Tag Archives: Micropoecilia

Micropoecilia picta Red Surinam

11. November 2022

At first sight the Micropoecilia species resemble the Guppy; however, they are not closely related. Nevertheless Micropoecila picta is often called “swamp guppy” in Surinam, because the species is not only very common in general, but also very common in swampy habitats.

Now one could think, the care of such fish of slightly disreputable origin (in the swamp it stinks properly!) can not be particularly difficult. This is true, but only for adult fish. The opposite is true for breeding: only very experienced aquarists manage to breed M. picta healthy over generations. Who thinks swampy origin saves water changes, is wrong! Fortunately we have a breeder who masters this difficult species and so we are very happy to be able to offer this lovely livebearer in good numbers and squeaky clean.

For our customers: the animals have code 268443 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Micropoecilia parae German Bred

14. February 2022

Micropoecilia parae belongs to the very few fish species, whose breeding in the aquarium over numerous generations has not succeeded so far. Basically the reproduction of the viviparous fish is not difficult, but from generation to generation the animals become smaller and smaller, until finally no further breeding is possible, because the fish die before reaching sexual maturity.

The reason for this is unknown. Two main factors are discussed: feeding and lighting. Since these problems do not occur when breeding in outdoor ponds in Southeast Asia, the lack of certain components of sunlight – probably from the UV range – seems to be the key to solving the problem. The German offspring we offer are large, strong animals that do not yet show any signs of this degeneration.

The care of Micropoecilia parae is easy. The beautiful animals, which superficially remind somewhat of Guppys, do not cause any problems. The animals, which are very common in the wild (Guyana countries to Brazil) and widespread near the coast, do not make any special demands on the water composition. Some populations even tolerate light brackish water. An exciting phenomenon is the polychromatism of the males, the biological meaning of which is still completely unknown. The offspring we can offer right now are yellow or blue longitudinally striped, but there are also red, tabby, solid color and spotted males (see https://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/fish-archives/beautiful_new_varieties_of_liverbearers_arrived_en/ and https://www.aquariumglaser.de/en/fish-archives/micropoecilia_parae_red_tiger_en/).

For our customers: the animals have code 268472 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

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