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 […]
Among lovers of large, predatory fish, the species of the genus Datnioides (formerly: Coius) enjoy great popularity. They are calm, expressive fish that, after a sometimes somewhat tough acclimation period in which they are shy and skittish, become very attached to the keeper and provide decades of enjoyment. All Datnioides species grow to 30-40 cm […]
The neon gobies of the genus Stiphodon are all beautiful fish. None of the 37 currently known species grows longer than 5-7 cm, usually they remain much smaller. Although adult Stiphodon live exclusively in pure freshwater, the larvae can only develop in the sea. Therefore, neon gobies live in streams near the coast. They spawn […]
The large genus Leporinus comprises more than 90 species and still confronts science with hardly solvable problems concerning the delimitation of the species. Among the groups of species known for decades as particularly complicated is the group of forms around Leporinus maculatus. These are Leporinus, where at least a part of the flank pattern consists […]
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 […]
In 1961, a review paper on the hillstream loaches of the genus Gastromyzon of Borneo was published. In it five species were distinguished: G. pauciradiatus, G. nieuwenhuisii, G. fasciatus, G. punctulatus and G. borneensis. In 2006 the next revision of these fishes from Borneo appeared. This was accompanied by a true species explosion; in Gastromyzon […]
We have received this dwarf glass perch from Indonesia, which was named in honour of Alex Ploeg, who was in the passenger plane shot over the Ukraine on 17 July 2014. Gymnochanda ploegi is known so far only from West Kalimantan, the part of Borneo belonging to Indonesia. It is a pure freshwater species that […]
The genus Brachyplatystoma is called “Goliath Catfishes” in English, because some of its species belong to the largest freshwater fishes at all: up to 3.6 m length are given in literature! In South America they are ubiquitous and important food fish, of which more than 30,000 tons are consumed annually. Nevertheless, distinguishing the species is […]
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 […]
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 […]
After a long time we could finally import some of the beautiful Hyphessobrycon haraldschultzi from the Rio Araguaia in Brazil. The animals are clearly slimmer than serpa tetras (H. eques, “serpae”, “minor” etc.). The coloration is more reminiscent of H. amandae, because the red is – unlike serpa tetras – not a rich blood red […]
Since November 8, 2012, a ban on apple snails of the genus Pomacea has been in effect in the EU, because one of the species has been found to be a pest in rice plantations in Portugal. Since then, apple snails may not be passed on (not even given away!) even if they are offspring […]
The elegant predatory tetras of the genus Boulengerella are divided into 5 species: B. cuvieri, B. lateristriga, B. lucius, B. maculata and B. xyrekes. They are widely distributed in the major river systems of Amazon and Orinoco. Distinguishing the species is not easy, especially with juveniles. We just received from Peru pretty 10-12 cm long […]
From Peru a beautiful dwarf cichlid regularly comes to us, which is called “Apistogramma juruensis” on the exporter´s lists. The animals are very similar to A. cacatuoides and to A. juruensis, but can usually be easily distinguished from both by one coloration feature: a black chin spot, which was decisive for the common trade name […]
Head-and-Tail light tetras were introduced to Germany as early as 1910 and were also bred soon after. They soon belonged to the iron stock of ornamental fish. These first head-and-taillight tetras were identified as Hemigrammus ocellifer. In 1958 Hermann Meinken noticed that the head-and-taillight tetra in the hobby does not have a shoulder spot, but […]
Head-and-Tail light tetras were introduced to Germany as early as 1910 and were also bred soon after. They soon belonged to the iron stock of ornamental fish. These first head-and-taillight tetras were identified as Hemigrammus ocellifer. In 1958 Hermann Meinken noticed that the head-and-taillight tetra in the hobby does not have a shoulder spot, but […]
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 Rio Vaupés – so the Spanish spelling – or Rio Uaupes – that is the Portuguese one – is a “small” right tributary of the Rio Negro. After all, the “little one” has a length of 1,375 km! It rises in Colombia in the foothills of the Andes and forms the state border with […]
Of the cichlids endemic to Madagascar, Ptychochromis oligacanthus is also quite well known aquaristically by name. However, the understanding of what is meant by this species has changed thoroughly only a few years ago (2006). Previously it was believed that the species was widespread and divided into four different colored races. Today these races are […]
Where do the many Guppys that populate the aquariums of the world actually come from? The answer: they come from breeding farms, where these animals are professionally propagated, just like plants in a nursery. The largest breeding centers are located in tropical Asia (Sri Lanka, Singapore/Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam) and Israel. Breeding is carried out […]
The Dwarf Badis, also called Scarlet, has transformed itself from the highly paid sensation of the year 2000 to the always available classic in aquaristics. It originates from northern India (North Bengal), where it inhabits clear, moderately flowing waters with sandy bottoms and rich underwater plant growth at the foot of the Himalayas. In terms […]
The handsome red-backed bleeding heart tetra of the bleeding heart tetra group (three scientifically known species to date) is the most recently discovered, and was only described by Burgess in 1993. The males having elongated dorsal fins and a very handsome and conspicuous red dorsal, less pronounced also the females. A successful breeding has not […]
Compared to the breeding varieties of Xiphophorus maculatus, the “common” Platy, there are only comparatively few breeding forms of the Parrot Platy. This is surprising, because this species is very variable by nature, hence the species name “variatus = the variable”. But perhaps this also makes it more complicated to fix color characteristics in a […]
Labyrinth fishes are among the most important ornamental fishes in the world. Their often bright colors and varied behavior make their care very rewarding. Most species also remain small, only very rarely exceeding the 10 centimeter mark. The exception are the giant gouramis (Osphronemus), of which there are four accepted species. They are not only […]
The beautiful Enneacampus ansorgii is a small (8 – 12 cm) freshwater pipefish and at the same time the species most commonly available for the hobby, especially as it is propagated by commercial breeders. The ground-dwelling pipefish belongs to the short-snouted members of the family. It is native to West Africa and is occasionally offered […]
The great hype surrounding L catfish has long since given way to normal handling of these beautiful and interesting fish. One of the enduringly popular species is Baryancistrus xanthellus, which entered the hobby under L numbers L18, L81 and L177. The species is common and frequent in the Rio Xingu and its tributaries. Nevertheless, it […]
From Vietnam we received this very nice bumble bee goby. The identification of bumble bee gobies is still in many cases a very tricky matter and often succeeds only with many question marks. Brachygobius sabanus was originally described from Borneo (Sabah), but our animals originate from Vietnam. However, the figure attached to the first description […]
Once again we can announce a first import, but unfortunately a completely unspectacular one. Lentipes argenteus, a neon goby from West Sumatra, is – as they say – a dream in gray. We are quite sure that this will be our only import, because such fish are only interesting for specialists. For all of you […]
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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 […]
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 […]
Among the numerous Cherax species Cherax quadricarinatus, also known as Australian red claw crayfish, occupies a special position. It has been propagated as edible crayfish in aquaculture for decades and was therefore one of the very first Cherax species available for aquaristics. Cherax quadricarinatus belongs to the largest representatives of its genus, males can reach […]
Who remembers art class in school? Among the first things you learn are color temperatures, right? According to this, red, yellow and orange are warm colors, while blue, green and purple are cool colors. In Lake Malawi’s rock cichlids, the mbuna, the territory-owning males usually shine in cool colors (usually blue), and the females exhibit […]
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 […]
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 […]
There is truly Babylonian confusion of language among the breeding forms of livebearers. This is unpleasant for everyone involved, but a solution to the problem is not in sight. Bulky descriptions do not look good on the offer lists, not every customer is a specialist and knows the breeder codes, and besides, nobody can tell […]
Among the numerous species of North American crayfish, Procambarus alleni, under the name “Blue Florida Lobster”, has for many years been a fixture in the aquarium trade. However, one must know: although breeders prefer to breed with blue specimens and usually only blue animals are sold, this is by no means a species characteristic. There […]
Although this small molly had been known since 1939, and studied in aquariums since 1957, its official scientific naming did not occur until 1975. It is the smallest member of the True Mollies (Mollienesia), which are currently a subgenus to Poecilia, but may regain full generic status in the future. In the wild, the dwarf […]
Every year is the season for a desirable fish for large show aquariums: Salminus maxillosus. And every year after the import of juveniles the question arises: are they really? Because the mostly up to 60 cm (maximum 1 m) long Salminus – they are pure predators, which feed only on other fish – imitate in […]
At the moment we have one of the most beautiful corydoras from Peru in our stock, which contributed with the number “C4” more than 25 years ago to create a real corydoras boom. The species is one of the distinct schooling fishes within the genus Corydoras. In addition, C. virginiae is a very lively species, […]
The wild guppy from the Rio Morichal in Venezuela is also known as “orange line” among the specialists for wild forms of livebearers. These fish are a very tiny and slender variety of wild guppy, but not an artificial sport. In contrast to other wild populations of the guppy this one is known to be […]
Cichlids form new species comparatively quickly when placed in geographic isolation. For them, the speciation process often takes only a few decades or centuries, whereas other groups often need millennia. Lake Bermin in Cameroon is a comparatively tiny crater lake with a surface area of only 0.6-0.7 km2. The lake is located in a former […]
The wonderful West African cichlids have been somewhat forgotten in recent decades. In the 1970s and 1980s, on the other hand, they experienced a real boom and a great many new species were discovered at that time because ornamental fish collectors were only too happy to fulfill the aquarists’ desire for previously unseen cichlids. Many […]
ZZF publishes expert opinion on positive list Today, the ZZF published its commissioned “Expert Opinion on the Legal Admissibility of the Introduction of a National Positive List for Pets”. The expert opinion, prepared by Prof. Dr. Dr. Tade M. Spranger of the University of Bonn, unequivocally proves that a positive list for pets would be […]
Lake Malawi in the heart of Africa is home to an enormous variety of cichlids. Often it is difficult to decide whether in individual cases they are different species or local variants. Extremely popular in aquaristics are the rock cichlids (Mbuna). But also among the non-Mbuna, which in their habitat are not so dependent on […]
The Asian clown knifefishes with a well-developed dorsal fin were formerly grouped in the genus Notopterus. Currently, the genus Notopterus contains two externally indistinguishable species, N. notopterus and N. synurus, while the high-backed species have been transferred to the genus Chitala. From the genus Chitala we currently have the very attractive species Chitala blanci in […]
Bostrychus zonatus is a sleeper goby and becomes about 15 cm long. They are predatory fish, which should therefore only be kept together with species that have at least half the body length of the gobies, larger is safer. The beautiful animal is widespread in fresh and brackish water in New Guinea and northern Australia. […]
Sleeper gobies the genus Butis (there are 6 recognized species) belong to the most original members of their kind. They swim around in the aquarium in every imaginable posture, especially often with the belly up, but also upside down or with the snout up. Thereby they imitate a floating piece of wood and are not […]
This tiny fish from Peru is one of the smallest killifishes. The photographed, sexually mature animals are only about 2 cm long including the caudal fin! As maximum length 3.5 cm are given in the literature. Around this small fish jewel there were some ambiguities concerning the scientific naming. At first it was called Rivulus […]
This extremely rarely imported species originates from Burma. The charming fish attains a length of only 2-3 cm. The species is a close relative of the mouthbrooding chocolate gouramis, but P. ocellatus is a bubblenest builder although the eggs look like the eggs of mouthbrooders. In the habitats of P. ocellatus appear heavy day-night changes […]
The bony tongues (Osteoglossidae) are ancient fish nobility. They bear witness to the time when Africa, India, Australia, Antarctica and South America still formed a coherent continent called Gondwana. It was during this time that the bony tongues evolved. About 150 million years ago, Gondwana broke apart and today’s continents were formed. As if on […]
From Colombia we received Iguanodectes spilurus. This brings the number of Iguanodectes species imported by us in recent times to four: the red-striped I. geisleri and I. adujai, the three-striped I. purusii and now the golden-striped I. spilurus. The lizard bite tetras (Iguanodectidae) are a peculiar family of South American tetras that got their scientific […]
The “Giant Apistogramma” caused a flurry of excitement when it was discovered in 2009 during an expedition to the Serra do Cachimbo (Pará, Brazil). The discoverers, J. L. O. Birindelli and M. Sabaj Perez, reported on this great fish in various journals, initially under the name A. sp. “Gigas”. Then in 2014, Varella and Sabaj […]
At the moment we can offer several of the precious and rare Platinum animals of the caiman fish. All have the glistening white body ground coloration. Individually different black speckles are present on the currently 12-15 cm long juveniles. These rarities are bred in Indonesia. They are intelligent fish, which come in expectation of food […]
The “four-striped Ancistrus” L267 is still a somewhat mysterious species. Even if the first specimen became known already in 1996, this Ancistrus always remained a top rarity in the trade and was not available at all for years. Even the origin remained unknown until now. We get the fish from an exporter in Peru, who […]
Unfortunately imports from the Congo are only rarely possible. But now it was once again so far and among other species we have received nice wild catches of the Banded ctenopoma (Microctenopoma fasciolatum, formerly Ctenopoma f.). The currently imported form – the exact locality is unknown to us – differs quite clearly in color from […]
The Blackfin pearlfish (Austrolebias nigripinnis, formerly Cynolebias n.) is a true classic among killifish. Since its first importation in 1908, this small natural wonder has delighted fish lovers. It is only a maximum of 4.5 cm long (females remain smaller) a typical seasonal fish, which lives in nature only a few weeks. It uses this […]
Now is the season for the southern dwarf cory Corydoras hastatus. We get this cute Corydoras, which grows to about 2-3 cm long, from Paraguay. In contrast to most other Corydoras, C. hastatus is less bottom bound. He swims just as gladly in the free water. Often schools of C. hastatus are mixed with several […]
There are three tiny Oryzias species in the Mekong River basin of Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, which only grow to about 16 mm in length when fully grown in the wild; animals kept in aquariums can grow somewhat larger because they live much longer here (2-5x as long, i.e. 2-3 years). These are Oryzias minutillus, […]
The so-called common hatchetfish Gasteropelecus sternicla is found in practically the entire tropical area of South America. In this huge area probably different genetic lines have developed. In any case, it is extremely unlikely that this is not the case. Nevertheless, they look extremely similar everywhere: they are simply success models of evolution! A recent […]
In recent years many highly interesting catfish species ideally suited for aquaristics have been discovered from Asia and imported for aquarists. The first species of the genus Pseudolaguvia were described already in 1927, but only recently it was recognized that this is a very species-rich genus of dwarf catfishes, which usually grow only about 2-3 […]
A long name for a small fish, but this extremely pretty platy is surely worth to break your tongue for. The base coloration is snow white, the fins are transparent, the eye (the iris) sky blue. The famous “Mickey Mouse” pattern is emblazoned on the caudal peduncle, which is called “moon complete” in the breeder’s […]
From the Hong Kong area comes this beautiful, but also delicate goby. The maximum length of the species is about 10 cm. The basic temperature requirements are well known from the White Clouds (Tanichthys albonubes), which occurs in the same region: 16-22°C for normal care, somewhat higher for breeding, short-term up to 28°C are tolerated. […]
The kissing gourami (Helostoma temmickii) in its pink breeding form is one of the best known labyrinth fish. It is not actually bred as an ornamental fish, but as a food fish. The species grows up to 30 cm long under suitable (fattening) conditions and is considered delicate. In the nutrient-rich, turbid breeding ponds, the […]
Albinos occur in all animal species, including humans. Due to a mutation they lack the ability to form black pigments completely or partially. In nature, albinos are extremely rare, because they are too conspicuous and thus quickly become the victim of predators, in human care albinos occur sooner or later in all animal species. Since […]
For the first time we could import this cute dwarf catfish from Peru. In the scientific literature the maximum size is given as 3,6 cm (without caudal fin). It is absolutely incomprehensible, why this attractively striped fish (however, there are numerous individual colour morphs from banded to almost completely black, some animals are also of […]
The rice fish of Japan are also called medaka and enjoy a great popularity. They belong to the first foreign ornamental fish ever, which came to Europe. Already in 1887 the first “golden panchax” were imported to Germany. But one cared for the fish at first wrongly. One wanted to do the exotics something good […]
If anything, marine aquarists are familiar with the flatheads of the genus Platycephalus. There are 17 species, P. indicus, which can be easily recognized by its black and white stalked caudal fin, is the best known and most common species. It is found in large parts of the Indo-West Pacific and the Red Sea. The […]
Every now and then we can import this incredible freshwater pufferfish in small numbers. It is a very specialized species that only occurs in nature in Sumatra and Borneo, where it inhabits very soft, acidic water. This puffer fish is a purely freshwater species, never frequenting brackish or seawater. The strangely colored belly is used […]
The striped panchax (Aplocheilus lineatus) is the largest of the Aplocheilus species. It reaches a length of up to 10 cm in the aquarium. In nature, such capital specimens are hardly ever found, because wild fish do not grow old enough for this. Accordingly, sexual maturity begins at about 5 cm in length. Since 1909 […]
The African Red-eyed Tetra is one of the few permanently available tetra species from tropical Africa; the species lives endemically in Nigeria, so it is found only there. The species owes this to its magnificent appearance and the fact that it is very easy to keep. Unfortunately, the species is now considered endangered in parts […]
Many species of animals and plants have been discovered only because they were imported for the purpose of keeping them alive. This is very important, because species knowledge is the absolute basic requirement for species protection. You cannot protect a species that you do not know. In the north of India, in the district of […]
For many years this small bichir from the Congo did not come to us. Now we finally succeeded in importing them again. Polypterus polli remains under 30 cm total length and thus belongs to the smallest species of these ancient fishes. It can easily be confused with P. palmas from Guinea and with P. retropinnis, […]
There is no doubt about it: the Red Jewel Cichlids, formerly called Hemichromis bimaculatus, are among the most popular aquarium fishes. For several generations of mankind they have been swimming in the aquariums of the world and find again and again new, enthusiastic followers – however also aquarists who swear an oath: never again Red […]
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 […]
From time to time we receive the beautiful, large hillstream loaches Annamia normani (see https://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/fish-archives/annamia_normani_en/) from Vietnam. Recently we received again a shipment of very similar specimens, but they differ clearly from the A. normani we know well by the very contrasting tail fin. Since all specimens (over 50) show this feature, it cannot be […]
We could import some specimens of the pretty white fringed flying catfish Pseudolithoxus nicoi from Venezuela. This very rarely available species grows to a length of about 12 cm. P. nicoi originates from the Rio Casiquiare, which connects the Rio Negro with the Orinoco. There is great similarity to P. anthrax (L235), which is why […]
One of the very first tetra species ever imported for aquaristics was the red fin tetra, Aphyocharax anisitsi. Its first import was in 1906 and it soon succeeded in breeding, making further imports unnecessary. It is very likely that the redfin tetras living in the aquarium today are also descendants of these first import fish. […]
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 […]
Petruichthys brevis is a species of loach that originates from Burma. Here it occurs only in Inle Lake. The species attains a length of only 4-5 cm and thus belongs to the small species of fish. In contrast to most other species of loach, this one is a free swimming, schooling species. The swimming behaviour […]
The “Peru Bleeding Heart” (Hyphessobrycon erythrostigma) is exported primarily from Peru, but is quite widely distributed in the upper Amazon and is also found in Brazil, Ecuador, and Colombia. The three species of bleeding hearts are closely related and look very similar. H. pyrrhonotus is the easiest to recognize because it has a blood red stripe […]
We received once more from Guinea the comparatively small (20-25 cm) and very pretty Polypterus palmas. Currently our fish are 10-12 cm long. Formerly the species has been splitted in several subspecies, but this seems not to reflect the real situation. For our customers: P. palmas has code 164502 on our stocklist. Please note that […]
The large cichlids of South and Central America have a firm place in aquaristics. However, aquarists have a mental problem with the no less magnificent large cichlids of Africa. When the name “tilapia” is mentioned in a fish discussion, everyone immediately thinks of gray underwater lawnmowers with carp format. There is a grain of truth […]
We have received beautiful Semaprochilodus from Colombia. Unfortunately the naming of the Semaprochilodus species was very wrong in the past. According to current knowledge, our animals are definitely S. laticeps. In the aquaristic literature and in the internet the species is mostly called S. taeniurus (this is another species from Brazil) or S. theraponura (this […]
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 […]
We have received a beautiful color variation of the zebra crayfish from New Guinea, which is characterized by deep blue claws. These are quite magnificent animals! For basic information about the species see https://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/fish-archives/cherax-peknyi-4/ For our customers: the animals have code 483025 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale. Text & photos: […]
The two-banded dwarf cichlid, Apistogramma diplotaenia, is one of the dream fish of many Apistogramma lovers. The species originates from the Rio Negro drainage in Brazil. Unfortunately, this fish is also one of the most demanding species of the genus and even minor carelessness – e.g. a missed water change and the resulting increase in […]
From Paraguay we received a nice shipment of mouthbrooding whiptail catfishes (Loricaria). Because of the known difficulties to identify species in Loricaria exactly, we first named them provisionally as L. simillima, the aquaristic best known species of the genus, which also occurs in Paraguay. Now that the animals are somewhat acclimated and also the latest […]
The “golden cichlid” is one of the first cichlid species that became known for aquaristics. It originates from Mexico. Already in 1911 the first imports took place. However, the species never really caught on in general, in contrast to its cousin T. meeki, which was first imported more than 20 years later and is still […]
One of the rarest animals in the world is this Madagascar cichlid, which was only scientifically described in 2006 and already in 2013 it was feared to be extinct. It existed in only one river on Madagascar, the Mangarahara, after which the perch is also called Mangarahara cichlid. A dam project and excessive water extraction […]
The tetra Astyanax fasciatus is – if one follows the literature until the recent past – the most widespread fish in America, from the Rio Negro in Argentina to the Rio Grande in Texas. This was doubted early on, but the similarity of these fish was enormous no matter where they were caught. Only a […]
After many years we received again this beautiful pastel colored dwarf cichlid from Guinea. Only in 2009 the species, which belongs to a group of species popularly also called king cichlids, was scientifically determined, before it was known in the hobby as “Pevicachromis sp. aff. roloffi Blue Fin”. The females of this species show – […]
From Peru we could import some Lamontichthys filamentosus. This graceful, beautiful species reaches a body length of about 20 cm, the fin filaments can become even that long. Lamontichthys are very sensitive fish, which need optimal water conditions. In addition, the fish are often difficult to bring to the food. Obviously they are very shy […]
Again we can offer the friends of livebearers a special treat: Xiphophorus variatus Rio Coacuilco is a wild form of the variable platyfish that has only recently become available in the hobby. The Rio Coacuilco (unfortunately we originally made a typo when adding the species to our stock list, the spelling of the river used […]
From the Rio Xingu in Brazil we have received frog catfishes, which are assigned to the species Batrochoglanis villosus. Batrochoglanis was previously placed with Pseudopimelodus. More recent work has divided the frog catfishes into a whole series of genera, which makes it difficult to see through, especially since many species from different genera look darn […]
We have the great ambition to open up new species for aquaristics again and again. Therefore it is not excluded that we also import species whose scientifically exact determination is not successful, because simply not enough scientific research has been done about the animals so far. The extremely species-rich genus Rhinogobius is a good example […]
Just as indeterminate sucker catfishes (Loricaridae) receive L and LDA numbers, indeterminate armored catfishes (Corydoras) receive C and CW numbers. The very first C-number assigned was given in 1992 by Werner Seuß to a Corydoras from the upper Rio Negro (Rio Icana). This fish is remarkable in many ways, but the most striking is: there […]
In 1896 Jordan and Evermann described a spotted swordtail form from the Rio Chisoy in honour of Günther from the British Museum as a separate species, Xiphophorus guntheri (sic!); they knew that there occur also unspotted green swordtails of the species X. hellerii. Over 60 years later, in his revision of the genus Xiphophorus, Rosen […]
From Venezuela we could import this pretty and lively thorny catfish. The species is widespread in South America and reaches a length of about 18 cm. In behavior these diurnal catfishes resemble the Corydoras species; however, they are much more active swimmers and constantly on the move in the aquarium. They are peaceful, sociable animals. […]
For a long time there were very different ideas among ichthyologists about the generic classification of the thorny catfishes. Aquaristically mainly the genera Doras, Hassar, Hemidoras, Leptodoras, Tenellus and Anduzedoras cause classification problems due to their similar appearance and relatively few useful color characteristics. Fortunately, this has little practical impact because they are all fairly […]
