricatochromis Lamboj & Koblmüller, 2022, with nine described species:

Rubricatochromis bimaculatus (Gill, 1862). 

Rubricatochromis cerasogaster (Boulenger, 1898) 

Rubricatochromis cristatus (Loiselle, 1979) 

Rubricatochromis exsul (Trewavas, 1933)

Rubricatochromis guttatus (Günther, 1862) 

Rubricatochromis letourneuxi (Sauvage, 1880) 

Rubricatochromis lifalili (Loiselle, 1979) 

Rubricatochromis paynei (Loiselle, 1979) 

Rubricatochromis stellifer (Loiselle, 1979)

and at least four scientifically not yet described taxa:

Rubricatochromis sp. „Gabon“

Rubricatochromis sp. „Guinea 1“

Rubricatochromis sp. „Guinea 2“

Rubricatochromis sp. „neon“

Literature:

Lamboj, A. & S. Koblmüller (2022): Molecular phylogeny and taxonomic revision of the cichlid genus Hemichromis (Teleostei, Cichliformes, Cichlidae), with description of a new genus and revalidation of H. angolensis. Hydrobiologia, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-022-05060-y

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Hoplocharax goethei

23. December 2022

Do you know this tetra? The species is unusual in several respects! First of all there is its strange species name, goethei. Was the species named after our poet prince and universal genius, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe? Unfortunately no. It was dedicated to the controversial eugenicist Charles Matthias Goethe (1875-1966). But that is rather beside the point. The little fish – it grows to only 3-4 cm in length – looks at first glance like perhaps the most common tetra in Amazonia, Hemigrammus bellottii, but it belongs to a completely different family and is actually a closer relative to predatory tetras such as the freshwater barracudas of the genus Acestrorhynchus. What you can’t see with the naked eye is that the dentition of Hoplocharax goethei is not made up of jagged incisors like Hemigrammus bellottii but of needle-sharp fangs! Nevertheless, this miniature predator is a peaceful animal that will not harm any of its equally sized tankmates. Maybe the fish prefers to eat fish larvae in nature, who knows? In the aquarium it accepts any common fish food, including dry food. By the way, the bright red eye of Hoplocharax goethei is much more brilliantly colored than in any other tetra species.

Until recently Hoplocharax goethei was imported rather accidentally as cardinal tetra bycatch from Colombia and Brazil; these were mostly single specimens. For some years we have been able to import a somewhat larger number of animals from Venezuela from time to time. Maybe one day we will even succeed in breeding them? 

For our customers: the animals have code 258853 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Text & Photos: Frank Schäfer

Corydoras “punctatus” Nanay

21. December 2022

There is a saying: “The Internet forgets nothing”. This may be true, but books are even more durable, especially if errors have been printed in them. These are often so stubborn that one could almost despair. This is what happened to a very pretty armored catfish that occurs in huge numbers in the tri-border area of Peru-Colombia-Brazil, i.e. in the upper Amazon. Because it is so common, it was also brought to Europe early, to Germany in 1935, when it was misidentified as Corydoras punctatus (which is a completely different species that looks similar to C. julii), an error that was carried over into the most important identification book on exotic ornamental fishes at the time, the “Arnold-Ahl”, in 1936. Since then, this error has apparently stuck, and exporters still send this species (and some close relatives that look very similar) under this misnomer. In reality it is a species from the close relationship of C. agassizii and C. ambiacus. Since this group of species is scientifically very poorly researched, nothing can be said for sure, but it is very probable that this particular Corydoras is scientifically still undescribed and best named Corydoras sp. aff. agassizii.

The species is, as already mentioned, widespread in the entire upper Amazonas drainage up to at least Manaus in Brazil and appears here in huge swarms. A particularly nice variety comes from the Rio Nanay in Peru, which we currently have in stock. The Rio Nanay is a left bank Amazon tributary and about 450 km long. It is considered a blackwater river. Concerning the water values and the care Corydoras “punctatus” Nanay is however everything else than demanding. Only breeding has not been successful yet, which is probably due to the fact that the animals spawn at night and are strong spawn predators, which is why the egg blessing has already landed in the stomach of the parents before the breeder notices anything.

For our customers: the fish have code 242053 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Brachyhypopomus brevirostris

19. December 2022

Knifefishes are found in Africa, Asia, and South America, with Old World and New World species not closely related. As aquarium fishes, knifefishes are particularly attractive because their elegant swimming style, created by the long anal fin extending over the belly and tail, is fascinating to watch. Like ghosts, the animals glide forward as well as backward through the water.

We currently have a very rare imported knifefish in the stock. Brachyhypopomus brevirostris is a species that grows to about 20-40 cm in length but only as thick as a thumb. It is a representative of the family Hypopomidae. B. brevirostris is widespread in South America, our animals come from Peru. Males and females clearly differ in head shape, males also grow larger and in uninjured specimens they also have a small caudal fin, which females lack. However, in their native habitat, many fish apparently specialize in biting off part of the tail of knifefish. Therefore, South American knifefishes are the only fishes that can regenerate the tail including the spine.

Among themselves Brachyhypopomus are pleasantly peaceful. They are small carnivores, easy to feed with frozen and live food. Like all South American knifefish, they possess a weakly electrical organ that they use much like bats use their ultrasound. This allows South American knifefish to move in complete darkness without ever bumping into anything.

For our customers: the animals have code 210803 on our stock list. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Text & Photos: Frank Schäfer

Tetranematichthys wallacei

16. December 2022

At present three species of the strange genus Tetranematichthys are distinguished. None of them comes more frequently or even regularly into the trade, because their hidden way of life makes their catch a pure matter of luck. So we were particularly pleased to be able to import the species T. wallacei from Colombia. We are even more pleased that sexually mature males and females are included in the import.

As in the closely related genus Ageinosus, male Tetranematichthys develop a huge dorsal fin at breeding time. The male uses the heavily spined dorsal fin spine to clamp the female during mating. Fertilization occurs internally with a penis-like structure formed from the anteriormost rays of the anal fin. After the reproductive period, both sexual characteristics are said to regress and then become almost indistinguishable from that of the female.

T. wallacei differs from the identically colored species T. quadrifilis by the profile of the underside of the head. The cheeks of T. wallacei run almost parallel on the left and right side, while in T. quadrifilis the distance between left and right head edge increases clearly recognizable towards the abdomen. 

These highly interesting and rare catfishes reach about 20 cm total length. They feed predatorily, preferred food being small fish. An aquarium for Tetranematichthys should contain a fine sandy bottom, be dimly lit and contain plenty of root wood for hiding. During the day the animals often lie on their sides sleeping, this is quite normal and need not worry the keeper. Among themselves Tetranematichthys are completely peaceful.

For our customers: the fish have code 296415 on our stock list. Please note that we only supply wholesale. 

Lexicon: Tetranematichthys: means “fish with four filaments”, referring to the barbels. wallacei: dedication name for Alfred Russel Wallace (1823-1913).

Suggested common name: Wallace’s root dolphin catfish.

Text & Photos: Frank Schäfer

Datnioides polota

16. December 2022

From India (Orissa) we have received quite adorable tiger perch babies of the species Datnioides polota. Most of the only 1-2 cm long babies still have the dark baby dress, which is only interrupted in the front third of the body by a bright band. But single animals change already into the adult dress, which is silver-colored with vertical dark bands. Cheeky as Oskar they roam the aquarium and are incredibly curious.

Tiger perch (Datnioides) are large, magnificent fish. As predatory fish, they develop significantly more behavior that seems intelligent to us humans than most other fish. Datnioides species grow up to 30 cm long. Accordingly, they need large aquariums, not so much for swimming space as for water stress. Such a large tiger perch eats quite a lot during a meal and everything that disappears through the gullet in the body (live and frozen food of all kinds), comes converted back into the water. And that’s why you need volume, otherwise there will be a water chemical catastrophe.

But true tiger perch fans provide large aquariums for the animals anyway. In the many years that a tiger perch accompanies its keeper through life, the animal becomes tame and develops into a real pet! Among themselves tiger perch are relatively compatible, other fish that do not come into question as food, they ignore. Datnioides polota is a brackish water fish that is also commonly found in pure freshwater. Aquaristically, it has been found to be best to make sure that the pH does not drop below 8 on a permanent basis.

For our customers: the animals have code 414051 on our stocklist. Please note that we supply exclusively to wholesalers.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Cyphocharax multilineatus

15. December 2022

This interesting species, which we obtained from Venezuela, belongs to the Curimata-relationship. At the first glimps it reminds one strongly to the well known headstander (Chilodus punctatus), but it can be easily recognized by the black stripe through the eye. Moreover, Cyphocharax swims in a “normal” horizontal way.

Cyphocharax feed on Aufwuchs and look the whole day through on stones, roots, and plants for algae and the small animals inside them. Against each other C. multilineatus are very peaceful. Maximum length reported for the species is about 10 cm.

We have also made a small film about these fish, which you can watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uaKiKAcnTI

For our customers: the fish has code 251353 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.

Lexicon: Cyphocharax: from ancient Greek, means “Charax with a hump”; Charax is another genus of tetra. multilineatus: Latin, means “with many stripes”. Chilodus: ancient Greek, means “with teeth on the lips”. punctatus: Latin, means “spotted”.

Suggestion of a common name: Golden Mascara Tetra

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer