Tag Archives: livebearer

Endler Guppy “Blue Tiger”

17. May 2019

There are two different ways of breeding new Endler or Dwarf Guppies. One is to cross different color varieties of the pure species Poecilia wingei (Endlerguppy) with each other or to select and intensify certain color characteristics, which occur within a population, by selective breeding. The other way is to cross Endlerguppy and “normal” Guppy (Poecilia reticulata) to transfer certain color characteristics of the “normal” Guppy to the Endler without losing the dwarf character of the Endlerguppy. This is achieved by backcrossing the hybrids to the parent species Endlerguppy until the desired phenotype (i.e. the outer appearance) has developed.

The “Tiger”-Endler has been bred in this second way and it exists already some years; however, the blue color of the “Blue Tiger” is new. We have received such animals from an Endler breeder now for the first time; they are still quite uneven in their characteristic, but very, very promising!

For our customers: the animals have code 419128 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesalers.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Xiphophorus andersi

10. December 2018

Once again we can present and offer you a top rarity among the wild forms of livebearers: Xiphophorus andersi. Most likely the animals we have received from a German breeder are the first ever to be offered in the ornamental fish wholesale trade. 

Xiphophorus andersi comes from the Rio Atoyak in the state of Veracruz, Mexico, which is one of the Atlantic processes of the Central American country. The species was only scientifically described in 1980 and seems to occur only very locally. 

In this species there are small early males and large late males. In practical breeding it has been shown that it is better to leave both forms in the breeding line (many breeders tend to exclude the early males as “Mickerlings” from breeding), because otherwise there is the danger that the offspring consists only of animals of one sex (one cannot predict whether male or female).

The fish are demanding to look after. It is important to pay attention to the best water quality, generous, regular partial water changes are absolutely obligatory, so that these rare animals thrive well in the long run.

For our customers: the animals have code 476525 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade. Only available in small quantities!

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Priapella compressa

12. October 2018

The Blue-eyes from Mexico are closely related to the Knife-bellies (Alfaro). Like these, the males of Priapella have a massive keel along the underside of the tail. All Priapella attract attention by their blue, shining eyes. They are powerful swimmers who appreciate a good current. In nature they live close to the surface in clear flowing waters. That is why they have high demands on water hygiene. The aquarium for Priapella should always contain very clear, clean and oxygen-rich water. The temperature can be between 22 and 28°C. Priapella are schooling fish and should best be cared for in groups of 10 or more. When breeding, approach food (Drosophila) is almost essential. 

All in all, blue-eyes are beautiful but demanding fish, which are therefore rarely bred and offered. At the moment we have Priapella compressa in beautiful, adult specimens in stock. They are German bred ones.

For our customers: the animals have code 444493 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Xiphophorus variatus “Puente Escalanar”

25. September 2018

Once again we can offer a  extremely beautiful wild strain of the variatus platy in good numbers as German offspring. The ancestors of these animals were collected in 2002 in Puente Escalanar, Veracruz, Mexico by private hobbyists and brought along. Since then, the animals have enthused mainly the community of friends of livebearers; to our knowledge, they have not yet appeared in regular trade.

A special characteristic of these animals is the sickle-shaped tail-root-spot, which all specimens, males and females, show. Males have two basic coloration types. First specimens with tiger stripes on the flanks of the front body and second such, which are dotted here. Dominant specimens of the tigred variety become quince-yellow, with the dotted is much blue shimmer in the front body. Particularly beautiful are the sky-blue scales, which some males of the tigered form show along the mid of the front body.

They are lively, very healthy animals, whose behaviour has remained very original. When they are worried, they join together to form the swarm, which is very rarely observed among the domesticated tribes that have been around for a hundred years.

For our customers: the animals have code 443000 (sm-md) and 443002 (md-lg) on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Poecilia caucana

5. September 2018

With an overall length of 3 – 5 cm the Cauca Molly (Poecilia caucana), originating from Colombia, Venezuela, and Panama belongs to the smaller livebearers. Remarkably is the yellow – orange coloured dorsal fin and a violet metallically shining along the body as well as the orange band in the proximal part of the caudal fin in males. 

The water equivalents (pH values of 8,2- 8.6, LF 360 and 420 Mikrosiemens/cm), based on different places where the animals are found in the area of the Rio Cauca, makes them to suitable aquarium inhabitants for the most Central European tap waters. These fish appreciate higher temperatures between 26 and 28°C. 

As an algae eater the Cauca molly is constantly on the search for food. All usual kinds of fish food are greedily eaten. With appropriate care a new generation will appear sooner or later. THe fish we can offer currently are bred ones from Southeast Asia.

For our customers: the fish have code 424713 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusiveky supply the wholesale trade.

Photos: Frank Schäfer, Text: Klaus Diehl

Micropoecilia picta Red

10. August 2018

This extremely beautiful livebearer has been discovered in 1991 by Dieter Bork in eastern Venezuela near Tucupita. Here it inhabits the floodplains of the Orinoco river. Bork was able to collect and export some specimens. Micropoecilia picta is very variable in respect of coloration. However, in contrast to M. parae, usually only one colour variety inhabits a given biotope. Nevertheless it is possible to develop certain strains during breeding in captivity.

The Red Picta is, like all members of the genus, a very demanding fish that can be kept and bred over longer periods only by very experienced hobbyists. Nevertheless M. picta is the least demanding species of the genus. We currently have very pretty young adults of M. picta Red in stock. The fish were bred in Thailand. To show you the extend of coloration these fish can have we added two pictures of fully grown specimens to this post; the remaining pictures show animals from our actual stock.

For our customers: the fish have code 268542 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.

Text & Photos: Frank Schäfer

Phallichthys tico

2. March 2018

Once more we are able to offer this top-rarity among the livebearers. The charming fish – males reach a maximum length of about 2.5 cm, females 4.5 cm – are restricted to the upper reaches of the river San Juan in Costa Rica and Nicaragua. No commercial fishing for ornamental fish does exist there and so the species is imported only ocassionally by travelling enthusiasts. Sadly until now it proved impossible so far to build up a stable aquarium strain from these few animals and so the species always vanished from the hobby after only a few generations. Our fish are German bred ones. Keeping them is rather unproblematically. However the fish always need very clean water of low microbiological contamination. Water chemistry is not very important, extremes, however, should be avoided. Best is a pH of 7-7.5, a hardness of 3-10°GH and a temperature of 24-28°C. The fish take readily frozen and dried food, but they also have to be fed on some plant material.

For our customers: The fish have code 278263 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.

Lexicon: Phallichthys: ancient Greek, means “penisfish”. tico: after the indigenous people of Costa Rica which call themselves “Tico”.

Suggestion of a common name: Costa Rica Dwarf Livebearer

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Guppy Endler Black Bar

2. February 2018

There are so many new sports in Endler guppys (Poecilia wingei); it is really difficult to keep the overview. Sadly some of these new sports loose the charme of the wild type fish which are characterized by the very tiny males (usually they should not grow larger than 1.5 – 2cm) and the overboarding vivacity. This loss of wild-type characters happens by crossing the Endler with common guppys (Poecilia reticulata).

A sport of the Endler which is very close to wild collected fish is „Black Bar“. Ideal representatives of that sport  have a double sword tail fin and an emerald green back part of the body. We supply this sport (and many other sports) of the Endler along with the „correct“ females, so every hobbyist can try from the very start to breed what the hobbyist feels is the ideal specimen.

For our customers: the fish have code 419122 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Xiphophorus variatus „La Laguna“

14. February 2017

Once more we can offer a very beautiful wild sport of the variable platy: La Laguna! Our specimens are German bred. This sport originates from San Luis Potosi in Mexico; La Laguna de la Media Luna is a very popular place for tourism.

The peculiar difference of the population La Laguna to other sports of the variable platy are the dark seams of the caudal and the dorsal fin in males in full coloration, the so-called alpha-males. Not all males always show the colours in full intensity; it is recommend to keep several males together. Competition stimulates the development of colors!

For our customers: the fish have code 442981 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer