Tag Archives: exodon

Exodon paradoxus

24. December 2020

For many aquaristis the Bucktooth tetra, Exodon paradoxus, is simply the most beautiful tetra from South America. The splendid fish glitter and glimmer like diamonds and they never stay still. They hunt and hit their conspecifics permanently and an uneducated watcher may become quite concerned that the fish will eventually hurt each other. But this doesn´t happen. In the wild, Exodon paradoxus feed almost exclusively on scales of other fish. Their highly specialized teeth enable that. Like a flash they attack their prey and the victim doesn´t understand what actually happened. The game of the Bucktooth tetras has two purposes. First: the game fools the potential victims and makes them „believe“ that the Bucktooth tetras are not interested in them. And second: for sure this permanent swimming is a perfect training for the small predators.

The species has a very wide distribution in South America. It can be found in Guyana and the whole Amazon and Orinoco basins. E. paradoxus attains a maximum length of about 7.5 cm. Keeping this fish is not complicated, but the tank should be large and the fish should be kept in a school as large as possible. Any type of usual fish food will be accepted readily. However, in respect of eventually planned tankmates one must be very careful. Best choice are catfish, for they have no scales at all and so they don´t fit the prey scheme of the Bucktooth tetras.

For our customers: the fish have code 253502 on our stocklist. Pleae note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Exodon paradoxus

6. April 2018

For many aquaristis the Bucktooth tetra, Exodon paradoxus, is simply the most beautiful tetra from South America. The splendid fish glitter and glimmer like diamonds and they never stay still. They hunt and hit their conspecifics permanently and an uneducated watcher may become quite concerned that the fish will eventually hurt each other. But this doesn´t happen. In the wild, Exodon paradoxus feed almost exclusively on scales of other fish. Their highly specialized teeth enable that. Like a flash they attack their prey and the victim doesn´t understand what actually happened. The game of the Bucktooth tetras has two purposes. First: the game fools the potential victims and makes them „believe“ that the Bucktooth tetras are not interested in them. And second: for sure this permanent swimming is a perfect training for the small predators.

The species has a very wide distribution in South America. It can be found in Guyana and the whole Amazon and Orinoco basins. E. paradoxus attains a maximum length of about 7.5 cm. Keeping this fish is not complicated, but the tank should be large and the fish should be kept in a school as large as possible. Any type of usual fish food will be accepted readily. However, in respect of eventually planned tankmates one must be very careful. Best choice are catfish, for they have no scales at all and so they don´t fit the prey scheme of the Bucktooth tetras.

For our customers: the fish have code 253502 on our stocklist. Pleae note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Osphronemus exodon

20. September 2017

Until the end of the 20th century it was believed that the giant gouramies would be represented only by one single species. But then a number of additional species was recognized, among them Osphronemus exodon from the Mekong river. Juveniles look very much alike common giant gouramies (O. goramy), only educated people note the higher number of stripes on the flanks and the somewhat different shaped caudal spot. But adult animals cannot be taken for mistake: they have teeth on their lips! It is unknown what these teeth are good for.

Juvenile giant gouramis of all species are pretty aggressive against each other. Only after the puberty – at a size of 15-20 cm – this aggressiveness becomes less. In very large tanks one can try nevertheless to keep a number of juveniles together, but even under these conditions some fin damage will be rather normal. Who does not like this is recommended to keep juveniles singulary until they have a size of about 20 cm and then accompany them with conspecifics in a very large tank. Adult giant goramies are quite peaceful against their own kind. Other fish, by the way, are usually ignored by giant gouramies in all live stages. O. exodon becomes about 60 cm long.

Osphronemus exodon is a real rarity; after quite a lomg time we were able now to import again some juvenile, 5-6 cm long specimens.

For our customers: the animals have code 440793 on our stocklist. Please note the we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer