Author Archives: Paul_

The complete opposite to the Yellow Phantom Tetra is the Giant Waterwolve. This fish-eating predator attains a maximum length of 75 cm and is thus the largest species of the four members of the genus Hydrolycus. Of course this animal is much sought after by owners of really big tanks and public aquaria; sadly larger specimens are difficult to transport and this is the reason why the fish that is anything but rare in the wild is hardly ever imported.

We tried really long and now finally managed to import a larger number of juveniles from the Orinoco which are perfectly suited for the acclimatization in aquaria. Now enthusiasts have the unique chance even to keep a group of these fascinating predators. Against conspecifics and other species of fish that are too big to be seen as prey Hydrolycus are absolutely peaceful.

For our customers: the fish have code 259631 (4-6 cm) and 259632 (5-7 cm) on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.

Lexicon: Hydrolycus: means “water wolve”. armatus: means “armoured”.

Common name: Giant Waterwolve

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Finally we were able to organize again an import from the Congo. The shipment contained two very pretty species of Distichodus. They look quite similar on the first glimpse. Both species become about 15-20 cm long.

For our customers: the fish have code 127002 (D. noboli) and 123002 (D. affinis) on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

We
can offer currently three of the extremely attractive, only very
occasionally imported species of Iguanodectes. from Venezuela arrived
Iguanodectes geisleri (see http://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/fish-archive/tetras-en/south-america-en/Iguanodectes_geisleri_en/) and I. adujai, and from Brazil we obtained a species that porbably represents I. purusii.

For
our customers: the animals have code 264612 (I. geisleri), 264353 (I.
adujai), and 264402 (I. cf. purusii) on our stocklist. Please note that
we exclusively supply the wholesale trade. Available in very limited
numbers only!

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

We received charming and very pretty juveniles of the Redtail barracuda tetra Acestrorhynchus falcatus from Peru. One day the fish will become around 30 cm long. Currently they are about 6-8 cm long. This size is perfect for a complication-free acclimatation.

For our customers: the fish have code 201701 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.

Lexicon: Acestrorhynchus: menas “needle-snout”. falcatus: means “like a falcon”.

Common name: Redtail barracuda tetra

Text & photo: Frank Schäfer

Sometimes we obtain animals as so-called accidental catches. And sometimes these fish have never been reported so far from the area we got them from. The silver widow tetra (Gymnocorymbus thayeri) is a close relative to one of the most popular tetras in the hobby, the black widow tetra (G. ternetzi). Both look quite similar to each other, but the silver widow has a golden or silver basic colour and an attractive, copper-red eye.
The silver widow is reported so far only from the upper Amazon in Bolivia and Colombia and in Brazil. We now received three specimens as by-catch to a new species of Serrapinnus from Peru (see http://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/serrapinnus-sp-aff-kriegi-peru_de_1578.html). To the best of our knowledge this is the first report of G. thayeri for Peru.
However, it is possible that our fish represent also a new species. Thus we decided to name them cf. thayeri (cf. stands for “confer”, a Latin word that means “compare with”).

Lexicon: Gymnocorymbus: means “with naked crest”; this refers to the scaleless region in the neck. thayeri: dedication name for N. Thayer, who sponsored an important ichtyological expedition through South America from 1865-1866.

Common name: Silver widow tetra

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

The tetras which were called “Cheirodon” for decades are splitted now in several genera: Nanocheirodon, Compsura, Odontostilbe, Serrapinnus, and Cheirodon. They all have a generalized pattern with a black caudal spot and light spots above and below it.

We currently received a pretty species of that group from Peru. Sadly we were not able to determine it yet. Initially we thought they might belong to the species Cheirodon luelingi, but this could not be verified. Obviously our fish represents a (at least for Peru) new species of the genus Serrapinnus (this genus is defined by a strange, saw-like structure right before the ventral border of the caudal fin, which is formed from the so-called interhaemalia), which is very close to the well known S. kriegi from Paraguay.

So we call our fish now Serrapinnus sp. aff. kriegi “Peru”. Our largest specimens are about 4 cm long and obviously sexually mature. The animals are absolutely peaceful, very lively and healthy.

For our customers: the fish have code 217053 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.

Lexicon: Serrapinnus: means “saw-fin”. kriegi: dedication name for the German zoologist Hans Krieg (1888-1970).

Suggestion of a common name: Peruvian Threespot Tetra

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

This beautiful tetra originates from West Africa. The fish becomes only 3-4 cm long. Nevertheless it should be kept in comparatively large aquaria, for it loves to swim a lot. The males can be easily recognized by the shape of the anal fin. The sense of that structure is not researched yet.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Hatched fishes belong to very few species of fish that are able to fly. A hatched fish on the run jumps out of the water and uses the pectoral fins just like wings. So these tiny, only 5-6 cm long species can jump several meters. The typical hatched belly is also an adaption for flying, because it is needed for the necessary musculature.

Text & photo: Frank Schäfer

We received this beautiful tetra fro Venezuela. So far we were not able yet to determine it exactly.

For our customers: the fish has code 261352 on our stocklist. Please note the we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

so interesting from a biological point of view that every aquarist should know them.

Currently four species of sabertooth-tetras are distinguished. All have in common extremely large, saber-shaped teeth in the lower jaw that are used to spear other fish. In the upper jaw are holes in the bone that have the function of sheaths for the saberteeth when the mouth is closed.

Most often the orange-finned Hydrolycus tatauaia is imported, a species that attains a maximum length of about 40 cm. This fish occurs in Brazil, Colombia, Guyana, Peru, and Venezuela. H. armatus occurs in the very same range. It differs from H. tatauaia by the grey to black fins, a different-shaped spot behind the opercle, a less curved belly and (this is most easily recognizable) a species-specific colored adipose fin. To make sure that all these differences can be clearly recognized, we have made an exception and have knocked out the background of the photo of our freshly imported, about 25-30 cm long specimen.

For our customers: the fish has code 259368 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade. Only one specimen available!

Lexicon: Hydrolycus: means “water wolf”. armatus: means “armed”. tatauaia: from the Tupi language, means “fire tail”, referring to the orange-red caudal fin.

Suggestion of a common name: Great Sabertooth-Tetra

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Initially, this charming dwarf tetra was described from the island of Trinidad. The maximum length is 2 cm in males and about 3 cm in females. Now we received a shipment with wild collected specimens from Venezuela. The beautiful animals fit quite good to the description of H. axelrodi, the calypsotetra; the scientist Taphorn determined the species in 1992 tentatively as Megalamphodus cf. axelrodi.

Regarding the generic name this tetra has undergone a real odyssey. It was initially described under the generic name of Aphyocharax, in 1977 Géry placed it in Megalamphodus with question mark. In 1997 Weitzman and Palmer dissolved the genus Megalamphodus and the calypsotetra was placed in Hyphessobrycon. Today Megalamphodus is regarded again as a valid genus by most scientists, but if the calypsotetra belongs to that genus is still an open question. So it is most often placed in Hyphessobrycon currently.

Despite all this confusion the fish is as beautiful and easy to keep as a fish can be and an ideal inhabitant of so-called nano tanks.

For our customers: the fish have code 259472 on our stocklist. Please note that we received that fish mixed with other tetras and are not able to ship it assorted. Please understand that we exlusively supply the wholesale trade.

Lexicon: Aphyocharax: means “small Charax”; Charax is another genus of tetra. Hyphessobrycon: means “small Brycon”; Brycon is another genus of tetra. Megalamphodus: means “with spacious ways”; this refers to anatomical details. axelrodi: dedication name for Herbert Axelrod.

Common name: Calypsotetra

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

For the first time ever we managed to import this breathtaking species of tetra from Venezuela. The about 4 cm long fish always swim in closely aggregated schools. They settled in our fishhouse without problems, but for the photographer these fish are a real challenge. The brilliant glittering colours – blue, green, violet – vanished completely under the flashlight or the fish looked silvery all over the body. Only after a lot of trials we managed to find a position for the flash that allowed to illustrate this fish as beautiful as it looks to the eye of the observer.

For our customers: the animals have code 258373 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Black Phantom Tetra

The Black Phantom Tetra belongs to the most common species of fish in the aquarium trade. It originates from the Mato Grosso in Brazil, but all fish in the hobby are bred ones. Wild collected specimens do not appear in the trade, because decades of selective breeding produced so pretty fish that wild fish would be rejected by the customers as bad coloured! Especiallay the attarctive smoky black basic coloration is much paler in wild fish.

The Black Phantom Tetra is the type species of the genus Megalamphodus. That genus has been taken for a while as synonymous with Hyphessobrycon. Nowadays most specialists think that Megalamphodus is a valid genus. One should know that the fish can be found in literature under the names of Megalamphodus megalopterus and Hyphessobrycon megalopterus. Both names stand for the same species of fish.

Black Phantom Tetra become around 4 cm long and are ideal tankmates for cardinal tetras and other, very colourful species of fish, because the rather dull colours of the Black Phantom Tetra makes the other fish shine brighter. Besides this it is fascinating to observe the males displaying with all fins spread. It looks as if the fish would sail around each other.

For our customers: the animals have code 266904 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.

Lexicon: Megalamphodus: means “with spacious ways”; this refers to anatomical details. megalopterus: means “with very large fins”. Hyphessobrycon: means “small Brycon”. Brycon is another genus of tetra.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

We could import this pretty tetra from Venezuela. There is no doubt that it represents a close relative of Hyphessobrycon metae. The broad stripe in the caudal fin of our fish is the main difference.

For our customers: the animals have code 261352 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

If you ever wondered what gives Amazonian small fish nightmares, here’s the answer. Hydrolycus tatauaia is a saber-toothed tetra that impales its prey with the extremely elongated teeth in its lower jaw, making escape impossible. Once the prey has wriggled to death, it is devoured. These teeth are so long that when the mouth is closed, they are pushed into specially designed cavities in the upper jaw and skull, like a saber into a sheath. Sweet dreams…

In terms of color, Hydrolycus tatauaia, which by the way is widely distributed in the warm clear water rivers of tropical South America (Amazonas, Orinoco, Guyana countries) and can grow a good 60 cm long and weigh 2.7 kg, is the prettiest of its clan. Not only the fins are strongly tinted red-orange, also the back shows this tint. Among themselves and against fish that are not considered food, Hydrolycus are peaceful. One must be rather careful whom one puts to the saber-toothed tetras, because they are somewhat jumpy and cannot deal well with boorish behavior.

It goes without saying that such fish are only suitable for specialists and show aquariums. For the care it is very important that the water is as little bacterial loaded as possible, saber-toothed tetras like it warm (26-30°C) and have a high metabolism, therefore a good biological filtration is indispensable. 

For our customers: the animals have code 259336 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer