We have received again some juveniles of the very rarely imported large barb Hypselobarbus jerdoni. It is an endemic species of southern India, where it is found in the states of Karnataka and Kerala. With a maximum final length of 50 cm, H. jerdoni is only suitable for really large aquariums.
Here the current-loving, peaceful fish is a real eye-catcher. The brilliant orange pelvic fins are its unique selling point, something you won’t find in any other barb species. In nature, the animal performs spawning migrations of up to 100 km in length. From this it can be concluded that it is a powerful swimmer, capable of overcoming obstacles. If you want to catch H. jerdoni from the aquarium, it sometimes shows what it is made of and jumps from a standing position over 50 cm high vertically out of the water – although our animals are only 6-8 cm long! But nevertheless the species is anything but shy.
For our customers: the animals have code 421592 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
The juveniles of all goldfish breeds are wild colored up to a length of about 4 cm, i.e. gray-green with a brass sheen. That is why there are never very small goldfish in the trade. The first juveniles from this spring have now colored up and are available, a very good opportunity for those who may even have breeding thoughts themselves; because only if you start with small juveniles, you as a breeder have full control over the optimal conditions according to your own philosophy.
Up to 120 species of Asian small barbs were formerly assigned to the genus Puntius. It was already clear for decades that Puntius is not a real relationship group, but a collective pot for most different small barb groups. That is why many even preferred the classification of the Asian small barbs with Barbus, just as wrong, but this was to avoid overlooking previously described species in new discoveries.
A revision of Puntius always failed because of the mass of species, especially since alpha systematics within the group is only unsatisfactorily understood. Alpha-systematics means the knowledge about the actually existing species. But then one took heart (more precisely: it was Pethiyagoda et al., 2012) and just started. There was then some back and forth, some newly created genera had to be renamed again, others were further subdivided, but in the meantime one gets along quite well and knows the new genus names Dawkinsia, Desmopuntius, Haludaria, Oliotius, Pethia, Puntigrus, Sahyadria and Striuntius.
Somewhat lost in the corona buzz is the listing of the new genus Waikhomia by Katwate et al. 2020. This new genus includes only two South Indian species, namely W. sayadriensis and W. hira. Both species look very similar to each other. W. hira differs from the aquaristically better known W. sahyadriensis in the arrangement and expression of the spots on the flanks. In W. sahyadriensis these are large, oval and there are also spots in the dorsal region, in W. hira the relatively small, round spots are limited to a kind of band along the middle of the body.
Now a molecular biological treatment of the group was published by Sudasinghe et al., 2023. Here three more genera are established for small barbs from Sri Lanka and from South India, namely Rohanella (type species Puntius titteya), Plesiopuntius (type species Gnathopogon bimaculatus) and Bhava (type species Puntius vittatus). All three genera are monotypic for the time being, i.e. only one species is assigned to each of them.
Most significant aquaristically is Rohanella titteya, the Cherry barb. It is interesting to note that molecular data show no differences among the various known populations of this species, although they are quite distinct in color.
The Redside barb, Plesiopuntius bimaculatus, is very much out of fashion. In the 1950s and 1960s it was a popular aquarium fish. The species exists not only in Sri Lanka, but also in mainland India. Several distinct lineages have been identified molecularly, but this has not (yet) resulted in the split of the species.
The Greenstripe barb, Bhava vittata, was a popular aquarium fish at the same time as the Redside barb, nowadays it is found, if at all, only in the tanks of special barb enthusiasts. The species is widely distributed in Sri Lanka and southern India, and is also found in Bengal. The small common barb occurs opportunistically in numerous types of water.
Text & photos: Frank Schäfer
Literature
Katwate, U., P. Kumkar, R. Raghavan and N. Dahanukar (2020): Taxonomy and systematics of the ‘Maharaja Barbs’ (Teleostei: Cyprinidae), with the description of a new genus and species from the Western Ghats, India. Zootaxa 4803 (no. 3): 544-560.
Pethiyagoda, R., M. Meegaskumbura and K. Maduwage (2012): A synopsis of the South Asian fishes referred to Puntius (Pisces: Cyprinidae). Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters v. 23 (no. 1): 69-95.
Sudasinghe, H. Rüber, L. & M. Meegaskumbura (2023): Molecular phylogeny and systematics of the South Asian freshwater-fish genus Puntius (Teleostei: Cyprinidae). Zoologica Scripta (online): 1-17
With the energy crisis, fish species that do not require supplemental heating are increasingly becoming the focus of attention. Among these species is Sarcocheilichthys davidi, a bottom-oriented carp fish from China found in the Yangtze River basin.
This species grows to a maximum size of 10 cm. Our first thought when we unpacked the fish was: boah, huge brass barbs! Actually they are very beautiful fish, but unfortunately also very shy. Therefore they show only hints of their possible colorfulness. Males get a fiery red head at spawning time and the typical spawning rash on the snout of so many carp fish. It is important for the animals to have a quiet tank location, large aquariums with plenty of shelters in the form of roots.
Sarcocheilichthys davidi is very peaceful and sociable. It is favorable if the animals are kept together with other peaceful fish from similar climates, these may even be goldfish, which take away their shyness.
For our customers: the animals have code 453703 on our stock list. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
From 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.
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.
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.
At the moment we can again offer Horadandia from South India (Kerala). This miniature fish is also known as the dwarf fire rasbora, as they are closely related to the fire rasboras of the genus Rasboroides. Horadandia reach only a length of 1,5-2 cm.
For a long time it was believed that there was only one species, Horadandia atukorali. It was discovered in 1943 on Sri Lanka, later Horadandia was also found in South India. The South Indian population was described as subspecies H. a. brittani in 1992, but this subspecies was initially not accepted by the scientific community and declared synonymous. It was not until 2013 that another revision of the genus revealed that brittani was not only valid, but even an independent species. With the naked eye no differences are to be recognized however, so in the trade mostly no distinction is made between H. atukorali and H. brittani. Our animals belong to H. brittani.
Despite their small size, Horadandia are robust and easy to care for fish, which are ideal for nano aquariums. They should be kept in shoals. The water values (pH-value and hardness) are insignificant for the care, every drinkable water is suitable. The water temperature can be between 22 and 28°C.
For our customers: the animals have code 121673 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesalers.
A typical companion fish of harlequin barbs (Trigonostigma), chocolate gouramis (Sphaerichthys) and other blackwater fish is Rasbora einthovenii. The species is unfortunately very rarely imported, although it has a large range. It is found on the large Sunda islands of Sumatra and Borneo, on the Malay Peninsula and in southern Thailand in suitable biotopes. Usually it is found in moderately flowing, small streams, which are only a few meters wide and 1-2 meters deep.
At first sight R. einhovenii resembles the ubiquitous longitudinal striped rasboras of Southeast Asia (Rasbora paviana and related species), but a closer look reveals the species-typical characteristics: the somewhat stocky build with the relatively blunt head profile, the fact that the longitudinal black stripe runs through the middle of the caudal fin (this ends at the base of the caudal fin in all other longitudinal striped rasboras), and the delicate blue and pink longitudinal stripes above the prominent black band.
Rasbora einthovenii usually reaches a length of 5-6 cm, but can grow up to 9 cm in exceptional cases. It is a perfect community fish for well planted aquariums with dark substrate and peaceful fish, such as labyrinths, barbs, etc. They are typical free spawners, caring for spawn and juveniles only insofar as they see them as a change from their usual diet. External sex differences are only weakly pronounced, males are slightly smaller and more delicate than females.
For our customers: the fish have code 451902 on our stock list. Please note that we supply exclusively to wholesalers.
This beautiful danio comes from Burma. It looks like the big brother of Microrasbora rubenscens. Males become wonderful red. Temperature: 18-28°, the water should preferably be rather hard and alcalic than soft and acidic, the fish is a peaceful schooling fish that attains a maximum length of around 5-7 cm.
For our customers: the fish has code 414402 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
From Thailand we just received once again the dwarfish brilliant redfin rasbora, Rasbora rubrodorsalis. This species was recognized as a distinct species only late, in 1997, although it is widely distributed in Southeast Asia (Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam). It was formerly thought to be a juvenile form of the similar species Rasbora borapetensis. Unlike R. borapetensis, R. rubrodorsalis has a red spot in the dorsal fin and remains much smaller with a maximum standard length of 3 cm (not including the caudal fin). R. borapetensis grows twice as large to 6 cm standard length.
Rasbora rubrodorsalis is an excellent schooling fish for planted aquariums with Southeast Asian character. This extremely peaceful species is very adaptable. In nature the water temperatures vary seasonally in the range of below 20°C (November to February) and above 30°C (March to October). There are also no special requirements regarding the water values. Females become sexually mature at about 2 cm in length. Males are generally somewhat smaller and more delicate. In the wild, these animals are short-lived and reproduce year-round. In a scientific study that intensively studied these fishlets in Laos for a year, the oldest specimen found in the wild was 121 days old (a female), the oldest male was 92 days old, and sexual maturity sets in at around 50 days of age. In the aquarium, however, the fish grow much older, 2-3 years.
For our customers: the animals have code 452862 on our stock list. Please note that we supply only wholesale.
The small fishes of North America are rather unknown in Europe. Yet the genus Notropis alone includes 91 accepted species! Many of them are very colorful at spawning time. In their native country Notropis species are called “shiners” in the sense of a shining object, so much do the colors of these fish shine. But unfortunately they only show this from time to time. Especially the juveniles are quite inconspicuous.
Notropis lutipinnis is native to the Atlantic side of the continent in the USA and is found from the Santee River in North Carolina to the Altamaha River, upper Chattahoochee River and upper Coosa River system in Georgia; further occurrences are known from the Little Tennessee River system in North Carolina. Here it inhabits smaller standing and flowing waters with rocky bottoms and clear water in the headwaters of the above rivers. The species reaches a length of about 7.5 cm including the caudal fin. They are peaceful schooling fish, roughly comparable in aquarium biology to our native minnows (Phoxinus phoxinus). Feeding is done with all common ornamental fish food of suitable size, any tap water suitable as drinking water is also suitable for the care of the fish.
We can now offer for the first time offspring of this beautiful species and thank the breeder very much for providing us with pictures of the courtship active parents. The whitish animals are by no means the females, but simply specimens that are not in spawning mood. Females that are ready to spawn differ only slightly in color from the males.
According to their origin, Notropis lutipinnis are “energy-saving fish” that do not require additional heating in the indoor aquarium. In summer they can also be kept outdoors. The occurrence of the species between 35°N – 33°N corresponds – very roughly speaking – to the climate in the Mediterranean region, i.e. with mild winters, in which, however, snow may well fall once in a while.
For our customers: the animals have code 439691 on our stock list. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
Text Frank Schäfer, photos Aquarium Glaser & Frank Schäfer
We have now been able to import genuine tiger barbs from Central Sumatra (Jambi Province) as wild-caught specimens. When looking at the pretty and extremely lively animals, it is immediately clear that it is something other than the “aquarium tiger barb”. We are very happy that we succeeded in importing this “real” tiger barb, eg Puntigrus tetrazona!
The tiger barbs have always made life difficult for ichthyologists and aquarists when it comes to correct naming. At the genus level, they were “pushed around” for quite a long time, until finally a separate genus was created for them: Puntigrus. This is certainly the best solution and so far remains unchallenged.
In Puntigrus the following scientifically described species are distinguished: P. anchisporus from West Kalimantan, Kalimantan is the part of Borneo belonging to Indonesia (system of the river Kapuas); P. navjotsodhii from the central part of Kalimantan (systems of the rivers Katingan and Barito); P. partipentazona from Malaysia and Thailand; P. pulcher from Kalimantan Timur Province, Borneo (systems of the Mahakam and Kayan Rivers); and finally P. tetrazona, the only species from Sumatra (the animals used for the species description were from Palembang Province near Lahat, system of the Musi River).
The fish, which already generations of aquarists know, love and breed as „tiger barb”, cannot be assigned for sure to any of these scientifically described species yet. The only certainty is: it is NOT P. tetrazona.
For our customers: the real tiger barbs have code 372263 on our stock list. Please note that we supply only wholesale.
Only in very few cases is such confusion around fish names as there is around the horizontically striped barbels of Southeast Asia. The beautiful animals belong according to current opinion to two genera: the species with clearly visible, long barbels belong to the genus Desmopuntius with currently seven accepted species and the form without (or very short) barbels and a fleshy upper lip is in the genus Striuntius, to which according to molecular data otherwise only the aquaristically well known species S. lateristrigata should belong. However, the latter must be based on a mistake, these two species have not much in common. Further information concerning the name confusion around these barbs can be found here: https://www.aqualog.de/blog/namen-dramen-die-linienbarbe/ (unfortunately only in German).
Because of the many confusions it is not clear how big Striuntius lineatus gets. The largest scientifically determined animal was 5-6 cm long (exactly 5.3 cm without caudal fin). Striuntius lineatus is a peaceful, somewhat shy fish, which especially appreciates water enriched with humic substances (dead leaves, peat, alder cones). The species is best kept in a group in a community tank. Other, more impudent, but peaceful fish (e.g. harlequin barbs) take away their shyness there.
Striuntius lineatus is widely distributed in Malaysia and Indonesia, but is only very rarely imported.
For our customers: the fish have code 369873 on our stocklist. Please note that we supply exclusively to wholesalers.
The golden barb (Pethia gelius) is an aquarium old-timer that found friends even before the First World War. It is one of the smallest barb species in India. Males rarely grow longer than 2.5 cm, females slightly larger. The record of 5 cm total length, which has been haunting the literature for decades, is probably due to a mix-up.
In fact, it has recently been found that “the” golden barb does not exist at all, but that it is a complex of species very similar to each other. The names of these species are Pethia gelius, Pethia canius and P. aurea. These three species are hard to distinguish, in the trade they are all called “P. gelius”. The more inconspicuous P. guganio also belongs to the complex. Common to these species is that they spawn – like the harlequin barbs – with the belly upwards under plant leaves.
No matter which species of the complex you acquire, they are delightful, extremely peaceful schooling fish. You’ll be doing them a big favor with humic substances in the water (dead leaves, peat, alder cones) and you should allow some mulm in the aquarium. Otherwise they are completely undemanding little animals, which should be maintained in the temperature range between 18 and 24°C.
Once again we have been able to import beautiful, fully grown specimens of the Orange Barb; unfortunately they are already sold out, but we want to use this opportunity to point out another of the numerous name changes of the Asian small barbs.
Desmopuntius – the name means “convict barb” and refers to the striped pattern reminiscent of convict clothing, which all species show at least as juveniles – currently includes the following eight species:
Desmopuntius endecanalis (Kapuas River basin, Indonesian part of Borneo), D. foerschi (Kalimantan, Indonesian part of Borneo), D. gemellus (Jambi, Sumatra, Indonesia), D. hexazona (Central Sumatra, Indonesia), D. johorensis (Johore, Malaysia), D. pentazona (Sarawak, part of Borneo belonging to Malaysia), D. rhomboocellatus (Kalimantan, Indonesian part of Borneo), and D. trifasciatus (Kapuas River basin, Indonesian part of Borneo).
Due to their coloration D. rhomboocellatus is unmistakable within the genus.
For our customers: the animals have code 370923 on our stocklist. Please note that we supply exclusively to wholesalers.
If you like Danios you will love Opsarius! They are lively, very elegant swimmers, more similar in behavior and appearance to trout than to other danios. As a popular collective name for the group, which includes the genera Opsarius, Barilius, Raiamas and Opsariichthys with a total of about 70 species in Asia and Africa, “Trout danios” fits very well. However, the classification of the genera is not always unanimous, because they are quite similar in their overall habitus.
This is also the case with Opsarius barna, which was already scientifically described in 1822 and is now and then classified in the genus Barilius. Currently, however, the up to 15 cm long danio is classified in the genus Opsarius. In fact this is not only an academic question, because it has been shown in aquaristic practice that Opsarius species are much more compatible than Barilius species. In the case of Barilius – according to practical experience – it is necessary to keep as many animals as possible (preferably 10 or more) in aquariums as large as possible with strong currents, so that intra-species aggression is kept within limits, while Opsarius are also well tolerated in smaller groups (from 5 specimens) in normal sized aquariums (10x the body length with appropriate width and height) and aquarium-standard currents.
Opsarius barna is found along the foot of the Himalayas and is widely distributed. Accordingly, the adaptability is good. However, these subtropical fish should not be kept year in and year out at constantly high temperatures. 16-20°C in winter and 24-26° in summer (a few degrees above or below will not hurt, but should not last for long periods) are just right.
Eaten is dry, frozen and live food of suitable size, vegetable food does not interest O. barna. Males grow slightly larger than females and appear more high-backed. We know nothing about breeding Opsarius in the aquarium; the closely related Barilius and Raiamas species are bottom spawners, depositing their spawn in sand and gravel.
For our customers: the animals have code 372832 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
Currently we have very nice Boraras merah in stock. The species is a very close relative to B. brigittae and at least in some populations the females of B. merah look like B. brigittae and only the males have a typical B. merah pattern (see also http://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/boraras-brigittae–boraras-merah_de_1107.html). Cross-breeding experiments also show that both varieties are extremely close to each other in a genetic sense. In the population we could import now, however, both sexes seem to be represented and both look like B. merah.
For our customers: the animals have code 452752 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
The Flying Fox, Epalzeorhynchos kalopterum (Epalzeorhynchos is neuter, so if the species name is an adjective – as in this case – it must end in the Latin neuter suffix -um), originates from Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, where it is a resident of flowing waters that carry deep dark brown black water. They are probably the most beautiful algae eaters of all. From time to time we have offspring on offer, which is why only relatively rarely wild catches are imported. Currently, however, we have once again received adult specimens via Singapore, whereby “adult” refers to the wild animals. In the wild they reach 10-12 cm in length, while old aquarium specimens are said to have grown up to 16 cm. This is because fish grow throughout their lives (albeit slowly and little after reaching sexual maturity), and since such a Flying Fox will easily live up to 10-15 years in the aquarium (hardly ever over 3 years in the wild), they can grow quite large under certain circumstances.
You will certainly not keep these beauties only because of their algae-eating properties, especially since adult animals are rather to be classified as “lazy” in this respect, in contrast to 3-4 cm long juveniles, but they still have to grow.
Among themselves, the animals can be quarrelsome, which is why you can often keep only one specimen in smaller aquariums. In large tanks (from 150 cm), which are also furnished with a lot of root wood, this is much less unpleasant. Although the fish form a hierarchy, which is strictly observed, they are often found resting together in the same hiding place. If you want to try a group keeping, there should not be less than 8 specimens, so that this behavior can develop. Epalzeorhynchos kalopterum are usually peaceful against fishes of other species as long as they don´t look similar to the Flying Fox.
For our customers: the animals have code 415306 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale. Only a few specimens available!
Fishes of the genus Barilius are ecologically best compared to trout in the Indian region, where they do not naturally occur. Barilius thus prefer to live in clear waters with a gravelly bottom and some current. They are mostly seen in loose groups, they are not really schooling fish. They like to “play” among themselves, chasing each other over short distances, but without harming each other. They are small predators that prefer to eat insects that fall on the water surface, but also insect larvae living in the water, crustaceans or even small fish belong to the prey spectrum. The mouth gap of Barilius is comparatively large.
The coloration of Barilius is also comparable to that of young trout. Both have a number of dark vertical stripes on the flanks. There is a lack of striking colors, but Barilius are nevertheless often very colorful, especially yellow and blue colors iridesce on their bodies depending on the incidence of light.
Quite different from trout, however, is their reproductive behavior. While trout are migratory fish that move upstream to reproduce and dig pits in the ground where they spawn, Barilius, as far as this is known at all, dive into the ground and spawn in the gravel. However, it must be said at this point, the reproductive behavior of Barilius species is virtually unexplored.
One of the most beautiful Barilius species is B. ardens from the Indian state of Karnataka, which we can offer just once again. The magnificent fish grows (with caudal fin) about 12 cm long.
Very similar (and apparently sometimes mixed with B. ardens) is B. malabaricus, which differs from B. ardens by smaller flank spots and a differently colored caudal fin; in B. malabaricus the median caudal fin rays are not white.
For our customers: the animals have code 372842 (md) and 372843 (lg – xl) on our stocklist. Please note that we supply only wholesale.
It is and remains the oldest ornamental fish in the world: the goldfish (Carassius auratus) and its many cultivated forms. It has been propagated and kept by humans for about 1,000 years.
Many consider goldfish to be garden pond fish, especially the varieties with “nomal”, wild fish-like body types. This is quite true, and they do grow into huge (over 20 cm, sometimes up to 30 cm long), magnificent specimens in the pond. But there is a reason why the goldfish has been in culture for so long: the wild form is also one of the most adaptable fish in nature. The temperature range can be between 0 (!) and over 30°C, the fish can also tolerate temporary oxygen deficiency due to special physiological adaptation mechanisms and if in nature the water is only small and the food supply is low, it only grows to 5-8 cm in length and also reproduces at this size. That is why all goldfish forms can be excellently kept in the aquarium. However, our western understanding of animal husbandry is not so much to push the genetic limits of what is possible; we prefer to keep animals as “optimally” as possible, i.e. under the conditions that are subjectively most comfortable for the animals.
The Shubunkin belongs to the large-growing goldfishes and therefore should be kept in large aquariums (from 150 cm). It is a five-colored breeding form, in which blue, red, orange, white and black colors can be found in highly variable proportions. Five-colored goldfish are also called calico goldfish in Japan (calico is actually a special cotton fabric, which was colorfully printed in Japan). Usually shubunkin are sorted by the primary colors of blue and red, but this need not be the case. Pure goldfish breeding forms, where one animal looks like the other, do not exist, because the genes for fin length and body colors are located on several alleles. Many prefer the shubunkin as a comet (i.e. with elongated fins), but in the same brood normal-finned siblings can also occur. Because of the complex inheritance relationships, each Shubunkin is unique.
The Shubunkin is a relatively young breeding form, which was “only” created in 1892 by the Japanese breeder Yoshigoro Akiyama I by crossing calico dragon eyes (“Telskop-Eyes„), common goldfish and wakin with a single tail fin. Shubunkin were first introduced to the public in 1902. The name “Shubunkin” was coined by Shinosuke Matsubara, whom the bright colors reminded of a kimono.
For our customers: we have shubunkin in several sizes on sale all year round. They have depending on size, code 811000-811007 on our stock list. Please note that we supply only wholesale.
Lake Inle in Burma is a mountain lake located on the Shan Plateau about 900 meters above sea level; it is about 65 km long and 10-22 km wide. The water is relatively hard (12-17° GH) and in February the water temperatures drop to 14-18°C. Lake Inke is world-famous for its human inhabitants, whose entire life is completely focused on the lake. They live in villages built on stilts and practice agriculture on floating meadows. For aquarists the lake is especially interesting because of the many endemic small fish species, which are only found there.
One of them is Sawbwa resplendens, which is also called “Naked Microrasbora” because it has no scales – which is very rare among carp fish. In former times S. resplendens, which is nowadays also available as “Asian rummynose”, was a sought-after rarity, today it can be regularly purchased from Indonesia as offspring.
The maximum length of the species is 4-5 cm, mostly it stays 1-2 cm smaller. Males and females look completely different, only the male has a red head and the red spots in the caudal fin. The body of the males has a blue-green shine, the females are beige. And even very young animals can be distinguished quite well, because the females have a strong black spot directly above the anus, as we know from Microrasbora species.
Indoor aquariums for Sawbwa resplendens (there is only one species of the genus) do not need and should not be heated, water temperatures above 24°C are unhealthy for the fish. The peaceful animals prefer to live in a school (10-20 specimens) with their own kind. They can be kept along with all other peaceful fish with similar demands, even most tender plants leave Sawbwa in peace.
The spawn-behavior is quite unusual, the animals spawn in surface-proximity at the underside of broad-leaved plants. The rearing of the young is difficult, because although they are comparatively large, they can eat only finest food (infusoria, rotatoria). If no adequate food is available, only a small percentage of the fish survive the first 10 days until freshly hatched Artemia nauplii can be taken. If nutrient-rich rotifers (rotatoria) are available, this period can be shortened to up to four days.
For our customers: the animals have code 454002 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
The so-called filament barbs of the genus Dawkinsia were assigned earlier all together to the types Barbus or Puntius. They received the popular name because the back-fin of the males with its long fin-rays. The differentiation of the species is extraordinarily tricky, although several scientists tried in the last decades at them. Only a few weeks ago, a new study on filament barbs appeared, in which three new species are described and in a DNA-based phylogeny, also published only a few weeks ago, it was found that the red-striped topedo barbs (Sahaydria denisonii and S. chalakkudiensis) cannot be distinguished from Dawkinisia on a molecular level.
In the hobby, many filament barbs are only called Dawkinsia filamentosa or D. mahecola; the latter is particularly wrong because mahecola is a Puntius species that has nothing in common with the filament barbs except for the tail-root spot. P. mahecola has no markings at all in the caudal fin (filament barbs have a beautiful red-black marking in the caudal fin tips) and the males of P. mahecola do not get any extended dorsal fin rays either. P. mahecola is so colorless that it was or is practically never kept in an aquarium. Nevertheless, the name P. mahecola can hardly be eliminated from the trade at the moment, since an ornamental fish trade is not a museum business and the fish names in the merchandise management systems must be traceable for years. Particularly with species whose nomenclature is still subject to constant changes, new scientific findings are therefore very slow to establish themselves in the trade.
Dawkinsia assimilis
Dawkinsia assimilis was already described in 1849, but was seen as a synonym for D. filamentosa until the turn of the millennium. In a recent paper (Kateway et al., 2020), a neotype was defined in order to make the distinction possible (an original type apparently never existed), because it turned out that in the Indian state of Karnataka, where D. assimilis occurs, a second double species still exists. This double has been called “mascara barb” in the hobby so far – because of the dark eye mask. It was now described as Dawkinsia apsara.
Dawkinsia apsara
We have now received wonderful wild catches of filament barbels from Karnataka, which are a mixture of D. assimilis and D. apsara. While adult males of both species can be easily separated, it is a completely different matter with the females. For this reason we cannot sort the animals. Apart from the fact that this would mean enormous stress for the fish, the result would be more than questionable.
In any case, these are magnificent fish, which with their maximum length of 12 cm (without caudal fin) are an enrichment for every larger aquarium with river character.
Dawkinsia filamentosa, bred
Of course these animals are not cheap; but we also have a alternative in stock: European offspring of the actual filament barb (Dawkinsia filamentosa) – if it is this species. Young animals of all filament barbs in the narrower sense cannot be distinguished from each other without knowledge of their origin.
For our customers: the wild Dawkinsia (6-8 cm) have code 369504, the offspring (3-4 cm) 369912 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
Literature
Katwate, U., J. D. Marcus Knight, V. K. Anoop, R. Raghavan & N. Dahanukar (2020): Three new species of filament barbs of the genus Dawkinsia (Teleostei: Cyprinidae) from the Western Ghats of India. Vertebrate Zoology v. 70 (no. 2): 207-233.
For the first time we could import this beautiful barb from Burma. The largest scientifically known specimen of Systomus binduchitra (the species name comes from Sanskrit and means “spotted”) was 8 cm long including tail fin. Due to its close relationship to S. sarana, it can be assumed that it will probably grow somewhat larger in large aquaria over the years. In fact S. binduchitra was synonymous with S. sarana for decades.
They are very lively, extremely social animals, which one should absolutely care for in a school. It was hardly ever possible to have only one specimen in the picture, they stick together so closely. Otherwise, the usual rules of the barb-care apply, therefore here and there sandy ground to enable digging and varied nutrition, in which also vegetable components may not be missing. The water temperature can be in the range between 18 and 30°C, whereby a seasonal rhythm does the animals very well. The chemical composition of the water is rather indifferent, any drinking water is suitable for the care of S. binduchitra.
For our customers: the animals have code 369073 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
No other classic aquarium fish has had to put up with such a drastic renaming regarding the scientific name as the tiger barb. This is due to the fact that in earlier decades, characteristics that we now consider important species characteristics were only considered an unimportant variance. The actual tiger barb, Puntigrus tetrazona, which comes from Sumatra, has black in its fins, where our aquarium tiger barb has red. In the hobby this real Sumatran barb was practically never represented. Our aquarium fishes come from Borneo. The species P. anchisporus was already scientifically described in 1902, long before the first import of the fish for the aquarium in 1935. However, because of the small differences, which are only to be found in the living coloration, the species was considered to be identical to the P. tetrazona, which was described in 1855 from Sumatra.
The generic name Puntigrus is admittedly very young; it was coined only in 2013, when one finally went to classify the Asian small barbs correctly and according to the natural relations. Previously, one had accommodated it provisionally for centuries in so-called catch-all genera (Barbus, Puntius, Systomus), of which it was quite clear that they don’t form any natural unit. But the gigantic biodiversity of the Asian small-barbs, that is not completely grasped also today yet by far, let earlier attempts, to divide them up reasonably, fail again and again.
For our customers: the magnificent XL tiger barbs illustrating this post have code 371914 on our stocklist. Please note that we supply wholesale only.
Only rarely does the pretty barbel Acrossocheilus paradoxus reach us, which is native to China and Taiwan. It is a medium sized species; in the wild you usually find specimens up to 12 cm total length, but the record for this species is 22.5 cm. Such large animals look different, the head is longer and the banded pattern gives way to a uniform green-golden shine.
In nature this subtropical species lives in boulder-filled rivers, which resemble smaller alpine rivers in their structure. The mouth of this barbel has a horny layer at the front edge, which probably serves to rasp off growth from the rock. In addition, A. paradoxus also has two well developed barbels, which are used for detecting small animals in the sand.
In behavior Acrossocheilus paradoxus resemble other algae-eating barbels, like Garra or sharks (Labeo and allies). Among themselves they can be a bit quarrelsome. Regarding the water composition A. paradoxus is undemanding. Since the water-temperatures in the home-waters of the species can sink under 15°C in the winter, one should maintain it occasionally cool with reduced lighting. Then also the breeding should be possible, about which was not reported yet. One can assume however that it is a free spawner without special brood-care.
For our customers: the animals have code 361903 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
Since its first import in the 1930er years, the White Cloud Mountain minnow (Tanichthys albonubes) is available practically exclusively as offspring for the aquarium hobby. Nowadays, this is all the more true since the free-living stocks are considered highly endangered due to environmental pollution. However, the “simple” white cloud is not really bred by most professional breeders, but only multiplied, however in masses and very successful.
What is possible, however, if you dedicate yourself to breeding in the literal sense of the word, is just shown to us by one of our German breeders, who is specialized in a few fish species, among them white clouds. Currently he supplies us with e.g. “Gold Longfin”. We think the pictures speak for themselves.
For our customers: The animals have code 457552 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
The genus Microphysogobio comprises more than 30 species of small (6-10 cm) gudgeons. Many species look very similar to each other and for many of them it became clear only by molecular examinations (DNA) that the comparatively small differences are in fact species differences. Aquaristically, these animals, which usually colonize fast-flowing, cool waters in nature, have not yet made a significant appearance. They look simply too similar to our native gudgeon (Gobio gobio). The most important difference to the native gudgeon is usually not visible: the underside of the mouth region of Microphysogobio is fleshy and has numerous papillae.
We just succeeded in importing a really spectacular species of this genus, which originates from the southern Chinese province of Zhejiang, where it is endemic (i.e., seen worldwide, only there) in the system of the most important river of this province, the Qiantang. This province is not located in the tropics, the climate is subtropical; in winter, temperatures drop to just below 10°C, in summer they rise to 30°C. Accordingly, one should not keep the fish too warm and especially at seasonally varying temperatures.
The males of Microphysogobio tafangensis have sail-like, bluish dorsal fins with reddish fin rays, which looks truly magnificent; the import of females is still pending. They are peaceful among each other and against other fish. One should keep them, according to their origin, with good current and clear water; the bottom should be gritty-sandy.
For our customers: the animals have code 430814 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade. Only available in small quantities and only males!
The redtail barb Discherodontus ashmeadi originates from the tropical Southeast Asia. It can reach an overall length of up to 14 cm. They occur widespread in the Mekong and Meklong areas. In their appearance especially the dark dorsal fin spot and the strong red markings of the caudal fin stand out.
In their native country they inhabit streams and rivers with clear water, a moderate to strong current and gravelly ground. There, they live from insects and other invertebrates, that they look for in decomposing leaves at the water-ground. Lively swarm-fish of this size need spacious aquariums.
More robust representatives of the Asian fish fauna are suitable for a community tank with D. ashmeadi. Especially loaches (Botias in the farthest sense) or other barb-types come into consideration for it.
Unfortunately, Roloff’s Pygmy Barb – the popular name dates back to the 1950s and refers to the synonym Puntius roloffi – very rarely finds its way into our aquariums. The cute animal grows only about 3 cm long and its appearance is somewhat reminiscent of the Checkered barb, Oliotius oligolepis (formerly: Puntius o.). In contrast to the Checkered barb, which is a free-spawner, Oreichthys parvus attaches the eggs and spawns under plant leaves with its belly up. Roloff’s dwarf barb originates from Thailand.
The males of Oreichthys parvus get a vermilion-red dorsal fin, in which the otherwise typical black spot is hardly recognizable. The completely peaceful fish is excellently suited for well planted community aquariums; the species does not make any special demands on the composition of the water, medium-hard water and a pH value around the neutral point is particularly suitable for this fish that appreciates clear water with a light current. Every common fish food of suitable size is eaten.
For our customers: the animals have code 440752 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
The clown barb, Barbodes dunckeri, is a well-known and beautiful aquarium fish, but for decades it has been incorrectly called Barbus everetti, sometimes under the generic name Puntius, which is also incorrect for this species. The wrong name is based on a mix-up, the “real” Barbodes everetti is unfortunately almost never on the market (see https://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/fish-archives/barbus_everetti_real__en/).
Barbodes dunckeri originally comes from the Malaysian peninsula, where it is at home in smaller jungle rivers with soft, acidic water. Due to the progressive destruction of these biotopes, the clown barb must therefore unfortunately be counted among the species that are highly endangered by extinction. However, it has been reproduced for decades in commercial ornamental fish farms, from where all the animals on the market come.
The peaceful schooling fish grows to a length of 10-15 cm and should therefore be kept in a larger aquarium. As far as food is concerned, the species makes hardly any demands, dry, frozen and live food of suitable size is accepted. Soft aquatic plants are also consumed. The bottom of the aquarium should consist of fine sand at least in places, so that the barbels can dig typically for the species. The water temperature should be between 20 and 28°C, some dead leaves, peat or alder cones bring the beneficial humic substances into the water. For the care pH-value and hardness hardly play a role (extremes should however be avoided), but for breeding you have to set natural water values (pH below 6, hardness below 5°dGH).
For our customers: the animals have code 369702 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
Stoliczka´s barb, Pethia stoliczkanus, originates from Burma and was a popular aquarium fish until the 1960s, as the up to 6 cm long animals are very temperature tolerant and do not require heating in the aquarium. Later it was displaced by more colourful species and today it is a rarity.
The Dwarf rasbora (Boraras maculatus, formerly known as Rasbora maculata) is the species of genus Boraras that is known for the longest time in the hobby. None of these species grows bigger than 2-3 cm and thus they are perfect candidates for the so-called nano-aquaria. All like to be kept in soft and acidic water, rather dark tanks, that should nevertheless be well planted (best use swimming plants), fine live food (although they also take readily dried food) and company of their own kind.
The Dwarf rasbora inhabits the malayian peninsula, southern Thailand and Sumatra. Initially it was often thought to represent the juvenile of the much larger growing species Rasbora kalochroma, but observations of the fish in aquaria and their successful breeding left no doubt on the validity of the species.
There do exist lots of varieties of the Dwarf rasbora which may proof to be different species one day. Typical for all of them is the large shoulder spot, which is in any cases bigger than the eye. The ground coloration of the body depends on the variety and can be light orange up to deep red. Some populations have an additional black spot (all Dwarf rasboras have three black blotches: one on the shoulder, one on the origin of the anal fin, and one on the caudal fin base) on the beginning of the caudal peduncle right above the anal fin.
Our animals currently in the stock, of which the photos for this post were also taken, come from Indonesia.
For our customers: the species has code 452702 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply to the wholesale market.
Genetic investigations have shown that there is not only one harlequin barb, but several similar forms, which still need to be scientifically investigated.
We have been importing beautiful wild collected specimens from southern Thailand for several years. Their colouring differs significantly from “normal” harlequin barbs: a blue line above the wedge, an orange spot on the base of the tail, and the absence of the typical black vertical stripe behind the gill cover clearly show that these harlequin barbs are a different species.
This southern Thai species has now (May 2020) been formally described scientifically as Trigonostigma truncata.
For our customers. the animals have code 452953 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
Literature:
Tan, H.H.(2020): Trigonostigma truncata, a new species of harlequin rasbora from Malay Peninsula (Teleostei: Danionidae). Raffles Bulletin of Zoology, 68: 421-433.
The corona crisis has delayed the start of the pond fish/cold water season, but now we have at least a few native biotope fish in stock. The name “biotope fish” should not hide the fact that these are bred fish, which are intended for aquarium and garden pond keeping and must not be released into the wild under any circumstances!
The rudd is one of our most common so-called white fish – and one of the prettiest! The body colouring is silver, often with a nice touch of brass yellow, the fins are usually vermilion; the older the fish, the more intense the fin colouring. The rudd is the native fish with the highest proportion of vegetable food. This is why it is the only native fish species that is suitable for setting limits to the spread of filamentous algae and duckweed in garden ponds. But you should not expect miracles from it.
Usually the rudd grows to a length of 15-20 cm, the maximum size is about 50 cm. As the species is temperature tolerant and can also tolerate water temperatures up to 26°C without damage, it is very suitable for keeping in aquaria. Of course you should not heat your aquarium, but you don’t have to be afraid if the thermometer shows more than 20°C in midsummer – for some cold water fish already a critical temperature range. In the aquarium you should give flake food on a vegetable basis as staple food, plus frozen and live food of all kinds.
Rudd are schooling fish and very peaceful. They reproduce as egg layers, the spawn is released into finely feathered plants. Rudds do not care for their brood. Outer sexual characteristics are largely absent, males of the same age are smaller and more delicate than the females.
For our customers: the animals have code 878503 on our stocklist. Please note, that we only supply the wholesale trade.
The gudgeon, Gobio gobio, is one of the smallest native fish. It usually grows to 8-12 cm, rarely over 15 cm long. The record is said to be 21 cm, but such giants are as rare as people over 2.20 m long. Because of its small size and pretty colouring (compared to the mostly silvery other native species) it has been kept in aquariums since the beginning of aquarium science, where it thrives very well. The water temperature can be in the range of 15-25°C, which can be easily realized in living rooms even today, avoiding long lasting temperatures above 22°C and aiming for a cool hibernation at around 8°C and 6-8 hours of light.
The gudgeon is a bottom fish that likes to swim in a troop with its own kind and is completely peaceful against other fish. It needs open bottom areas of sand and gravel where it looks for its food, which consists of small animals of all kinds (in the aquarium any usual fish food that sinks to the bottom). Vegetable food does not play a big role and is rather accidentally included. In nature, gudgeons are mainly found in clear, often flowing water. The aquarium should therefore be well maintained and have only a little mulm on the bottom.
The gudgeon is only suitable for the garden pond if it fulfils its requirements for clear, clean water and free ground surfaces with sand and gravel. The gudgeon cannot live in fully grown swamp ponds.
Gudgeons spawn in gravel; they do not care for their brood.
For our customers: the animals have code 819502 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
Currently three species of the genus Tanichthys are known in the hobby: the White Cloud Mountain minnow Tanichthys albonubes, the Jewel Minnow, T. micagemmae, and T. kuehnei, which was termed T. sp. „Vietnam“ prior to its scientific description. The White Cloud is available exclusively as bred specimens, wheras the Jewel minnow is also imported as wild collected fish. The Jewel minnow has been discovered in 2001 in Central Vietnam.
The maximum size of the Jewel minnow is less than 3 cm, so the species is an ideal fish for the so-called nano-aquaria. Males and females can easily become distinguished by the shape and colour of dorsal and anal fin, which are much larger and more colorful in males.
The Jewel minnow should be kept and bred in schools. The fish are completely peaceful among any other fish. If they are kept in a one-species tank no additional heater is necessary in indoor aquaria. The species spawn in fine plant material. The offspring swims close under the water surface. If the parental are fed properly and with a good variety of food, usually some of the young survive even in the community tank (surface plants are necessary, especially Riccia).
Tanichthy micagemmae is a real jewel and every fishkeeper should have tried it.
For our customers: the fish have code 459002 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply to the wholesale market.
Once more we have this beautiful species of shark in stock. Of course it belongs to the barb family, but species of several barb genera that have a similar body shape, are commonly called “shark” in the hobby. In our fishhouse it got the nickname “top-model-barb”, for it is very pretty, but looks also a bit skinny. However, Cyclocheilichthys janthochir is neither fastidious regarding food, nor uptight in any other way.
The species originates from the island of Borneo, where it occurs in typical black water. The maximum size reported is around 20 cm. Currently our specimens are 10-12 cm long. Each centimeter the fish grow they become more beautiful, for the fins become more and more red.
Cyclocheilichthys janthochir is a schooling fish and for sure an enrichment for any large community tank. The care temperature should be 24-28°C, delicate plants are in danger of being eaten. Any common fish food is accepted by the peaceful animals without any problems.
For our customers: the animals have code 412834 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
One of the unfortunately very rare black water rasboras on offer is Rasbora cephalotaenia. The species is quite widespread on the Malay Peninsula to southern Thailand and on the large Sunda Islands (Borneo, Sumatra), presumably it is also found on smaller islands of the Sunda archipelago in suitable habitats. However, as peat swamps are drained all over South East Asia and used for oil palm plantations, this beautiful species is also endangered by environmental destruction.
As far as the water composition is concerned, Rasbora cephalotaenia are undemanding in themselves, at least as long as one does not want to breed; however, the beautiful colour marks, which are needed in the dark black water (practically no hardness, pH between 4 and 5) due to the poor underwater visibility to identify conspecifics, shine considerably more intensely in soft water tinted brownish by peat, dead leaves and alder cones.
Rasbora cephalotaenia grows to over 10 cm in length and is ideal for community aquariums, e.g. with harlequin barbs, labyrinths or catfish, given they are also blackwater inhabitants. The peaceful animals like to swim in a swarm with their conspecifics. They are free spawners without brood care. They eat all usual fish food. The water temperature should be between 24 and 28°C, for breeding 2-3°C higher.
For our customers: the fish have code 451602 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
These large barbs differ from all other barb relatives by an easily recognisable external feature, namely a strong ossified anal fin spine, which can be smooth or serrated. Within the Cyprinidae in a broader sense only carp and crucian carp show this anatomical feature, but these two genera are not barbs.
So while the genus Puntioplites can be easily recognized, the species is quite different. Usually four species are recognized, two with serrated anal fin spines (P. falcifer and P. proctozysron) and two with smooth ones (P. bulu and P. waandersi). P. falcifer is probably the most attractive species, it has long, orange fins, those of P. proctozysron are said to be dark. P. bulu has a vertical banding and P. waandersi does not. All species grow 30-50 cm long and have a high amount of vegetable food on the menu. Not much can be said about the care of the currently 12-15 cm long animals, but they are attractive fish that are also interesting for public aquariums. In behaviour they are rather to be classified as calm, they completely lack the headless panic-mongering that many other larger barbs show during the acclimatisation phase. P. falcifer occurs in the large southeast-asian streams Mekong, Xe Bangfai and Nam Theun.
For our customers: the animals have code 447554 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
With a length of 7 mm the females of the smallest fish species in the world, Paedocypris progenetica, become sexually mature. And also the two other scientifically described species, P. carbunculus and P. micromegethes, grow only a few mm longer. All species occur in very acidic black waters in Indonesia and Malaysia. The genus name “Paedocypris” means something like “child carp” and wants to suggest that these dwarfs become sexually mature as larvae, because even fully adult Paedocypris show anatomical features that are otherwise only found in fish larvae.
We could finally import these interesting dwarfs in good numbers and condition, after occasional attempts in the years before could not satisfy. The key to success lies in the catching technique. These tiny creatures should not be exposed to the air if possible. If you catch them with a scoop, i.e. always leave them under water, they are by no means sensitive.
What species we actually have is not entirely certain. Males that are active in mating are crystal red and have a red mark on their head that is used as a blinking light to lure the females to the spawning ground. They spawn in a belly up position, the eggs are attached to the underside of plant leaves. Usually this Paedocypris species is referred to as P. carbunculus, which we neither exclude nor want to confirm with certainty, since we do not know the exact origin, without which a reliable determination is not possible. It is assumed that there are still a number of scientifically undescribed Paedocypris species.
For our customers: the animals have code 441268 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
Algae eaters do not have to be pretty, they should eat algae. This basic motto also applies to Garra lissorhynchus, for which the name “chocolate algae eater” was coined to promote sales, but which is mainly dressed by friendly grey tones. The 1-3 cm long juveniles of this species, which comes from India, or more precisely from the Khasi Hills on the edge of the Himalayas in northeastern India, are among the best algae eaters of all that are available for the aquarium. In this size the fish are very adaptable; in nature the pH-value of the waters fluctuates between pH 4.5 and 9 throughout the year and the water temperature can be 16-28°C, depending on the season. A fish that lives there must be correspondingly adaptable.
Unfortunately only the young are really good algae eaters. Adult specimens of practically all algae eaters need only little energy (young animals need a lot, they want to grow and algae are a low-nutrient food, therefore the diligence) and therefore adult algae eaters usually cover their nutrient requirements with the food of the other aquarium fish.
Our shipments of Garra lissorhynchus almost always contain other species of algae eaters as by-catch, mostly Garra gotyla and Tariqilabeo latius (formerly Crossocheilus latius). We cannot sort them without risking damage to the animals, so we leave that alone. Since all three species are equally excellent algae eaters, it doesn’t matter.
For our customers: Garra lissorhynchus has code 416261 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesalers.
In the south of India and on the opposite island of Sri Lanka there is a small group of barb species that look very similar. All three are wonderful aquarium fish, one of them, the black ruby barb Pethia nigrofasciata, was already known and loved by our aquaristic grandfathers.
A second species, Pethia narayani, is so to speak the black ruby barb barb in orange and pinbk. Although it was scientifically described as early as 1937, this species, which is only known from the Cauvery River, Western Ghats, southern India, has always remained a rarity in the hobby.
The third species, P. bandula, which like B. nigrofasciata originates from Sri Lanka, is even rarer in the aquarium. This is a great pity, because this species is threatened with extinction in nature. It would therefore be desirable if more of these beautiful fish would be sold to ensure the survival of the species at least in the aquarium.
In nature the species inhabits an area of only 4 km2. Until recently, the main threat was the accumulation of pesticides from the rice fields in the area where the species occurs, now drought events due to climate change are added to this. It is to be feared that the species will become completely extinct in nature.
For a long time now, we have once again had Bandula barbs on offer, European bred ones. As they only give a hint of the beauty of adult animals, Ingo Seidel kindly (fame and honour for Ingo!) gave us a picture of an adult male.
For our customers: P. bandula has code 368903 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
The dwarf-fish of the genus Sundadanio become only 1,5-2 cm long. They are strongly adapted to black water and require careful acclimatisation. Especially the parasite Piscinoodinum makes life difficult for the tiny fish and is also very difficult to detect on the small fish bodies. Once successfully acclimated, Sundadanio are surprisingly tough fellows that you can enjoy for many years.
For many years only one species was known, which found its way into the aquarium as Rasbora axelrodi, and in which different colour varieties were distinguished. In the meantime, there is a consensus that these are not variants, but independent species. Sundadanio retiarius of Borneo (Central Kalimantan) was known in the hobby as Rasbora axelrodi “Red” before its scientific naming. The males can be recognized by the black front anal fin rays, they also grow larger than the females. We currently have a good number of this rarity in stock.
For our customers: the animals have code 450513 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
One of the earliest fin changes to occur in goldfish is a doubling of the caudal fin, a mutation that occurs exclusively in the species „goldfish“. Simple goldfish with a double caudal fin are called Wakin.
The red-and-white fish is one of the most common and most beautiful colour variations of the goldfish. One calls red-white-colored animals Sarasa. The Sarasa-Wakin is also called Wakin Hoe Kim.
Wakin goldfish are also completely winter hardy here. One must consider however that the animals are bred in tropical Asia and are used to higher water temperatures (18-24°C). Therefore, they should be kept indoors until the water temperature in the pond is permanently above 16°C, unless the pond is heatable. In the autumn, the fish kept during the warm season in the pond will get used to the gradually sinking temperatures without any problems.
Wakin goldfish, just like the basic form, usually grow to 15-20 cm long, with a maximum length of approx. 30 cm.
For our customers: the animals have code 808702 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesalers.
In the black water of Sundaland (Indonesia, Malay Peninsula) you will find many wonderful aquarium fish like chocolate gouramis, harlequin barbs and kuhli loaches. However, these are only the best known; the numerous species of small and colourful barbs and rasboras, for example, are only known by a few.
Among them is Trigonopoma pauciperforatum (formerly Rasbora pauciperforata), which we have once again received from Indonesia, one of the prettiest. In fact, the fish, usually up to 4 cm long (some literature say up to 7 cm), looks like a twin species of the glow-light tetra (Hemigrammus erythrozonus) from the Essequibo River in Guyana, although the muzzle of T. pauciperforatum is much more pointed and the adipose fin is missing.
For our customers: the animals have code 452602 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesalers.
What can we say about the harlequin barb (Trigonostigma heteromorpha) that hasn’t been said 1,000 times already? It is simply one of the most beautiful and proven aquarium fish of all. And also when looking at it 1.001 times is a pleasure to see it. If they didn’t exist, they would have to be invented! We have especially pretty German offspring in stock right now.
For our customers: the animals have code 452503 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesalers.
The white cloud mountain minnow (Tanichthys albonubes) has not disappeared from the aquariums since its discovery in 1932. In nature, however, the species is threatened with extinction. Since no wild fish are collected because of its easy breeding ability, nobody noticed this for decades. The reason for the danger in nature is, as always, the destruction of the habitat, in this case the deforestation of the forests.
A particularly pretty, long-finned breeding-form is called “Tanichthys linni” in the trade, a pure fantasy-name without scientific meaning. One of our suppliers breeds this form for us and occasionally supplies it in XXL size. These are really magnificent animals!
For our customers: the fish have code 458004 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesalers.
The Inle Lake in Burma has a high proportion of endemic fish species, i.e. fish that occur exclusively there. One of them is Inlecypris auropurpureus, a Danio with vertical stripes on a golden band. The number and shape of the stripes are slightly different for each individual. Inlecypris is closely related to the species placed in Devario and has at times even been declared a synonym for Devario; however, most scientists do not follow this at present.
Regarding the aquarium care, Inlecypris auropurpureus is very undemanding. It is a very peaceful schooling fish, that should not be cared for in too small aquariums, so that its swimming-arts can be observed. The maximum-length of the species amounts to 8-10 cm, however only rarely animals over 5 cm of length are found in nature.
For our customers: the fish have code 421822 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
As early as 1914 the then very prominent German aquarist J. P. Arnold illustrated a new species of Rasbora in a German aquarium magazine, imported by the company Scholze & Pötzsche and said to originate from Sumatra. In 1922 E. Ahl from Berlin Museum described this species scientifically as Rasbora urophthalma and since these days this charming dwarf rasbora is known as R. urophthalma (common name: Least rasbora) in the aquarium hobby. In 1991 M. Kottelat found when re-examining Ahl´s specimens in Berlin Museum that they were not identical with what is well known in the hobby. Thus the name Rasbora urophthalma was not available anymore for the Least rasbora and Kottelat gave a new name on them: Rasbora urophthalmoides. He also stated that the Least rasbora is not known from Indonesia.
Today the scientific name for the Least rasbora is Boraras urophthalmoides. It is known from Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. For the aquarium hobby, it is imported mainly from the latter country.
Like all dwarf rasboras this species is best kept in small aquaria in a one-species tank. The water should be soft and acidic. Due to it´s origin for regular keeping temperatures of 20-22°C are enough, but for breeding the temperature should be raised to 26-28°C.
For our customers: the species has code 453001 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply to the wholesale market.
Until quite recently all species now placed in Devario have been placed in Danio and most of them were considered to be varieties of a single species, D. malabaricus. But even earlier a good number of species has been described scientifically, most of them became forgotten later. One of these species is Devario annandalei from Burma. The pretty fish has been described as early as 1908 scientifically. We currently have wild collected ones in stock.
Very obvious is the red skin between the rays of the caudal fin. This led to the trivial name „blood tail“ for the beautiful schooling fish.
In respect of keeping and breeding there are no essential differences to the very well known Devario malabaricus. The only exception is water temperature. D. annandalei originates from subtropical regions, so it is recommended to keep it a bit cooler (room temperature) at times. Devario annandalei becomes about 10 cm long.
For our customers: the fish have code 414278 on our stcklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
The black banded barb or spanner barb is an old friend in the aquarium, although it is somewhat out of fashion. In former times it was called Barbus or Puntiuslateristriga, at present it is assigned to the genus Barbodes.
The pretty, peaceful animals are widespread in Southeast Asia, where they mainly inhabit clear waters, such as shallow sections of lakes and ponds or small rivers. Here, they roam in loose troops of usually 5-10 animals. There are numerous variants of the species, some of which can be assumed to be separated one day as independent species. Therefore, it is important to breed only with animals of one locality in order to avoid unintentional hybrids. The animals we can offer at the moment are wild catches from Thailand.
When feeding these barbs, which are usually 6-8 cm long in nature, but can easily double that size in an aquarium, you have to make sure that they also get plant food components, otherwise the aquatic plants are in danger. Tender plant species should generally not be used in aquariums with larger barb species.
Barbodes lateristriga is a productive free spawner. They have no special demands on the water composition, however, the middle body spot can shine in soft, acid water instead of white splendidly yolk yellow. The water temperature should be in the range of 22-28°C.
For our customers: the animals have code 369853 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesalers.
Danio feegradei was first described by the famous Indian ichthyologist S. L. Hora in 1937 by a single specimen originating from the Thandwe river in Myanmar (former Burma). Since then no reports have been published about new findings in the same river nor in other areas.
Only in 2007 this beautiful barb fish has been imported and is now available for the dedicated aquarium hobbyist. As with all representatives of the Danio family, D. feegradei is a schooling fish and therefore should be ideally kept in a group of minimal 6 individuals of the same species. It is a beautiful, peaceful and fast swimming fish.
After many years we were finally able to import some full-grown (8-10 cm long) specimens of this as rare as beautiful and interesting sucking barb species. Garra sp. Red Tail is still scientifically undescribed, although the collecting site (the Kasat river in the west of Thailand) is well documented. For the history of discovery of this species please see https://www.aqualog.de/blog/garra-sp-rotschwanz-godzilla-kommt-vom-kasat-river/
The article also documents the impressive fighting behaviour of this species, in which the males open their forehead processes (scientifically: proboscis) like horns and then wrestle with each other like bulls.
The next related species in Thailand is Garra fuliginosa Fowler, 1934, from which Garra sp. Red Tail differs clearly in color.
Of course, this Garra species is also a good algae exterminator, but it is more adviced to be kept for its own sake and to promote algae growth for the benefit of the fish than to degrade the animal to a stone cleaner.
For our customers: the animals have code 416484 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesalers. Available in small numbers only!
Algae are probably the most widespread of all the hazards that can hit an aquarium. However, algae are not a bad thing in themselves, they just do not correspond to our aesthetic ideas. In nature, algae growing on stones, plants and pieces of wood and the microorganisms living in them – together they are called „Aufwuchs“ – are the food basis for many fish species, which are therefore often used in aquariums as algae eaters.
Among the Asian algae eaters, the genus Garra is very species-rich. A species from Burma that is striking due to its spot pattern is Garra spilota, which we are currently able to offer again. Like all Garra species, this species, which grows up to 8 cm long, is an excellent algae exterminator. Among each other and against other fish Garra spilota are completely peaceful.
For our customers: the animals have code 416473 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesalers.
Everybody should be fooled by this unusual barb from Southeast Asia on some occasion! The wonderful 18-22 cm long specimens from Indonesia were sent to us under the name Rhaphiodon vulpinus, a predatory tetra from South America. Apart from the great shyness, the animals were in perfect condition, which is why we didn’t want to stress them unnecessarily by flattening our noses at the aquarium; so we kept enough distance for the first impression so that they didn’t get excited and thought: very beautiful R. vulpinus, long not seen such good animals, what they breed in Indonesia meanwhile…
But the keeper has to inspect them more closely in order to be able to detect early indications of a possible parasite infestation and so in this case Jan Wessel asked us whether we were sure with the determination. There would also be those predatory barbs from Asia? And Jan was absolutely right! Our new arrivals have neither an adipose fin, as is obligatory for the predatory tetras, nor teeth in their jaws – these are missing in all cyprinids. Got caught! But the similarity is really amazing!
Macrochirichthys macrochirus reaches a length of about 70 cm. Young fish eat insects, adult animals are fish eaters. Unfortunately the widespread species – it occurs from Indonesia to Thailand – like so many larger river fish in the region is threatened by environmental changes and pollution. The animals are peaceful among each other, but one has to take into account their great shyness by aquariums that are as large and rich in cover as possible. For this reason, photographing these fishes, which tend to panic, is hardly possible. It has proved to be very useful to cover the front glass of the aquariums with black foil to a large extent, so that the sensitive animals are not constantly disturbed by passing care personnel.
For our customers: the animals have code 425098 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesalers.
The five banded barb is one of the most beautiful small barbs. Originally it comes from the river Baram on Borneo, which flows through the Malaysian part (Sarawak) of the big island. Once the black water species was regarded as delicate, its breeding as a high school, but these problems have long since been solved. Nowadays, D. pentazona, which was formerly assigned to the genera Barbus or Puntius, is sold almost exclusively as bred ones.
Five banded barbs are always beautiful, but the most beautiful they are in soft, slightly acidic water, which is equipped with dark ground (a layer of peat) and abundantly planted. When taking care of these animals, it is important to note that they are distinct schooling fish. 20-30 animals are a fascinating sight and delight the keeper with their interesting and varied behaviour. The females lack the red in their fins, which makes them easy to recognize. The gender ratio is irrelevant for the composition of the swarm, but more males mean more action.
For our customers: the animals have code 370702 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesalers.
One of the undoubtedly most beautiful Rasbora species is R. kalochroma – and one of the most sensitive. They are typical black water fish which react very sensitively during the acclimatisation phase to increased bacteria contamination, which occurs almost inevitably in “normal” water. When we were now offered 1-2 cm long youngsters, we took advantage, because young fish are basically much more adaptable than adult animals. And the plan worked out! We now have very beautiful, well adapted Rasbora kalochroma in our stock.
The colouring of the fish in the photos is only a drab copy of the colouring they show in well equipped black water tanks; unfortunately you cannot photograph in such water or the colours would appear completely unnatural. In the past, R. kalochroma was considered to be the adult form of the dwarf rasbora (Boraras maculatus); however, the similarity is not very great from today’s point of view (see https://www.aquariumglaser.de/fischarchiv/boraras_maculatus_en/). Rasbora kalochroma becomes about 8-10 cm long and is a peaceful fish that appreciates the company of conspecifics.
For our customers: the animals have code 452300 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesalers.
The moderlieschen (Leucaspius delineatus) is the most recommended fish species for smaller garden ponds. Due to its miniature size of usually 4-5, rarely 8-12 cm it fits even for the smallest ponds, which must have, however, a minimum depth of 80 cm in central Europe to enable a survival during winter.
The funky name „moderlieschen“ derives from an old German word meaning „small fish without mother“. This small fish was often overlooked for long times. Sometimes they can reproduce in large numbers and then people believed that the fish were raining from the sky. Even this legend contains some thruth: the eggs of the moderlieschen are very sticky and can by chance attach to the feet of waterfowl. So the moderlieschen can colonize even formerly fishfree waterbodies via airmail.
Moderlieschen belong to the carp family. As an extreme exception among this relationship the male moderlieschen takes care of the brood. The eggs are attached in rows at reed. If you can observe a reed stalk moving although there is no wind at all it is very likely that a male moderlieschen moves the stalk to transport oxygen rich water to the eggs.
Moderlieschen are completely harmless and are reliable mosquito-larvae exterminators as they love to feed on them. So one who has moderlieschen in the garden pond hardly ever has mosquito plagues. Moderlieschen are schooling fish and should be kept at least in groups of 10 specimens.
For our customers: moderlieschen have code 857003 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply to the wholesale market.
We received once more this new, impressive species of Garra from India. The most striking feature of the species is that they have large, shining scales on the flanks. The position and number of these scales differs individually. Depending on the light these scales shine bright blue, orange-red or golden. The fully grown males (the photographed specimen is about 9.5 cm long and the largest individual we have seen so far) have a very impressive horn (scientifically called proboscis) on the forehead and tubercles on the snout. The shape of the proboscis is species-specific.
A great number of species of Garra have been described recently scientifically as new from India. Our fish resemble most to Garra gotyla, but more detailed and time-consuming studies are necessary before one can decide, if this first idea proofs to be right. In any case these algae-eaters are not only valuable, but also attractive and interesting!
For our customers: the fish have code 416442 (4-6 cm) on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
This unique dwarf barb (max. 4 cm total length) from Burma has a red “moustache”. In males it is more pronounced than in females, but in P. erythromycter the ladies also have a moustache. Until its scientific description in 2008, the species was called Barbus cf. puntio.
This species is best cared for at room temperature. During the courtship display the males appear to be covered with soot, because the scales then get fine dark edges. They are absolutely peaceful fish, which can be cared for in community tanks without any problems.
For our customers: the animals have code 372752 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesalers.
We could import this pretty fish finally once more via Singapore. The two species of the genus Trigonopoma were placed in the genus Rasbora for a very long time. The second species, T. pauciperforata, the glowlight rasbora, occurs interestingly very often syntopically with its close relative.
In the elder aquarium literature Trigonopoma gracile was usually named Rasbora taeniata. The first importation to Germany was as early as 1913; at that time is was not yet known to science yet. Persons interested in the history of the species and the different names should study the paper of Zarske in the Aquaristik Fachmagzin 213 (June/July 2010), which can be downloaded for free from Dr Axel Zarskes homepage at Senckenberg Museum. Sadly it is available in German only.
The pretty rasbora attains a maximum length of about 5 cm. In the natural habitat it can be found along with fish like harlequin rasboras (Trigonostigma heteromorpha) or chocolate gouramis (Sphaerichthys osphronemoides). The rasbora is a perfect community fish for tanks with soft and acidic water, a dark bottom (place some peat on it) and delicate water plants.
For our customers: the fish have code 452002 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
The dwarf barb has delighted aquarium enthusiasts since it was first imported from India in 1906. This is not so much due to its magnificent colouring; dwarf barbs are pretty, but no colour miracles. Rather, the tiny animal, which only grows to 2-3 cm in size in nature, fitted wonderfully into the formerly common, relatively small aquariums. Since it lives at temperatures between 14 and 30°C, not even an aquarium heating was necessary in heated dwellings yet. And filtering and aeration was rarely practiced at that time anyway.
All this has changed fundamentally nowadays. In fact, Pethia phutunio is considered somewhat sensitive. The causes are easy to name: Control heaters prevent temperature fluctuations and there is no debris left in the clean aquariums. Debris, i.e. dead plant remains, faeces and food remains, are an important food component of these and many other barbs. But if you are looking for an ideal fish for a small, natural aquarium without technology, you will still find it in Pethia phutunio today.
For our customers: the animals have code 370902 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
The Giant Carp (Catlocarpio siamensis) is the biggest carp of Southeast-Asia with allegedly up to 3 m of length. However, such large animals have never been scientifically confirmed. The largest documented specimen was “only” about 150 cm long. In nature the Mekong giant carp is probably extinct or at least very, very rare. Fortunately, the species can be bred in aquaculture, so that at least complete extinction is not to be feared. The causes for the extinction in nature are, as usual, the destruction of the biotopes and habitats by humans, whereby the large migratory fish hardly ever get old enough to reproduce naturally. The massive fishing for food purposes certainly also has an influence on the stocks, but how strong it is, has not been scientifically researched yet.
Of course, the young of this strange fish, which we currently have in stock, come from aquaculture, so they are bred ones. They are peaceful, somewhat shy animals that are easy to feed with all common fish foods.
For our customers: the animals have code 408172 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesalers.
This nano gem reached us from the south of India; the charming dwarf fish reaches a maximum size of 3 cm. It is an absolutely peaceful schooling fish that spawns on the upper side of broader leaves of submersed plants – Ludwigia-species are preferred.
On our stocklist this species was intially written as dadyburjori; so it is also written in the aquarium atlas, because the species name was given in honour of a Mr. Dadyburjor. But the scientifically correct spelling is dadiburjori (i.e. with “i” and not with “y”), which would lead too far to explain here, but this spelling is the correct one.
For our customers: the tiny animal has code 409502 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
Once more we have this splendid large barb (maximum size: approx. 60 cm) from Burma in stock. We have only a limited number of specimens! If one photographs these fishes and sets the flashlight directly from the front the fish looks rather drab silvery. But in the real life, when the fish is swimming, the extremely large, diamond-shaped blue scales on the back shine brightly and the orange-red stripe on the side looks really gorgeous. It is due to these wonderful colours that the “Blue Tor” is already a much sought-for fish for koi carp ponds in tropical Asia (at temperatures between 22 and 24°C). These colours, which are always visible for the human eye under daylight conditions, can be shown in photos only in slightly underexposed pictures and grazing light.
Neolissochilus inhabit rivers in primary forests of subtropical regions of northern India, Burma, Thailand and most probably Cambodia. The water in their habitats is always very clean and it is known that the fish disappear when human activities (clearning, water pollution) are increasing. Due to the geografical distribution the species is adapted to water temperatures between 16 and 26°C.
For our customers: the fish have code 438363 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
Lexicon: Neolissochilus: ancient Greek, means “new Lissochilus”; Lissochilus is anther genus of barb. stracheyi: dedication name. Blue Tor: the common name refers to the large blue scales on the back and the overall similarity of the fish to the members of the carp genus Tor.
In the south of India rises the ancient high plateau of the Deccan, which was already formed when India was still part of Africa. From here numerous small rivers flow directly into the Indian Ocean and in many of these rivers own colour variations, subspecies or species of freshwater fish have formed due to the geographical isolation. Barbs and loaches in particular can be found here in a great variety of forms, which, by the way, has not yet been scientifically researched.
A typical fish of this region is the melon barb, Haludaria (formerly Barbus or Puntius) fasciata. The above-mentioned applies to them fully, there are many colour strokes of them in the different rivers. The most attractive varieties – from an aquaristic point of view – are red, but they are also yellow and orange varieties.
We have often quite wonderful wild-caught specimens in stock, which have a fantastically deep red as basic color. The males seem to glow from the inside. The melon barb becomes about 8 cm long and is completely peaceful. As a barb it nibbles on delicate plant parts if it is not sufficiently supplied with plant food. The water-composition is secondary, the temperature should amount to around 26°C. A “hibernation” of 6-8 weeks at temperatures between 18 and 22°C has a very positive effect on the fish, but is not absolutely necessary.
For our customers: the animals have code 369523 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
This extraordinary beauty is a real dwarf (maximum length around 2.5 cm). It originates from the southwestern province of Ranong in Thailand (which forms a border to Burma) and is now available in perfect quality. Initially this fish has been described in the genus Microrasbora, but has been transferred together with M. gatesi and M. nana in the new genus Microdevario in 2009.
The peaceful schooling fish is a perfect species for the so-called nano-aquaria. In the wild, they inhabit brooks and so they need clear, clean and oxygen-rich water. The temperature should be between 22°C and 26°C. Water chemestry is of no relevance as long as extremes are avoided.
One should keep in mind that the brilliant green stripe can be seen only when the light comes from ahead and arrange the illumination of the tank in an appropriate way.
For our customers: the fish has code 430892 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
About 10 years ago the breeders suddenly focussed again on the old-known tiger barb, whose scientific name is, by the way, Puntigrus anchisporus. Puntigrus tetrazona is a species that is practically never seen in the aquarium, the edges of its fins, which are coloured red in the tiger barb, are black.
One of the new breeding forms that appeared at that time was the “Gold Green Stripe”. It still exists today and enjoys some popularity. The maintenance breeding of breeding forms is more demanding than that of wild forms, because if you make a mistake and the strain dies out, it has disappeared, while in wild species you can always fall back on specimens from nature.
Thus breeding forms are a good reflection of the breeding abilities of the farms involved and in the case of the “Gold Green Stripe” one must say – no matter whether one likes this special breeding form or not – the breeders master their craft! They are vital animals with excellent body and fin shape.
For our customers: the animals have code 372053 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.
The origin of the Odessa or Rubin barb was unknown for almost 30 years. The first specimens appeared in the former USSR in Odessa. It was unknown for a very long time whether they represented a wild species or an artifical breeding product. Only 2001 the first wild collected specimens could be traced. Now it was clear that this fish is a wild species originating from Burma. Sven O. Kullander and Rald Britz described the species formally in October, 2008. Its correct name is now Pethia padamya.
We currently have gorgeous wild collected specimens in stock. The displaying males belong without any doubt to the most beautiful barbs at all.
For our customers: the animals have code 371114 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
Text & Photos: Frank Schäfer
Literature:
Kullander, S. O. & R. Britz (2008): PUNTIUS PADAMYA, A NEW SPECIES OF CYPRINID FISH FROM MYANMAR (TELEOSTEI: CYPRINIDAE). Electronic Journal of Ichthyology. October 2008 2: 56 – 66
The Eightbanded barb (Eirmotus octozona) is a very delicate, slightly transparent dwarf barb from blackwaters of Malaysia and Indonesia. The males are much smaller than the females and sometimes even look as if they were half famished. But this is normal. Besides this males have comparatively larger ventral fins. The fish gets the most intensiv coloration in water that is rich in humin substances from peat, dead leaves and alder cones. Sadly this cannot be realised in photo tanks for technical reasons: the resulting yellow tinge of the pictures is quite irritating.
This tiny barb is very enigmatic. It has been described in 1959 on the basis of specimens from the aquarium fish trade which were said to originate from Thailand (Bung Borapet). However, there have been no reports since then about any occurence of Eirmotus in Thailand. Oramental fish collectors formerly collected this species in the peat swamp forest of Ayer Hitam in Johor, Malaysia. This forest has been almost destroyed for oil palm plantations and all fish that lived there seem to be extinct now. In 2008 three very similiar, new species of Eirmotus have been described from Sumatra and Borneo. Our fish seem to belong to the “real” E. octozona.
Eiromotus are very delicate barbs, which become only 3-4 cm long and are perfect tankmates for small blackwater tanks. Nothing has been reported so far about the breeding biology of this unusual, very peaceful barb.
For our customers: the fish have code 414583 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
Lexicon: Eirmotus: refers to the rows of sensitive pores on the head. octozona: means “with 8 bars”
In the minds of many keepers the goldfish is a coldwater fish and has its high season in spring time, when the garden pond season starts. This is of course true, but reflects only a part of the reality. The highly developed sports – like the orandas – often are better kept in aquaria than in outdoor ponds. The optimal water temperature for these fish is between 14 and 28°C.
Currently we received very nice Oranda 2-3 Colour that were bred in Singapore. These animals are colored individually very different and in all probability they will also change some of their colours during their individual lifetime, which can be as long as 30 years.
The ideal home for such fish is a large tank with soft sand and only a mild current. Goldfish are social animals and absolutely peaceful against all tankmates. One must only take care that no other fish takes the long fins of the orandas as toys and thus jars on the nerves of the poor goldfish permanently. By the way: all goldfish – and so also all orandas – are a perfect weapon against duckweed. No plague of duckweed will ever appear in a goldfish tank, for duckweed is one of the favourite dishes of goldfish.
For our customers: the animals have code 815704 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
The neon red ruby barb is an artifical sport of the ruby barb available for many years already. The fish are extremely beautiful; we usually obtain them from breeders from southeast Asia. Now we received this sport from an European breeder and his strain is particually beautiful. Like in the Asian cousins the flanks are deep neon red, but the European strain shows also deep black seams of the fins which contrast to the body in a most spectacular way. The females are not red at all, but in some specimens the fins have a reddish tinge.
For our customers: the fish have code 369352 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
The slender rasbora (Rasbora daniconius) inhabits a very large area in Southeast Asia. From the Malaian peninsula to the Mekong and the Indus it occurs in the a variety of habitats: channels, ponds, flooded (rice) fields and slowly flowing rivers. Due to the enormous area and the adjustment to different water types it can be assumed that R. daniconius does not place excessive requirements for the life in the aquarium. As long as one avoids extreme conditions slender rasboras will do fine. For this is to an overall length of 15 cm growing fish, the tank should not be too small (1 m), the fish need space being very active swimmers. With varied feeding and regular partial water changes this undemanding species is an almost ideal fish for beginners.
For our customers: the fish have code 451703 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusivelky supply the wholesale trade.
The Khavlibarb originates from the Yenna River in Satara district in the Indian state of Marahashtra. This is a peaceful species, which could however nibble on fresh sprouts of aquarium plants. They can be kept with any peaceful tank mates without any problems. The aquarium should be decorated with robust plants and part of the bottom with sandy substrate should be kept open for these fish in order to sift the sand. Water conditions are not critical and also this species tolerates a wide range of temperatures. They are omnivorous who need however a lot of vegetarian food as well. About breeding there no reports available yet, but would probably not be much different from other barb species, i.e. free laying into plants.
For our customers: the fish have code 371203 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade
Many people will still know the tiger barb under the wrong name Barbus or Puntius tetrazona. This species – the correct name is Puntigrustetrazona – is, however, never kept in aquaria or traded, but exclusively the close relative Puntigrusanchisporus. Both species can be easily distinguished from each other by the colour of the ventral fins, which are pitchblack in tetrazona and deep red in anchisporus.
The sport „moss green“ of P. anchisporus was developed in the 1970ies. In that sport the dark vertical stripes of the wild form are melted together in one solid zone. In all other aspects these moss greens are typical tiger barbs – swashbucklers that never show fear. Due to the extreme play instinst of that species one should never keep tiger barbs along with fish species that require quiet or that have extended fins.
Currently we have very nice German bred moss green barbs in stock.
For our customers: the fish have code 372212 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
A quite new fish in the hobby is Garra culiciphaga. Initially this species has been described by the French scientist Pellegrin in 1927 under the name of Hemigrammocapoeta culiciphaga. The up to 8 cm long fish was placed in the genus Hemigrammocapoeta since 2015; recently specilaized researchers see it rather in the genus Garra.
The small, peaceful and wonderful golden glossing cyprinid is a Turkey endemic. The climatic conditions in its home country make Garra culiciphaga very tolerant against different temperatures. Most recent scientific research showed that this freshwater fish tolerates even strongly brackish water up to full salt concentration of the sea.
We obtained for the first time ever some sample specimens from one of our breeders; we hope that we will be able to offer them on a regular basis in the near future.
The Mahseer carps from India are mythical fishes. They belong to the largest carp species of the subcontinent and it is said that they can reach up to 2 m in length. These carps inhabit the same ecological niches in India that are held in Europe by the salmons and trouts. Like in the latter the systematics of the Mahseers are only very little understood and there does existst no possibility to determine the species for sure.
We obtained Mahseer carps from India under the name of Tor putitora. The genus is easy to recognize, so we have no doubts the fish belong to the genus Tor. The species Tor putitora has not been illustrated in the original description and there does not exist any authentic picture from that time. So all the later determinations of what should be Tor putitora have to be seen with a big questionmark.
All species of Tor have in common very large scales. They are eurythermic fishes that tolerate a extremely wide spectrum of water temperatures: between 5 and 30°C! Tor are wonderful company for heated Koi ponds. The very large scales of adult specimens shine like diamonds. Another very intersting (and not understood) feature is the fact that at least sometimes adult Tor develop very large upturned lips. In some regions of India Mahseer carps are considered holy animals. In the temple ponds they become very tame and pilgrims can feed and touch them.
There is one thing that has to be kept in mind when Tor spp. should be kept in aquaria: these fish are poweful jumpers! In the wild they can overcome pretty high waterfalls. So the tank for Mahseers has to be covered absolutely densely.
For our customers: the fish have code 468203 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
Once more we are able to offer that pretty Rasbora that attains a maximum length of about 5 cm. This Rasbora is a very peaceful fish that will not touch any plant in the tank. It prefers to swim in small schools along with conspecifics. R. sarawakensis feeds readily on any type of usual fish food.
Despite the specific name that suggests the fish originates from Sarawak (the part of Borneo belonging to Malaysia) this species has a much wider distribution on the island an can be found also in the Indonesian part.
For our customers: the fish have code 452882 on or stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
The Siamese Dwarf Rasbora (Trigonostigma somphongsi, formerly Rasbora somphongsi) has been described scientifically in 1958 on the basis of specimens that were imported by the ornamental fish trade by the end of 1957 from Thailand. So the exact type locality was unknown from the beginning. In the original description nothing but “Thailand” was mentioned, later, in the more exact scientific description, Meinken wrote that they originate from “southern Menam (Thailand)”.
In the past 20 years the species was thought to be extinct in the wild. In the entrance in the international Red List the author (C. Vidthayanon, 2013) names as area of distribution the basin of the Mae Khlong near Ratchaburi in central Thailand. The species could not be found there anymore due to habitat destruction. The only reason, why the species was consideed as “critically endangered” and not as “extinct in the wild” was the fact that every now and then single specimens were spotted among mixed catches of other ornamental fish species. However, it was not known where these animals had been collected. It was clear: the species still exists! But nobody knew where…..
Now it was finally possible to rediscover the habitat of the fish in the wild again! And we were able now to import successfully some extra large and extra beautiful specimen! Of course collecting small fish in the wild has no influence on natural populations at all. In contrast: it was only due to the interest of enthusiastic hobbyists the the species could be re-discovered again. So conservation acts become possible only now. One can only hope that the authorities do not regulate the trade with live animals (which is completely senseless, as everybody nows, for the trade with live specimens is not a serious treat for wild populations of small fish at all), but hopefully protected areas will be build up. Here the fish should be allowed to be collected, but the nature in its whole would be protected.
Keeping the charming animals in the aquarium is completely undemanding. The fish become only 2-2.5 cm long. Like all the close relatives of the fish (eg the harlequin barbs Trigonostigma heteromorpha, T. espei, and T. hengeli) they spawn on the underside of broad plant leaves. T. somphongsi prefers to live in schools, but for spawning the pairs most often separate themselves from the conspecifics. The males even defend a small spawning territory for a short time. So-called V-tanks are ideally suited for the extensive breeding of this species. Here young fish can be usually separated on a regular basis.
The list of species of ornamental fish that have been discovered by hobbyists and the ornamental fish trade is much enriched by this charming fish. Hopefully it can be also placed on list of species finally safed from extinction, too. We hope that many hobbyists show interest in that fish and ask for it in the pet shops. This would maybe even make a commercial breeding possible, another important step for protection of the species.
For our customers: the fish have code 452888 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
Literature:
Meinken, H. (1958): Rasbora somphongsi, eine neue Zwergrasbora. XXIX. Mitteilungen der Fischbestimmungsstelle des VDA. Die Aquarien- und Terrarienzeitschrift 11 (3): 67-69
Meinken, H. (1958): Rasbora somphongsi nov. spec., eine neue Rasbora aus Siam (Pisces: Cyprinidae, Unterfam. Rasborinae). Opulusca Zoologica Nr. 19 (Oktober 1958): 1-6
Vidthayanon, C. (2013): Trigonostigma somphongsi. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.3. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 16 January 2015.
Lexicon: Trigonostigma: means “triangle spot”. somphongsi: dedication name for the discoverer and ornamental fish exporter Somphongs. Rasbora: after the vernacular name of one of the species in Bengal.
Suggestion of a common name: Siamese Dwarf Rasbora
If one listens to the breeders the black and white goldfish are called „magpie goldfish“, animals with telescope eyes ae called „demekin“ and the fish with a double, but compartively small tailfin are „fantails“. An oranda, on the other hand, is a hooded fish in the language of the breeders. But honestly: who would call this nice pandas we obtained recently „magpy demekin with fantail“? Oranda panda sounds much better, doesn´t it?
This sports isn´t easy to breed. We have only one supplier on a regular basis and even he cannot satisfy all needs anytime. Each individual fish looks a bit different. There are even specimens in which the white part of the coloration is missing. In that case the fish look similar to the Black Moor (a black demekin variety), but nevertheless different.
For our customers: the fish have code 817499 (3-4 cm) and 817500 (4-5 cm) on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade. Available in limited numbers only.
Once more we were able to import this beautiful dwarf rasbora in good numbers. Al large school of them is a fascinating look!
The Eyespot Rasbora, Brevibora dorsiocellata, is a well known, classical aquarium fish. Sadly the species became almost forgotten in the 1980ies. It was Mr. Takashi Amano from Japan who was responsible for the comeback of the species. Amano often used a large school of B. dorsiocellata for his stylish tanks – a real eyecatcher!
The genus Brevibora has been separated in 2010 from Rasbora. Currently four species are known, but sadly in recent new descriptions serious mistakes have been made, so the names will change in near future again. For that reason we use the name that is best known in the hobby – Brevibora dorsiocellata.
Eyespot Rasboras are peaceful and undemanding fishes that can be kept even by beginners in the hobby. There is only one point that should be mentioned: the fish look best (most probably because they feel safe) when kept in larger schools, starting with 10 specimens – the more the better.
For our customers: the fish have code 451802 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
Quite recently a new sport of the cherry barb, Puntius titteya, apperaed in the market. The fish are offered from Southeast Asia. We have imported them now for the very first time. A most intersting fact is that in this sport only the caudal fin is prolonged, the remaining fins have normal size. In all longfin/veiltail varieties of cyprinid fish that are known so far (mountain minnow, Tanichthys albonubes; zebra fish, Danio rerio; leopard danio, Danio frankei; rosy barb, Pethia conchonius; goldfish, Carassius auratus; Kkoi, Cyprinus carpio) the reaminig fins are also prolonged, not only the caudal fin. This pecularity gives the cherry barb „longfin“ a really extraordinary look.
For our customers: the fish have code 372642 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
This barb with the extremely aerodynamic shape originates from Indonesia. Despite the size the fish can reach – up to 25 cm – the peaceful and splendid colored fish is an ideal inhabitant for a community tank with other large barbs from Asia, like Bala sharks (Balantiocheilus) or Sahyadria denisonii.
For our customers: the fish have code 425002 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
Dieter Vogt described in 1978 a subspecies of Rasbora urophthalma (please see the entry for Boraras urophthalmoides in our fisharchives: http://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/fish-archives/boraras_urophthalmoides_formerly_rasbora_urophthalma__en/) from Borneo. He named the fish Rasbora urophthalma brigittae, a dedication name in honour for his wife Brigitte. The German name is „mosquito rasbora“. This is not because the fish are as tiny as mosquitos or as red as moskitos after having a dinner, but due to the fact that there were so many mosquitos at the collecting site that fishing became a real pain.Today the mosquito rasbora is regarded as a full species in Boraras and thus the correct name is Boraras brigittae.
For our customers: B. brigittae has code 451102 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply to the wholesale market.
Hikari-Danios belong to a scientifically still undescribed species of Danio from Burma. The closest relative is Danio kerri. However, Hikari danios are by far more colorful than D. kerri and really beautiful fish. Keeping and breeding Hikari Danios is absolutely comparable to the very well known zebra fish, Danio rerio. Hikari danios attain a maximum length of about 5 cm.
It has been a quite long time since the last import of these pretty fish. Now we were able to get them again. By that opportunity we found that we had two different codenumbers for Hikari danios, one for „blue“ and one for „yellow“. We asked our supplier and he answered: in fact the fish have formerly been assorted in blue and yellow ones until we became aware that the blue ones are the females and the yellow ones the males…
For our customers: the fish have code 413733 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
Currently, from a scientific point of view, only four harlequins are distinguished (plus the aberrant Trigonostigma somphongsi); however, genetic studies and – as well – simple observation of live, wild collected specimens of different origins clearly show that there are many more species. Trigonostigma hengeli is the tiniest and most dainty species of the three accepted ones. It hardly grows larger than 3 cm. The species is found on the large Sunda islands of Sumatra and Borneo. The typical blackwater species has a bright shining stripe over and in front of the triangular lateral spot.
We have beautiful wild collected specimens in stock. Usually they show a light pink and orange basic colour, but if they come in mood for breeding they develop an intensive reddish and purple colour. The photographed fish are only 2 cm long (about 2.5 cm inclusive the caudal fin) and obviously fully mature. The common name „swift (harlequin) rabora“ should be used preferably for that species instead of „glowlight rasbora“ (which leads to confusion with Trigonopoma pauciperforatum) or „lambchop rasbora“ (which is also used for Trigonostigma espei).
For our customers: the fish have code 452202 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
We have the Chinese Whimple Carp, sometimes called the Batman-Loach, almost anytime in stock. Sadly the species is in danger of extinction in the wild, mainly due to hydroelectric power stations. All specimens traded come from aquaculture and are bred in captivity.
Usually we get the fish from Singapore, but as a test we ordered some from a new supplier from Honkong now. Of course we observed these fish very carefully and found that there are two different phenotypes. Some specimens are reddish and the mighty dorsal fin is rounded at its tip. Others are rather black-and-white and the dorsal fin of these fish is much more pointed. Both phenotypes can be found in fish of the same size, the photographed ones are both 10-12 cm long. Do these differences in coloration represent the different sexes? That would be astonishing, as all whimple carps in the trade are still small juveniles. This fish can attain a maximum length of about 1.2 metres and a weight of about 23 kg; the adults look totally different, too.
Well, we will see. We will put the two photo models in a 5.000 litre tank and see how they develop.
Due to their maximum size only juveniles can be kept in normal sized home aquaria. Later the fish have to move in really big tanks or garden ponds. The species is winter-hardy in central Europe. They are much sought for to be kept along with koi carps, for Myxocyprinus is a algae eater and helps to keep the pond clean.
For our customers: the fish have code 438003 (6-8 cm) and 438005 (10-12 cm). Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
One of the advantages of the aquarium hobby is that there exists a species of fish for any thinkable taste. Most of our readers will for sure prefer the cardinal tetra, but the plump and drab coloured Cyprinion semiplotum is also worth a look.
This species of carp attains a maximum length of about 60 cm and originates from the north of India, Nepal and Bhutan. However, specimens larger than 30 cm are hardly ever found in the wild. According to the exporter, one can collect the species only a few weeks per year (august-spetember) and even at that time they are anything but common. The IUCN Red List lists the species as vulnerable. Population has declined for 30% in the last decade and it is presumed that it will shrink for another 30-50% in the decade coming. The reasons for that decline are overfishing, deforestation and pollution of the habitats. This unique carp lives exclusively in clear mountain streams in the Himalaya, which flow to the Ganges and the Brahmaputra. The specimens currently traded are said to originate from the Sankosh and Torsa rivers in North Bengal. However, collecting young specimens for the aquarium trade has no effect at all on the population. But due to the declining populations is is not very likely that the fish will appear on the ornamental fish market in the future again.
Almost nothing is known on the aquarium biology of this omnivorous species. It is said that it can be best compared with that of Labeo-kind fish. This means that one should keep the fish in larger groups, for otherwise they may develop an aggressive behaviour. It is self explaining that fish of that size should be kept in large aquaria. Hardness and pH are of lesser interest, but one should keep in mind that the species originates from subtropical regions and thus they should be kept not too warm (14-24°C).
For our customers: the fish have code 412952 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
Lexicon: Cyprinion: this refers to the relationship of the Common carp (Cyprinus): semiplotum: means “half swimming”.
We abtained for the first time ever this species of Garra. In this genus it is currently impossible to guarantee the exact determination of the species, for a hughe number of species is described and most of them look extremely similar to each other. Our fish at least are very close to G. vittatula.
All species of Garra are good algae eaters and are usually kept rather for that purpose than due to the coloration. However, well established G. vittatula look quite attractive, maybe because they often show a reddish caudal fin. There is one very obvious behaviour in G. vittatula: it is extremely social. The specimens regulary search for conspecifics. So this species should be kept in small schools composed of at least 5 specimens. Maximum size reported for Garra vittatula in scientific literature is about 6-8 cm, so our specimens are probably fully grown already.
For our customers: the fish have code 416433 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
Text & photos: Frank Schäfer
The Eyespot Rasbora, Brevibora dorsiocellata, is a well known, classical aquarium fish. Sadly the species became almost forgotten in the 1980ies. It was Mr. Takashi Amano from Japan who was responsible for the comeback of the species. Amano often used a large school of B. dorsiocellata for his stylish tanks – a real eyecatcher!
The genus Brevibora has been separated in 2010 from Rasbora. Currently four species are known, but sadly in recent new descriptions serious mistakes have been made, so the names will change in near future again. For that reason we use the name that is best known in the hobby – Brevibora dorsiocellata.
Eyespot Rasboras are peaceful and undemanding fishes that can be kept even by beginners in the hobby. There is only one point that should be mentioned: the fish look best (most probably because they feel safe) when kept in larger schools, starting with 10 specimens – the more the better.
For our customers: the fish have code 451802 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
The tiger barbs were placed until recently in the catch-all genera Barbus, Puntius, or Systomus. The long time overdue splitting of the Asian small barbs led to a placement of the deep-bodied tiger barbs in a genus on their own, Puntigrus. The type species of the genus is P. partipentazona.
We were able to import this pretty species of tiger barb once more wild collected from Vietnam. P. partipentazona can be differenciated on the first glimpse from its congeners (P. anchisporus, P. navjotsodhii, P. pulcher, and P. tetrazona) by the dark spot on the basis of the dorsal fin.
Keeping all tiger barbs is easy. No principal differences in their demands exist, and they all attain the same size (5-6 cm). It is very important to keep them in schools as large as possible. If a tiger barb gets bored, it will become a plague for all other tankmates and start nibbling on the fins of other fish. As a rule one should never keep tiger barbs along with fish that ave extraordinary long fins.
For our customers: the fish have code 370602 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusiovely supply the wholesale trade.
Finally we can offer again the pretty golden sport of the Fathead minnow Pimephales promelas. This fish is the ideal inhabitant of small garden ponds. For more informations on the species see http://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/pimephales-promelas-natur–gold_de_1339.html
For our customers: the animals have code 870002 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
In
any species of fish that is bred in large numbers sooner or later
sports appear. This now happened also in the gorgeous Indian Redline
Torpedo Shark, Sahyadria denisonii. Besides “normal” bred ones
Indonesian breeders now offer a golden sport of that fish. It is obvious
that the individual fish differ a lot in the coloration.
For our customers: the fish have code 369498 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
For
the first time ever we obtained this splendid bitterling via Hongkong.
The species is said to become more than 25 cm long and this would make
it the largest species of bitterling at all! However, our fish are
currently 6-8 cm long and in full colour, so maybe more than one species
is involved, as the bitterlings are a very confusing group of fishes.
In any case our new importations are a gorgeous supplement to the
ornamental fishes from China.
For
our customers: the fish have code 800133 on our stocklist. Please note
that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade. Only males available.
Algae
eaters from Africa? Hardly ever are such fish available in the trade,
despite the fact that there does a high number of species exist.
Currently we have two species of African Labeo in stock. There is no
doubt that Labeo parvus is the better algae eater of the two. It looks
astonishing similar to the Asian species of Garra, Epalzeorhynchus,
Gyrinocheilus etc.. It is said that the species attains a maximum length
of 40 cm, but this is hard to believe. Our, currently 6-8 cm long,
specimens from the Congo look already very adult with their “pimples” on
the face. They surely grow up to 12-15 cm, but much larger? May
different species have been confused, who knows? We will keep some
specimens and see…
Against
each other Labeo parvus are very peaceful – compared with other Labeo.
However, all species of this relationship should be kept either as a
single specimen or in larger groups. The broad sucker mouth of the
species is amazing, as well is the fast change of coloration. The very
same specimen can show a striped pattern and in the next moment it is
almost black.
The
second species in our stock also originates from the Congo: Labeo
barbatus. We obtained only very few specimens. In this case already the
youngster give an idea that this fish will grow to a large size: about
60 cm are reported in literature, so this algae eater fits only for
really large aquaria.
For our customers: the fish have code
142702 (Labeo parvus) and 142103 (Labeo barbatus) on our stocklist.
Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
We were able to import another splendid large barb from India. It belongs to the species Dawkinsia (formerly Puntius or Barbus) exclamatio or a closely related, scientifically still undescribed species. The fish are currently 8-9 cm long and are in breeding condition. Both sexes show now a red back, the males also develop “spawning pimples” on the snout and prolonged dorsal fin rays. Sadly these strong swimmers show only a much faded coloration in the small photo tank. In their regular, large tank the males also have a ruby-red breast and a deep red caudal fin.
For our customers: the fish have code 369666 on our stockliat. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
In South India a group of barbs exists that was formerly placed either in Barbus or in Puntius and which is now placed in the only recently (2012) erected genus Dawkinsia. In Dawkinsia a phenomenon exists that aquarists are used to know for example from cichlids from Lake Malawi: every new collecting site reveals a new sport. This often makes it impossible to determine the species for sure. Now we received a new “mascara barb” (due to the dark eye-band). This fish is either a sport of D. assimilis or a new species of Dawkinsia. We obtained a few fully grown specimens (photos) and a good number of juveniles.
For our customers: the fish have code 369503 (4-5 cm) and 369505 (7-9 cm) on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
The
banded barbs from Southeast Asia were always matters of interest, both
of aquarists and scientists. The generic position of the species was
unclear for quite a long time: they were placed in Barbus, Puntius, or
Systomus. But t seems that the problems has been solved finally. The
elongated species are now placed in the genus Desmopuntius (species: D.
endecanalis, D. foerschi, D. gemellus, D. hexazona, D. johorensis, D.
pentazona, D. rhomboocellatus, and D. trifasciatus), the deep bodies
species (“tiger barbs”) in Puntigrus (species: P. anchisporus, P.
navjotsodhii, P. partipentazona, P. pulcher, and P. tetrazona).
Currently
we received wonderful, fully grown (5-6 cm) wild collected Desmopuntius
hexazona. They originate from Narathivat province in South Thailand.
Like all Desmopuntius they should be kept in schools. The fish like
soft, acidic water, and a tank furnished with many dead leaves, wood,
and waterplants.
For our customers: the fish have code 369804 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
Now
is the best season for buying young goldfish. The animals have spend
the summer in growing ponds and are in top condition now. Of course most
hobbyists ask for goldfish in springtime, this has a long tradition.
But one should keep in mind that in spring time the fish come from an
exhausting hibernation and that makes them quite sensitive. So, whoever
is interested in goldfish is well advised to look for them right now.
Currently
we have imported for example pretty young ranchus in mixed colours from
Hongkong. One thing have goldfish and koi in common: among thousands of
animals are only very few that fulfil the high demands of a breeder.
But all of them are healthy and strong fish!
For our customers: the animals have code 818001 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
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