25e. Perchlike fishes (5): Remaining Cichlids from South and Central America (269)

  • Geophagus taeniopareius

    15. March 2024

    In 1981, the first report appeared on a Geophagus species imported as by-catch, which the author, Rainer Stawikowski, initially referred to as the “Yellow Cheek-Stripe Eartheater“. The relatively slender species is very much out of the usual range of Geophagus, both physically and in terms of brood care behavior. Nevertheless, it took until 1992 for […]

  • Pterophyllum sp. “Rio Nanay” bred

    15. March 2024

    Like so many cichlids, angelfish also develop different-looking forms within their large distribution area. Whether these forms are classified as independent species, as subspecies or as color variants is ultimately a matter of taste and a philosophical issue. There are also individual differences within each population; in the case of the angelfish of the Rio […]

  • Discus Special (3): Brown/blue Discus

    8. March 2024

    Small wild-caught fish Discus cichlids, like all cichlids, only develop their full coloration when they are largely mature (i.e. approx. 15 cm long in the case of discus). This is generally known and one of the reasons for the popularity of Asian color breeds, as they already show their full color at lengths of 7-9 […]

  • Discus Special (2): Discus Green 7-9 cm

    8. March 2024

    Small wild-caught fish Discus cichlids, like all cichlids, only develop their full coloration when they are largely mature (i.e. approx. 15 cm long in the case of discus). This is generally known and one of the reasons for the popularity of Asian color breeds, as they already show their full color at lengths of 7-9 […]

  • Discus Special (1): Discus Heckel Rio Negro 7-9 cm

    29. February 2024

    Small wild-caught fish Discus cichlids, like all cichlids, only develop their full coloration when they are largely mature (i.e. approx. 15 cm long in the case of discus). This is generally known and one of the reasons for the popularity of Asian color breeds, as they already show their full color at lengths of 7-9 […]

  • The scientific species name of discus cichlids: an open question

    20. February 2024

    The question of which scientific species names should be given to the various discus cichlids is a controversial one. There is agreement that all Symphysodon populations are relatively closely related to each other and that preserved specimens cannot be identified with certainty without color and location; the only exception is the Heckel discus (Symphysodon discus), […]

  • Cleithracara maronii KOUROU

    12. January 2024

    The Keyhole cichlid (Cleithracara maronii, formerly Aequidens maronii) is a well-known aquarium fish that has only rarely been imported to Europe as a wild catch since its first import in 1936. The demand is covered by captive breeding. Although the species has no striking colors – the very varied pattern consists of brown, grey, beige […]

  • Cichla kelberi “Spider”

    24. November 2023

    Just a few decades ago, the Peacock Basses from South America (genus: Cichla) were considered almost unsustainable for aquaria, but nowadays they are bred regularly and in large numbers. The latest craze is Cichla kelberi “Spider”, a breeding form whose origin is not yet known. The photos show our current stock, 16-18 cm long specimens, […]

  • Gymnogeophagus balzanii

    28. August 2023

    The hump of the male of G. balzanii is comparable to the feather tail of a peacock: it is simply the expression of manhood! The Paraguay Eartheater originates from the southern parts of South America and is imported now and then from Paraguay as wild collected stock, but the species is also bred on a […]

  • Wallaciia compressiceps (= Crenicichla c.).

    11. August 2023

    The dwarf spezies among the pike cichlids have recently been separated as an independent genus Wallaciia (see https://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/fish-archives/the-crenicichla-have-been-reclassified/). They include W. compressiceps, which occurs only in the Tocantins and Araguaia rivers in Brazil. It is one of the smallest, the prettiest and the most aggressive pike cichlid species. Although it only grows to a maximum […]

  • Heroina isonycterina

    4. August 2023

    It does not always have to be bright colors that make a fish interesting. Rather, it appeals to nature lovers to study the life history of the animals they keep and this often leaves a deeper impression in the long run than the colorful appearance. By cichlid standards Heroina isonyterina is a gray mouse. However, […]

  • The Crenicichla have been reclassified

    14. July 2023

    With 93 accepted species, the pike cichlids (Crenicichla) are the most species-rich genus of cichlids anywhere. Closely related to Crenicichla are the Teleocichla cichlids. The relationship is so close that the independence of Teleocichla has been doubted several times. In a recent study in which 74 species of the complex could be considered (65 Crenicichla […]

  • Uaru fernandezyepezi

    7. July 2023

    In the Rio Atabapo in Venezuela, from which Uaru fernandezyepezi originates, it is already some weeks closed season, i.e. no fish may be caught there. The beautiful Uaru fernandezyepezi, which we can offer at the moment, are therefore the last specimens of the current season.  There was a time when people hardly dared to import […]

  • Pterophyllum Blue Angelfish 2023

    7. July 2023

    Solid blue-green angelfish are apparently the dream of many angelfish breeders. The body base color blue, a mutation, has been known in angelfish since World War 2, but it was very difficult to establish it in large-scale breeding. It was not until the end of the 1990s that this was achieved. Since then, a wide […]

  • Crenicichla zebrina

    12. May 2023

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

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

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

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

    Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

  • Symphysodon discus “BLUE MOON”.

    6. April 2023

    The Real or Heckel Discus (Symphysodon discus) is always somewhat behind its close relatives, the Blue and Green Discus, in popularity. This is certainly only because it breeds less willingly. There is no doubt about its special beauty. The Heckel Discus “Blue Moon” is found only in a rather remote region of the Alto Nhamunda […]

  • Thorichthys aureus

    31. March 2023

    The “golden cichlid” is one of the first cichlid species that became known for aquaristics. It originates from Mexico. Already in 1911 the first imports took place. However, the species never really caught on in general, in contrast to its cousin T. meeki, which was first imported more than 20 years later and is still […]

  • Scalare leopoldi Red Spots Peru

    27. February 2023

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

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

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

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

    Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

  • Vieja breidohri

    24. February 2023

    The 1980s and 1990s were the high times of traveling aquarists who wanted to shed light on Central American cichlids. And this succeeded more than satisfactorily! One of these amateur researchers in the best sense of the word was Hans-Günther Breidohr (1938-2017). In his honor Uwe Werner and Rainer Stawikowski named a cichlid Paratheraps breidohri, […]

  • Cryptoheros myrnae “Rio Sarapiqui”.

    24. February 2023

    Central American cichlids often require large aquariums. Not so much because of their swimming needs, but because they form territories and are often unbearably aggressive in aquariums that are too small. In large aquariums, on the other hand, this is hardly a problem. But there are also dwarf cichlids among the Central Americans, which – […]

  • Symphysodon aequifasciatus “Royal Green Tefé”.

    20. January 2023

    The kings of the discus fishes are the “Royal” varieties. A discus is called Royal if green or blue pattern elements are spread over the entire body surface.  Among the green discus the Royal from Tefé in Brazil (which is also one of the type localities of S. aequifasciatus, i.e. the locality from which the […]

  • Symphysodon wild Nanay Green

    5. December 2022

    The Rio Nanay is a large, left-bank tributary of the upper Amazon River. It is considered a blackwater river. The Rio Nanay is home to Green Discus, which have always been sought after in the hobby. In the past, in the 1950s and 1960s, these precious animals came to us via the Colombian city of […]

  • Geophagus steindachneri

    2. December 2022

    The redhump eartheater (Geophagus steindachneri) from Colombia has had a regular place in the aquarium since it was first imported to Germany in 1972. There are numerous reasons for this. First of all it is very attractively colored. The males develop a red colored forehead hump, which varies very much in size. Over all: the size. In fact, G. steindachneri can grow up to 25 cm long! But sexual maturity starts already with 6 -7 cm length. 

    Geophagus steindachneri is considered to be the most specialized mouthbrooder of South America, because the eggs are taken into the maternal mouth immediately after spawning. Instead of egg spots in the anal fin, as found in many African mouthbrooding cichlids, G. steindachneri have orange spots in the corners of the mouth, which achieved the same effect.

    We have at the moment nice offsprings of the species in the stock, where the males have as a special feature green-golden areas in the area of the gill covers.

    For our customers: the animals have code 678212 on our stocklist. Please note that we supply exclusively to wholesalers.

    Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

  • Blue Dempsey Cichlids

    25. November 2022

    The Blue Dempsey is a beautiful blue variant of the normally rather dark colored Rocio octofasciata (formerly: Cichlasoma or Nandopsis octofasciatum). In the youth Blue Dempsey still have relatively many black color parts, the extremely intensive, then almost solid blue coloration develops only with increasing age.  Presumably the animals are descendants of a mutant, which […]

  • Biotodoma cupido Peru

    11. November 2022

    The small cichlid Biotodoma cupido – it reaches about 12-15 cm total length, but is already sexually mature at 6-8 cm – is probably the most widespread cichlid species in Amazonia. Among experts there is cheerful disagreement whether all the different looking animals are only local color variants or independent species. Be that as it […]

  • Rocio octofasciata

    28. October 2022

    The beautiful cichlid Rocio octofasciata from Mexico is still known by many older people as Cichlasoma biocellatum. But all over the world young and old know him also under the popular name “Jack Dempsey”, although you have to be quite old to have experienced this legendary heavyweight boxer still in his active time: Jack Dempsey’s […]

  • Astronotus sp. NEW ZEBRA/Tapajos

    17. October 2022

    We have received an incredibly beautiful pair of wild caught Oscars from the Rio Tapajos. At least the male absolutely competes with the breeding form “Red Tiger Oskar” in color, but as we said, they are wild-caught! The sexes are difficult to distinguish externally in Astronotus, but the striking color difference and the expression of […]

  • Crenicichla sp. Tapajos I / Cobra Pike

    30. September 2022

    The Rio Tapajós in Brazil is a more than 800 km long tributary of the Amazon. It is also the largest tributary of the Amazon River and flows to its right side when viewed downstream. It is not surprising that the great Tapajós River contains numerous endemic species, i.e. species that only occur there and […]

  • Symphysodon “Super Red Turqoise”.

    31. August 2022

    The Red Turquoise lines were among the first breeding forms of the Discus Cichlid, developed in the 1980s. Aquaristics had reached the point where wild-caught Brown/Blue Discus could be considered “cracked”. So one mastered their successful acclimation and breeding. Since wild-caught discus turn out very inconsistently – between simply brown and completely blue streaked animals […]

  • Symphysodon “Pidgeon Blood Panda”

    31. August 2022

    The “Pidgeon Blood” discus, which appeared in the early 1990s as a mutation in Asian discus breeding, revolutionized discus breeding. It combined two characteristics that discus breeders had previously only dreamed of: an early coloration, i.e. already 5-7 cm long juveniles look essentially like adult fish in terms of color. And a second advantage of […]

  • Symphysodon “Marlboro Red”

    29. August 2022

    The color red is the dream color of many animal breeders. Red canaries, red swordtails, red guppies, red angelfish – wherever this was genetically possible, it was realized. With polychromatic fish species, e.g. with Apistogramma, where in nature always several color variants occur together, the red ones were preferred in breeding. And with the discus? […]

  • Symphysodon “Blue Diamond“

    29. August 2022

    The Asian discus cultivars enjoy great popularity, because on the one hand they color very early (wild forms all look similarly unspectacular in 5-7 cm length) and on the other hand they are not very shy, so they can be presented well even in unfamiliar surroundings. Of the solid blue discus, the Blue Diamond, which […]

  • Geophagus sp. “Caqueta”

    26. August 2022

    From the Colombian province of Caquetá we occasionally receive a magnificent Geophagus of the surinamensis group, which is obviously a scientifically not yet described species. Three color characteristics are used for the identification of Geophagus of this complex relationship: 1. the shape, position and size of the lateral spot in relation to the eye, 2. […]

  • Astronotus mikoljii

    29. July 2022

    Of the seven scientifically described species of Astronotus, only two are currently recognized by most ichthyologists, namely A. crassipinnis and A. ocellatus; however, a third, A. zebra, is so distinctly different in color from the others that there is little doubt as to its validity. Now a new name has been established: the Oscar from […]

  • Herichthys carpinte

    27. July 2022

    The Texas cichlid was successfully introduced to Germany and bred as early as 1902. In the meantime the species has undergone several name changes. In former times it was called Cichlasoma cyanoguttatum, today it is placed in the genus Herichthys and it is believed that the large spotted form as we can offer it right […]

  • Pterophyllum sp. “Guyana Red Dragon”.

    13. June 2022

    Similar to the fact that there are several red-backed angelfish populations, there are also several red or yellow-spotted wild forms. The ancestors of Pterophyllum sp. “Guyana Red Dragon” came from the Essequibo River in Guyana. Number and intensity of dots vary individually in each fish, but all specimens we currently received (they are now 5-7 […]

  • Pterophyllum “Manacapuru redback”.

    10. June 2022

    There is a lot of interest in special wild forms of the angelfish. Among the best known is the “Manacapuru Redback”, a very striking form. Because of the strong need for revision of the genus Pterophyllum, it is better not to call it “Pterophyllum scalare” scientifically, because what exactly this “real” scalare is has yet […]

  • Amatitlania siquia (= sp. Honduras Redpoint)

    2. May 2022

    The taxonomic status of this small cichlid, which has had quite a respectable aquaristic career as Amatitlania sp. Honduras Redpoint, is controversial. It is currently assumed that it belongs to the species scientifically described as A. siquia. Now this species is itself controversial and is seen by some scientists as a synonym to the old […]

  • Amatitlania nigrofasciata

    25. April 2022

    Are you in a phase of the hobby, in which nothing at all wants to work out concerning breeding? Then it is time for the emergency rescuer in all situations, the convict cichlid Amatitlania nigrofasciata. Although it is no longer available everywhere and at any time, especially in its natural form, it hardly ever disappoints […]

  • Aequidens superomaculatum

    14. March 2022

    For the first time we were able to import a beautiful Aequidens from Venezuela, which is probably Ae. superomaculatum. This species has been described scientifically only a few years ago – in 2015. Unique in the genus and also giving the name (superomaculatum = with a spot above) is the combination of a continuous lateral […]

  • Astatheros macracanthus (formerly: Cichlasoma m.)

    18. February 2022

    There is no doubt that Astatheros macracanthus is a fish for connoisseurs. This 20-25 cm long cichlid is distributed quite widely from southern North America to Guatemala and El Salvador. The species was scientifically described already in 1864, but in the aquarium it has always remained an absolute rarity. The reason is clear: in the […]

  • Cichla ocellaris x melaniae Hybrid

    18. February 2022

    Few fish show as clearly how dynamic things can get in aquaristics as Cichla. These large cichlids are among the most popular food fish in South America, but until the turn of the millennium they were not considered very suitable for aquarium care: they were considered too large and too sensitive.  In the meantime, however, […]

  • Heros sp. Curare Bred

    9. February 2022

    For the first time we could import this magnificent Heros from Venezuela in 2016. The animals should originate from a Rio Curare, therefore the name; however, no Rio Curare is known to us. We suspect the Rio Ventuari as origin. The fish are extremely colorful, otherwise everything speaks for the fact that it concerns the […]

  • Mayaheros beani (formerly: Cichlasoma b.)

    28. December 2021

    Origin: Rio San Christobal = Laguna El Camalote, San Blas, Nayarit, Mexico The small town of San Blas, where the Rio San Christobal empties into the Pacific Ocean, is considered the northernmost place with a tropical climate on the Pacific coast of Mexico. The name Laguna El Camalote was originally applied to a marshland southeast […]

  • Andinoacara latifrons Rio Atrato

    13. December 2021

    This beautiful cichlid has been swimming in the world’s aquariums since 1906 and has been delighting for generations with its varied behavior and beautiful looking brood care. The animals are typical open breeders with parent family, i.e. both parents lead the numerous brood. Confusion gave in the course of time due naming. For a long […]

  • Hypselecara temporalis OYAPOC

    1. December 2021

    The Emerald cichlid has become a bit out of fashion. This is a quite sad thing, for this impressive large cichlid – males can become up to 30 cm long, females always stay much smaller – is one of the most beautiful species of cichlid of South America. Once more we can offer now German […]

  • Geophagus harreri

    17. November 2021

    In very small numbers we have received this beautiful Geophagus as German offspring. The species reaches a maximum length of 20-25 cm and is exclusively found in the inlet of the Marowijne River, the border river between French Guyana and Suriname. One of the tributaries of the Marowijne is the Maroni River, known to cichlid […]

  • Heros sp. Madeira

    12. November 2021

    The Rio Madeira is a right tributary of the Amazon River and is considered the largest tributary in the world. Its origin is in Bolivia where it is formed from the confluence of the Rio Beni and the Rio Marmoré. It flows into the Amazon in Brazil at Itacoatiara. The Rio Madeira is a white […]

  • Crenicichla jegui

    8. November 2021

    The pike cichlids (Crenicichla) are with 94 accepted species (and there are still a large number of undescribed ones) the most species-rich genus of cichlids at all. One of the most distinctly different species is Crenicichla jegui from the Rio Tocantins drainage. There the fish lives very hidden and was therefore discovered only when the […]

  • Pterophyllum leopoldi (“dumerilii”)

    29. October 2021

    This season we received especially attractive Pterophyllum leopoldi from Brazil. Unfortunately, the animals do not like the photo tank at all and show there only a fraction of the wonderful colors – a magnificent green shimmer all over the body and a very nice red tone in the back – that well acclimated animals of […]

  • Amatitlania (formerly Cichlasoma) nigrofasciata Marble

    9. August 2021

    The convict cichlid Amatitlania (formerly Cichlasoma) nigrofasciata is really not a novelty anymore: it has been kept and bred in aquariums since 1939. The first aquarium animals of this very widely distributed fish in Central America came from the lakes Atitlan and Amatitlan in Guatemala. The genus to which the convict cichlid currently belongs was […]

  • Crenicichla from the Rio Xingu

    21. July 2021

    In the 1990s, when the large river cichlids of Brazil experienced a certain boom, also four Crenicichla species came to Europe for the first time, which were named Crenicichla sp. Xingu I – IV due to the lack of availability of a scientific name. All four grow quite large by ornamental fish standards, you have […]

  • Thorichthys meeki “Rio Candelaria”

    23. June 2021

    The Rio Candelaria is a lowland river in Central America. It originates in northern Guatemala and flows through regions there and in southeastern Mexico whose jungle landscapes were almost untouched by man for a long time. The Rio Candelaria gained sad fame because the conquistador Hernán Cortez had the last Aztec ruler Cuautémoc, a fierce […]

  • Angelfish XL

    11. June 2021

    Fully grown angelfish of the various breeding forms are comparatively rare in the trade. The reasons are obvious: The breeding is time and space consuming, because they are still cichlids, which demand a certain individual space for themselves. That’s why XL angels have to be comparatively expensive. But occasionally such animals are in demand and […]

  • Satanoperca sp. aff. jurupari “Tapajos”

    4. January 2021

    Some of the earth-eaters of the genus Satanoperca have frightening names (Satanoperca = devil-perch, Jurupari = devil, Daemon = demon, Lilith = the bride of the devil), but there are only few cichlids that are as peaceful and harmless as they are. The most important thing they need in an aquarium is a part of […]

  • Heros sp. Manacapuru

    4. September 2020

    Manacapuru is the third largest city in the state of Amazonas in Brazil. It is located about 80 km west of Manaus at the confluence of the Rio Manacapuru and the Amazon. A large, lake-like extension of the Rio Manacapuru near the city is called Lago Cabaliana.  From the surroundings of Manacapuru, especially the red-backed […]

  • Krobia xinguensis

    28. August 2020

    Only in 2012 this pretty cichlid was scientifically described, before that it was known in the hobby as Krobia sp. “Xingu Red Head”. As the name suggests, the animal originally comes from the Rio Xingu in Brazil. However, the species is only available as bred ones.  This beautiful Aequidens relative is the ideal cichlid for […]

  • Astronotus cf. crassipinnis “Bumble Bee”

    19. June 2020

    Currently we import very pretty young Oscars from Brazil, which are offered under the name “Astronotus crassipinnis”. The species A. crassipinnis exists in Brazil, but there is no possibility to check if the species identification is correct. We suspect that the animals are bred ones.  The beautiful fish show the typical behaviour of all Astronotus […]

  • Crenicichla notophthalmus

    20. May 2020

    The genus Crenicichla is with about 100 species one of the most species-rich cichlid genera at all, and yet there are numerous forms that, if we see them alive, do not really want to fit the described species. On the other hand, there are also described species of which we already doubted about their existence, […]

  • Guianacara dacrya

    17. April 2020

    The genus Guianacara currently comprises seven described species, all of which originate from the Guiana shield in South America. The genus was only established in 1989 and only one species – G. geayi – was known before; Pellegrin described it in 1909. From this one can already conclude that the species look quite similar. Before […]

  • Crenicichla sp. “regani-Orinoco”

    1. April 2020

    The pike cichlids (Crenicichla) are one of the most species-rich cichlid genera with 94 valid species at present. Many species grow to well over 20 cm in length and thus belong to the large cichlids, but there are also dwarf cichlids. The latter include the beautiful, slender C. regani, which according to literature should grow […]

  • Cichlasoma boliviense

    12. February 2020

    In the past, the genus Cichlasoma included practically all the larger Central and South American cichlids, more than 200 species; currently there are only 16 species in the genus, all were cultivated and valued in the early days of aquarium science as Aequidens portalegrense. It is rarely possible to distinguish the 16 scientifically described Cichlasoma […]

  • Biotodoma cupido Peru

    10. February 2020

    The small cichlid Biotodoma cupido – the species can attain a maximum length of about 12-15 cm, but is sexually mature already at 6-8 cm total length – is probably the species of cichlid with the widest distribution in Amazonia. However, experts are merrily discordant wether all the different looking populations represent only varieties of […]

  • Discus Rosé Lake Tureré

    5. February 2020

    The approximately 300 km long Nhamundá River, one of the smaller left hand tributaries of the Amazon, forms the border between the Brazilian states of Amazonas and Pará. Near the mouth of the Nhamundá River into the Amazon lies the city of Nhamundá. The estuary is basically a large lake district. One of these estuary […]

  • Uaru amphiacanthoides WILD

    31. January 2020

    Within the genus Uaru only two species are scientifically distinguished at present: U. amphiacanthoides and U. fernandezyepezi. However, there are different local variants of U. amphiacanthoides, which differ in the size and position of the lateral spot. Right now we can offer wonderful, large and three-quarter sized wild catches from the Rio Negro in Brazil. […]

  • Astronotus ocellatus Oscars 12-15 cm Mixed Colour

    4. December 2019

    Why the Oscar is called the Oscar? Honestly, we don’t know that for sure. But what is certain is that the name originated in the USA. In 1936, an essay by E. W. Clarke about Astrontus appeared in the journal “The Aquarium”. In 1949 Gene Wolfsheimer reported in „The Aquarium Journal“ that the aquarists in […]

  • Gymnogeophagus caaguazuensis

    15. November 2019

    We have received beautiful wild collectes animals of this larvophile maternal mouth-breeding cichlid from Paraguay (i.e. the female incubates the larvae in her mouth, while the animals spawn on stones etc. and take care for the eggs here like open-breeding cichlid until they hatch). With only scarcely 9 cm of standard length (with tail fin […]

  • Satanoperca lilith

    25. October 2019

    This beautiful cichlid from Brazil is only very rarely imported. Currently we can offer some specimens in perfect size. Despite the frightening name o the fish Satanoperca lilith is a very peaceful and reserved species, it can be even a bit shy. Maximum length reported for the fish is around 20-25 cm, our specimens are […]

  • Symphysodon discus

    23. August 2019

    The real or Heckel discus is maintained considerably more rarely in the aquarium than brown, blue or green discus and their sports and becomes as good as not at all bred. It is therefore only regularly available as a wild collected fish. At the moment we have some very nice, well-adjusted Heckel varieties in our […]

  • Amatitlania sajica

    23. August 2019

    From the many Central American cichlids, that were grouped in the gigantic collective-genus Cichlasoma earlier, most species are cared for only by the experienced “old hares” among the aquarists, who don’t want any more a colorful  community aquarium but prefer a preferably big aquarium with few, characterful fishes. The Central American cichlids are perfect for […]

  • “Cichlasoma” loisellei

    26. July 2019

    In their Central American home countries, the predatory colorful cichlids, that are classified currently in the genus Parachromis – before this, they were placed in Cichlasoma or Nandopsis – are called “Guapotes“. That means “the big pretty ones”. And actually, these species, some of which can reach up to 50 cm in length, are very […]

  • Andinoacara rivulatus

    22. March 2019

    Once colourful large cichlids were so popular that imports from Ecuador were organised mainly because of them. On the pacific side of the country live the “Green Terror”, so the then still Aequidens rivulatus named gold seam cichlids were called, and the “Red Terror”, then Cichlasoma festae, today Mesoheros festae. Both species become easily over […]

  • Red Texas Cichlid

    6. March 2019

    You may wonder why the title does not contain a scientific name. The reason for this is that the fish we are presenting to you was born from a crossbreed and crossbreeds do not have their own scientific name in zoological naming (unlike in botanical naming). The Red Texas Cichlid, which we offer as B-grade, […]

  • Aequidens sp. Ventuari/Moriche

    22. February 2019

    This beautiful and peaceful, somewhat reserved cichlid comes from Venezuela. It was collected in the Rio Ventuari, at a place where the river has to avoid the mountain Moriche. Mount Moriche is 1216 m high. Aequidens sp. Ventuari/Moriche is undoubtedly closely related to A. metae and becomes about 20 cm long. They are open breeders […]

  • Mesonauta sp. Manapiare

    20. February 2019

    This beautiful flag cichlid (Mesonauta) comes from the Venezuelan federal state of Amazonas and there again from the administrative district Manapiare. Since it cannot be assigned without doubt to one of the Mesonauta species already described, the cichlid enthusiasts currently call it Mesonauta sp. Manapiare.  As far as the care is concerned, this fish shows […]

  • Pterophyllum scalare “Guyana Red Dragon”

    15. February 2019

    The wild forms of the angel (Pterophyllum scalare) are enjoying increasing popularity, particularly the variants with locality information. Surely they are also cultivated; so come (or came, because there are currently hardly any exports from there) e.g. in wild catches from Guyana again and again especially many red spotted specimens. And who would blame the […]

  • Heros notatus BRAZIL WILD

    4. February 2019

    We have received wonderful Heros notatus from Brazil. A typical feature of this species are the dark spots in the lower half of the body. As with all Heros the sexes differ by the head colouring, however, it is not always easy to distinguish a strongly coloured female from a male standing far below in […]

  • Krobia xinguensis

    22. January 2019

    This pretty cichlid has been described scientifically only in 2012. Up to that time it was known among hobbyists under the name of Krobia sp. “Xingu Red Head”. This nice relative of Aequidens is the ideal cichlid species for beginners, because it is one of the most peaceful species of cichlid at all. Besides this […]

  • Pterophyllum „Santa Isabel“

    14. December 2018

    We can offer just wonderful, young adult German bred offspring of the famous Santa-Isabel-Angel, which differs clearly from other wild collected angels by its attractive red coloration at the front-back. The animals are descendants of fish that we were able to import as wild catches some years ago (see: https://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/fish-archives/fantastic_pterophyllum_scalare_santa_isabel_arrived__en/). Especially worth mentioning is – […]

  • Astronotus ocellatus Colombia

    24. August 2018

    We obtained very nice juveniles of the Oscar from Colombia. In contrast to the adults the juveniles are strictly schooling fish. In case of a real or imaginary danger the fish school performs a kind of globe. This behaviour also explains the otherwise illogical attractive pattern. In a school this pattern works as a camouflage, […]

  • Pterophyllum scalare Santa Isabel

    20. July 2018

    We received wonderful wild collected angelfish from the municipality of the city Santa Isabel at the Rio Negro. Like many other fishes from that area – mainly discus and Apistogramma – the angels show a high degree of red coloration on the body. The reason for that phenomenon is unknown to us. The water in […]

  • Pterophyllum scalare „Belem Sky Blue“

    30. May 2018

    In the year 2015 along with an import of stingrays from Belem, Para, Brazil an angelfish was imported that was unknown to us until then. Already in 2016, in the F1 generation, a few blue mutants with a red iris could be selected. These blue angels from wild parents formed the basis of the selective […]

  • Symphysodon discus Blue Head Tumbira

    29. March 2018

    Here, as promised, another remarkable Heckel variety we currently have in stock: Blue Head Tumbira. One should not think that every specimen of that variety has a solid blue opercle; Tumbira (the name refers to a Tukano community at the bank of the Rio Negro, below Sao Gabriel de Cachoeira) are still wild collected discus […]

  • Symphysodon discus „Heckel Nova Olinda“

    16. March 2018

    We are now in the last third of the current discus season. A particular charakter of this season is the comparably great number of extremely beautiful Heckel discus. We currently have a number of varieties in stock and want to feature them for you. But of course it is not that easy to take pictures […]

  • Pterophyllum scalare „Bicolor Blue“

    12. March 2018

    We can offer this brandnew sport of the Angelfish (Pterophyllum scalare „Bicolor Blue“) for the very first time now. The animals still differ individually in respect of pattern, but especially the front back of all specimens is already blue. The breeder guaranteed us that the parents are full blue bicolor with a real intensive colour.  […]

  • Geophagus cf. abalios

    16. February 2018

    Currently we have as well larger wild collected specimens and bred ones in stock. G. cf. abalios is a beautful, ovophilous mouthbrooider and originates from Venezuela. The fish have bred in our showroom. At that time they had a total length of about 8 cm, so we initially thought they would represent a dwarf variety. […]

  • Thorichthys meeki

    15. December 2017

    The Firemouth (Thorichthys meeki, formerly Cichlasoma meeki) originates from Mexico and belongs to the most popular cichlids at all. This popularity is not at least due to the impressive face mask of the species. No other species of cichlid shows in such perfectness the bottom of the mouth and the deep red skin that covers […]

  • Madeira-Discus arrived!

    11. December 2017

    There are so many varieties of discus known, but none of the wild collected fish are as variable as the ones from the Rio Madeira. Basically speaking, the Madeira discus is a brown-blue one. The brown morphs of that variety very often exhibit a high degree of red and/or yellow colour on the body, while […]

  • A little sensation: the first documented OB discus!

    27. October 2017

    A few weeks ago we received a shipment of hald grown wild collected discus via Manaus. The animals acclimatised very well. As soon as they showed the normal coloration we found that there was one very special animal among them. It was blotched. Initially we thought that the animal would be sick, but it feeds […]

  • Gymnogeophagus caaguazuensis

    29. September 2017

    We received wonderful wild collected specimens of this mouthbrooding cichlid (the females orally broods the larvae and young fry) from Paraguay. This species attains a maximum length of about 9 cm only (standard length, with the caudal fin the maximum length is around 12 cm) and thus is one of the smallest members of the […]

  • Amphilophus xiloaensis

    30. June 2017

    In the lakes of Nicaragua a group of cichlids evolved, which is very interesting from a biological point of view: the Midas cichlids. Formerly they were classified only in two or three variable species within the catch-all genus Cichlasoma: Cichlasoma citrinellum, C. labiatum, and C. zaliosum. Nowadays they are placed in the genus Amphilophus. These […]

  • Wonderful bred Altum angels available!

    10. May 2017

    The Altum angel (Pterophyllum altum) is extremely demanding during the rearing period. If the breeder makes even a minor mistake in respect of water quality or the food this results at once in a life-long deformation of the fish. These gnarled ventral fins, crooked anal fins or defects of the operculum are not heritable; so […]

  • Chaetobranchopsis australis

    8. March 2017

    Here it is: the cichlid with the probably most interesting mode of feeding from Paraguay! Chaetobranchopsis australis is specialized in feeding small planktic organisms. The up to 12-14 cm long fish swallows water like a vacuum cleaner and sieves the plankton with long gill rakers out of it. Obviously at the time of our importation […]

  • Discus Heckel Cross Jatapu

    20. February 2017

    The high season for wild collected discus starts around October and ends in April. Nevertheless, good wild collected discus are available the whole year throught! Some varieties are in general very rarely offered, a good example are the so called Heckel Cross from the Rio Jatapu. They are real beauties! The out-of-season summer discus have […]

  • Heros liberifer German bred

    19. February 2017

    The mouthbrooding species of Heros from Venezuela has finally a widely accepted scientific name: Heros liberifer. Please see http://www.aqua riumglaser.de/en/fish-archives/the_mouthbrooding_heros_from_venezuela_a_new_species_heros_liberifer_en/ for detailed information on that case. From time to time we can offer beautiful, 10-14 cm long German bred specimens of that rare fish. For our customers: the animal has code 682945 on our stocklist. Please […]

  • Acarichthys heckelii Albino

    20. January 2017

    We received this extraordinary and beautiful sport of Acarichthys heckelii from Taiwan. A. heckelii is a comparatively large species of cichlid that can attain over the years a total length of more than 20 cm. And the fish becomes more and more beautiful with every year! The species is very peaceful. Aquarium maintenance is comparable […]

  • Chanchitos

    5. August 2016

    The very first species of cichlid that was ever kept in private aquaria was the Chanchito. At that time – in the year 1894 – the species was classified as Heros facetum. Later it was transferred to Cichlasoma, nowadays it is placed in the comparatively new genus Australoheros. Initially it was thought that there would […]

  • Biotodoma wavrini BRAZIL

    5. August 2016

    There are two accepted species of Biotodoma: B. cupido and B. wavrini. Both differ basically by the position of the lateral blotch, which is positioned above the upper branch of the lateral line in B. cupido and below the upper branch of the lateral line in B. wavrini. Biotodoma cupido is widely distrubuted in South […]

  • Astronotus ocellatus Oscar Lemon

    18. July 2016

    If one likes artifical sports or not is a matter of taste. But these sports are in any case interesting, because they show the genetic potential of a species. So finally men-made sports give hints even for the scientists working exlusively in the field how to distinguish local populations from different species. The Lemon Oscar […]

  • Geophagus pellegrini

    23. March 2016

    Sadly we can offer this beautiful mouthbrooding cichlid from Colombia only very rarely; the last time we had it in stock was 5 years ago. Now we had the opportunity to import this animal. They originate from the Chocó region in Colombia, located in the West of the country. The main river of the Chocó […]