Congo Killies - PageSuite

FRESHWATER AQUARIUMS & TROPICAL DISCOVERY 

Congo 

Killies 

❙ Pac-Man Catfish 

❙ LED Freshwater Lighting 

❙ A New Dwarf Cichlid 

MAY/JUNE 2013

EDITOR & PUBLISHER | James M. Lawrence 

INTERNATIONAL PUBLISHER | Matthias Schmidt 

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF | Hans-Georg Evers 

CHIEF DESIGNER | Nick Nadolny 

SENIOR ADVISORY BOARD | 

Dr. Gerald Allen, Christopher Brightwell, Svein A. 

Fosså, Raymond Lucas, Dr. Paul Loiselle, Dr. John 

E. Randall, Julian Sprung, Jeffrey A. Turner 

SENIOR EDITORS | 

Matthew Pedersen, Mary E. Sweeney 

CONTRIBUTORS | 

Juan Miguel Artigas Azas, Dick Au, Heiko Bleher, 

Eric Bodrock, Jeffrey Christian, Morrell Devlin, 

Ian Fuller, Jay Hemdal, Neil Hepworth, Maike 

Wilstermann-Hildebrand, Ted Judy, Ad Konings, 

Marco Tulio C. Lacerda, Michael Lo, Neale Monks, 

Rachel O’Leary, Martin Thaler Morte, Christian & 

Marie-Paulette Piednoir, Karen Randall, Mark 

Sabaj Perez, Ph.D., Ben Tan 

TRANSLATOR | Stephan M. Tanner, Ph.D. 

ART DIRECTOR | Linda Provost 

DESIGNER | Anne Linton Elston 

ASSOCIATE EDITORS | 

Louise Watson, John Sweeney, Eamonn Sweeney 

EDITORIAL & BUSINESS OFFICES | 

Reef to Rainforest Media, LLC 

140 Webster Road | PO Box 490 

Shelburne, VT 05482 

Tel: 802.985.9977 | Fax: 802.497.0768 

BUSINESS & MARKETING DIRECTOR | 

Judith Billard | 802.985.9977 Ext. 3 

ADVERTISING SALES | 

James Lawrence | 802.985.9977 Ext. 7 

james.lawrence@reef2rainforest.com 

ACCOUNTS | Linda Bursell 

NEWSSTAND | Howard White & Associates 

PRINTING | Dartmouth Printing | Hanover, NH 

CUSTOMER SERVICE | 

service@amazonascustomerservice.com 

570.567.0424 

SUBSCRIPTIONS | www.amazonasmagazine.com 

WEB CONTENT | www.reef2rainforest.com 

AMAZONAS, Freshwater Aquariums & Tropical Discovery 

is published bimonthly in December, February, April, 

June, August, and October by Reef to Rainforest Media, 

LLC, 140 Webster Road, PO Box 490, Shelburne, VT 

05482. Application to mail at periodicals prices pending at 

Shelburne, VT and additional mailing offices. Subscription 

rates: U.S. $29 for one year. Canada, $41 for one year. 

Outside U.S. and Canada, $49 for one year. 

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: AMAZONAS, 

PO Box 361, Williamsport, PA 17703-0361 

ISSN 2166-3106 (Print) | ISSN 2166-3122 (Digital) 

AMAZONAS is a licensed edition of 

AMAZONAS Germany, Natur und Tier Verlag GmbH, 

Muenster, Germany. 

All rights reserved. Reproduction of any material from this 

issue in whole or in part is strictly prohibited. 

COVER: 

Various Aphyosemion species. 

Images by Olaf Deters. 

4 EDITORIAL by Hans-Georg Evers 

6 AQUATIC NOTEBOOK 

FEATURE ARTICLES 

22 APHYOSEMION IN THE CONGO BASIN 

by Jouke van der Zee and Rainer Sonnenberg 

34 THE KEEPING OF APHYOSEMION IN THE AQUARIUM 

by Olaf Deters 

40 BREEDING APHYOSEMION 

by Olaf Deters and Michael Schlüter 

48 AQUATIC TRAVEL: 

In search of the Blue-eyed Plec 

by Heiko Bleher 

54 HUSBANDRY & BREEDING: 

A native jewel: Etheostoma caeruleum, 

the Rainbow Darter 

by Ken Zeedyk 

62 HUSBANDRY AND BREEDING: 

Triops: Tadpole shrimp in the aquarium 

by Timm Adam 

68 AQUATIC PLANTS: 

Shedding new light on a planted aquarium 

by Thomas Hörning 


Breeding success with the Pac-Man catfish, 

Lophiosilurus alexandri 

by Ivan Chang 


Using a trick to rear Apistogramma playayacu 

by Hans Georg-Evers 


Ancistrus claro: a dwarf among the L-number catfishes 

by Jörn Sabisch 

DEPARTMENTS 

86 AQUARIUM CALENDAR: 

Upcoming events 

by Mary E. Sweeney 

88 RETAIL SOURCES 

90 SPECIES SNAPSHOTS 

94 SOCIETY CONNECTIONS 

97 ADVERTISER INDEX 

98 UNDERWATER EYE 

AMAZONAS 

3

EDITORIAL 

AMAZONAS 

Dear Reader, 

Fishes from Africa play almost no role in the modern 

aquarium trade today, unless they come from the 

famous Rift Lakes. This, of course, was not always the 

case. During my youth, the cichlids and the small 

but very vibrant killifishes of Central and West Africa 

were quite popular. 

Killifishes were kept then—as they 

are now—mostly by specialists, but they 

were more commonly mentioned in the 

literature and more often seen at shows 

and auctions. Today, killifish enthusiasts 

appear to operate much more under the 

radar. However, our knowledge about 

these colorful dwarfs is vast, and scientists 

and amateur enthusiasts have contributed 

much to it in recent years. 

One of our editorial board members, 

Olaf Deters, is very active in this sphere of 

interest, so it was just a matter of time before 

we chose killifishes as a cover theme. 

We have intentionally focused on the genus 

Aphyosemion because the name is well 

recognized and there are many new and 

exciting insights to tell you about. An African cover 

story is quite unusual for us, but I hope you enjoy this 

peek beyond the usual horizon. 

When water plant enthusiasts gather, the question 

of lighting will almost always come up sooner or 

later. We have wanted to report on this topic for some 

time, and in this issue we include hands-on articles 

on the ever more popular LEDs. In the marine hobby, 

this technology is already widespread and fast becoming 

an accepted technology. 

For a catfish buff like me, the breeding report on 

the Pac-man Catfish, Lophiosilurus alexandri, is truly 

a highlight. Similarly exciting is the story about the 

Blue-Eyed Pleco, which is certain to start a lively discussion—and 

not just among catfish followers. 

When I look over this new issue, with its many 

interesting stories that should excite a diversity of true 

addicts, I cannot stop grinning! It is amazing what 

both hobbyists and scientists have to report. Quite 

the opposite of predictable, fishkeeping is far better 

than reality television for most of us. I would much 

rather spend my time in the fish room than turn into 

a dazed sofa spud. 

Enjoy the issue, and happy fishkeeping! 

4

Only POLY-FILTER®and KOLD STER-IL®filtration provides superior water 

quality for optimal fish & invertebrate health and long-term growth. 

POLY-FILTER® — the only chemical filtration medium that actually 

changes color. Each different color shows contaminates, pollutants 

being adsorbed & absorbed. Fresh, brackish, marine and reef inhabitants 

are fully protected from: low pH fluctuations, VOCs, heavy metals, 

organic wastes, phosphates, pesticides and other toxins. POLY-FILTER®is 

fully stabilized — it can’t sorb trace elements, calcium, magnesium, 

strontium, barium, carbonates, bicarbonates or hydroxides. 

Use KOLD STER-IL®to purify your tap water. Zero waste! Exceeds US EPA & US 

FDA standards for potable water. Perfect for aquatic pets, herps, dogs, 

cats, plants and makes fantastic drinking water. Go green and save! 

117 Neverslnk St. (Lorane) 

Reading, PA 19606-3732 

Phone 610-404-1400 

Fax 610-404-1487 

www.poly-bio-marine.com 

AMAZONAS 

5

AQUATIC 

NOTEBOOK 

article and images by Ralf Britz 

Three new fish species from Southern India 

The fish fauna of the so-called Western Ghats, a mountain range that extends parallel to the 

west coast of India over a distance of 1,600 km (1,000 mi.) from Maharashtra in the north to 

Kerala in the south, is considered one of the best-studied ichthyofaunas in this country. Sykes 

(1839) and Jerdon (1849) published the first monographs of the freshwater fish fauna, which 

were followed by those of Day and Hora and their co-workers. A recent compilation by the 

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) listed 290 different species of fishes 

(Dahanukar et al. 2011). The best-known species of the Western Ghats is the Red-Line Torpedo 

Right: Type 

locality of Pangio 

ammophila 

Below: 

Pangio ammophila 

AMAZONAS 

6

Pristolepis 

rubripinnis 

Barb, Puntius denisonii. Other popular species found 

there include Carinotetraodon travancoricus and Pristolepis 

marginata. While on a short collection trip with Indian 

colleagues in different river systems in Karnataka and 

Kerala, we were able to collect several new fish species, 

which we have described in the past few months. A big 

surprise for us was the discovery of a second Indian Pristolepis 

species, P. rubripinnis, which differs significantly 

from the known species P. marginata. We were able to 

capture a number of specimens of this fish, which has 

beautiful orange fin fringes, at night in the Pamba River. 

We hope that this species will soon be imported, because 

it is a very pretty fish. 

In some recently published Indian publications, a 

second Pristolepis species, P. fasciata, was mentioned; 

however, this species is native to Indonesia. Whether the 

fish called P. fasciata in the Indian literature is potentially 

identical to P. rubripinnis could not be clarified due to the 

lack of reference specimens. 

A second unexpected freshwater fish was caught in 

a tributary of the Barapole River in southern Karnataka. 

This exciting new Badidae was co-discovered by the Indian 

aquarium fish lover Nikhil Sood from Bangalore and 

his German friend Benjamin Harink. Harink reported 

about it on the forum of the IGL (International Society 

for Labyrinth Fishes). Sood took us to the location and 

we were able to capture a number of these chameleonfishes 

in a few hours. The river was up to 10 meters (33 

feet) wide and 2 meters (6.5 feet) deep. Large stands of 

aquatic plants such as Blyxa, Lagenandra, and Cryptocoryne 

were present. The new species was hidden, mainly 

in leaf litter that had accumulated in the shallower areas, 

and could be shaken out of the roots along the riverbank. 

During our research to describe the species, we 

discovered that Francis Day, one of the fathers of 

Indian ichthyology, had already collected this fish, but 

he believed it belonged to the taxon Dario dario. There 

were also some specimens collected by Day, said to be 

from “Wynaad,” in the collection of the Natural History 

Museum in London, which, together with the newly 

collected animals, served as the basis for the description. 

For completeness, it should be mentioned that in June 

2010, a group of Indian aquarists caught the same (or a 

very similar-looking) species in the Sita River, part of the 

Kaveri River system. Rahul Kumar pointed that out to me 

on the Indianaquariumhobbyist.com forum. 

Interestingly, the new Dario shows some features 

usually found in Badis species, such as the striking caudal 

peduncle spot, which has led to the species name Urops. 

This trait, however, is an ancestral trait and of no use in 

determining the relationship. The total absence of the 

lateral line, various lateral line pores in the head region, 

and the lack of gill rakers on different gill arches clearly 

place the species D. urops in the genus Dario, since these 

are all derived features. 

Compared to other Badidae species, Dario urops is 

not exactly the most colorful of species, but it will surely 

fascinate fans of chameleonfishes. It remains to be documented 

how Dario urops propagates—like Badis species, 

via parental care by the male in a nest, or as egg scatterers 

in dense vegetation without parental care, like other 

Dario species. Aquarists still can contribute meaningfully 

AMAZONAS 

7

Type locality of Dario urops 

Male of Dario urops 

TM 

in this respect. Nikhil Sood maintained these animals successfully for several 

months in a cool aquarium with faintly moving neutral and soft water, a 

sandy bottom, and a lot of leaf litter. 

The third new species from the Western Ghats that we found in our nets 

was a new Pangio. We named it Pangio ammophila because of its lifestyle. The 

handful of specimens of this small, scaleless Pangio that we captured were 

buried in the sand of the Kumaradhara River. Because of its plain appearance 

it is unlikely that it will make it into the aquarium fish trade. 

Another very unusual Pangio species has been described from the Western 

Ghats. Pangio goaensis is known not only from Goa but also from several rivers 

in Kerala, in the south. This Pangio is spectacularly striped; apparently, no 

pictures of live specimens were taken. 

Our small-scale collecting trip to southern India has shown that this supposedly 

well-known part of India still holds many surprises, and with a little 

luck, a few of them might make it into the hobby. 

REFERENCES 

AMAZONAS 

Britz, R., A. Ali, and R. Raghavan. 2012. Pangio ammophila, a new species of eel-loach from 

Karnataka, southern India (Teleostei: Cypriniformes: Cobitidae). Ichthyol Explor Freshwaters 23: 

45–50. 

Britz, R., A. Ali, and S. Philip. 2012. Dario urops, a new species of badid fish from the Western Ghats, 

southern India (Teleostei: Percomorpha: Badidae). Zootaxa 3348: 63–68. 

Britz, R., K. Kumar, and F. Baby. 2012. Pristolepis rubripinnis, a new species of fish from southern India 

(Teleostei: Percomorpha: Pristolepididae). Zootaxa 3345: 59–68. 

8

Advanced aquarists choose from a proven leader in 

product innovation, performance and satisfaction. 

MODULAR 

FILTRATION 

SYSTEMS 

Add Mechanical, 

Chemical, Heater 

Module and UV 

Sterilizer as your 

needs dictate. 

BULKHEAD FITTINGS 

Slip or Threaded in all sizes. 

INTELLI-FEED 

Aquarium Fish Feeder 

Can digitally feed up to 12 times daily 

if needed and keeps fish food dry. 

AIRLINE 

BULKHEAD KIT 

Hides tubing for any 

Airstone or toy. 

FLUIDIZED 

BED FILTER 

Completes the ultimate 

biological filtration system. 

BIO-MATE® 

FILTRATION MEDIA 

Available in Solid, or refillable 

with Carbon, Ceramic or Foam. 

AQUASTEP 

PRO® UV 

Step up to 

new Lifegard 

technology to 

kill disease 

causing 

micro-organisims. 

LED DIGITAL THERMOMETER 

Submerge to display water temp. 

Use dry for air temp. 

QUIET ONE® PUMPS 

A size and style for every need... quiet... reliable 

and energy efficient. 53 gph up to 4000 gph. 

Visit our web site at www.lifegardaquatics.com 

for those hard to find items... ADAPTERS, BUSHINGS, CLAMPS, 

ELBOWS, NIPPLES, SILICONE, TUBING and VALVES. 

Email: info@lifegardaquatics.com 

562-404-4129 Fax: 562-404-4159 

Lifegard® is a registered trademark of Lifegard Aquatics, Inc. 

AMAZONAS 

9

AQUATIC 

NOTEBOOK 

Betta mahachaiensis from 

Samut Sakhon; most populations 

have a rounded caudal fin, although 

the population in the first description 

has a pointed tail. 

by Jens Kühne & Chanon Kowasupat 

Betta mahachaiensis: 

a brackish water Betta 

AMAZONAS 

Ever since its recent discovery, many aquarists 

and scientists have known this brackish water 

fighting fish by the name Betta sp. “Mahachai.” 

The name refers to the type locality southwest of 

Bangkok. Although other names were considered, 

to avoid confusion Betta mahachaiensis was 

chosen. 

Betta mahachaiensis Kowasupat, Panijpan, 

Ruenwongsa & Sriwattanarothai 2012 differs 

from other fighting fishes of the Betta splendens 

group in having two parallel, vertical, bright 

green to bluish green stripes on the gill plates. 

The eversible gill membrane is red-brown, brown, 

or black and has no red spots. The body base 

color is dark brown or black. The iridescent body 

scales give the fish its characteristic appearance. 

The shiny blue-green fin membranes contrast 

with the brown-black dorsal, tail, and anal 

fin rays. The caudal fin lacks markings. The 

brown-black pelvic fins have a blue-and-white 

first dorsal ray and bluish-white tips. 

The species is distinguished from other similar 

types of the Betta splendens group mainly by 

DNA studies. For further information, refer to 

Sriwattanarothai et al. 2010 and Kowasupat et 

al. 2012. According to DNA analysis, Betta splendens 

is the closest relative of B. mahachaiensis. 

Brackish water swamps 

Betta mahachaiensis lives in brackish water habitats 

west of Bangkok and in Sakhon Nakhon 

province, in pH values of 6.87 to 7.8 and a salinity 

of 1.1 to 10.6‰. When Panitvong introduced 

the species as Betta sp. “Mahachai” in 2002 on 

his Internet portal, siamensis.org, experts were 

surprised to learn that a Betta species could permanently 

settle in a brackish water habitat. B. 

mahachaiensis was initially known only from the 

government district Mahachai in Samut Sakhon 

and differed from local B. splendens forms. But 

Panitvong failed to mention that populations 

of B. imbellis from southern Thailand are also 

adapted to live in brackish water habitats. 

The main habitat of B. mahachaiensis is the 

Mae Nam Klong, which flows as part of the Mae 

Nam Chin system in Samut Sakhon into the Bay 

of Bangkok. The Mae Nam Chin forms a marshy 

delta in which the salt-tolerant Nypa palm 

grows. These swamps are exposed to the tides 

that affect the great Mae Nam Chin, as well as 

J. KÜHNE 

10

The Wait Is Over 

Once upon a time the way to start an 

aquarium involved introducing a few 

hardy fishes and waiting one to two 

months until the tank “cycled.” 

Nowadays the startup of aquariums 

is so much simpler, and faster too! 

BioPronto TM FW contains cultured 

naturally occuring microbes that 

rapidly start the biological filtration 

process. Use it to start the 

nitrification cycle in new aquariums 

or to enhance nitrification and 

denitrification in heavily stocked 

aquariums. What are you waiting for 

It’s time to make a fresh start. 

Two Little Fishies Inc. 1007 Park Centre Blvd. 

Miami Gardens, FL 33169 USA www.twolittlefishies.com 

AMAZONAS 

11

AMAZONAS 

Habitat of Betta 

the Chao Praya River all the 

mahachaiensis. The way to Nonthaburi, about 

animals live between the 

80 km (50 mi.) inland. The 

Nypa palm trees and 

Nypa palm is found along all 

build their foam nests in 

the leaf axils of plants. of these rivers and forms the 

habitat of B. mahachaiensis. 

The habitats of B. mahachaiensis are periodically 

flooded by salt and fresh water. They very rarely dry up 

completely. During rainy periods, the swamps are diluted 

so much that the residual amount of salt is barely perceptible 

at 3 grams per liter (12 g/gal.). Peaking at 13 g/L 

(~50 g/gal.), this concentration is tolerated by the fish 

only for a short time. The optimum salt concentration 

seems to be between 3 and 7 g/L (12–28 g/gal.). 

One of us (JK) found a high density of B. mahachaiensis 

individuals in freshwater streams near their 

inflows into the marsh. In Samut Sakhon there are 

freshwater habitats of B. splendens immediately adjacent 

to the brackish water habitats of B. mahachaiensis, but no 

mixing or hybridization of the species was observed. 

Betta mahachaiensis will struggle to survive in the 

future, because the known distribution areas are being 

swallowed by the giant metropolis of Bangkok. However, 

there are other, yet unconfirmed habitats 

where this species might be found. 

Besides the Samut Sakhon province 

already mentioned, these probably include 

Samut Songkhram, Samut Prakan, 

and the southern parts of Nonthaburi 

west of Bangkok, where there are 

proven populations. The sporadic finds 

in Samut Prakan along the Mae Nam 

Chao Phraya south of Bangkok require 

confirmation. 

Aquarium care 

How does B. mahachaiensis differ from 

other members of the B. splendens group 

in terms of care Do you need to set 

up a brackish water aquarium for this 

Pair spawning 

under the 

bubble nest 

fish No, not necessarily. One of us (JK) has 

already been keeping B. mahachaiensis for about 

five years. Some strains are kept permanently in 

fresh water without any noticeable impairment. 

Any treatment for disease symptoms should 

include salt. For prophylaxis, a small amount of 

added salt is recommended. 

I cannot confirm that the proliferation of 

B. mahachaiensis depends on the salt concentration. 

The species builds foam nests and spawns 

readily in brackish water as well as in fresh 

water. These fish seem to react to intermittent 

warm and cold periods such as occur in Bangkok; 

they go through extremely fertile periods 

and then stretches of time when they show no 

signs of reproduction. We recommend trying to 

breed young adult animals, three to seven months old. 

The females in particular have to be sexually mature, 

which they indicate with a white genital papilla. You can 

set up the aquarium as an underwater jungle with dense 

plants, roots, rocks, and clay caves. Many water lilies, 

Cabomba, Vallisneria, rushes, Hygrophila, horn ferns, and 

mosses tolerate brackish water well. 

REFERENCES 

Kowasupat, C., B. Panijpan, P. Ruenwongsa, and N. Sriwattanarothai. 

2012. Betta mahachaiensis, a new species of bubble-nesting fighting fish 

(Teleostei: Osphromenidae) from Samut Sakhon province, Thailand. Zootaxa 

3522: 49–62. 

Kühne, J. 2010. Salzwasserkampffische. Aquaristik Fachmagazin 216: 

40–46. 

Panitvong, N. 2002. Old article resurrection: Betta sp. Mahachai by Nonn, 

April 2002. www.siamensis.org/article/6602. 

Sriwattanarothai, N. et al. 2010. Molecular and morphological evidence 

supports the species status of the Mahachai fighter Betta sp. Mahachai 

and reveals new species of Betta from Thailand. J Fish Biol 77 (2): 414–24. 

Sriwattanarothai, N. et al. 2012. Saltwater fighting fish or “Is it too late for 

species mahachai” Labyrinth, Newsletter of the Anabantoid Association of 

Great Britain 168: 2–11. 

J. KÜHNE 

12

AQUATIC 

NOTEBOOK 

A Mexican Crayfish 

for Nano Aquariums 

Cambarellus patzcuarensis 

“Orange”: “berried” female 

carrying eggs under abdomen 

AMAZONAS 

Text and images by Rachel O’Leary The Dwarf 

Orange Crayfish, Cambarellus patzcuarensis “Orange,” is 

a petite and colorful crustacean that is not as well known 

to freshwater aquarists as it should be, but makes a sassy 

and active addition to a nano aquarium. Some crayfishes 

and “mini lobsters” can be destructive; this species has 

proved safe with plants, fishes, and other invertebrates. 

In its wild form, it originates in Lake Patzcuaro, about 

38 miles southwest of Morelia in Central Mexico. It is 

thought that the first orange offspring originated from a 

pair of hobbyists from the Netherlands in the late 1990s. 

They started becoming available in the United States several 

years later, and are casually referred to as CPO. 

Cambarellus is a diminutive species, reaching around 

1.25 inches (3 cm) at the largest and averaging about 1 

inch (2.5 cm). Its native water is relatively cool, averaging 

about 72°F (22°C), and is moderately hard. These crayfish 

do not require a heater, but because of their size, any intake 

on a power filter should be covered with a prefilter sponge. 

CPO have an average lifespan of two years, and 

warmer temperatures accelerate their growth and breeding. 

Adult crayfish molt about twice a year, and young 

crayfish generally molt every three to four weeks until 

they hit maturity at about 0.7 inch (1.75 cm). They are 

fairly easy to breed. The male pins the female to the substrate 

and then places his sperm packets near her seminal 

receptacle. In a matter of days to weeks, she will molt 

and then produce from 20 to 50 eggs, which she attaches 

to her pleopod and covers with a protective mucus. The 

female carries the babies, even after hatching, until they 

are ready to venture out on their own. The adults do not 

prey on healthy young, so the survival rate is high. 

Feeding is no problem—the crayfish readily take most 

prepared or gelatinized foods. Specialized feeding is not 

required for the young, although like all invertebrates 

they are sensitive to water quality, so care should be taken 

not to overfeed. They do well with a varied diet with 

both meaty (live or frozen worms and pellets designed 

for bottom feeders) and herbivorous foods (vegetables or 

algae-based foods), and appreciate having leaf litter for 

grazing. Enriched foods containing bio-pigments such as 

carotenoids will help maintain bright color. 

S. POSTIN 

14

Small size and relatively 

peaceful disposition make 

this an ideal nano-tank 

invertebrate. 

While peaceful to other inhabitants, these crayfish can threaten each other, especially 

after molting, so ample hiding places or cover should be provided utilizing 

plants, small pieces of stacked driftwood, or clay or PVC caves. A pair can easily 

live in a 5-gallon (20-L) tank or be part of a larger, peaceful community of small 

fishes and invertebrates. 

This crayfish, which resembles 

a miniature lobster, exhibits 

interesting behaviors and will 

reproduce in the aquarium. 

15

Does size matter to you 

We bet it does. Trying to clean algae off the glass in a planted aquarium with your typical algae magnet is like running a bull 

through a china shop. That’s why we make NanoMag ® the patent-pending, unbelievably strong, thin, and flexible magnet for cleaning 

windows up to 1/2” thick. The NanoMag flexes on curved surfaces including corners, wiping off algal films with ease, and it’s so much fun to 

use you just might have to take turns. We didn’t stop there either- we thought, heck, why not try something smaller So was born MagFox ® , 

the ultra-tiny, flexible magnetically coupled scrubber for removing algae and biofilms from the inside of aquarium hoses. 

Have you got us in the palm of your hand yet 

www.twolittlefishies.com 

AMAZONAS 

16

AQUATIC 

NOTEBOOK 

Wild-type Enneacampus 

ansorgii collected by Ted Judy 

in Gabon. 

This new captive-bred red form is now 

reaching the aquarium trade. 

UPPER: TED JUDY; LOWER: MIKE TUCCINDARDI/SEGREST FARMS 

by Matt Pedersen 

Arriving soon: Tank-raised 

African Freshwater Pipefish 

The African Freshwater, or Dwarf Red Snout Pipefish, Enneacampus ansorgii, 

is exotic and rare enough that even expert aquarists assume it is more at 

home on a coral reef than in a clear freshwater stream 100 miles from the 

ocean. Now this sometimes brilliantly pigmented little species is being bred 

in captivity and is starting to enter the aquarium trade. 

Husbandry accounts suggest that wild specimens are certainly difficult 

to keep alive, generally requiring live foods such as brine shrimp, blackworms, 

Daphnia, cyclops, and even the fry of livebearers. Wolfgang Löll 

makes a compelling argument that live glassworms are the best food for 

pipefishes such as E. ansorgii because they survive for several days in the 

aquarium and will tolerate slightly brackish water. 

Aquarium literature, where this fish was formerly known as Sygnathus 

ansorgii (Boulanger, 1910), generally suggests that the inclusion of salt is 

helpful for this species, although it is clear that some populations of the 

species have no contact with anything remotely close to a marine environment. 

A general rule is to house them in a small species tank in slightly 

brackish water or a .5-percent sea salt solution. Their reported range 

includes the Ogooue River of Gabon, Cameroon, and Equatorial Guinea. 

(American aquarist and award-winning breeder Ted Judy reports collecting 

males brooding eggs in pure, freshwater river conditions in Gabon.) They 

produce relatively large offspring. 

In March of 2013, Segrest Farms in Gibsonton, Florida, announced the 

arrival and almost immediate sell-out (within 24 hours) of captive-bred E. 

ansorgii. These fish came in at a 3–4-inch (7.5–10-cm) size, which is close 

TMAMAZONAS 

17

AQUATIC 

NOTEBOOK 

to the maximum adult size of 5–6 inches (12–15 cm) 

and were not produced by Florida or Asian fish farms, as 

many aquarists suspected, but actually made their way to 

North America from the Czech Republic via a small-scale 

Manage Your Own 

Subscription 

It’s quick and user friendly. 

Go to www.AmazonasMagazine.com. 

Click on the SUBSCRIBE tab. 

specialist breeder. 

While this certainly isn’t the first time this species 

has been successfully bred in captivity, this commercial 

availability represents a potential shift in our perception 

of the species. Just as captive-bred 

marine seahorses are infinitely 

better suited to captive foods 

and life in an aquarium, these 

captive-bred E. ansorgii were feeding 

on frozen Cyclops (CYCLOP- 

EEZE®), and might be weaned to 

small, high-protein pellet foods or 

potentially even flake food. Truly, 

commercially viable captive-bred 

specimens may well redefine this 

species. 

Segrest’s Mike Tuccinardi suggests 

that “it’s unlikely they’ll be a 

regular stock item, but it wouldn’t 

be out of the question to see them 

in some of the more specialized 

local fish stores across the country 

over the next few months. We 

are sold out right now, but we’ll 

be bringing in more soon.” He 

adds, “As for care, treat them as 

you would their saltwater cousins—avoid 

boisterous or aggressive 

tankmates, give them lots of 

cover, and feed them frequently.” 

Here you can: 

● Change your address 

● Renew your subscription 

● Give a gift 

● Subscribe 

● Buy a back issue 

● Report a damaged or missing issue 

Other options: 

EMAIL us at: 

service@amazonascustomerservice.com 

CALL: 570-567-0424 

Or WRITE: 

AMAZONAS Magazine 

1000 Commerce Park Drive, Suite 300 

Williamsport, PA 17701 

ON THE INTERNET 

http://diszhal.info/english/livebearers/en_ 

Syngnathus_pulchellus.php#ixzz2NbnQTyG5 

http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/ 

full/167999/0 

http://www.aqualog.de/Aqualog/news/ 

web90/Seite11-13e.pdf 

Correction 

The images accompanying 

the article, Dicrossis maculatus: 

Breeding the Checkerboard 

Cichlid by David 

Magid (AMAZONAS, Mar/ 

Apr 2013, page 60), were 

taken by Noah Magid, not 

David Magid. AMAZONAS 

regrets the error. 

18

24/7 

VISIT OFTEN: 

• Web-Special Articles 

• Aquatic News of the World 

• Aquarium Events Calendar 

• Links to Subscribe, Manage 

Your Subscription, Give a 

Gift, Shop for Back Issues 

• Messages & Blogs from 

AMAZONAS Editors 

• Coming Issue Previews 

• New Product News 

• Links to Special Offers 

www.Reef2Rainforest.com 

Our new website is always open, with the latest news and 

content from AMAZONAS and our partner publications. 

HOME of AMAZONAS, CORAL, & MICROCOSM BOOKS 

AMAZONAS 

19

AQUATIC 

NOTEBOOK 

Male Black Ruby Barb, 

now known as Pethia 

nigrofasciata 

New names for old friends 

Hans-Jürgen Bäselt Nothing is as constant as change. This applies especially to the taxonomy of 

fishes, and earlier this year some familiar barb species from India and Sri Lanka were caught up in a sea 

of revisions. Pethiyagodha et al. revised the large “dumpster” genus Puntius and divided it into several 

newly established genera. Nine species of the former Puntius filamentosus group were placed in the 

genus Dawkinsia. The Melon Barb (formerly Puntius fasciatus, now Dravidia fasciata) was renamed and 

put together with four other species in the genus Dravidia. The third new genus, Pethia, was erected to 

include some very popular species, such Pethia conchonius, P. padamya, P. ticto, and many more. Pethia 

nigrofasciata, known to many as the Black Ruby Barb, belongs in the genus as well. 

The Melon Barb is now 

called Dravidia fasciata. 

The Filament Barb 

Dawkinsia filamentosa was 

reclassified as well. 

AMAZONAS 

H.-G. EVERS 

20

The world is yours. 

 

The earth is composed of water—71.1% to be exact. But when it comes to 

tropical fish, we’ve really got it covered. Not only with exotic varieties from 

around the globe, but with the highest level of quality, selection and vitality. 

Ask your local fish supplier for the best, ask for Segrest. 

Say Segrest. See the best. QUALITY, SERVICE & DEPENDABILITY 

 

AMAZONAS 

21

COVER 

STORY 

Killifish gems in the genus 

Aphyosemion from the Congo 

River basin, in the second-largest 

rainforest on earth. 

Aphyosemion 

in the Congo Basin 

AMAZONAS 

by Jouke van der Zee & Rainer Sonnenberg African killifishes are some of the most coveted 

and beautiful of tropical fishes, but they are found in a place so vast, untamed, and fraught 

with violence that they are neither collected nor studied as frequently as many enthusiasts 

would like. Our interest in these fishes has focused on the genus Amphyosemion, which is very 

likely an assemblage of more or less related species groups. 

22

The Congo, 2,717 miles (4,374 km) long 

and up to 755 feet (230 m) deep, is the 

deepest and second-largest river in Africa, 

and in terms of drainage area and water 

flow the second-largest river in the world, 

after the Amazon. Its drainage encompasses 

not only the two Congo states (Congo 

Republic and Democratic Republic of the 

Congo, or DRC) but also parts of Angola, 

Burundi, Cabinda, Cameroon, Rwanda, 

Zambia, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and the 

Central African Republic. 

The Congo already existed when the 

dinosaurs ruled the earth, although at 

that time it still emptied into the Indian 

Ocean. The Rufiji in Tanzania is possibly 

the former lower course of the ancient 

Congo river. During the Pliocene (around 

1.8–5.3 million years ago) the East African 

highland plateau came into being and the 

flow of the ancient Congo in an easterly 

direction was blocked. Traces of former links to the 

east can still be detected today: depending on water 

level, the East African Lake Tanganyika still empties in 

the direction of the Congo via the Lukuga, and there is 

evidence that the Malagarasi, for example, used to be 

part of the Congo drainage. 

After the blocking of the eastern lower course, the 

Congo rainforest could no longer drain away its water, 

and in time a vast lake developed in central Africa. 

It is thought that by one to two million years ago 

the mountains separating the lake from the Atlantic 

Ocean had been eroded to such an extent that a link 

between the inland sea and a westward-flowing river 

Above: The map shows 

the distribution of 

the Aphyosemion s. l. 

species in the Congo 

Basin. 

Right: Dr. Emmanuel 

Vreven, ichthyologist 

at Belgium’s Royal 

Museum for Central 

Africa (RMCA), with 

his assistant. You need 

more than a net to 

collect fishes in the 

Congo. 

MAP: J. V. D. ZEE; MIDDLE: RMCA; BOTTOM: E. VREVEN (RMCA) 

Left: 

Location for 

Aphyosemion 

christyi in 

the Okapi 

Wildlife 

Reserve. 

AMAZONAS 

23

Lake Mai Ndombe. The surrounding 

areas are very swampy and difficult to 

access. 

“Aphyosemion” labarrei from Nenga Kibuka, Ngufu River (AVD 2011). 

“Aphyosemion” labarrei from Kingembe, Inkisi River (AVD 2011). 

Hard-to-Reach Fishes 

In terms of fish collections, the Congo 

Basin is one of the least explored 

regions on Earth. This is mainly due to 

the immense size of the basin, the lack 

of infrastructure, and the very unstable 

political situation. Systematic study of 

the fish fauna of the Congo began in 

the colonial period; the works of Belgian 

zoologist George Albert Boulenger 

are particularly worthy of note. After 

1960, the end of the Belgian colonial 

period, many fish collections were 

made by Belgian biologists and missionaries. 

Nevertheless, large parts of the 

basin have never been scientifically 

studied. Aquarists, especially killifish 

specialists, rarely travel the eastern and 

southern Congo Basin. In the 1980s, 

Heiko Bleher explored Lake Fwa, in the 

drainage of the Kasai and the middle 

Congo. In 1985, Dutchman Jan Pap 

and two Germans, Winfried Stenglein 

and Wolfgang Grell, visited the 

northeastern part of the Democratic 

Republic of the Congo (DRC). This is 

probably one of the best documented 

collecting trips. The western part of the 

Congo Basin has been collected only 

in 1978 by Huber and in 1991 by a 

Dutch-Belgian team consisting of De 

Waegeneer, Vlym, and Van der Berg. By 

contrast, other African countries, such 

as Cameroon and Gabon, have been 

visited many times by aquarists in the 

past four decades. 

AMAZONAS 

Raddaella batesii from Equatorial 

Guinea (EQG 06/2). 

came into being. From then on the lake emptied westward 

from Malebo Pool to the Atlantic Ocean via its current 

lower course. But perhaps there were already earlier 

outlets in the direction of the Atlantic further to the 

north, for example via the Ogooue. There are still many 

unanswered questions to be researched here. 

The remains of the ancient lake can still be found in 

the central Congo Basin, for example, Lake Tumba and 

Killifishes of the Congo Basin 

Because the genus Aphyosemion as 

usually understood is an assemblage of 

various species groups, in this article 

we will classify only the species of the 

Aphyosemion elegans species group as 

Aphyosemion or Aphyosemion s. s. (sensu strictu, in the 

strict or narrow sense). 

This group includes the type species of the genus, 

Aphyosemion castaneum. Other species groups already 

have an established name (usually described as a subgenus). 

In the event that there is still no (sub-) genus 

name described, the genus name will be given in quotes. 

This usage may be known to cichlid enthusiasts from the 

TOP & MIDDLE: K. STEHLE: BOTTOM: W. EIGELSHOFEN 

24

former catch-all genus “Cichlasoma.” When we mean the 

entire erstwhile genus Aphyosemion, we will use the term 

Aphyosemion s. l. (sensu lato, in the broad sense). 

At present, 22 Aphyosemion s. l., 2 Fenerbahce, 7 

Epiplatys, 5 Nothobranchius (family Nothobranchiidae), 

and 21 lampeyes (family Poeciliidae) are described from 

the Congo Basin. Even so, the killifish fauna of this 

region is only fragmentarily known, but that is changing 

quickly. Several institutions, including the Royal Museum 

for Central Africa (RMCA) in Belgium, the Zoologische 

Staatssammlung München (ZSM) in Munich, and the 

American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in New 

York, have collaborated on expeditions with local biologists 

and students. In particular, the central Congo Basin, 

the lower Congo, and the northeastern DRC have been 

explored by various ichthyologists in recent years. 

All these expeditions have discovered a number of 

noteworthy and hitherto undescribed fishes, including 

several killifish species. For example, a southern tributary 

of the Kasai was recently investigated by Jose Justin 

Mbimbi Mayi Munene, a student at the University of 

Kinshasa and a member of the AMNH Congo project for 

fieldwork and research on the fishes of the DRC. He collected 

not only an unusual black Epiplatys, 

but also two as-yet-undescribed 

Hypsopanchax species in a relatively 

small area in the middle section of the 

Lulua River. 

The recently described “Aphyosemion” 

teugelsi was found in museum 

material collected back in 1939 from 

a southwestern tributary of the Kasai 

near the border with Angola. This indicates 

the likelihood that in the future 

we can expect to see more new species 

from the southern tributaries of the 

Congo Basin. 

splendidum achieved this in the northern Congo Basin, 

and the species has spread out from there for more 

than 600 miles (1,000 km). By contrast, “Aphyosemion” 

escherichi has penetrated only a few kilometers into the 

extreme west of the Congo drainage. The species was described 

from specimens caught at the foot of the Crystal 

Mountains in Gabon. “Aphyosemion” microphtalmum 

Lambert & Géry, 1968 (type locality: PK 85 on the Route 

Pointe Noire to Sunda, Congo Republic) and “Aphyosemion” 

simulans Radda & Huber, 1976 (type locality: stream 

on the road from Libreville to Cap Esterias, Gabon) are 

currently regarded as synonyms. “Aphyosemion” escherichi 

is distributed along the coast from northern Gabon to 

the lower course of the Congo. 

“Aphyosemion” labarrei (Poll 1951) was described 

from the Inkisi, a southern tributary of the lower Congo. 

A few years ago Soleil Wamuini, a doctoral candidate at 

the University of Liege in Belgium, who was supervised 

by staff at the RMCA, prepared an inventory of the fish 

fauna of the Inkisi (Wamuini et al. 2010), and in the 

process discovered several previously unknown species 

related to “A.” labarrei. Their description is now in 

progress. Apart from two differently colored Aphyosemion 

“Aphyosemion” escherichi from Mayombe, collected 

by A. Van Deun (May 2011) in Bas Congo. 

Aphyosemion sensu lato 

Compared with the region known as 

Lower Guinea (Equatorial Guinea, 

Gabon, Cameroon, and the coastal 

regions of the Congo Republic, the 

DRC, and Cabinda), Aphyosemion s. l. 

are poorly represented in the Congo 

Basin. Apart from 18 members of the 

A. elegans group (or Aphyosemion sensu 

stricto), only four additional species 

occur there: “Aphyosemion” escherichi, 

“A.” labarrei, “A.” teugelsi, and Raddaella 

splendidum. 

“Aphyosemion” escherichi (Ahl 

1924) is, like Raddaella splendidum, 

a member of the fish fauna of Lower 

Guinea that has managed to penetrate 

into the Congo drainage. Raddaella 

H. OTT 

Aphyosemion castaneum (HZ 

85/8), north of Kisangani. 

AMAZONAS 

25

AMAZONAS 

cf. cognatum populations, no further killifishes have been 

collected. 

In May 2011, Armand Van Deun, a Belgian physician 

who regularly works in the Congo, brought back two new 

“Aphyosemion” labarrei populations that are now being 

bred by aquarist friends and distributed more widely. 

They come from two sites to the north and east of the 

type locality. The holotype in the RMCA differs considerably 

from the “Aphyosemion” labarrei aquarium strains 

known to date. It is a broader, compressed species with 

relatively long teeth and almost completely dark gray to 

black fins. Although the color pattern of “Aphyosemion” 

Aphyosemion chauchei (Obeya, RPC 91/6). 

Aphyosemion christyi (HZ 85/14), photographed in 1988. 

Aphyosemion cognatum from Kwambila. 

labarrei resembles that of “Aphyosemion” zygaima, which 

lives on the other side of the Congo, DNA studies show 

that the closest relatives are found in a group consisting 

of Aphyosemion, Raddaella, and Mesoaphyosemion (the 

“Aphyosemion” cameronense species group), as well as the 

“Aphyosemion” coeleste and the “Aphyosemion” wildekampi 

species groups (Collier 2007, Murphy & Collier 1999). 

“Aphyosemion” teugelsi (Van der Zee & Sonnenberg) 

was discovered in 2010 in the RMCA collection. This 

species is found in a very remote area in the south of 

the DRC, close to the border with Angola, at an altitude 

of 3,280 feet (1,000 m). Only Kathetys elberti and 

K. bamilekorum have been found at 

greater altitude. Although “Aphyosemion” 

teugelsi exhibits a superficially 

similar color pattern to A. congicum, 

the morphology is very different. This 

species is distinguished from those of 

the A. elegans group by the dorsal fin, 

which begins further forward and is 

relatively broad at the base, a larger 

head with relatively large eyes, and a 

more strongly upcurved dorsal profile. 

We were unable to assign it to any of 

the known species groups because of 

the morphological differences. Perhaps 

this fish belongs to a species group that 

lives in the hitherto rather inaccessible 

mountains of the southern Congo and 

northern Angola. 

Raddaella splendidum (Pellegrin 

1930). The Raddaella species are the 

only annual Aphyosemion s. l. They 

were long assigned to the genus Fundulopanchax, 

but DNA study shows that 

they definitely belong to Aphyosemion s. 

l. It is, however, unclear whether Raddaella 

is a monotypic genus with only 

one species, R. batesii, or whether R. 

kunzi and R. splendidum are also valid 

species. Raddaella species are the only 

Aphyosemion s. l. that occur in both 

Lower Guinea and the Congo Basin. 

The two species previously mentioned, 

which also occur in the Congo drainage, 

are restricted to western tributaries 

of the lower Congo. Raddaella are 

widespread in southern Cameroon 

and northern Gabon. To date, very 

few localities are known for them in 

Equatorial Guinea, the Congo Republic, 

and the DRC. Perhaps they reached 

the Congo Basin via the Likouala in 

the northwest. 

The Likouala has tributaries that 

drain the southeastern part of Camer- 

TOP: W. EIGELSHOFEN; MIDDLE: J.V.D. ZEE; BOTTOM: H. OTT 

26

oon. It is not unlikely that the change 

in the direction of flow of the Dja, 

which originally drained to the Atlantic 

coast, was originally responsible for 

the spread of Raddaella into the Congo 

Basin via the Ngoko, a tributary of 

the Likouala. Raddaella then spread 

upstream in an easterly direction. That 

wouldn’t have been difficult—in this region 

the Congo has a drop of only 328 

feet (100 m) over a distance of 1,242 

miles (2,000 km), so it is more like a 

lake than a river. 

“Aphyosemion” escherichi from Mayombe, 

collected by A. Van Deun (May 2011) in Bas Congo. 

TOP: K. STEHLE; BOTTOM: H. OTT 

Aphyosemion sensu stricto 

This group contains the majority of the 

Aphyosemion s. l. species of the Congo 

Basin. They are broadly identical in 

morphology but differ considerably in 

the coloration of males and in their 

DNA. Eighteen species are currently 

recognized. The distribution of most 

species is very complex and exhibits a 

mosaic-like, parapatric pattern. They 

sometimes also occur sympatrically, 

that is, in the same river system. However, 

in only a few cases to date are two 

species known to be syntopic (found at 

the same site). 

Aphyosemion castaneum (Myers 1924) was described 

by the author from preserved material collected by an 

American expedition to the Congo. He established that 

the genus used in those days for more slender killifishes 

of Africa, Haplochilus (Aplocheilus, now restricted to Indian 

and Asian species), didn’t constitute a homogenous 

group, and straightaway described the genus Aphyosemion. 

His newly described species A. castaneum was 

designated the type species of the genus. Authors such 

as Scheel, Radda, and Wildekamp regard A. castaneum as 

a synonym of A. christyi, but it has recently been shown 

that the occurrence of A. christyi is restricted to the 

eastern part of the Congo Basin at altitudes of 1,640 feet 

(500 m) and up, and that A. castaneum represents a valid 

species (Van der Zee & Huber 2006). 

Aphyosemion chauchei (Huber & Scheel 1981) is 

a “blue” species with blue dorsal and caudal fins and 

a yellow anal fin, found in a very limited area in the 

Congo Republic. In the west and south it is replaced by 

a “yellow” species with yellow fins, shown on the map 

as A. “schioetzi.” The body forms of A. “schioetzi” and 

A. chauchei are identical. They are relatively small and 

slender Aphyosemion species, unlike A. schioetzi, which is 

a comparatively robust species. Aphyosemion schioetzi and 

A. “schioetzi” are separated by a large distributional gap, 

and we believe that they do not represent a single species. 

Whether A. “schioetzi” is an as-yet-undescribed species 

Aphyosemion castaneum (HZ 85/8), north of Kisangani. 

remains unclear at present (see also A. decorsei). With 

one exception, all known locations for A. chauchei lie in 

the southern Likouala basin. A population from Olombo, 

which differs in color pattern from the Likouala populations, 

lives in the Alima drainage. 

Aphyosemion christyi (Boulenger 1915) is restricted to 

the Ituri forest region northeast of Bafwassende. Aphyosemion 

margaretae (Fowler 1936) is regarded as a synonym 

(Van der Zee & Huber 2006). Wild-caught specimens of 

this species have a very typical violet coloration. Even in 

poor-quality photos the species can be easily identified on 

this basis. Aphyosemion christyi is very widespread in the 

Okapi Faunal Reserve. Several collections have been made 

there recently by Emmanuel Vreven (RMCA) and his 

colleagues. So far, this is the only species of the A. elegans 

group that can be identified by its meristics (countable 

traits), as on average it has more rays in the dorsal fin 

than the other species. 

Aphyosemion cognatum (Meinken 1951) has a very 

large distribution in the southern Congo. The distance 

from west to east is almost 559 miles (900 km). At the 

same time, the species exhibits numerous different phenotypes. 

The DNA of an aquarium strain of one of the 

eastern populations (Lake Fwa) was studied by Murphy 

& Collier (1999). It turned out that were no differences 

between the Lake Fwa and the Kinsuka populations (Van 

der Zee & Sonnenberg 2011). Hence it is possible that 

AMAZONAS 

27

AMAZONAS 

Aphyosemion lamberti (BSWG 97/9). 

Aphyosemion lujae, the type from Kondue on the Sankuru. 

Aphyosemion musafirii (AVD 1), 4.3 miles (7 km) north of Ubundu, wild-caught male, 

2007. 

since their importation the two strains have been mixed 

in the killifish hobby or incorrectly identified. More study 

is needed to demonstrate whether this is actually a single 

species with a large distribution or several species with a 

parapatric distribution, inhabiting adjoining ranges. 

Aphyosemion congicum (Ahl 1924). Genetic research 

(surprisingly) places this species in a group with A. castaneum 

and A. musafirii (Van der Zee & Sonnenberg 2011). 

The species is known from only two sites in the southern 

Congo; both were discovered by Radda 

in 1982. The species description is 

based on specimens with the locality 

given as “Congo.” At present, A. 

melanopteron Goldstein & Ricco 1970, 

whose type locality is also unknown, 

is regarded as a synonym. By contrast, 

Huber is of the opinion that the description 

by Ahl shows that A. congicum 

differs from A. melanopteron, as the 

former supposedly has many more red 

dots on the side (2007, online version 

www.killi-data.org). Unfortunately, the 

preserved type specimens in general no 

longer exhibit any traces of coloration. 

Aphyosemion decorsei (Pellegrin 

1904) is one of the most confused 

species of the A. elegans group. The 

status of A. decorsei has long been 

debated. Poll placed it in the genus 

Epiplatys, and in the description of 

Haplochilus decorsei Pellegrin even 

assumed a close relationship with 

Aplocheilichthys spilauchen. Myers 

(1924) tentatively placed the species 

in Aphyosemion. Scheel, Huber, and 

Wildekamp have examined all the types 

and confirmed Myers’s view. The type 

specimens originate from the south 

of the Central African Republic and 

are in poor condition, without any 

remaining traces of coloration. Huber 

suggests that A. decorsei has very few 

red dots on the side and is conspecific 

with A. polli; the latter would then be 

a synonym. Wildekamp (1993), by 

contrast, is convinced that A. decorsei 

has numerous dots on the side, based 

on the light spots on the scales of the 

syntypes. After preservation in formalin 

and subsequent transfer into alcohol, 

red pigments leave behind corresponding 

areas that are lighter than the body 

base coloration. Aphyosemion polli has 

not only few spots on the side, but also 

very few (or none at all) on the anal 

fin. These are arranged at the base of 

the fin. In the original description of A. decorsei Pellegrin 

wrote that the dorsal, anal, and ventral fins are covered 

with small, more or less numerous carmine red dots. We 

concur with Wildekamp’s argument: A. decorsei is a species 

with numerous dots, at least on the anal fin. But that 

doesn’t solve the problem of whether A. decorsei is a “yellow” 

fish like A. “schioetzi” and A. sp. RCA 3, collected by 

Pratt in 1983, or a “blue” fish like A. sp. “Lobaye.” Only 

further collections and photos of live fishes from the area 

TOP & MIDDLE: J.V.D. ZEE; BOTTOM: H. OTT 

28

H. OTT 

of the type locality will permit unequivocal clarification. 

Aphyosemion elegans (Boulenger 1899) is not identical 

with the species known to aquarists for decades under 

this name. In the 1950s the Belgian aquarist Lambert 

introduced killifishes from Boende labeled A. elegans into 

the aquarium hobby. We (Van der Zee & Sonnenberg 

2011) argue instead that Lambert’s fishes (which we 

term A. sp. “Cuvette”) do not agree with Boulenger’s description 

of A. elegans. This incorrectly identified species 

has a very characteristic dark red dorsal fin, which is also 

clearly recognizable in preserved specimens. Boulenger 

doesn’t mention this character in the text of the description 

of A. elegans, and no dark dorsal fin is shown in the 

illustration accompanying the description. Uli Schliewen 

brought what is probably the real A. elegans to Germany 

from Mbombokonda. Aphyosemion sp. “Bombala” also 

represents A. elegans, as does a commercial importation 

in 2006 from the Tshuapa in the Boende region. Aphyosemion 

elegans and the species recently described by us as 

A. pseudoelegans occur sympatrically in the central Congo 

Basin. 

Aphyosemion ferranti (Boulenger 1910) is currently 

known only from preserved specimens from various 

locations in the southeast of the Congo. The species can 

(purportedly) be identified very easily by the red longitudinal 

band on the side of the body. But 

there is at least one further, undescribed 

species from the northern Congo 

with a similar band. Perhaps a better 

character is the unusual, asymmetric 

color pattern on the caudal fin: spotted 

above, without spots below. The species 

also differs in further characters from 

the other Aphyosemion species and may 

belong in another species group, maybe 

with “Aphyosemion” teugelsi. New collections 

of both species, above all of 

live specimens and DNA samples, may 

solve many unanswered questions. 

Aphyosemion lamberti (Radda & 

Huber 1977) is widely distributed in 

Gabon. Aphyosemion lamberti and A. 

rectogoense are sibling species and, so 

far, the only members of the genus 

Aphyosemion that occur outside the 

Congo Basin. To date it remains 

unknown whether the genus Aphyosemion 

colonized the Congo drainage 

from southeast Gabon or the ancestors 

of these two species came from the 

Congo Basin. DNA results so far seem 

to point to the second possibility. Like 

all other members of the species group, 

A. lamberti is also a rainforest dweller, 

while A. rectogoense is the only savanna 

dweller. 

Aphyosemion lefiniense (Woeltjes 1984) is restricted 

to the Lefini on the west bank of the Congo in the Congo 

Republic. After the first collection, on which the description 

was based, it wasn’t until 2005 that staff from the 

RMCA were able to find this species again at various sites 

in the Lefini. This species is very rare in the aquarium 

hobby, and the captive population may even have died 

out completely a few years ago. 

Aphyosemion lujae (Boulenger 1911) is currently 

known only from preserved specimens that originated 

from the Sankuru system, a tributary of the Kasai, at 

Kondue. Aphyosemion ferranti is also found near Kondue. 

This species was, however, also collected at various places 

around Bena Tshadi in 1974 and 1979. It remains unclear 

whether the currently known locations for A. ferranti and 

A. lujae in the vicinity of Kondue represent the southern 

boundary of the distribution of Aphyosemion, or whether 

the southern tributaries of the Kasai harbor additional, 

as-yet-unknown species. 

Aphyosemion musafirii (Van der Zee & Sonnenberg 

2011) was only recently described. The species 

was caught by Armand van Deun (AVD) in 2007, and 

specimens from two populations were brought back alive 

to Europe. These fishes have been maintained and bred 

in the hobby as A. sp. AVD 1 and AVD 2. Although the 

Aphyosemion plagitaenium from Epoma (RPC 91/1). 

Aphyosemion pseudoelegans 

from Boende, imported in 

2002. 

AMAZONAS 

29

AMAZONAS 

Aphyosemion rectogoense from site PEG 95/16. 

Aphyosemion 

pseudoelegans from 

Boende, imported in 

2002. 

Aphyosemion schioetzi from Kintete. 

species looks more like a member of the A. cognatum 

group (numerous red dots on the sides of the body in 

males), its closest relative is A. castaneum, which lives on 

the other side of the Congo. DNA indicates that the two 

species may have been separated as long ago as one to 

two million years. 

Aphyosemion plagitaenium (Huber 2004) was discovered 

in 1991 during a collecting 

trip by Dutch and Belgian aquarists 

to the Congo Republic. It was known 

as A. sp. “Epoma RPC 91/1” prior to 

its description. This species, which 

has a remarkable color pattern, is so 

far known from only a single location 

in the system of the Mambili River, a 

tributary of the Likouala. 

Aphyosemion polli (Radda & Pürzl 

1987) was described from N’djili (Z 

82/26), close to the international airport 

near Kinshasa in the DRC. Many 

authors regard A. polli as a synonym of 

A. schoutedeni or A. decorsei, but we are 

convinced that A. polli is a valid species 

(see A. schoutedeni and A. decorsei). 

This species (if A. cf. polli is included, 

see map) is widespread in the Congo 

Basin. Collections known to date 

took place along the Uele, Ubanghi, 

and Congo. Apart from a number of 

populations in the north of the Congo 

Republic, which were collected by Huber, 

and a population from a southern 

tributary of the Kasai, all collections 

have been made relatively close to the 

main rivers. Unfortunately, no photos 

of Huber’s collections were published, 

so the identification of the species 

cannot be checked. The preserved 

specimens from the southern location 

in the Kasai drainage exhibit the same 

color pattern as A. polli, but the dots 

on the sides aren’t round; they look 

like little crosses. Until new collections 

permit a definite identification, the 

unclear status of this fish should be 

expressed by the designation A. cf. polli. 

Aphyosemion pseudoelegans 

(Sonnenberg & Van der Zee 2012) 

is a species already known in the 

aquarium hobby, but has hitherto been 

incorrectly labeled as A. elegans (see 

A. elegans). It is known from several 

locations south of the Congo in the 

central Congo Basin and is found there 

sympatric and, in some cases, also syntopic 

with A. elegans, A. cf. castaneum, 

and a further, not-yet-described Aphyosemion species. Its 

characteristic characters are the dark red coloration of 

the dorsal fin (versus red dots on a light background in 

A. elegans) and an asymmetric sequence in the color pattern 

of the fin edges of the caudal fin. 

Aphyosemion rectogoense (Radda & Huber 1977) 

is the sister species of A. lamberti on the basis of DNA 

TOP & MIDDLE: H. OTT; BOTTOM: HANSSENS (RMCA) 

30

study. Ten localities are known in the 

hobby and all populations are very 

similar. There are, to date, only three 

collections in museums. This is the 

only Aphyosemion s. l. species on the 

IUCN Red List. This because of its 

small distribution region in the upper 

Lékoni-Djouya and the upper Mpassa in 

the Ogooue basin in southeast Gabon. 

The occurrence of this species has been 

heavily affected by pollution of the 

waters in the vicinity of Franceville 

and deforestation leading to increased 

sedimentation. 

Aphyosemion schioetzi (Huber & 

Scheel 1981) is the only representative 

of the A. elegans group in the lower 

Congo to the north of the river. Its 

distribution is limited to an area measuring 

around 62 x 62 miles (100 x 100 

km), with the majority of known populations 

in the DRC and two (including 

the type locality) in the Congo Republic. 

We do not concur with many other 

authors that this species also occurs in 

the northern Congo with a distributional 

gap of more than 259 miles (400 

km) (see A. chauchei), but suggest that 

a further, probably still undescribed 

Aphyosemion species is involved, shown 

on the map as A. “schioetzi.” Aphyosemion 

schioetzi populations exhibit a 

relatively uniform color pattern, unlike 

the related species A. cognatum, in 

which numerous different phenotypes 

are known. 

Aphyosemion schoutedeni (Boulenger 

1920) has hitherto been assumed to 

be restricted to the type locality Medje, 

around 186 miles (300 km) northeast 

of Kisangani in the northeast of the 

DRC. Although the types are in good 

condition, all traces of coloration have 

disappeared. But to the present day, 

topotypes collected by Lang and Chapin 

in 1910 have retained their color pattern 

(Van der Zee & Huber 2006), 

which resembles that of A. castaneum 

except for the pattern of the anal fin. 

This color pattern is found in various 

RMCA Aphyosemion collections that 

originate from the Aruwimi basin east 

of the Kisangani-Buta road. Hence it 

can be assumed that the distribution 

region is significantly larger than previously 

thought. 

Taxonomy in upheaval: the genus Aphyosemion 

DNA studies indicate that the genus Aphyosemion is a complex assemblage 

of genetically clearly distinguishable species groups and isolated 

species. So far only the most obviously distinct species groups have 

been described as genera or subgenera (eg Chromaphyosemion, Kathetys, 

Diapteron, Episemion, Raddaella). On the other hand, right from 

the start the subgenus Mesoaphyosemion was the “rubbish bin” for all 

the difficult-to-classify species and species groups. 

And therein also lies a problem with the taxonomy of Aphyosemion 

s. l. Humans, as sight-oriented animals, can very easily appreciate the 

definition of Chromaphyosemion or Diapteron, as the species within 

these groups are very similar, but exhibit clear differences from other 

Aphyosemion. This is less apparent with other groups, for example 

the “A.” wildekampi and “A.” cameronense species groups. Molecular 

genetic studies indicate, however, that phylogenetically speaking, the 

visually very distinct species groups are not necessarily more genetically 

distant from one another. 

Now there are two taxonomic possibilities here: either accept 

that the other species groups also represent separate genera, just like 

Diapteron, Episemion, and others. Or put them all in a genus Aphyosemion 

s. l. with numerous subgenera. But that doesn’t solve the 

problem of the species groups so far without any name, whether as 

subgenus or genus. 

From a pragmatic viewpoint a catch-all genus Aphyosemion provides 

less information content than Diapteron or Chromaphyosemion, 

for example. For practical purposes it is all the same whether we use 

species-group names (e.g., the Aphyosemion bivittatum or A. georgia 

group) or scientific names (Chromaphyosemion, Diapteron) for the 

different groups. A species group equates to what some authors call 

either a subgenus or genus. Hence, as far as the aquarium hobby is 

concerned we can regard the terms “species group,” “subgenus,” and 

“genus” as essentially equivalent. 

Just as with the species groups, it is often the case at species level 

as well that usually the most distinctive species are described first. A 

good example is the A. cameronense species group or Mesoaphyosemion: 

populations are termed M. cameronense that do not have a particularly 

distinctive body coloration, that is, have metallic blue to blue-green on 

the sides of the body, overlain with a very variable red pattern. Several 

obviously different phenotypes have been described in recent decades, 

for example M. amoenum and M. halleri, which both have a yellow 

caudal peduncle, and M. maculatum and M. mimbon, which possess 

a spotted pattern on the sides. Genetic studies indicate that many of 

the blue forms of M. cameronense are just as different genetically as the 

phenotypically more distinct, described species. Here, too, there are 

two solutions: lump everything together in the species M. cameronense, 

which would be to ignore major genetic and phenotypical differences 

between the phenotypes, or retain the existing species and acknowledge 

that M. cameronense as currently understood represents a species 

complex. It is for precisely such situations that the use of the aforementioned 

locality codes is important, because that way name changes 

can be understood, regardless of where these fishes belong taxonomically 

and where they come from. 

AMAZONAS 

31

AMAZONAS 

32 

11

Undescribed species 

The western part of the Congo Basin has already been well explored, and it is 

likely that few new species will be discovered in this region. But nothing can 

be ruled out: Huber didn’t find Aphyosemion plagitaenium when he collected 

in this area back in 1978; it was discovered by De Waegeneer, Vlym, and Van 

der Berg in 1991 during the RPC trip. This species appears to be restricted to a 

very small area, and there may be other species with very limited distribution 

regions of this type. On the other hand, A. “schioetzi” was collected several 

times by Huber at different locations, but not by the RPC team in 1991. 

The northern part of the Congo drainage undoubtedly harbors as yet 

undescribed species, because, for example, several very different-looking (even 

when preserved) Aphyosemion, which do not accord with any currently known 

species, were collected there by missionaries and deposited in museums. There 

are at least two phenotypes that may represent new species in the rainforest 

between the Uele and the Congo. One of them was recently collected and 

photographed by Uli Schliewen (ZSM). 

A very interesting species lives in the savanna in the northeast of the Uele 

basin. To date the only savanna-dwellers recognized within Aphyosemion s. l. 

are Kathetys elberti, K. bamilekorum, and Aphyosemion rectogoense. Unfortunately, 

no traces of the color pattern remain visible in the preserved specimens. A 

possibly new Epiplatys species has also been found in the same area. 

In various places in the east, south of the distribution of Aphyosemion 

christyi, a phenotype occurs that has a rather similar color pattern to A. christyi; 

the red dots are, however, much smaller. It is probable that further differences 

will be found as soon as the live coloration of this species is known. 

So far there have been only a very few collections made in the southern 

part of the Congo Basin. Every southern tributary of the Kasai possibly has 

its own endemic species, as all these rivers are separated from one another 

by savanna. As already mentioned above, at least one striking fish, similar to 

Aphyosemion polli, occurs there. The distance from other A. polli localities is 

very great. That would give Aphyosemion polli probably the largest distribution 

of all Aphyosemion s. l. with the exception of Raddaella batesii. On the other 

hand, the similarity of the color pattern (in preserved specimens) may be 

coincidental. 

A collecting trip east from Kinshasa, investigating every southern tributary 

of the Kasai, would probably produce very exciting results. Initially you would 

find Aphyosemion cognatum and A. congicum. Further south in the Wamba, you 

would probably be able to capture “Aphyosemion” teugelsi. But thereafter, further 

east, every catch would likely be a surprise. Another interesting trip would 

be a journey along the northern border of Angola. Although the numerous 

Kasai tributaries offer promising habitats, to date not a single Aphyosemion 

has been collected there. So far, only a number of interesting lampeyes are 

known from this region, unfortunately only as preserved material. 

Acknowledgments: We would like to thank Werner Eigelshofen (Sprockhövel), 

Mark Hanssens (RMCA, Tervuren, Belgium), Paul Lemmens (Leuven, 

Belgium), Heinz Ott (Mönchengladbach), Klaus Stehle (Attenkirchen), and 

Emmanuel Vreven (RMCA, Tervuren, Belgium) for permission to use their 

photos. We would also like to thank U. Schliewen, A. Van Deun, the ichthyological 

team at the RMCA in Tervuren, and the Elegans-AG of the DKG for 

supporting us in our work. 

REFERENCES 

Extensive references for this article can be found online at the Reef to Rainforest site: 

http://www.reef2rainforest.com/aphyosemion-issue-references/. 

AMAZONAS 

33

AMAZONAS 

34

COVER 

STORY 

The keeping of 

Aphyosemion 

in the aquarium 

by Olaf Deters It is hard to imagine how a fish can be attractive, colorful, not too 

large, peaceful, and interesting, and still not be common in the aquarium hobby, but this 

has been true of killifishes for years. In hopes of awakening more interest in them, I will 

spell out just what the aquarist needs to know to keep Aphyosemion species successfully. 

TOP: H. NIGL; MIDDLE & BOTTOM: O. DETERS 

Opposite page, 

top: The “Cape 

Lopez,” here the 

golden form of 

Aphyosemion 

australe, is the 

best-known 

member of the 

genus. 

Middle: 

Aphyosemion 

castaneum 

is very 

attractive, but 

unfortunately 

also very 

demanding. 

Bottom: 

Aphyosemion 

striatum is 

also found 

in the trade 

now and then. 

The species 

tolerates higher 

temperatures. 

The killifishes have been known to generations 

of aquarium keepers, and there are numerous 

species; they deserve greater recognition on account 

of their colors, but only a few standard 

species are found in the aquarium trade—for 

example, Aphyosemion australe, known as the 

“Cape Lopez” killie. Interestingly, Aphyosemion 

australe is not considered the easiest species in 

the genus to maintain. 

One reason for the poor spread of Aphyosemion 

species in the aquarium hobby may be 

certain long-standing prejudices against them, 

which cannot be entirely discounted. Nevertheless, 

the species are not really complicated— 

many “standard fishes” are more demanding. 

The aquarist needs only to make a few adjustments 

in order to keep Aphyosemion, and they 

will generally prove to be rewarding pets. 

Accomplished jumpers 

There is the matter of jumping, for example. 

Yes, Aphyosemion can and will jump out of the 

aquarium if given the opportunity. In the wild 

they are not at the top of the food chain, so 

they try to evade their predators by escaping 

into areas where the water is shallow, sometimes 

only a few centimeters deep. Should 

danger also threaten there, the best escape 

method is to leap up, quickly and as far as 

possible. 

However, this behavior isn’t equally 

expressed in all species. Some exhibit jumping 

behavior in an extreme form, others not 

at all. But for safety’s sake, the aquarium for 

Aphyosemion should be tightly covered. These 

fishes will find the smallest gap in the cover 

glass, for example where filter parts enter or 

exit. Any gaps can be plugged with filter wool. 

If you don’t take these precautions, things may 

be fine for a while, but one day you will find a 

desiccated mummy on the floor or a fish will 

have disappeared without trace. 

It is also believed that killifishes aren’t 

long-lived. They certainly don’t live to be 

ancient, but it is usually possible to keep them 

for two or three years, and sometimes longer, 

though you shouldn’t raise your expectations 

too high. Aphyosemion will seek to breed if 

given the opportunity, but the presence of a 

mate causes continual stress, which inevitably 

shortens the lives of the fishes. It is questionable 

whether the alternative of keeping them 

singly to prolong life expectancy is really wise. 

Moreover, in the long term, over-warm water 

can reduce life expectancy. 

Water and temperature 

It is sometimes stated that Aphyosemion are demanding 

when it comes to the water, and that 

idea didn’t appear out of thin air. These fishes 

come mainly from flowing waters and won’t 

tolerate old and polluted water for long. They 

may survive for a while in such conditions, 

but they will age more rapidly. So regular water 

changes are very beneficial for them. On the 

other hand, special preparation of the water is 

only necessary if it is very hard. The majority of 

Aphyosemion species can readily be maintained 

and even bred in medium-hard tap water. 

The correct water temperature is of some 

AMAZONAS 

35

Aphyosemion cameronense is widely distributed 

and very variable in appearance. 

Aphyosemion cameronense (locality BSW9920). 

Left: Female Aphyosemion are rather plainly colored. Only in 

Aphyosemion hera (right) are the females very colorful. 

AMAZONAS 

36

importance. Inland species, in particular those from 

higher regions, prefer temperatures of around 68–70°F 

(20–21°C), sometimes even lower. The average domestic 

aquarium cannot provide this, so you should think 

carefully before acquiring such species. However, these 

cool-water species are rarely found in the aquarium 

trade. Examples of species that require cooler maintenance 

include Aphyosemion mimbon, A. coeleste, and A. 

maculatum. 

On the other hand, coastal species or species from 

the lowlands and savanna regions live at temperatures 

similar to those in our aquariums. The water parameters 

there generally resemble those of average tap water, so 

such species are better suited to the normal aquarium 

than species from the interior. Suitable species include 

Aphyosemion australe, A. striatum, A. primigenium, and A. 

marginatum, for example. 

Everything but greens 

Diet has a significant influence on these fishes. Essentially, 

green food is of no interest to Aphyosemion. They 

will take any live foods that they can overpower, from all 

sorts of mosquito and midge larvae, water fleas, Cyclops, 

and fruit flies to Tubifex and White or Grindal Worms. 

Aphyosemion will also reliably take Artemia nauplii as long 

as the latter remain alive, but they aren’t adequate food 

for larger fishes in the long term. With good feeding the 

females will visibly fill with eggs. If this doesn’t happen 

for an extended period, other foods should be offered. 

In my personal experience, Aphyosemion much prefer 

live food, and fishes that are accustomed to it are reluctant 

to take frozen or dry food. This can cause problems 

in times of live-food shortage. Naturally that doesn’t 

happen with frozen or dry food, as these are always 

available. 

and hence no obvious territories are established. Where 

several fishes live together in an aquarium there is a high 

probability that there will be a “top dog” who chases 

the other males and pursues the females. The almost 

constant harassment of females by males is part of 

normal behavior. Healthy individuals can cope with that, 

and there should be no losses as long as there are places 

to which subordinate males and oppressed females can 

retire. Only extremely weak specimens will be unable to 

cope in the long term. 

Danger of hybridization 

Generally speaking, Aphyosemion species can be kept with 

other fish species; as a rule they do not occur alone in 

the wild. However, tankmates should never look similar 

to their predators, which include larger characins and 

cichlids. And they don’t need to be actually dangerous for 

Aphyosemion. It is enough if their appearance causes the 

Aphyosemion anxiety. On the other hand, small tetras and 

small barbs are fine. In addition, fish species from other 

regions can generally be kept with Aphyosemion, as long 

as they don’t actually hunt them. 

If you really want to obtain the maximum benefit 

from these fishes in the aquarium, it is advisable to buy 

not just a trio, but a larger number, all at the same time. 

That can mean four pairs or more. The fishes will then 

exhibit more natural behavior and will be constantly visible 

and less retiring. 

It is also possible to keep several Aphyosemion species 

together in the aquarium, but only if you have no ambition 

to breed them. Because many of the females look 

very similar and related species will generally cross, you 

should at least ensure that the species chosen are as different 

from one another as possible. But any fry that may 

turn up should never leave your home. 

Not territorial 

Aphyosemion are not considered aggressive towards other 

fishes. However, within the genus and, naturally, within 

their own species, there are sometimes very violent 

squabbles. Noticeably weaker individuals can suffer badly 

as a result. And females will vigorously harass males that 

are very small. It is not usually possible to predict if this 

will happen. Note that in some individual species, for 

example Aphyosemion amoenum, it is not unusual for 

females to grow more rapidly and become significantly 

larger and stronger than males. 

Some individuals are very timid. This isn’t necessarily 

due to an error in maintenance; even in the wild it is 

undoubtedly advantageous to the survival of the species 

for there to be cautious as well as outgoing specimens. In 

times when food is in short supply, the outgoing individuals 

are at an advantage, but in the event of major 

predation pressure it is the retiring specimens that will 

survive. 

Aphyosemion are not territorial in the normal sense, 

Not too much light, not too much space 

The subject of minimum aquarium size conceals numerous 

pitfalls, especially when it comes to the killifish 

hobby. Be that as it may, the usual 2-foot (60-cm) 

beginner’s aquarium of 15–20 gallons is suitable for up 

to four pairs of adult Aphyosemion. And you can usually 

keep even more in it. Problems arise only when a single 

dominant individual terrorizes the other fishes. In such 

cases, even a larger aquarium doesn’t guarantee a solution. 

The dominant individual chases the others all over 

the aquarium and the weak specimens can’t keep out of 

sight of the alpha individual for long. In my experience 

Aphyosemion are often rather shy and retiring in larger 

aquariums. Only if there are sufficient fishes of a species 

present will they be lively and outgoing in large aquariums 

as well. 

Aphyosemion have only a limited acquaintance 

with lush aquatic plants in their native waters—usually 

streams that, depending on the time of year and the 

amount of precipitation, are a few meters wide and a few 

0. DETERS 

AMAZONAS 

37

Aphyosemion amoenum females grow larger than the males. 

Aphyosemion mimbon likes cooler conditions. 

The larger-growing Aphyosemion herzogi lives in shallow water. 

AMAZONAS 

38

0. DETERS 

The mystery of the locality code explained 

Killifish names often have strange-looking abbreviations appended, for 

example BDBG 04/15 “Lolo1” or LEC 93/4. These codes make it possible 

to keep different populations separate and avoid mixing them together 

in the aquarium hobby. These codes are assigned at the discretion of the 

collectors and are not subject to any particular rules. They contain fundamental 

information and also permit the addition of further data. Thus 

BDBG stands for the two collectors Bogaerts and de Bruyn, and the G 

represents the country of Gabon; 04 indicates the year 2004 and the 15 

stands for collecting site no. 15. “Lolo1” refers to the nearby settlement. 

Anyone working with these fishes can find out, on the Internet, for 

example, who is behind the codes. Sometimes you can find very precise 

additional habitat data in the process, including the GPS data of the location, 

the time of capture, and other details such as water depth, current 

speed, air and water temperatures, water parameters, and other fishes 

caught there. Because the codes describe collecting sites, it may well happen 

that two different, but syntopic killifish species bear the same code if 

they were caught together at the same site. 

How far the information goes is at the discretion of the collector. As 

can be seen from the other articles here, the taxonomy of Aphyosemion is 

still unresolved, and it is likely that we can expect name changes and new 

species descriptions. Names may be altered, but locality codes remain unchanged. 

In this way it is possible to tell what fish was originally involved, 

even after a revision. 

Information on Aphyosemion and other killifishes can be found on the 

Internet at the American Killifish Association (www.aka.org) or the UK 

Killifish site (www.killi.co.uk). For online purchase directly from breeders, 

most of them in the United States, www.AquaBid.com usually sells 

various killifish and killifish eggs, including Aphyosemion spp., at auction. 

deep but may also be very narrow and shallow. Popular 

haunts are shallow areas with trailing bank vegetation or 

submerged grasses. Depending on the region, 

these areas may also be shaded by surrounding 

trees. Still, a planted aquarium is appreciated. 

But cover in the form of bogwood and oak 

leaves is equally well accepted. Caves may be 

investigated out of curiosity, but not deliberately 

used. 

Bright lighting can cause the fishes to become 

more timid and their splendid coloration 

won’t look as good. If the vegetation is feathery, 

there is even a possibility that the fishes 

will spawn in it and occasional juveniles will 

survive. If this happens regularly and you want 

to keep the young, you should remove the larger 

youngsters—they often pose a greater danger to 

their younger siblings than the parents do. 

It should be obvious that an open-topped 

aquarium is out of the question because of the 

tendency of the fishes to jump. You can, of 

course, allow the surface to become 

overgrown with floating plants in 

order to limit the jumping to some 

extent, but this offers no guarantee 

that jumping won’t occur. 

Smaller aquariums with a volume 

of 6–7 gallons (25 L) are also fine if 

used as species tanks. 

Suitable starter species 

There are many species that could be 

listed here. I would suggest first and 

foremost the coastal species—that is, 

those that need to be kept warmer 

and will tolerate tap water. The problem 

is that with a few exceptions, 

they are not available in the trade. 

Aphyosemion australe and Aphyosemion 

striatum are well known and 

available. Aphyosemion marginatum 

and Aphyosemion primigenium are at 

least as attractive, but are not common 

in the trade. 

In my opinion there is a further 

reason why Aphyosemion species are 

not often found in the trade: wildcaught 

specimens are rarely available. 

As a result, the killies don’t come to 

the attention of the public and are 

regarded as demanding and exotic. 

The deliberate breeding of Aphyosemion 

is relatively time-consuming, and 

large numbers cannot be produced 

without expense and effort. So killifishes 

in general, and Aphyosemion 

in particular, have for many years remained hobby fishes 

reserved for enthusiasts. 

Neolebias unifasciatus is found together with Aphyosemion. 

39

COVER 

STORY 

Breeding 

Aphyosemion 

by Olaf Deters and Michael Schlüter First the bad news: Breeding Aphyosemion is the opposite of 

making lots of money for little effort. Anyone who wants to breed Aphyosemion must make quite a large 

commitment. The adults neither tend the eggs nor care for their offspring, so you don’t always get many 

offspring. And the breeder must constantly be on the ball—intervening, looking for eggs, and sorting out 

dead ones every day. Rearing the fry is work, too. It is possible to mass-produce some species, but the 

outcome can’t be predicted. 

Above: Part of a 

breeding setup for 

Aphyosemion species. 

AMAZONAS 

Right: A courting pair 

of Aphyosemion sp. 

“Oyo,” a member of the 

A. elegans group. 

O. DETERS 

40

Killifish are associated with the ability to survive 

in bodies of water that dry up periodically. The 

development of the eggs extends over the dry 

period, and the next generation hatches with the 

next rainy season. The eggs can remain dormant 

for many months, and not all the fry hatch in 

the first rain; it might be not a downpour, but 

just a brief cloudburst. 

This ability is exhibited by the so-called annual 

killifish. Typical annual genera include the East 

African Nothobranchius and the South American 

Austrolebias and Simpsonichthys, for example. 

These genera unconditionally require a dry, dormant 

period for the eggs, as otherwise they won’t develop. 

But the majority of killifishes are not annual species. 

Their eggs develop over a predictable period of 

between 10 days and three or four weeks. So they don’t 

absolutely need to be kept in a substrate such as peat or 

chopped coconut hair to simulate a dry period in contact 

with air, but can generally also develop in water. 

Such species are termed “non-annual.” 

There are also semi-annual killifishes, whose biotopes 

dry up only occasionally. The eggs of these species 

will develop both in water and in a substrate. The eggs 

don’t stick to plants, so in this case, too, peat or something 

similar should be used as a spawning substrate. 

Aphyosemion are non-annual killies. The development 

of the eggs takes around two to three weeks, with 

temperature-induced variations up or down. If the 

upper boundary of the time window is greatly exceeded, 

the embryo will die while still in the egg or will be too 

weak to break through the eggshell completely. 

A pair of the recently described Aphyosemion pseudoelegans from 

the vicinity of Boende, Tshuapa drainage. 

Male Aphyosemion buytaerti BSW 99-03. 

Continuous spawners 

Aphyosemion are so-called continuous spawners. If the 

fishes are in good condition and in the right mood, 

they will lay a few eggs every day for a long period of 

time. The number of eggs can vary from 0 to 20. If the 

sexes are separated for several days beforehand, large 

females may produce as many as 100 or more eggs 

initially, but not infrequently the loss rate is very high if 

there are a lot of eggs. The dead eggs fungus rapidly and 

infect the good ones, and in the end you are left with 

none. For this reason it isn’t especially desirable to get a 

large number of eggs from a pair all at once. 

A prerequisite for spawning is that the fishes should 

be in good condition, and that is not least the result of 

heavy feeding. The females should be visibly full of eggs. 

They shouldn’t be full to bursting, but nothing can be 

expected from noticeably slim individuals. It is usual to 

offer live foods such as mosquito larvae or Cyclops. Lots 

of fatty foods, such as Tubifex or White Worms, will 

encourage egg formation. Some species will accept frozen 

food, as long as they are accustomed to it. 

It is always astonishing how rapidly the fishes react 

to changes and improvements in feeding. If they have 

M. SCHLÜTER 

Aphyosemion herzogi from Zomoko GBG 92-25. 

been fed sparingly for some time and haven’t spawned 

much, or at all, you will often find significantly more 

eggs a day or two after enriching the diet with a hefty 

portion of live food. 

Aphyosemion do not exhibit multifaceted courtship 

behavior like many cichlids and gouramis. Instead, they 

get right to the point. The male drives the female around 

the aquarium and, when the opportunity arises, positions 

himself in front of her and excitedly displays the 

maximum possible splendor of coloration and finnage. 

In some species the mouth area becomes as yellow as a 

bright lemon as well—a pretty impressive sight. 

If the female is willing to spawn, the pair press into 

the spawning substrate together and she lays an egg. If 

the female isn’t yet convinced, she is chased around the 

tank time and again until she changes her mind. Should 

AMAZONAS 

41

AMAZONAS 

Above: Pairs 

or groups of 

fishes can be 

placed in plastic 

containers. In 

this one, Perlon 

mesh and 

mops made of 

artificial wool 

(left) serve 

as spawning 

substrates. 

the female become excessively stressed by the pushiness 

of the male, she will seek out a hiding place. For 

this reason it is advisable to make sure hiding places are 

available—otherwise the male can become too rough, 

and weaker females occasionally succumb. The burden 

on individual females can also be reduced by using two 

females and a male, a so-called trio. However, sometimes 

a pair forms and the second female is then chased by 

both fishes, or she eats the eggs laid by the spawning pair. 

It is thus wise to watch the fish carefully at first so as to 

be able to intervene if necessary. 

That said, a certain amount of tension between the 

partners is generally desirable. Pairs that live together too 

peacefully and harmoniously in the aquarium often lay 

no eggs for long periods, if they lay any at all. The idyll 

is thus deceptive in a breeding context. In such cases, 

temporary separation of the sexes, a change of partner, 

or a hefty water change using cooler water can provide a 

stimulus. But there are also pairs from which you never 

get as much as a single egg. 

Mops, peat, and Perlon 

Woolen mops, peat fiber, and fine nylon thread are the 

spawning substrates normally used. The advantages of 

artificial substrates are obvious: they are more durable, 

can be used for a long time, and have no effect on water 

quality. The majority of breeders use dark woolen mops 

made of synthetic wool, which can be attached to a cork 

or other buoyant material so that they float in the water. 

The woolen threads should be long enough to extend 

down to the aquarium bottom, as many species like to 

spawn in the lower regions. Alternatively, the mop can 

simply be laid on the bottom. You need to check out 

where the fish prefer to spawn. Any second mop provided 

as cover for the female or as an alternative spawning 

site should have a different texture and/or color; some 

Aphyosemion are fussy in this respect. 

It is sensible to make sure that there is no other material 

in the aquarium that might be used by the fishes as 

substrate, for example, Java Moss. Otherwise, finding the 

eggs may be difficult. Essentially, although the eggs can 

develop in the tank, it makes sense to look for them every 

day and store them separately. Many adults eat their eggs 

and the eggs often die off in the aquarium. But if they 

are transferred into a small bowl with very little water 

O. DETERS 

42

(around 5 mm), they should develop well. One possible 

explanation may be that there is a better supply of oxygen 

for the eggs. 

But it can also work the other way around: you can 

remove the adults after a few days and then leave the 

young in the breeding aquarium or container. If this 

variation proves successful, it is easier and often produces 

better results. But it doesn’t work for all species, individuals, 

and aquarists. You must check it out for yourself. 

Hard eggs 

The eggs have a diameter of around 0.8–1.5 mm and are 

clear to transparent yellowish or orange. They are slightly 

adhesive and so stick securely to the substrate. The eggshell 

is rather hard, so the eggs can be collected with the fingers. 

You quickly develop the necessary feel and eye for this. 

Only eggs laid prematurely are still soft and burst 

when collected. It is helpful to briefly squeeze the spawning 

mop in a handkerchief in order to remove excess 

water. If you repeat this procedure several times, the eggs 

are then easier to find. 

Sometimes the eggs are not fertilized or the larvae die 

well into the development phase. It is wise to find these 

dead eggs at an early stage and remove them with a pipette 

or an airline. Otherwise they will seriously pollute the water 

and infect other eggs. You need to distinguish between 

two forms of fungussing: on the one hand the eggs may 

be attacked from outside, and on the other they may die 

internally, in which case the fungus is only secondary. 

It isn’t unusual for the 

Below: Here a whole group first eggs from young pairs 

of Aphyosemion australe to come to naught, but there 

have been put to breed. The 

are other problems that can 

adult fish are left to spawn 

lead to total loss of the eggs. 

in the peat for a number of 

days and then removed. Some young males don’t 

In this egg of an Aphyosemion species, the larva is already 

well developed. The eyes are clearly visible. 

fertilize the eggs properly. The reasons for this are manifold 

and offer much room for speculation, but we won’t 

venture onto that thin ice here. 

When storing eggs in water, it is advisable to spot bad 

eggs as soon as possible and remove them with a pipette. 

Cloudy eggs shouldn’t be put in the container—they will 

fungus almost immediately and may endanger the others. 

If the eggs are shaken up in the water, you will find that 

some eggs float for a noticeably long time before sinking 

to the bottom. These, too, are suspect. Healthy eggs, 

regardless of their stage of development, sink quickly. 

In our experience, the storage container should have 

a shallow water level. This is thought to provide a better 

oxygen supply for the eggs because of the more favorable 

volume-surface ratio. The water should be only half a 

centimeter deep. We use 100 percent reverse-osmosis water, 

or perhaps add a minimal amount of tap water. You 

can also add a small piece of Sea Almond leaf, but the 

color of the water shouldn’t become excessively yellow 

TOP: R. SONNENBERG; BOTTOM: W. HILGNER 

AMAZONAS 

43

Left, top to bottom: 

The “Cape Lopez,” Aphyosemion australe, here the 

normal form, is one of the few species that are bred 

commercially. 

“Cape Lopez” males courting and displaying to a single 

female. 

The female is already in spawning position; the males 

are still impeding each other. 

oxygen supply. Alternatively, the airline can be 

fastened to the container with a clothespin so 

that the water’s surface is constantly in motion. 

It is also important to cover the container so no 

dust can get in. 

The temperature of the water is difficult 

to ascertain in such small amounts, but it is 

important to avoid major fluctuations. As long 

as the container is placed on the cover glass of 

the aquarium (provided it isn’t an aquarium 

with a light hood), you should be sure of a good 

temperature range for the eggs. 

The eggs will alter progressively over the 

days that follow, and using a magnifying glass 

you will be able to see the embryos inside. If 

an egg becomes noticeably dark and you can 

see the eyes of the fry using a magnifying glass, 

hatching may follow shortly. The fry usually 

manage to initiate this themselves. 

If the fish don’t hatch unaided, you can 

assist by adding cold water, shaking them in a 

small jar, or vigorous stirring. The old method 

of sprinkling a little flake food on the water’s 

surface, so that the oxygen content of the water 

drops rapidly, can also trigger hatching. But in 

that case a complete water change is required 

immediately after hatching. 

The fry swim free immediately after hatching 

and can generally also take small Artemia 

right away. Sometimes they don’t fill their 

swimbladders with air and remain bellysliders 

all their lives. You should think very hard 

about rearing such specimens, as they probably 

won’t be accepted as breeding partners. If there 

are a large number of bellysliders, you may still 

be able to obtain healthy young by adding an 

oxygen tablet or a small piece of one shortly 

after hatching. 

Dry storage 

In addition to storing them in water, the eggs 

of non-annual species can be stored dry. This results in 

an even hatch rather than hatching being spread over a 

longer period, as is the case with storage in water. This 

has the advantage that you can rear a good number of fry 

together. You will need a fairly tight-closing container, 

for example a standard margarine tub, containing a 

AMAZONAS 

or the eggshells will harden and the larvae will die off 

inside. You will need to experiment to see whether the 

water needs to be changed daily for fresh or not. If the 

eggs are developing and not dying off, a water change 

in the storage container isn’t necessary. The container 

can also be gently aerated in order to guarantee a better 

W. HILGNER 

44

layer of peat fiber, which should be moist enough that it 

won’t dry out quickly, but not wet. It can be remoistened 

periodically with a spray bottle. The container should be 

labeled with the species name and the date the eggs were 

harvested. 

Lay the eggs on the peat, trying to keep them from 

touching one another. This helps to avoid a fungussed 

egg infecting a neighboring one. Monitor the development 

of the eggs, and when you think that the hatching 

point may have been reached, add water to the container. 

If all has gone well, the majority of the fry will hatch. Or, 

the eggs can be picked out by hand and placed in fresh 

water, as peat consumes oxygen and must be laboriously 

separated from the larvae. Either way, it is worth storing 

the peat moist and adding water again a few days later. 

Another method is to use peat fiber in the aquarium 

instead of a spawning mop, removing it after a few days 

and storing it moist in a plastic bag or lidded container. 

This avoids having to pick out the eggs by hand. You will 

have no idea how many eggs have been laid, but this is 

a simple and effective variant for readily bred species. In 

the case of recalcitrant species we would recommend the 

more labor-intensive, but more easily monitored method, 

which may well prove easier in the long run. 

Which method works best depends on the circumstances 

and the skill of the aquarist. Everyone will find 

his or her own route to success. 

The fry grow out fairly quickly. The size of the rearing 

container should be suited to the size of the fish. There 

is no advantage to a small number of fry in too large a 

container. The fish won’t find the food as well, are often 

timid, and don’t grow well. Then again, lots of fish in a 

small container is not a good idea either, because they 

won’t grow well. 

Problem areas 

Sometimes the fish undergo long pauses in spawning 

and are then difficult to induce to spawn again. This isn’t 

necessarily dependent on the food situation. For example, 

boredom can also lead to unwillingness to spawn. If you 

are keeping only one pair, there is no option to change 

partners, so other ways must be found to perk the fish 

up again, such as making a water change with noticeably 

cooler water. To amplify the effect you can also stop making 

water changes for a long time beforehand. In this way 

you can simulate the tropical dry season, during which 

the fish have to make do without fresh rain water. 

Transfer to a completely different aquarium or spawning 

container can also help. Reluctant spawners should 

be separated and kept separate for at least a week. During 

this period the female should be fed heavily. The male 

should be fed somewhat more sparingly, or he may lose 

his sex drive and react only half-heartedly to the female. 

It is also wise to consider from what region your 

Aphyosemion originated. From this you can evaluate 

whether your fish prefer cooler water or should be kept 

and bred in warmer water. If 

the species is from the lowlands 

or the savannas, then Aphyosemion australe 

Below: Spawning 

penetrate a little way into 

it will naturally prefer higher 

the peat, release eggs, and 

temperatures, which may 

spawn while lying close to 

mean a range of 73–77°F 

each other. 

W. HILGNER 

AMAZONAS 

45

M l Whole Squid Meal, Stabilized Rice Bran, Whole Sardine Meal, Flax Seed Meal, 

Ch drus Algae Ascophy lum Algae, Konjac, Ca 

t Calendula F 

NOT FOR HUMAN CONSUM 

SPECIALTY PET PRODUCTS 

Visit Repashy.com to view our full 

line of fish and reptile products. 

NOT FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTI 

OMNIVORE GEL PREMIX 

Our Meal Replacement Gel for Omnivorous 

Species of Fish and Aquatic Invertebrates. 

f product add ¼ cup of powder into ¾ cup of water and stir 

i tes) remove and stir. Alternatively, 

ediately 

l f 24 hours or longer, promoting 

fi d out 

M al Whole Squid Meal, Whole Kri l Meal, Pea Protein Isolate, Dried Brewers Yeast, C 

t Calcium Propionate, Dicalcium Phosphate, Taurine, Sp 

i Root Powder Malic Acid, 

CT INFO PAGE WWW.REPASHY.COM/COMMP 

SCAVENGER ER GEL PREMIX 

AUFWUCHS UCHS 

GEL PREMIX 

Our Meal 

Replacement Gel for 

Our Meal Replacement Gel for Aufwuchs (algae Aquatic Scavengers of all kinds. 

and small living organisms) eating species of Fish, 

Invertebrates, Amphibians and Reptiles. 

h l l f h l 

hd l l f 4h l 

NOT FOR HUMAN CONSUMP 

CARNIVORE GEL PREMIX 

Our Meal Replacement Gel for Carnivorous Species 

of Fish, Amphibians, Invertebrates, and Reptiles. 

Rice Bran, Dandilion Powder, Dried Brewers Yeast, Flax Seed 

Algae, Potassium Citrate, Calcium Propion t 

Marigold Flower Extract R 

luconate L 

h d l can last for 24 hours or longer, promoting 

ll tion To find out 

dd ¼ cup of powder into ¾ cup of cold water 

t ) remove and stir. 

REPASHY VENTURES, ES INC. 

Toll Free Phone/Fax 

 

 

WWW REPASHY.COM/MPFISH 

INGREDIENTS: Chlore la Algae, Spirulina Algae, Pea Protein Isolate Germi 

NOT FOR HUMAN CONSU 

(Arachidonic acid), Dried Brewers Yeast, Chondrus Algae, Konjac Carob B 

Phaffia Rhodozyma Yeast, Paprika Extract Calend l 

Potassium Sorbate, Rosemar E 

cid Phos h 

INGREDIENTS: Whole Squid Meal, Whole Sardine Meal, Whole Kri l Meal, Schizochytrium A 

NOT FOR HUMAN CONSU 

NFO PAGE WWW REPASHY COM/SS 

CONDITIONING ION ONIN 

NING 

NG GEL LPR 

PREMIX 

X 

Our growth and conditioning formula for 

freshwater and marine omnivorous, 

ous, 

insectivorous, and carnivorous fish. 

INFORMATION: This product is designed to be used to condition Broodstock for 

spawning and is also suitable for the initial raising o fry 

This formula is high in fat and not suitable as a st 

Contains high l l 

Tauri 

VEGAN ALGAE GEL PREMIX 

Our Formula for Obligate Algae Eating 

Herbiverous Freshwater Fish and Invertebrates. 

Contains no animal products. 

Finished gel can last for 24 hours or longer, promoti 

natural grazing and reducing water p ll 

more plea d 

T INFO-PAGE WWW.REPASHY.COM/SPGN 

until blended. Microwave until it starts to boil (typica ly 2 3 

bring water to a boil on stove or in mic 

pour into a storage cont 

finish d 

DIRECTIONS: To prepare one cup of product, add ¼ cup of powder int ¾ 

2037 

PAGE WWW.REPASHY.COM/SPAWN 

until blended. Microwave until it starts to boil (typica l 2 

bring water to a boil on stove or in mi 

pour into a storage 

fii 

DIRECTIONS: To prepare one cup of product, add ¼ cup of powder i t 

AMAZONAS 

46

(23–25°C). If it comes from forest regions in the highlands, 

then the correct temperature range is 64–68°F 

(18–20°C). 

If the fish came from near the coast, as is the case 

with Aphyosemion australe (Cape Lopez) or Aphyosemion 

striatum (Red-Lined Killifish), for example, this indicates 

warmer and not necessarily soft water. By contrast, the 

water in the mountain streams tends to be soft. Again, 

there are differences between rainforest and savanna areas. 

A further hurdle to be reckoned with is the sex ratio 

among the offspring. This can prove extremely skewed, 

with up to 100 percent males or females. There are a 

number of factors that influence sex determination, but 

so far this has actually been proved only for individual 

species under very specific conditions. 

The most popular theory 

suggests that the sex ratio can be 

influenced to some extent by the 

maintenance temperature for the 

fry during the first two weeks. This 

actually works for some aquarists, 

but often only with particular species 

with particular parameters. Often 

their results cannot be repeated 

elsewhere. 

Another method involves putting 

two fry at a time in a container and 

keeping them there by themselves for 

at least two weeks. This frequently 

produces a pair. Unfortunately, this 

method isn’t reliable either, and 

also appears to be influenced by 

other factors. Often the sex ratio of 

offspring reared with the parents is 

more favorable than that in youngsters 

incubated externally. 

around and mention the species groups with which you 

definitely shouldn’t start—primarily those that come 

from cooler waters. It is easier to heat the water than to 

keep it permanently cool. Even without any influence 

from lighting and pumps, under living-room conditions 

temperatures will reach levels at which the fish won’t 

necessarily be inclined to spawn. 

Recommended starter species include Aphyosemion 

elberti, A. striatum, A. marginatum, and A. australe. Listing 

possible additional species would be a waste of time, 

since they are not easy to find in the trade. Reliable 

sources include enthusiasts you find through your local 

fish store or aquarium society and online killifish club 

websites and forums. 

Species and crosses 

The more closely Aphyosemion species 

are related to one another, the 

greater the likelihood that they will 

hybridize. Whether their offspring 

remain fertile over several generations 

is another matter. However, it 

cannot be stressed enough that creating 

hybrids makes no sense. The fish 

are already brightly colored enough; 

there is nothing to be optimized and 

molded, and crossing two species 

isn’t a breeding achievement to write 

home about. 

A not unimportant question for 

the beginner is, of course, which 

Aphyosemion he should start with 

and where he can get them. We will 

turn the first part of the question 

AMAZONAS 

47

The Río Magdalena flows through a 

gigantic valley. The photograph below 

was taken at Honda in April 2011. 

AMAZONAS 

48

AQUATIC TRAVEL 

In Search of the 

Blue-Eyed Plec 

by Heiko Bleher It was April 2011, and it had been over 20 years since my last visit to the 

Magdalena Valley. This time, my objective was to discover why the export of the Blue-Eyed 

Plec, Panaque cochliodon, from this region came to a standstill in the mid 1990s. What 

could have caused this sudden change 

OPPOSITE PAGE: H. BLEHER; THIS PAGE: H.-G. EVERS 

For a long time the Blue-Eyed Plec, Panaque cochliodon, 

was sold incorrectly as Panaque suttoni in the aquarium 

hobby, and even called by this name in the scientific 

literature. The type locality of P. cochliodon is the Río 

Cauca in Colombia. Another species that purportedly 

has blue eyes is Panaque suttunorum from the Río Negro, 

Maracaibo Basin in Venezuela. P. suttunorum has not so 

far turned up in the aquarium trade, while the opposite 

is true of P. cochliodon. I first imported both sexes of this 

fish with the intense blue eyes as long ago as the late 

1960s. These catfish were not very popular initially, but 

from the mid-1970s to around the mid-1990s it was 

virtually impossible to get enough of them. 

The high losses among imports were attributable to 

the difficulty of transporting the specimens, which were 

usually large. There were virtually no specimens smaller 

than 6 inches (15 cm) total length caught, let alone 

shipped from Bogota, Colombia, the only export location. 

I traveled on several occasions to 

the collecting area. Every time this 

involved a hellish journey down to 

the middle of the Magdalena drainage 

along one of the most winding and 

dangerous roads in South America. 

The majority of Blue-Eyed Plecs 

were collected from Honda and 

Cambao. Drivers transported the fish 

from the Magdalena Valley, just a few 

hundred meters above sea level, to an 

altitude of almost 9,843 feet (3,000 

m) in Bogota. I repeatedly tried to 

educate the collectors and drivers and 

asked them to be careful, but this 

didn’t help much—most of the numerous 

exporters in Colombia shipped 

these beautiful fishes far too tightly 

packed and often still chilled. 

You should know that an eternal spring, so to speak, 

rules in Bogota, and it is much too cold for all tropical 

fishes. The water temperature in the holding tanks of 

many exporters wasn’t adequately monitored, and the 

fish, usually packed in simple cardboard boxes or just 

lying in the vehicle in plastic bags, were subjected to 

continually decreasing temperatures throughout the long 

journey up through the mountains. There was no question 

of quarantine in the randomly heated aquariums in 

Bogota, let alone the prophylactic treatment that might 

have increased the fish’s chances of survival. Normally 

they were packed and exported right away. 

Travels in the Magdalena Valley 

In Bogota I was greeted enthusiastically by my good 

friend Pedro Zea at Eldorado Airport, which has remained 

unchanged during the more than 40 years I have 

known it. Now, it is slated to be demolished. Pedro runs 

The Blue-Eyed Plec 

got its name from the 

characteristic color 

of its eyes. 

AMAZONAS 

49

Panaque cochliodon from 

the Río Magdalena, near 

Cambao. 

We caught Hypostomus hondae in the 

Río Magdalena near Cambao. 

AMAZONAS 

H. BLEHER 

50

Right: This Hypostomus sp. was caught in 

the cast net. 

what is hands-down the best export 

station in Colombia, which he 

established almost four decades ago 

near the town of Villavicencio in 

the warm Amazon basin. All of his 

fishes are acclimated for a month 

there before being shipped out. 

Pedro had reserved a car for me, 

and his brother-in-law, Antonio 

Salamanca Barrera, was to be my 

companion. Every week for 15 

years, Antonio transported 500–600 

Blue-Eyed Plecs from the Magdalena 

Valley to Bogota for Orinoco 

Aquarium, but that ended in the mid-1990s. Antonio 

and Pedro, and most other exporters and importers, were 

convinced that the Blue-Eyed 

Below: This 

Isorineloricaria species, 

very likely undescribed, 

was a spectacular catch. 

This monotypic genus 

had been known only 

from the west Andean 

rivers of Ecuador. 

Plec had died out due to environmental 

destruction, so they 

were naturally very surprised 

that I had come to Colombia to 

look for it. 

The road was as full of 

bends as ever and though it was 

somewhat improved, there was a 

corresponding increase in truck traffic. Many hours later 

we reached La Vega at an altitude of around 3,600 feet 

(1,100 m), a once-tiny village that has now grown into 

a veritable town. We then descended to 2,297 feet (700 

m) and then climbed again to 5,249 feet (1,600 m), and 

it was evening before Honda, down in the Magdalena 

Valley, came into view. This town, too, has grown; it 

has now expanded to both sides of the eternally murky 

Magdalena, and the two parts are connected by an iron 

bridge. The old town has been very beautifully renovated, 

and we stayed in a nice little hotel there. 

AMAZONAS 

51

Adult Panaque 

cochliodon from San 

Martin de Loba. 

Poison 

I wanted to seek out Antonio’s fisherman contact right 

away the next morning. We made our way through narrow 

alleys, inquired all over the place, and eventually 

found his house a long way outside of town. I don’t think 

he recognized me any more, but he knew Antonio, who 

had regularly purchased his fishes for 15 years. When I 

asked him about cuchas de ojo azul, he looked at me and 

said only that it would be easier to win the lottery than to 

find a cucha—there were none left and he had long since 

given up looking for them, since the “American millionaire 

had poisoned everything.” 

When I heard that, I was more than a little surprised, 

because even Antonio knew nothing about it. 

The fisherman told us that a little over 12 years ago, an 

American was there visiting with his daughter. She was 

stung by a freshwater ray while swimming and fell into 

a coma. Her father thought he was going to lose his only 

child, and wanted to avenge her. He had experts develop 

a poison that would sink immediately in the water and 

kill the bottom-dwelling fishes—that is, the rays he 

hated. Tons of it were tipped into the upper course of 

the Magdalena and killed thousands of stingrays, as well 

as everything else that lived on the bottom, including 

the Blue-Eyed Plecs and seven or eight other loricariid 

species. 

Local fishermen kept trying to catch cuchas de ojos 

azul for around two years, but without success. They gave 

This stingray is Potamotrygon magdalenae (Dumeril, 

1865), a common species that may have triggered 

the environmental vandalism in the Magdalena. 

We also caught this ray. Is it a variant 

of P. magdalenae or a new species 

52

At the time of 

my visit, the 

Magdalena was 

full of catfishes 

of the family 

Pimelodidae, 

making their way 

upstream by the 

thousands. 

up trying. In Cambao, further up the Magdalena, another fisherman, Jawel 

Gomes Perrera, and three others told me the same thing. The American had 

put the poison in the represa of the Lago Prado and the Magdalena had been 

full of dead fishes for weeks. 

OPPOSITE PAGE, TOP: H.-G. EVERS; THE REST: H. BLEHER 

A lighter variant 

We spent two days in Cambao with Jawel, who nowadays catches only food 

fishes such as Pseudoplatystoma, Ageneiosus, Pimelodus, Hypostomus, Cyphocharax, 

and a Leporinus species. Nevertheless, he was prepared to accompany me 

in my search for cuchas de ojos azul. But we couldn’t find any Blue-Eyed Plec. 

We didn’t find anything in the Río Seco, either. 

The story of the Blue-Eyed Plec is really tragic, and once again demonstrates 

what Homo sapiens is prepared to do to destroy aquatic fauna. I also 

made searches in the upper Río Magdalena in the Departamento del Huila, 

but without success. However, I did find a population of the Blue-Eyed Plec, 

albeit a lighter variant, in the Río Cauca in the vicinity of Tamalameque, 

before it empties into the Río Magdalena. This variant looks very similar to 

another blue-eyed species, Cochliodon soniae (L 137), which I found in the 

middle Tapajós many years ago. 

This form doesn’t have such a black body coloration as the form that formerly 

lived in the Magdalena. When I showed the owner of Stingray Aquarium 

my lighter-colored Blue-Eyed Plecs, he told me that the lighter form had also 

been brought back from the region of San Martin de Loba by his collectors. 

A few specimens of this lighter variant from Colombia have been offered 

for sale—at $250 U.S. each from Bogota—a serious price for serious catfish 

breeders only. The average aquarist will have to wait and hope. 

REFERENCES 

Burgess, W. 1989. An Atlas of Freshwater and Marine Catfishes. TFH Publications, Neptune City, NJ. 

Ferraris Jr., C. 1991. Catfish in the Aquarium. Tetra Press, Morris Plains, NJ 

AMAZONAS 

53

HUSBANDRY 

& BREEDING 

A Native Jewel: Etheostoma caeruleum, 

by Ken Zeedyk The Rainbow Darter, Etheostoma 

caeruleum, is a beautiful and intriguing small fish 

native to North American rivers and streams. It 

is known to some hobbyists and the occasional 

fisherman, but most people in its native range are 

not aware that there is such an amazing beauty right 

in their own backyard. I have found that Rainbow 

Darters make hardy and very interesting aquarium 

inhabitants, and have even succeeded in breeding 

them. Males in full breeding color are among the 

most colorful of freshwater fishes, and look like they 

belong in the tropics rather than the cold, fastflowing 

rivers and streams that they inhabit. 

The author on a 

Rainbow Darter 

collection trip in 

Michigan. 

AMAZONAS 

Rainbow Darters are part of the Percidae family, which 

includes the popular game fishes the Walleye (Sander vitreus) 

and the Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens). While some members 

of this family are found in North America, Europe, and 

Eurasia, the Etheostomini subfamily of darters is exclusive 

to North America, predominantly east of the Continental 

Divide. The darter family comprises over 150 species, including 

the recently described spangled darter, Etheostoma obama, 

which is named after U.S. president Barack Obama, and is 

native to the Buffalo and Duck Rivers in central Tennessee. A 

A pair of Rainbow 

Darters, Etheostoma 

caeruleum; the male 

is on the left. 

KEN ZEEDYK 

54

the Rainbow Darter 

AMAZONAS 

55

Rainbow Darter (male). The beauty 

of this native North American species 

rivals that of better known tropical 

fishes. 

AMAZONAS 

total of five new Etheostoma darter species were introduced 

in 2012, and all were named after United States 

presidents (and one former vice-president) in recognition 

of their leadership in the fields of conservation and 

environmental protection. 

The life of an American jewel 

The Rainbow Darter’s native range is predominantly 

across the Ohio and Mississippi River drainages, from 

northwestern New York, across southern Ontario, 

Canada, and as far west as Minnesota, where Lake 

Phalen, the only lake in which Rainbow Darters have 

been found, is located. To the south, their range extends 

into Arkansas and northern Alabama, with an isolated 

population in southwestern Mississippi. Introduced 

populations have become established in the Genesee and 

Fox River drainages in New York State. While Etheostoma 

caeruleum from different river drainages can be variable 

in color, at this time no subspecies are recognized. This 

would most likely change if the different Rainbow Darter 

populations were studied, so it is best to not mix darters 

from different locales. 

Rainbow Darters inhabit areas of high water flow in 

second-order and larger streams and rivers. A secondorder 

stream is one formed by two tributaries coming 

together into one stream, a third-order stream consists 

of three tributaries that have come together into a single 

stream, and so on. These darters are typically found 

over riffles or relatively shallow areas with larger rock 

substrates. They use these rocks as cover to hide from 

predators and as a shield from the current. They prefer 

waters that are slightly alkaline and moderately hard and 

stay relatively cool. Water temperatures in their preferred 

habitats in the north can vary from close to freezing to 

over 70°F (21°C). They share this habitat with various 

other Etheostoma and Percina darter species, chubs, and a 

number of dace and minnow species. 

Etheostoma caeruleum is a micro-predator, feeding on 

aquatic insect larvae including those of midges, caddis 

flies, mayflies, and black flies as 

well as consuming fish eggs and 

other small organisms. Their 

diet varies during the course 

of the year, depending on the 

availability of food resources and 

competition from other species. 

Rainbow Darters are 

relatively small, only reaching a 

length of 2.5–3 inches (6.4–7.6 

cm) when fully grown, and 

their life expectancy in the wild 

is between two and three years. Females exhibit a small 

amount of color on the dorsal fin and on the flanks, 

which intensifies during the breeding season. Males in 

full breeding color are very gaudy when observed from 

the side, with blue cheeks, brilliantly colored fins, and 

banding on their flanks. However, observing these fish 

in their habitat can be quite challenging. Due to their 

bright coloring, one would think they would be easy to 

spot in nature, but when viewed from above their dorsal 

patterning blends into the substrate, and the activity 

for which they were named becomes evident as they 

dart from rock to rock in order to avoid capture. Rainbow 

Darters are opportunistically preyed upon by larger 

predatory fishes such as sculpins, trout, Smallmouth 

Bass, Stonecats, and Burbots. 

Gem hunting 

Rainbow Darters can be obtained through specialized 

breeders found online, or they can be collected from their 

native habitat for individual use as regulations allow. Before 

venturing out to capture your own Rainbow Darters, 

be sure to know and follow the fishing rules and regulations 

of the state in which you are collecting. A fishing 

license is required, and a permit to collect and maintain 

native fishes may also be necessary. In some locations, 

collecting native fishes is prohibited altogether. Please 

respect the natural habitat, don’t over-collect and risk 

depleting the natural breeding population, respect private 

property, and never transport fishes between drainages or 

release any captive animals back into the wild. Also, be 

sure to thoroughly clean and dry your collecting equipment 

in order to prevent the exchange of invasive plants 

and other harmful organisms between watersheds. In 

captivity the Rainbow Darter can live for three years or 

more, so be prepared to care for your captive fish for an 

extended length of time. 

Collecting Rainbow Darters can be accomplished 

using a number of different techniques, any of which can 

be quite entertaining to watch. Two of the most popular 

BOTTOM: SHAELYN MCGEE; OTHERS: KEN ZEEDYK 

56

are collecting individually with a long-handled dip net, or 

in a group with a 4- to 8-foot wide seine net. Ideally, the 

dip net would have a 1/8–1/4-inch mesh bag supported 

by a square or triangular metal rim. A flat-edged rim 

allows the net to be placed securely on the stream bed. 

When collecting alone, a net handle of 4 feet or longer 

is helpful and can be used to help steady oneself in the 

current. The seine net should also be of 1/8–1/4-inch 

mesh, with floats on the upper edge and weights on the 

lower edge to keep it vertical in the water while being 

strung between two poles. Both methods require entering 

the river or stream, so a good pair of 

waders or hip boots is recommended, 

especially if the collecting trip 

occurs during the spring breeding 

season, when water temperatures 

are still in the 50°F (10°C) range. 

Collecting individually requires 

a small or medium-sized longhandled 

dip net. The net is placed 

downstream from the collector 

behind a promising group of rocks 

and held with one hand. The collector 

then disturbs the rocks and 

substrate with his (or her) foot 

upstream of the net while balancing 

on the other foot. This flushes the 

darters out of hiding and, typically, downstream into the 

net. As long as you don’t lose your balance and fall into 

the cold water, this works quite well. 

The group method of collecting requires a minimum 

of three people and a 4- to 8-foot seine net. Two people 

place the seine net into the stream, facing into the current 

and holding the handles at an angle, making a nice 

collecting pocket in the net. The third person moves upstream 

of the net and proceeds to do the “darter dance,” 

which entails shuffling and kicking the feet rapidly across 

the substrate while moving in a zigzag pattern toward the 

Shoal of Rainbow Darters 

in a native fish community 

tank maintained by the 

author. 

Inset: colorful Etheostoma 

caeruleum male, fresh from 

the stream. 

AMAZONAS 

57

Collecting Rainbow Darters is best done with 

a team: Patrick Miller and Phillip Kukulski 

collaborate to capture the elusive darters in a 

Michigan stream. 

AMAZONAS 

net. The darters are flushed from hiding into the waiting 

net, and a number of them can be collected at one time 

using this method. Occasionally the “dancer” will lose 

his or her balance and end up taking a dip in the cold 

water, much to the enjoyment of the others. 

Bringing your treasures home 

Personally, I have not experienced any problems transporting 

or acclimating newly collected Rainbow Darters, 

and they typically start feeding within a few hours of 

relocation. Proper transport entails bagging a small number 

of fish with clean river water into a thick 3–4-mil 

plastic or breather bag, then placing them in a cooler or 

other insulated container in order to keep them at a cool 

temperature. If the fish will be traveling for an extended 

period of time a battery-powered air pump may be used 

to circulate the water in the transport container. Typical 

acclimation procedures for aquarium fishes should be 

utilized, especially if the fish are going from very cool water 

into a home aquarium. Acclimating the fish to room 

temperature in an open bucket with an airstone and a 

drip line from the tank is sufficient. 

Showcasing your collection 

Hiding places in the form of driftwood or rock caves are 

appreciated by these fish and make them feel more secure 

when first introduced to the aquarium, but once they 

have become accustomed to their new environment they 

soon learn to recognize their providers and approach the 

front glass of the aquarium in anticipation of a meal. 

Rainbow Darters are diurnal feeders upon benthic insect 

larvae, but will rise to take food from mid-water in the 

aquarium. They prefer frozen bloodworms, daphnia, and 

live blackworms and eat them with enthusiasm, and 

these also work best in conditioning the fish 

for spawning. Some specimens eventually take 

prepared foods in the form of small pellets or 

flake, but they still prefer “real” foods. Placing 

the food into the current in the tank often 

helps to trigger a feeding response. 

Provide their aquarium with clean, cool 

water and good current created by an external 

filter or internal powerhead, along with 

sufficient biological filtration, such as an airdriven 

sponge filter. The temperature of the 

water in which I housed my darters fluctuated 

between 68°F (20°C) in the summer to a low 

of 62°F (17°C) in the winter. This roughly 

corresponds with their high-end temperature 

range in the wild. I am fortunate to live in an 

area that draws its drinking water from Lake 

Michigan, since this water chemistry has proven satisfactory 

for the darters. The water out of the tap has a pH 

of 7.5 and a hardness of 142 ppm. I perform 70 percent 

water changes every two weeks using dechlorinated tap 

water, and any detritus that has collected is removed at 

that time. 

The substrate in the aquarium should consist of 

rounded, pea-size gravel up to a depth of 2 inches (5 

cm), or if the aquarium is going to be used only for 

breeding, it can be left bare and a separate shallow dish 

or other container of gravel can be placed in the current 

where the female can deposit her eggs. I would recommend 

using gravel that is natural in color, similar to 

what you would see in the fish’s natural environment. 

In areas of softer water, dolomite may be added to the 

gravel, or a piece of limestone can be placed in the tank 

to increase water hardness. 

Increasing the bounty 

Breeding occurs in the early spring, when the days 

lengthen and water temperatures rise. The females 

become visibly swollen with eggs when they are ready to 

spawn, and the males exhibit their most brilliant colors 

during this time. The males stake out small territories 

within preferred spawning areas, which is important to 

keep in mind if multiple males are housed together. 

The easiest method for spawning Rainbow Darters in 

captivity is to collect a pair or trio of adult fish in early to 

mid-April and introduce them to an aquarium specifically 

set up for breeding. The spawning aquarium can 

be from 5 to 20 gallons (19–78 L) in size, depending on 

whether or not you will be pulling the eggs. A tight-fitting 

lid is recommended, and the aquarium may be lit with a 

fluorescent bulb if desired. Once the fish are acclimated 

KEN ZEEDYK 

58

to their new surroundings, spawning 

should commence within a week. 

The other option is to over-winter 

them in captivity, which was the 

method I chose. Over-winter conditioning 

entails a reduced photoperiod and 

lowered water temperatures, preferably 

into the 45–55°F (7–13°C) range for 

up to two months; however, I successfully 

conditioned them by dropping 

the temperature down to the low 

60s Fahrenheit. Exposure to indirect 

outdoor light is beneficial, and based 

on my initial experiences this exposure 

to natural photoperiod fluctuations is 

a more important conditioner than a 

large drop in temperature. Many of the 

references to darter breeding that I have 

read list water temperature as an important conditioning 

factor for Rainbow Darters, but the water temperature in 

my spawning tank did not get below 60°F (16°C). The 

aquarium was exposed to natural lighting from southfacing 

windows, so the fish were exposed to natural fluctuations 

in the photoperiod. The females still became 

visibly swollen with eggs and the males colored up. 

I look forward to testing limited temperature drops 

and exposure to natural light cycles on other native 

fishes from my area. 

Post-spawning 

behavior in the 

author’s Rainbow 

Darter aquarium. 

her, but once she starts eyeing the substrate he becomes 

very interested and rushes to her side with his fins fully 

extended. The female dives head first into the gravel and 

pushes forward until just her snout and the top of her 

tail are exposed. She lays a small number of eggs in the 

The making of new gems 

Spawning is initiated when the female enters the 

spawning area. The male may or may not display to 

Rainbow Darter 

eggs with prominent 

eyes developing. 

Inset, newly hatched 

Etheostoma 

caeruleum fry. 

AMAZONAS 

59

In addition to their amazing colors and 

intriguing natural behaviors, these living 

jewels also have plenty of character and 

personality. 

mature and the Iowa Darters spawn 

later in the year and deposit their 

eggs in floating vegetation and 

spawning mops. This native fish 

aquarium was quite entertaining to 

watch—the darters and dace could 

be frequently observed hopping and 

zipping throughout the aquarium 

looking for food and interacting. 

Reflections of an American 

jewel hunter 

Experiencing these amazing and beautiful 

fish in my own “backyard” was, 

and still is, extremely rewarding. It 

has given me an even greater respect 

for the aquatic environments in my 

area, and also has raised concerns over the troubles facing 

our native fishes. Siltation, habitat destruction, and pollution, 

as well as the introduction of non-native fishes and 

invertebrates, are constant threats to the darters’ natural 

habitats. One oil or chemical spill into a small tributary or 

waterway can have long-lasting effects on the fish population. 

Not only are the fish directly harmed, but their food 

source of aquatic insects is lost. 

In my home state of Michigan the Round Goby 

(Neogobius melanostomus) has spread through many of 

the waterways and can be easily caught by hook and line 

or net. This non-native invader competes with darters for 

habitat and food resources, and in areas of the river near 

my home I can catch 10 gobies to every 1 Blackside Darter. 

Fortunately, I have yet to find one of these gobies in the 

same locations where I have found and observed Rainbow 

Darters, so I hope that our beautiful little native fish occupies 

a niche not suited to these unwelcome intruders. 

Rainbow Darters are amazing fish with wonderful 

colors and fascinating behaviors, and they well deserve 

a place in the hobbyist’s fish room. They are very interesting 

to observe in the aquarium, and often appear to 

tilt their heads while observing their keepers, implying a 

level of intelligence and awareness similar to that which 

I’ve seen in some cichlids I have kept. I feel fortunate to 

live in a region inhabited by such a fish, and believe it 

deserves to be considered a North American jewel. 

AMAZONAS 

gravel while the male fertilizes them from above. After 

spawning the female wriggles out of the gravel to rest. 

Spawning occurs repeatedly over a number of days 

until the female has exhausted her egg supply, which 

usually averages around 300 eggs, depending on the 

size of the female. The eggs stick together in the gravel, 

which is a great preventative against being swept away in 

the current, and are thus easily collected, either using a 

gravel vacuum to siphon them out of the gravel or gently 

swirling the gravel and removing the adhesive eggs. 

Rainbow Darter eggs can be hatched in a small container 

with an airstone and methylene blue as a fungicide. 

An alternative is to remove the spawning adults and 

let the eggs hatch out in the spawning aquarium. The 

eggs hatch in 10 to 14 days, depending on temperature, 

and the development of the young fish may be witnessed 

through the clear eggs, with the eyes of the developing 

fry being readily visible. Newly hatched darter fry can be 

raised on brine shrimp nauplii and other small live foods, 

such as microworms. I found the eggs to have a very good 

hatch rate, and fry survival was also good. Clean water 

and frequent feedings were very important to long-term 

fry survival. 

Native tankmates 

Other residents that I have kept in aquariums with 

Rainbow Darters include Iowa Darters (Etheostoma exile), 

Northern Redbelly Dace (Phoxinus eos), Brook Sticklebacks 

(Culaea inconstans), Western Blacknose Dace 

(Rhinichthys obtusus), and small immature Blackside 

Darters (Percina maculata). The Brook Sticklebacks and 

Iowa Darters also spawned while in the same aquarium 

with the Rainbow Darters. I was not concerned about 

cross-breeding, since the Blackside Darters were im- 

Ken Zeedyk has been keeping fish off and on for more than 

30 years. He is a fellow of the Grand Valley Aquarium Club 

(GVAC) in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and has bred more than 

120 species of freshwater fishes and invertebrates and cultured a 

number of aquatic plant species. Zeedyk and his family reside in 

Zeeland, Michigan. 

KEN ZEEDYK 

60

Exclusive North American Importer & Distributor 

Poret® Brand Filter Foam 

The famous original “Blauer Schaum” (blue foam) 

made by EMW Filtertechnik in Germany for 

freshwater, aquaculture, pond, and saltwater filtration. 

Perfect for the widely used Hamburg 

Mattenfilter (HMF), canister and hang-on-back (HOB) 

filters, and sumps. Guaranteed free of toxic chemicals. 

Long lifespan and low maintenance. 

Available in porosities of 10-45 pores per inch (PPI) in 

various colors. As filter cartridges, cubefilters, and sheets. 

B&H Jetlifters TM 

The most efficient airlift tubes on the market. 

Explore our expanded selection. 

Innovation with simplicity that t works 

Wholesale & Retail 

Email: SwissTropicals@gmail.com 

www.SwissTropicals.com 

AMAZONAS 

AZON 

61

HUSBANDRY 

& BREEDING 

Triops 

Tadpole shrimp in the aquarium 

Above: An adult 

specimen of Triops 

cancriformis 

cancriformis from 

Spain. This local 

variant is lighter 

colored than those 

often seen for sale. 

by Timm Adam They have been shunned for many years by serious aquarists, but 

there is now growing interest in a group of freshwater invertebrates with unbroken 

living links to the age of the dinosaurs: the tadpole or shield shrimp of the genera 

Triops and Lepidurus. In addition to Triops longicaudatus, which has been sold in 

toy stores and natural history supply houses (sometimes as “Dinosaur Shrimp” or 

“Microsaurs”) for many decades, several other species, subspecies, and morphs have 

become available. For aquarists ready to try something totally new—and yet absolutely 

ancient—here is an introduction to these fascinating primordial crustaceans. 

AMAZONAS 

One fact alone justifies the fascination with tadpole 

shrimp: Triops cancriformis has been around almost 

unchanged for about 220 million years, as seen in many 

fossil images circulating on the Internet. The fossil species 

was described as a subspecies of Triops cancriformis, 

namely Triops cancriformis minor. 

Triops can be kept and observed with relatively little 

effort over very long periods of time. Even “rest periods” 

of dormancy for years or decades are tolerated by 

this crustacean. What fish species could endure such a 

lifestyle Even among freshwater inverts you won’t find 

many that would tolerate such treatment. 

One fact must be noted: not all Triops are made 

equal. Their habitats are as variable as their ways of life, 

so their care requirements vary as well. The three commonly 

available hobby strains—Triops longicaudatus from 

the U.S. (I call it the “toy-store strain”), T. cancriformis 

cancriformis from a biotope on the river March in Austria 

(distributed by Dr. Erich Eder), and Triops cf. newberryi 

from Queensland, Australia (a strain distributed by Billabong 

Bugs)—might be maintained indefinitely under very 

simple conditions. With other strains, it can be difficult 

to establish a stable population in the aquarium for long 

periods of time. 

Legs for every purpose 

Triops are “basic” crustaceans and do everything—breathing, 

moving, digging, and feeding—with their specialized 

legs. Their curious movements—flips, rollovers, body 

curls, swimming belly side up—make them fascinating to 

watch, all thanks to the power of their appendages. Even 

the cysts for their reproduction are stored in a pouch 

T. ADAM 

62

Right: Typical habitat of Triops in Australia. The top 

picture was taken in June when the depression was filled 

with water. The bottom picture shows the same biotope 

in April of the following year, during the dry season. 

on the 11th pair of legs, which is adapted for 

this purpose. Up to 70 pairs of legs and 44 body 

segments are seen in tadpole shrimp. On the 

first 12 body segments there are only one pair of 

legs each, while further back there can be up to 

10 pairs per segment, and the last few segments 

usually have no legs. 

Crustaceans have mandibles as mouthparts 

to chew food and two pairs of antennae. These 

two characteristics are sufficient to differentiate 

the tadpole shrimp from the Xiphosura or horseshoe 

crabs, which have a similar appearance. 

However, the four surviving species of the 

family Limulidae belong to the Chelicerata (spiders, 

scorpions, and sea spiders) and have chelicerae 

as mouthparts and no antennae. 

The genus name Triops stems from the three 

eyes found at the front of the carapace, or shield. 

The two larger ones are complex eyes; the middle 

one is a so-called nauplia eye. Interestingly, the 

eye design may permit the animal to detect light 

coming from below. Also worth mentioning 

is the oxygen-transporting hemoglobin that is 

dissolved in the hemolymph (blood analog of arthropods) 

of Triops. The intense red color often 

observed in Triops longicaudatus in the aquarium 

is due to this protein. 

Heterosexuals, hermaphrodites, 

and virgins 

The main survival advantage of Triops is their 

efficient reproduction. Many populations consist entirely 

of hermaphrodites (organisms that have both male and 

female reproductive organs in the same individual) or 

females that reproduce by parthenogenesis (development 

of an embryo from an unfertilized egg cell). In Triops 

longicaudatus it was observed that 594 cysts were deposited 

within 72 hours (Gruner 1993). I have to assume 

similarly high numbers in other Triops strains that reproduce 

by parthenogenesis or through self-fertilization. 

For example, two to three days after adding water to an 

aquarium of about 32 gallons (115 L), myriad nauplius 

larvae and molded instar stages of Triops cancriformis cancriformis 

were observed. In Triops cf. newberryi from Australia, 

within 24 hours after adding water to a dry tank 

with resting cysts, masses of larvae hatched. It is possible 

to raise 40 of these up to a size of 2 inches (5 cm) in a 

15-gallon (55-L) aquarium within a week’s time. 

Reproduction in captivity is usually less productive 

in available Triops species and strains, which propagate 

conventionally via two sexes and copulation. With Triops 

B. TIMMS 

australiensis australiensis and T. granarius, I have never 

encountered as many hatching larvae in the first three 

filial generations as with the species above. However, 

they seem to reproduce at a high rate in nature as well, 

given the larger expanses of available habitat. In the wild, 

there are lots of developing animals present and therefore 

always plenty of sexual partners, which might represent a 

bottleneck in captivity. 

In summary, Triops possess all the possible reproductive 

strategies known to science: sexual (gonochoric, or 

one sex per individual), self-fertilization in hermaphrodites, 

and parthenogenesis of females. Moreover, all three 

strategies may be observed within one species in biotopes 

found in the same region (Garcia-Velazco 2009). 

Glass or Plexiglas 

Glass aquariums are the most convenient way to house 

Triops. I used to buy 12-gallon (45-L) tank sets that measured 

20 inches (50 cm) long, 12 inches (30 cm) wide, 

and 12 inches (30 cm) high. For some years now, the 

AMAZONAS 

63

AMAZONAS 

Large specimen of Triops cancriformis 

cancriformis. This animal stems from a strain 

distributed by Dr. Erich Eder from the river 

March, near Angern, Austria. 

On this recently deceased adult Triops 

australiensis australiensis the cysts are 

visible through the egg sacs. 

12-gallon kits have not been available and I have started 

to convert to the 15-gallon (55-L), 24-inch (60-cm) 

starter sets (24 x 12 x 12 inches/60 x 30 x 30 cm). These 

kits have the advantage that they are relatively inexpensive 

and include a hood with a light and a heater. Individually 

purchased, the components would cost more. 

The internal filters included in these kits are not suitable 

for Triops husbandry, but will certainly find another application 

in the fish room. As for the size of the tanks, 

I can only reiterate that bigger is better, especially with 

regard to the footprint; however, since most readers will 

work with standard tanks, the footprint is fixed. Instead 

of tanks, other glass containers can serve as Triops habitats: 

for example, large vases or bowls, or plastic containers 

of various kinds. However, in many plastic vessels, 

the long-term care of Triops fails. This might be due to 

softeners or other chemicals that are added to some plastics 

and affect the Triops negatively. I have had luck so far 

with mortar buckets, the familiar Exo Terra Faunarium 

(plastic terrarium), and fauna boxes from Hagen. 

As a substrate I use common aquarium sand with 

the finest particle size. With my first 

strain of T. cancriformis cancriformis 

I used soil from the garden, which is 

rich in clay and sand. However, for a 

first trial, I now recommend a clean 

substrate without too many fine particles, 

which tend to cloud the water 

and make it difficult to observe the 

animals. Once a population flourishes, 

you can experiment with various 

sand types or other natural substrates. 

Salt or no salt 

Distilled water, commercially available 

from the supermarket or hardware 

store, is the best option for starting a 

culture of Triops. This guarantees a high hatch rate, and 

you can be assured that there are no toxic elements or 

microorganisms present. Once a culture is performing 

well, you can experiment with other water sources, such 

as rainwater, filtered pond water, or even tap water if it 

contains no heavy metals or chlorine or if you have used 

a water conditioner. 

To start a culture with a new Triops strain, it is 

helpful to research the water conditions in that strain’s 

natural biotope. Some populations apparently tolerate 

or even require various salts and trace elements in their 

water (not only sodium chloride). From the island of 

Malta there is a population of Triops cancriformis known 

to live in brackish water (Lanfrano et al. 1991). If you attempt 

to hatch cysts from such habitats in distilled water, 

failure is certain. However, for the “toy strain” of Triops 

longicaudatus, Triops cancriformis cancriformis from Central 

Europe, and Triops cf. newberryi from Queensland, I 

recommend starting the culture with distilled water. 

Not made for short days 

Shrimp of the genus Triops require about 12 hours of daylight 

to develop. Thus, unless you keep them only during 

the spring or summer outside or near a window, artificial 

lighting must be provided. A timer is recommended. For 

a light source, all ordinary fluorescent, halogen, LED, and 

incandescent light bulbs will work. The water temperature 

should be close to that found in the natural biotope. 

Triops cancriformis cancriformis requires about 59°F 

(15°C) to hatch and adults tolerate even lower water 

temperatures. Triops longicaudatus develops best between 

room temperature and up to 77°F (25°C). Triops cf. 

newberryi from Queensland is best kept at 84°F (29°C), 

and with good nutrition reaches a size of 2.5 inches (6 

cm) within 10 days. Since these animals are very tolerant 

in terms of temperature, 77°F (25°C) or warmer is 

sufficient. Longhurst (1955) kept and reproduced Triops 

australiensis, T. cancriformis, T. granarius, and T. longicaudatus, 

as well as Lepidurus apus and L. arcticus, at 68°F 

(20°C). 

T. ADAM 

64

Aeration of the tank can be 

achieved by using an air stone connected 

to a small air pump, but a 

sponge filter connected to a medium 

sized air pump maintains better 

water quality. 

Omnivores 

I have found that for almost every 

strain of tadpole shrimp, ordinary 

flake food is suitable. For the first 

larval stages, small feed that contains 

Spirulina algae and animal ingredients 

normally used for fish larvae 

or to culture baby brine shrimp has 

worked well. Larvae in larger stages 

will consume almost anything: dried 

fallen tree leaves, vegetables, silkworm casings, fish food 

tablets, and live foods such as Artemia, Daphnia, and 

bloodworms, to name just a few. 

Since Triops are true omnivores, they will also consume 

live plants; therefore, it is difficult to maintain a 

planted tank with tadpole shrimp in it for long. However, 

there is one plant that works well for the Triops aquarium: 

duckweed, Lemna minor. Although the duckweed is eaten, 

the plant’s fast growth rate permits its survival and it 

helps absorb excess nutrients from the water. 

As in fish aquariums, any decorations should be carefully 

assessed for toxic substances. Many plastics appear 

to release toxins, to which these shrimp are very sensitive. 

However, natural driftwood such as that used for 

fish tanks is very suitable. Various natural stones can be 

used to add structure and replicate natural biotopes. 

Keeping Triops with other animals is a challenge; one 

should not forget that they will eat any smaller animal 

and even each other. Conversely, larger company might 

regard the Triops as food. Fish are generally unsuitable 

as tankmates, but various snails are perfect because 

they are common in the natural habitats. In nature-like 

biotopes of Triops cancriformis cancriformis the great pond 

snail Lymnaea stagnalis, and possibly other snails, can be 

found. In one of my larger aquariums, the water louse 

Asellus aquaticus lives together 

with Triops cancriformis. 

This cyst-laying individual probably 

belongs to a form of Triops newberryi. 

tilled water, we wait until the temperature has stabilized 

where we want it to be. Then we can add the cysts or 

the sand containing the cysts. With Triops longicaudatus, 

T. newberryi, T. australiensis, and T. granarius the first 

hatched nauplii are found within 24 hours; Triops cancriformis 

might require a little more time. 

Pair of Triops granarius from Japan. The sexing 

is straightforward: the male (right) 

has a rounder shield and is 

brighter and more uniformly 

colored than the female. 

T. ADAM 

Seasonal shrimp 

I would like to report how I 

have achieved the best success 

in terms of the number 

and size of adults I was able 

to raise. An aquarium of at 

least 10 gallons (38 L) is first 

equipped with 6–10 pounds 

(3–5 kg) of aquarium sand, a 

light with timer, and a heater, 

if necessary. After adding dis- 

An adult male of a variant of Triops longicaudatus 

from the U.S. This strain has a high male to 

female ratio. 

AMAZONAS 

65

AMAZONAS 

The first nauplius stage does not forage for food. 

Consequently, it is better to wait on feeding until after 

the first molt. Finely powdered food works well for brine 

shrimp or baby fishes, but it is only required for a short 

time as these shrimp grow very fast. After a few days, 

ground flake food can be used. Given that the Triops tank 

usually has no filtration other than a sponge filter, the 

water quality must be maintained by balancing careful 

feeding with regular water changes. 

The amounts of food are difficult to specify, since 

it depends on the number of hatched animals you are 

keeping and the size of the tank. It is best to feed in small 

amounts several times a day. After all the shrimp have 

grown up, spawned, and died off and no more shrimp are 

hatching, I usually wait for two weeks and then drain the 

An electron micrograph of a broken cyst of Triops 

longicaudatus illustrates the inner structure of the shell. 

tank. Simply leave the tank in its place and let it totally 

dry up. About two months after the tank has completely 

dried out and the cysts have been dormant, the next 

generation can be hatched out by adding water again. It 

is wise to set aside a large batch of sand from the tank 

beforehand, so that if something goes wrong you will 

have some cysts in reserve for another attempt. 

After growing several generations successfully in the 

same tank, it is time to experiment. Split the substrate into 

various tanks and containers, place them in multiple locations, 

and use different water temperatures and conditions 

and evaluate the best circumstances in your setting. 

Species and strains 

Triops cancriformis cancriformis (Bosc 1801) is a European 

species that was distributed for many years by Dr. Erich 

Eder. The original animals or cysts came from a biotope 

on the river March near Angern, Austria, that was later 

filled in. Offspring of this strain are kept by many hobbyists 

and are widely available online. 

Triops cancriformis simplex (Ghigi 1921) and T. cancriformis 

mauritanicus (Ghigi 1921) are kept by scientists 

and a few hobby breeders. Korn et al. (2006) argued in 

their publication that T. mauritanicus should be considered 

a valid species rather than a subspecies of cancriformis, 

because it is genetically distinct from T. cancriformis 

cancriformis. 

Triops longicaudatus (LeConte 1846) is distributed 

worldwide by Toyops, a U.S. company. Aside from that 

strain, whose origin I was not able to pin down, I have a 

population from Kansas, a gonochoric variant (reproducing 

sexually) also from Kansas, plus another form from 

Japan that differs morphologically. 

One often reads that T. longicaudatus is not a valid 

species, which is not true. It has become clear that there 

are likely several subspecies of T. longicaudatus in the U.S. 

It is possible that companies or individuals in the U.S. 

have accidentally mixed several populations and then 

distributed them. Hybrids may also have resulted from 

accidental contamination by moving sand or soil around 

the country. 

In his revision of the genus, Longhurst (1955) differentiated 

two subspecies, Triops longicaudatus longicaudatus 

and T. longicaudatus intermedius. However, his work was 

virtually ignored in subsequent years. T. longicaudatus was 

unquestionably described by LeConte in 1846. Whether 

the animals we keep at the moment belong to this species 

or should be differentiated into multiple species or 

subspecies is another question. 

Triops australiensis australiensis (Spencer and Hall 

1895) is not very commonly available. Animals of this 

strain, which indeed originated from Queensland in Australia, 

are very closely related or even genetically identical 

to Triops newberryi from the U.S. How this was possible 

might never be fully explained. I keep three different strains 

of T. australiensis australiensis. But like other sexually 

reproducing forms in captivity, their continued maintenance 

can fail easily. Triops australiensis australiensis faces 

the same dilemma as T. longicaudatus: all known populations 

were labeled as or determined to be T. australiensis 

australiensis, but it is a fact that there are several forms of 

Triops in Australia that differ from each other, morphologically 

as well as genetically. 

Triops granarius (Lucas 1864) became available 

only recently. The strain originates from a population 

in Japan. This species reproduces only sexually. What 

are missing in Europe are strains of T. granarius from 

Africa, since this species evidently occurs both in Asia 

and Africa, as Triops numidicus is now a synonym of T. 

granarius, therefore no longer a valid species (Korn and 

Hundsdoerfer 2006). 

Triops newberryi (Packard 1871) from the U.S. is 

firmly established in the hobby. Maintenance of this species 

is as easy as that of T. longicaudatus. 

Triops australiensis sakalavus (Nobili 1905) from Mad- 

F. SCHNEIDER 

66

agascar seems to have vanished from captivity; neither 

scientists nor hobbyists have reported them in a while. 

In summary, a revision of the genus Triops is long 

overdue. New genetic insights show that the current 

classification of species and subspecies should be reevaluated. 

It can be argued that the diversity of Triops is greater 

than has been assumed so far. But given the lack of a 

unanimous opinion among scientists, it is not surprising 

that the situation in the hobby is even more problematic. 

Most amateurs are not familiar with the details about 

systematics and evolution and even less familiar with 

genetics. However, each Triops enthusiast has a responsibility 

to follow certain guidelines. 

An appeal 

Please, never mix strains from various locations, even 

if you think they are the same species. When you trade 

cysts, always accompany them with all the information 

you have, including detailed location names or GPS data 

(not just the country), date of collection of the animals 

or cysts, who collected them, and who has determined the 

species. And, most important, never discard substrate that 

might contain cysts of Triops outside, since they could 

become established outside their natural range! 

Acknowledgments: I would like to thank a few people who 

have supported and facilitated my personal exploration of the 

tadpole shrimps: Dr. Erich Eder, Claus Wurst, Christoph 

Seiler, and Michael Korn. Special thanks to Dr. Brian Timms 

for everything he shared with me and to Don Dasis for trading 

many strains of Triops and Lepidurus. I thank my wife, 

Sabine Adam, for her patience with my many tanks and her 

ongoing support of my hobby. 

REFERENCES 

Eder, E. 1999. Rote Liste der Rückenschaler Kärntens. Rote Listen 

gefährdeter Tiere Kärntens. Naturschutz in Kärnten 15: 535–38. 

Garcia-Velazco, H. et al. 2009. Reproduction of the Tadpole Shrimp Triops 

(Notostraca) in Mexican Waters. Curr Sci 96 (1): 91–97. 

Gruner, H.E. 1993. Lehrbuch der Speziellen Zoologie, Band I, Wirbellose 

Tiere, Teil 4: Arthropoda (ohne Insecta). G. Fischer, Jena, Stuttgart, New 

York. 

Kelber, K.-P. 1999. Triops cancriformis (Crustacea, Notostraca): Ein 

bemerkenswertes Fossil aus der Trias Mitteleuropas. In: Hauschke, N., 

and V. Wilde (eds), Trias, Eine ganz andere Welt, Mitteleuropa im frühen 

Erdmittelalter, pp. 81–104. Dr. Friedrich Pfeil, München, Germany. 

Korn, M. et al. 2006. Sister species within the Triops cancriformis lineage 

(Crustacea, Notostraca). Zool Scripta 35: 301–22. 

Korn, M., and A.K. Hundsdoerfer. 2006. Evidence for cryptic species in the 

tadpole shrimp Triops granarius (Lucas, 1864) (Crustacea: Notostraca). 

Zootaxa 1257: 57–68. 

Lanfrano, S., C. De Walsche, P. Schembri, and J. Mertens. 1991. 

Branchiopods (non-cladocerans) of the Maltese Islands (central 

Mediterranean). Hydrobiologia 212: 241–43. 

Longhurst, A.R. 1955. A Review of the Notostraca. Bull Brit Mus Nat Hist 

3: 1–57. 

Murugan, G., H. Obregón-Barboza, A.M. Maeda-Martínez, and B. Timms. 

2009. Co-occurrence of two tadpole shrimp, Triops cf. australiensis 

(Branchiopoda: Notostraca), lineages in middle Paroo, northwestern 

New South Wales, with the first record of Triops hermaphrodites for the 

Australian continent. Aust J Zool 57: 77–84. 

Williams, W.D. 1980. Australian Freshwater Life: The Invertebrates of 

Australian Inland Waters. Macmillan, Melbourne, Australia. 

ON THE INTERNET 

www.urzeitkrebse.at (in German; English translation available). 

SOURCES 

http://www.toyops.com 

http://thetriopsforum.com 

An attempt to reproduce the habitat for two newly discovered Triops forms 

from Australia. The original habitat is known as Marsilea Pond; accordingly, 

water clover of the genus Marsilea was planted. During the rainy season, 

Marsilea Pond is apparently almost completely covered with it. 

T. ADAM 

AMAZONAS 

67

AQUATIC 

PLANTS 

Shedding new light 

on a planted aquarium 

It was November 2011. I had an empty wall 

space in my basement fish room—a luxury that stimulates the imagination of every aquarist. 

Should I install shelves for breeding, a few medium-sized tanks, or a container pond I chose a 

big tank with a large footprint—over 7 feet long (220 cm). But how should I light it 

The support for the tank was built with bricks and mortar, with space for a 

filter sump and a 60-gallon (240-L) grow-out tank. Everything went according 

to plan, but the last step—the lights—caused some headaches. How could I 

illuminate such a large tank in a way that was both cost-effective and visually 

pleasing With the usual T8 or T5 fluorescent bulbs, or with the newest technology—LED 

Opinions about LEDs are still all over the map. Some balk at the higher 

purchase price, others consider the light “weird” or unfamiliar. And the technology, 

everyone agrees, may not have fully matured yet. Knowing all this did 

not help with my decision; I was tempted to try LED lighting for the first time, 

but unsure if I should take the plunge. 

Finally, thanks to my friend Hans-Georg Evers, I came into contact with 

Lars Fehlandt and his company, ECONLUX. I told 

Lars about my tank, the intended fish stock (my primary 

passion: rainbowfishes that would thrive with 

all that swimming room), and the many plants. 

My intention was to make the tank an eyecatcher 

with attractive planted aquascaping, which, 

I realized, would take time. I wanted to document 

the plant growth and gather experience with LEDs 

over a long period of time, then report on my results. 

Practical reports with the actual experiences 

of real aquarists happen to appeal to me much 

more than theoretical discourses on the science of 

new aquarium technologies with impressive but, 

unfortunately, often unhelpful technical details. 

For me this big tank, with a volume of more than 

1,000 liters (280 gallons) and a footprint of 220 x 

80 x 60 cm (87 x 32 x 24 inches), was a chance to 

experiment and see the results first-hand. 

Opposite page, top: The aquarium 

shortly after the initial planting in 

November 2011. 

Middle: Four months later, the fastgrowing 

stem plants were growing well, 

but because of the fish waste, the first 

algae problems began. 

Bottom: By the summer of 2012, seven 

months later, the aquarium had become 

a real jewel. The algae were gone, and 

in addition to the stem plants, rosette 

plants were starting to enhance the look. 

AMAZONAS 

Pendant lights and strips 

After a flurry of phone calls and emails, Lars 

Fehlandt sent me a long-awaited package containing 

three pendant spotlights, each with an 

LED-universal module (25 w, 6,500 Kelvin) and 

a reflector set (36°). In addition, there were four 

68

AMAZONAS 

69

Revolutionary 

Lighting 

Technology 

XR30w 

Radion TM 

AMAZONAS 

Optimized Reflector Design 

Channels 95% of emitted 

light to maximize energy 

efficiency. LEDs manufactured 

by Cree and Osram. 

Broad Light Distribution 

One Radion will provide optimum 

lighting for around 40 gallons 

(150 liters) of tank volume. 

Simple Interface 

Super-easy three-button 

controllability on the fixture. 

Graphic-driven PC interface 

after USB connect for 

advanced functionality. 

INTENSITY 

Customizable Spectrum 

Full-spectrum output allows 

significant PAR peaks to be 

targeted. Five-channel color 

adjustment enables custom 

spectrum choice based on 

aesthetic or photosynthetic 

requirements. 

EcoSmart TM Enabled 

RF wireless communication 

between Radion fixtures 

and EcoSmart-equipped 

VorTech Pumps. 

www.ecotechmarine.com 

® 

44-inch (110-cm) LED SunStrips in the light-color 

“Plant-Coral” (each 22 w). The pendants were hung 

with chains over the tank, along the center line. 

The chains make it possible to change the height of 

the lights. Pairs of connected SunStrips were placed 

directly on the glass covers on the front and back 

of the tank. According to Lars, the expert, an open 

tank with free-hanging lights would be better, since 

the 4-mm glass reflects some of the light. However, with rainbowfishes that 

chase every fly and can be jumpy, an uncovered tank was not an option. The 

aquarium was decorated with brown gravel and an initial planting of fastgrowing 

plants. I left out 

a substrate fertilizer, but 

I opted for a CO 2 dosing 

system. 

Well, as it is with any 

freshly set up aquarium, I 

was pleased to see the first 

new leaves of Hygrophila 

and other plants. Great, it 

was starting to grow! 

But after a short 

while, the first filamentous 

green algae on some 

of the leaves proclaimed 

an approaching nightmare. 

Unfortunately, they 

kept expanding, but a 

troop of about 30 Otocinclus 

dwarf suckermouth 

catfishes, aided by manual 

removal, got this problem 

under control. Then 

I began gently fertilizing 

with iron and potassium, 

and the plants started to 

grow stronger and more 

vigorous. 

Above: Small catfishes 

of the genus Otocinclus 

kept slow-growing plants 

like Anubias barteri var. 

nana and the Java fern 

Microsorum pteropus 

“Windeløv” free of algae. 

With pendant LED units emphasizing certain areas, the 

aquarium looked as if rays of sun were penetrating the 

water’s surface. 

70

RadionTM 

Sleek. Sophisticated. High-tech. Beautiful. 

The new Radion Lighting features 34 energy-effi cient LEDs with fi ve color families. 

Improved growth. Wider coverage. Better energy effi ciency. Customizable spectral output. 

In short, a healthier, more beautiful ecosystem. 

EcoTech Marine. Revolutionizing the way people think about aquarium technology. 

® 


AMAZONAS 

71

The LED strips simply rest 

on top of the glass cover. 

Fast-growing plants 

such as Ceratopteris 

and Hygrophila 

developed a pleasingly 

compact look with 

sufficient fertilization. 

Natural light effects 

Back to the lighting: it is fantastic to see how the combination of strong surface movement 

and spotlights create light wave effects known as “glitter lines” that are reflected on the plants 

and substrate. The whole display appears very natural. There are, I admit, moments when I pay 

more attention to the ever-changing random play of light reflections than to the colors of the 

rainbowfishes. 

Under the LED lights the plants look different and, I think, more natural. Hygrophila 

corymbosa shows pink to reddish shoots. Limnophila sessiliflora keeps a compact growth with 

short internodes, even when growing right under the strips. And the Java Fern variety “Windeløv” 

is a lush green. In my opinion, which has been reinforced by friends when they see the 

system, the overall appearance of the fishes and plants under the LED lighting is really attractive. 

Despite my earlier doubts about all the unknowns, I am very happy with it. 

This report was written in August 2012, when the last pictures were taken. I set up the 

aquarium almost a year ago. I am currently regrouping the plants and replacing some of them 

with more red-leaved and decorative species. 

A section of Lobelia cardinalis (“Cardinal 

Flower”) with its deep purple colors is 

planned as well. I hope to report again in 

these pages at a later time to document the 

results—with more images. 

If I were making the decision today, 

I would use LEDs again; I like the optical 

impression they create better than the one 

created by the fluorescent tubes I have used 

in the past. I know there are those who favor 

the look of fluorescent or metal halide lights, 

but I can well imagine switching additional, 

smaller tanks to LEDs. 

AMAZONAS 

Comparison 

The aquarium is lit by four 22-watt strips and 

three 25-watt LED spots, a total of 163 watts. 

To sufficiently illuminate an area of 88 x 32 

inches and 24 inches deep (220 x 80 x 60 

cm), six or maybe even eight 24-inch (100- 

72

cm) light strips would be required. Using T8 bulbs, that would be 180–240 watts, and 

using high-output T5 bulbs it would be 240–320 watts. If I had worked with fluorescent 

T8 or T5 bulbs I would have used four rows of two bulbs, eight bulbs in total. With that 

setup, the electrical usage would be significantly higher. Add to that the factor of lifespan: 

fluorescent tubes should be replaced at least every other year (some people change them 

out annually), while LEDs last much longer. Manufacturers are boasting of a full five 

years for LED emitters, but we shall see how that works out with all the aquarists now 

starting to try LEDs. On the other hand, LEDs cost more to begin with. 

However, I don’t want to do a cost-benefit calculation here; that is a matter for 

another report. Economy counts, but most of us want healthy, thriving plants and fishes 

most of all, and in my case, I am seeing it with my own eyes. 

Above, left: Less lighthungry 

plants, such as these 

Cryptocoryne affinis, were 

planted in the corners and 

along the edges of the tank. 

Right: Red-leaved water 

plants grew equally well—a 

sign of sufficiently strong 

illumination. 

AMAZONAS 

73

HUSBANDRY 

& BREEDING 

After spawning, the female 

guards a mass of yellow eggs 

until they hatch. 

Breeding success with the 

Pac-Man Catfish, Lophiosilurus alexandri 

by Ivan Chang The frogmouth catfishes of the Asian genus Chaca are known to many 

hobbyists due to their unusual body shape and behaviors. Only a few specialists know that in 

eastern Brazil there lives a catfish species that appears very similar but gets considerably larger. A 

handful of aquarists have successfully bred the Pac-Man Catfish, Lophiosilurus alexandri, which 

is capable of reaching a length of more than 28 inches (72 cm) and a weight of 11 pounds 

(5 kg) in the wild. 

AMAZONAS 

This particular catfish is very special. With its flat body, the 

tiny eyes on top of its head, and its huge mouth, Lophiosilurus 

alexandri is destined for aficionados of the extraordinary. 

The beige-colored body, with its numerous small 

brown spots, is usually hidden—buried in fine sand. Only 

the eyes and the upper rim of the mouth are visible. 

This ambush predator waits, buried, until a shrimp or 

a suitable fish swims by, then rapidly opens its large 

mouth to inhale the victim in one quick gulp. 

Lophiosilurus alexandri lives in eastern Brazil in 

the drainage of the Rio São Francisco. Specimens 

have also been found much further south, in the 

drainage of the Rio Doce in the state of Espirito 

Santo. It appears that the species was released there 

with the intention of establishing it as a food fish— 

not surprisingly, given its size and a reputation for 

having fine-tasting flesh. 

However, I was more interested in keeping these 

catfish in the aquarium to attempt their propagation. I 

eagerly studied the reports of a Japanese aquarist, who 

apparently was the first to succeed in spawning these 

animals in captivity. Delighted to find a few specimens 

About 50 

of the eggs 

in the first 

clutch 

were not 

fertilized. 

74

Right: The Giant Raphael Catfish, 

Megalodoras uranoscopus, is a suitable 

tankmate for the Pac-Man Catfish, since it 

reaches over 2 feet (60–70 cm) in length 

as well. 

that were imported to Taiwan, I 

purchased them and raised them for 

more than five years. By that time, 

the male had reached 25 inches 

(63 cm) and the somewhat smaller 

female was 22 inches (55 cm) in 

length. 

Courtship display 

One day, I started to observe an 

interesting behavior in my Pac-Man 

Catfish. When the smaller female 

approached the male, she began to 

tremble, displaying with her whole 

body. It almost looked as if there 

were waves traveling along her large, 

soft, fleshy body. Each wave lasted between two and five 

seconds. These short signals prompted the male to respond 

in a similar manner. It was always the female who 

initiated this behavior, which I interpreted as a courtship 

display. The display lasted up to two days and afterwards I 

usually found eggs. 

According to my observations, spawning always happened 

in the morning. Most pairings occurred between 

7 and 8 A.M., and occasionally later, up until noon. I 

have never seen any reproductive activity outside of that 

time frame. On the evening before a spawn the fish were 

unusually active, and the trembling became more frequent. 

While they appeared to be aware of the presence 

of their keeper, they were not disturbed by it. The female 

excavated a spawning pit by shifting her body sideways 

in the substrate; the male circled the pit and guarded the 

vicinity. The female stayed in the pit to dig deeper and 

select a spot for the eggs. An established pit was usually 

selected again in later attempts. Often, the sand was 

removed down to the bare glass bottom, where the eggs 

were deposited. 

OPPOSITE PAGE: I. CHANG; THIS PAGE: H.-G. EVERS 

Sticky eggs 

When the pit was ready, spawning followed the next 

morning. The female laid golden-yellow, 2-mm eggs that 

swelled quickly and were soon enclosed in 1-mm jelly 

casings. The eggs were very sticky and adhered to each 

other. The male carefully moved over the clutch and 

fertilized the eggs. During the act, his pectorals trembled 

in a wavy pattern. The whole spawning event took about 

10–15 minutes, during which some 100 to 300 eggs were 

laid. Viable eggs remained yellow; unfertilized eggs turned 

white after two to four hours. 

For the next two to three days, the female guarded 

the clutch. Most of the time she lay directly on top of 

the eggs, but she eyed the surroundings vigilantly. The 

eggs’ jelly-like protective casings became thinner shortly 

before the hatch, and finally I saw 0.2-inch (5–6-mm) 

larvae hatch out. The fry—relatively small compared to 

the adults—had black eyes, but the body and head were 

transparent with a huge yellow yolk sac. In the first hours 

after the hatch the fry were scattered around the female, 

but two days later they all gathered tightly and wiggled 

their tails. At 81°F (27°C) the larvae consumed the yolk 

sac within 7–10 days. They grew steadily and developed 

an increasingly darker pigmentation. 

Breeding Diary (2010) 

Aquarium: 48 x 24 x 24 inches (120 x 60 x 60 cm) 

Filter: External biofilter with supplemental aeration via a 

power head 

Lighting: Dim fluorescent tube without a timer and 

hence irregular light cycles 

Water parameters: pH 7.0–7.3 

Water temperature: 81–82°F (27–28°C) 

Water changes: One-third weekly 

Substrate: Dark river-gravel without sharp edges, with a 

particle size of about 0.2 inch (4–6 mm), which was later 

removed for better hygiene when rearing the fry. 

Food: Small live fish and thawed large shrimps every two 

to three days. (Use caution: don’t overfeed! To induce 

spawning, increase the rations.) 

Tankmates: Initially, another semi-adult Lophiosilurus 

alexandri and three Megalodoras uranoscopus. After the 

first signs of courtship, they were removed. At the time of 

the first spawning, the male was 25 inches (63 cm) total 

length at an age of five to six years, while the female was 

22 inches (55 cm) at four or five years old. 

AMAZONAS 

75

The larvae two days after 

hatching. The body is still 

unpigmented and the 

yolk sac is very large. 

Seven days after hatching, 

the yolk sac is consumed 

and the small catfish start to 

develop their pigmentation. 

Now they need to be fed. 

March 12: Increasing activity between the adults, with 

first signs of the trembling courtship display. All the other 

occupants were removed, the substrate was replaced 

with fine sand, and one-fifth of the water was exchanged. 

March 15: The female, who was usually hiding in a corner, 

approached the male and the two fish often lay next 

to each other, now actively courting. 

March 17: The female began to mouth the sand in one 

spot, obviously cleaning it, while digging a pit. The male 

started to actively patrol the tank. The courtship became 

increasingly more intense when the animals met. This 

continued for another day, until the night of March 18, 

when the cleaning and courtship activities reached their 

peak. The male swam into the current from the filter 

return near the surface and slapped audibly with his fins. 

Meanwhile, the female dug the pit all the way down to 

the glass bottom. 

March 19: Around 11 in the morning, the fish spawned. 

Afterwards, the female guarded about 200 eggs in the 

pit. The male retreated into another corner to relax. The 

female lay directly on the eggs and fanned them with her 

large fins to supply fresh water and oxygen. Some 50 eggs 

were not fertilized and turned white. 

March 20: To be on the safe side, I removed the developing 

eggs to hatch them separately. I left subsequent 

clutches in the care of the parents, who cared for them 

quite reliably. I filled the 15-gallon (54-L) rearing tank 

with water from the breeding aquarium. A large airstone 

supplied oxygen, but I used no filter. 

March 22: The larvae began to hatch in the morning and 

When fed, the fry swim enthusiastically 

through the tank and gorge themselves 

on baby brine shrimps. 

AMAZONAS 

I. CHANG 

76

At a size of a bit over an inch (3 cm), the juveniles show a 

black banding pattern that later disappears. At this size, 

they consume copious quantities of bloodworms. 

by 4 P.M. all had hatched. A total of about 120 larvae survived 

and were scattered all around the tank with their 

large yolk sacs. Because I was afraid to induce too much 

stress, I refrained from performing a water change. 

March 24: A large number of fry were dead in the morning 

and I quickly changed some water to save the rest. Unfortunately, 

all the remaining fry died by the next day. I assumed 

that the water quality had become too poor and that I 

might need to lower the pH. Thus, I removed the substrate 

from the breeding tank and replaced it with pH-neutral 

black hematite, as shown in the first picture. 

March 27: The pair spawned again. With about 160 

eggs the clutch was smaller than the first. The pH 

was around 7.1 at 82°F (28°C). 

March 29: I transferred the eggs to the rearing tank, 

where they began to hatch within hours, resulting in 

about 100 hatchlings. 

March 31: When they were about 0.25 inch (7 mm) 

long, the fry’s pigmentation started to develop. The 

yolk sacs were still large but decreasing in size. I 

changed 10 percent of the water every other day, and 

in addition to the airstone, I installed a small filter. 

The pH was stable at 7.1. 

April 3: Barbels and fins became noticeable. The dark 

fry were about 0.35 inch (9 mm) in size and began to 

swim about in a tight group. They reacted to light or 

touch with flight. I continued with 10 percent water 

changes daily and measured a stable pH of 6.9. 

April 5: Seven days after hatching, the fry were 0.4 

inch (10 mm) long and dark. The yolk sacs were 

completely absorbed. I carefully fed baby brine 

shrimps, which were greedily consumed. During daylight 

hours, I fed them about every four hours. A few fry 

refused the food and died, but the majority fed well and 

I began changing 50 percent of the water daily. The pH 

was between 6.7 and 6.9 at 82°F (28°C). 

April 7: The babies had grown to 0.6 inch (1.5 cm) and I 

changed the diet to frozen bloodworms every six to eight 

hours. These voracious eaters polluted the water heavily, 

A magnificent success! 

I. CHANG 

AMAZONAS 

77

Semi-adult specimen of the Pac-Man Catfish, Lophiosilurus alexandri. 

so I had to change 50 percent of the tank volume two to 

three times a day. 

April 12: The fry were 15 days old and looked like small 

Pac-Man Catfish with fully developed fins, but darker. 

The 64 babies were about 0.8 inch (2 cm) long. They 

rested in small caves close to each other, but became immediately 

active when food hit the water. They rapidly ate 

a lot during each feeding, and with daily water changes 

they increased their size by 0.4 inch (1 cm) per week. 

Within a few weeks, they had become lighter in color and 

turned into perfect little copies of their parents. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

To me, the captive propagation of aquarium fish is 

an important aspect of this wonderful hobby. With the 

successful breeding of the Pac-Man Catfish, a dream 

became reality. Intense efforts over the years, from 

obtaining the juveniles to having the adults spawn, 

eventually led to success. Lophiosilurus alexandri is 

certainly an unusual aquarium tenant and its keeping is 

still quite rare. I am proud to report this success. Maybe 

my work will inspire other aquarists to try their luck with 

this remarkable catfish. 

BOTTOM FEEDER 

Algae & Tropical Wafers are highly palatable, easily 

digestible sinking foods that provide maximum nutrition for 

bottom feeding fish, such as plecos, catfish and clown loaches. 

Our wafers have very thin edges making them easy for fish to 

nibble. Made from the finest ingredients they provide all the 

nutrition your fish need. 

Algae Wafers 

Tropical Wafers 

Algae Wafers for herbivorous bottom feeding fish. 

Tropical Wafers 

for omnivorous bottom feeding fish. 

AMAZONAS 

Also Ask For Frozen Single Items and 

Frozen Formula Foods for bottom 

fe 

eeding fishes like catfish, loaches, 

Plecos, 

and large invertebrates. 

www.oceannutrition.com 

Tel: 801-956-0662 

H.-G. EVERS 

78

“Wow!” 

AMAZONAS 

Volume 2, Number 3 

May/June 2013 

Become a charter subscriber to AMAZONAS 

and don’t miss a single issue! 

Use the convenient reply card in this issue, or subscribe online: 

www.AmazonasMagazine.com 

AMAZONAS 

79

HUSBANDRY 

& BREEDING 

Using a trick to rear 

Apistogramma playayacu 

Male Playayacu 

Dwarf Cichlid. 

article and images by Hans-Georg Evers In recent years things have been rather quiet in the 

dwarf cichlid arena, once so popular with aquarists. Back in the day, new species were always 

arriving and were enthusiastically snapped up, but now it seems that interest in newcomers is at 

a low ebb. In the summer of 2012 a newly described species, Apistogramma playayacu, found its 

way into my aquariums for the first time and my excitement was restored. 

AMAZONAS 

Martin Mortenthaler of Aquarium Rio Momon in 

Iquitos, Peru, frequently sends me photos of new 

species he has obtained. When he presented me 

with photos of an unknown Apistogramma in May 

2012, I was really excited. To date, Apistogramma 

playayacu Römer et al., 2011 is known almost exclusively 

from preserved museum material. Kästner 

(2005) reported on an import going by the name of 

Apistogramma sp. “Caquetá,” but the species actually 

comes from the drainage of the Río Napo in the 

border zone between Ecuador and Peru. And that is 

exactly where Martin had obtained these fish. 

I subsequently acquired a pair of this species 

at the end of June 2012 from OF-Aquaristik in 

Butzbach, Germany. The two fish were immediately 

housed in a tank of their own that was decorated 

with a number of caves, pieces of bogwood, and 

dense stands of plants. The female, who measured 

around 2.3 inches (6 cm) total length, was the 

boss of the tank right from the start and kept the 

male, almost twice her size, in his place. 

I used reverse-osmosis water, alder cones, and 

black peat to establish the water parameters: a 

conductivity of around 200 μS/cm and a pH of 

80

6.0–6.5. The water temperature in the tank fluctuated 

between 77 and 81°F (25–27°C). The fish 

were fed Artemia nauplii and frozen food and also 

enjoyed frequent feeds of live water fleas and Cyclops. 

Mosquito larvae proved to be the ideal food 

for getting the female to ripen with eggs. 

First spawning 

At the end of July the first spawning took place. 

The red eggs were clearly visible on the ceiling of 

the cave. I hadn’t noticed any courtship at all, as I 

had been traveling a lot and had had little time to 

observe the fish. The formerly dirty-gray female was 

now resplendent in bright yellow. In brood-care 

coloration the species-typical black cheek spot contrasted 

boldly with the bright-yellow lower half of 

the body. The dorsal fin and the rounded caudal fin 

were now yellow as well. The base of the pectoral 

fins was a splendid orange color in both the male 

and the female in brood-care coloration. 

Above: Female 

Apistogramma 

playayacu in 

brood-care 

coloration. A 

fresh clutch 

has just been 

laid in the clay 

pipe. 

The larvae 

continue to 

bear their red 

yolk sacs for 

a number of 

days. 

AMAZONAS 

81

Handcrafted ceramic breeding caves 

for large and small Cichlids and Plecos 

SouthCentralCichlids.com 

Cich 

c 

Steve Hallgring 

| Nancy Villars/Hallgring 

i 

Port Monmouth NJ 07758 

Email sccichlids@aol.com | 732.787.0654 

AMAZONAS 

82

Successfully 

outwitted: a 

brooding female 

with fry in the 

rearing box. 

After three days the larvae hatched and wriggled at 

the far end of the clay pipe, which was set at a slight angle 

in the substrate and open at one end. After another four 

days the little ones swam free and followed the female 

around the tank. There were only around 20 of them, and 

their numbers decreased each day until they had all disappeared 

after about a week. 

For a long time, I have refrained from taking eggs or fry away from species 

that practice brood care in order to guarantee safe rearing with the maximum 

number of young. But in the case of such a rare species as the Playayacu 

Dwarf Cichlid, I wanted to be able to share the juveniles with a number of 

enthusiasts as soon as I could, so I reached into my box of tricks. 

Outwitted 

With good feeding, the adults spawned again several weeks later. The evening 

before, I had observed the male swimming around in front of the breeding 

cave with the female and tentatively performing quivering movements. The 

devoted togetherness was over by the next morning and the female was chasing 

the male all around the tank, a sure sign that there were eggs attached to 

the ceiling of the cave once again. 

This time, too, the female tended the clutch very reliably and was soon 

guarding a little heap of wriggling larvae with red yolk sacs. I carefully siphoned 

them all out with an airline and placed them in a glass rearing box 

suspended in the parents’ tank. There were more than 120 larvae, a surprisingly 

large number of fry for a female of her size. Before long the mother, 

robbed of her brood, came closer and eyed the little ones with interest. 

After two days the yolk sacs were used up and the larvae swam free. The 

female stayed next to the glass box and guarded the brood. The young reacted 

to every twitch of their mother and did all the things that they would have 

done if she were leading them around the aquarium. The fry were still able to 

follow their instincts, but the protective glass box ensured that I wouldn’t lose 

any of the brood. 

REFERENCES 

Kästner, N. 2005. Ein neuer “Zwerg” aus Kolumbien: Apistogramma spec. „Caquetá”. AKZ-News, 

1/2005: 45–47. 

Römer, U., J. Beninde, and I. Hahn. 2011. Apistogramma playayacu sp. n.: Description of a new cichlid 

species (Teleostei: Perciformes: Geophaginae) from the Rio Napo system, Ecuador. Vertebrate Zoology 

63 (3): 321–33. 

83

HUSBANDRY 

& BREEDING 

The females are just as 

prettily marked as the males. 

Ancistrus claro 

—a dwarf among the L-number catfishes 

article and images by Jörn Sabisch I had searched for Ancistrus claro for a long time, but 

sometimes things turn up right on your doorstep. That is how I was able to obtain this little 

bristlenose catfish from a breeder here in Berlin. Breeders are often the only source for rare 

Ancistrus species, and you must be prepared to travel long distances to get them. If you have 

youngsters to dispose of yourself, you quickly learn to gauge the seriousness of a potential buyer. 

“That’s too far for me” speaks volumes about the inquiring party’s level of interest. 

The attractive vermiculate pattern in males is often mentioned 

in the literature, and my fishes exhibit this too. 

However, the females aren’t far behind the males. The intensity 

of the pattern can apparently be varied—these fish 

are very contrast-rich on dark gravel or sand. I have never 

seen a similar range of coloration in any other Ancistrus; 

these fish can also appear a dull gray-brown. It seems as 

if the vermiculate pattern can be switched on and off. 

Another characteristic feature of Ancistrus claro is 

the very large mouth, almost reminiscent of Chaetostoma 

species. Other Ancistrus species have a more triangular 

head, and the difference can be seen even in very small 

juveniles. I keep my five Ancistrus claro (two males, three 

females) in a 20-inch (50-cm) tank with lots of clay 

pipes and bogwood. 

Ancistrus claro appears to prefer a vagabond existence 

AMAZONAS 

Male Ancistrus claro. 

84

when it comes to caves. Except at 

spawning time, no individual has 

its own cave, as my Ancistrus L 

144 do, for example. The females 

drive the males out of any cave if 

it suits them—they are larger and 

more able to look after themselves. 

Triangular-shaped pipes 

are particular favorites, probably 

because they are a good fit for 

the fish’s body shape. Bogwood 

seems to provide no particular 

attraction for Ancistrus claro. In 

this respect they are significantly 

different from other Ancistrus 

(for example, Ancistrus sp. “Río 

Paraguay”, L 107). 

I now feed my Ancistrus claro 

a less vegetarian diet than I use 

for other Ancistrus species—food 

tablets are noticeably more 

popular than spinach, for example. Cucumber, 

zucchini, and potato are more or less completely 

ignored. The temperature fluctuates between 73 

and 79°F (23–26°C), as the heating is controlled 

by the same time switch as the light. A friend kept 

his specimens at 84°F (29°C). He said that these 

conditions were suggested in the original description, 

but now he has no fish left. It would seem 

that not all L-number catfishes like the conditions 

required by Hypancistrus. 

After a year of maintenance, when my fish were 

almost two years old, I discovered the first clutch. 

There were fewer than 20 eggs, but they were very 

large, approaching 4 mm in diameter. The clutch 

wasn’t like a bunch of grapes—the eggs were distributed 

next to one another in a patch on the ceiling 

of one of the triangular clay pipes. No egg was attached 

on top of the others. 

The brooding male lay outside the pipe with 

only his head inside, continually fanning water 

inside with his fins. I have now observed this behavior in 

both males during 10 different spawnings. There was no 

change, even when both males were brooding clutches 

simultaneously and in sight of one another. 

Unfortunately, I lost two clutches because, while I 

was away for a few days, the filter had become so clogged 

that the diffuser no longer created an air supply. The male 

apparently couldn’t compensate for this and the entire 

clutch failed to hatch. It appears that the oxygen requirement 

is very high, which moved me to set the maintenance 

temperature permanently to around 75–77°F 

(24–25°C). Of course it sometimes rises to as warm as 

86°F (30°C) in the height of summer, but so far all my 

fish species have withstood this well in the short term. 

After just two days the eggs darkened considerably 

Fry of Ancistrus claro with 

residual yolk sacs. 

Half-grown Ancistrus claro 

still exhibits a pattern of 

spots on the dark body. 

and became almost opaque. After four days the eyes 

could be seen in the eggs, but hatching didn’t take place 

until the ninth day. From above, the freshly hatched 

larvae appeared banded and were very large at around .5 

inch (13 mm) in length. With increasing age the young 

develop a white spot pattern, which may not be a match 

for the other white-spotted species (e.g., L 107) but still 

looks quite attractive. 

On one point I have to agree with the literature: the 

young grow very, very slowly. That is also the main reason 

why this species is only rarely available in the trade. Sometimes 

you have to travel a bit further to the breeder. 

REFERENCES 

Seidel, I. 2008. Back to Nature—Handbuch für L-Welse. Ettlingen. 

AMAZONAS 

85

AQUARIUM 

CALENDAR 

compiled by Mary E. Sweeney 

MAY 

2–5 Convention 

North American Native Fishes 

Association 

Cumberland Falls, KY 

www.nanfa.org/convention/2013.shtml 

4 Auction 

CAFÉ, Columbus Area Fish Enthusiasts 

Columbus, OH 

www.columbusfishclub.org 

5 Auction 

Greater Pittsburgh Aquarium Society 

Pittsburgh, PA 

gpasi.org 

10 Giant Spring Auction 

Brooklyn Aquarium Society 

Brooklyn, NY 

www.basny.org/ 

JUNE 

1–2 Open House 

Bergen Water Gardens, 

Genesee Valley Koi Club 

Rochester NY 

www.gvpakc.org 

20–23 Show & Auction 

Florida Tropical Fish Expo 

Holiday Inn, Fort Myers, FL 

www.flafishshow.com 


New England Fancy Guppy Association 

Lancaster, MA 

www.newenglandguppies.org 

28 Auction 

Great Lakes Cichlid Society 

Euclid, OH 

www.greatlakescichlidsociety.net 

AMAZONAS 


IFGA Michigan Guppy Breeders 

Orchard Lake, MI 

www.ifga.org 


CAOAC, 

Aquarium Club of Edmonton 

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada 

www.caoac.ca/ 


Greater Chicago Cichlid Association 

Chicago, IL 

www.gcca.net 


American Killifish Association 

Portland, OR 

www.aka.org/convention/2013/ 

Contact: mary.sweeney@reef2rainforest.com 

30 Auction 

SCALES, Stark County 

Aqua Life Enthusiasts Society 

Massillon, OH 

www.scalesclub.com 

JULY 


Greater Akron Aquarium Society 

Akron, OH 

www.gaas-fish.net 


Rocky Mountain Cichlid Association 

(ACA)Denver, CO 

www.2013aca.com 


Guppy Association International of 

Chicago 

Chicago, IL 

www.guppychicago.org 

86

AMAZONAS 

AMAZONAS is a sponsor of the AACA 2012 Convention 87

Sources 

Look for AMAZONAS Magazine in these 

outstanding local aquarium shops. 

UNITED STATES 

Arizona 

Aqua Touch 

12040 North 32nd St 

Phoenix, AZ 

602-765-9058 

Arizona Nature Aquatics 

3025 North Campbell Ave 

Tucson, AZ 

520-321-9000 

Arkansas 

Northside Aquatics 

7610 Counts Massie Rd Ste A 

Maumelle, AR 

501-803-3434 

Seafari 

115 N Dixieland Rd #28 

Rogers, AR 

479-531-5955 

Worlds Under Water 

2105B Creekview 

Fayetteville, AR 

479-521-7258 

California 

All Seas Marine, Inc 

(Distribution Only) 

1205 Knox St 

Torrance, CA 

310-532-7769 

Aquatic Central 

1963 Ocean Ave 

San Francisco, CA 

415-584-1888 

Ocean Aquarium 

120 Cedar St 

San Francisco, CA 

415-771-3206 

White’s Pets 

5212 North Blackstone 

Fresno, CA 

559-438-4343 

Colorado 

Animal Attraction Pet Store 

2518 11th Ave 

Greeley, CO 

970-353-3400 

Neptune’s Tropical Fish 

1970 E County Line Rd Unit A 

Highlands Ranch, CO 

303-798-1776 

Connecticut 

House of Fins 

99 Bruce Park Ave 

Greenwich, CT 

203-661-8131 

Florida 

Barrier Reef 

1921 NW Boca Raton Blvd 

Boca Raton, FL 

561-368-1970 

Boardroom Aquatics 

12795 Kenwood Ln 

Fort Myers, FL 

239-275-8891 

Father Fish Aquarium 

536 E Venice Ave 

Venice, FL 

941-266-9998 

Fishy Business 

140 S Ronald Reagan Blvd 

Longwood, FL 

407-331-4882 

The Planted Aquarium 

Store 

3230 NE 12th Ave 

Oakland Park, FL 

954-990-8871 

Sea Life Aquarium 

& Service 

174 Semoran Commerce Pl 

Apopka, FL 

407-889-9887 

Georgia 

Aquarium Outfitters 

175 Old Epps Bridge Rd 

Athens, GA 

706-546-1337 

Creation Pet 

8265 Hwy 92 

Woodstock. GA 

770-364-2240 

Hawaii 

Aquascapes 

99-082 Kauhale St. Ste B-4 

Aiea, HI 

808-487-0077 

Kalihi Pet Center 

1199 Dillingham Blvd 

Ste C-101 

Honolulu, HI 

808-841-5234 

Idaho 

Fish, Aquariums & Stuff 

6112 West Fairview Ave 

Boise, ID 

208-377-1119 

Illinois 

Fish Planet 

839 Waukegan Rd 

Deerfield, IL 

847-945-4700 

Sailfin Pet Shop 

720 S Neil St 

Champaign, IL 

217-352-1121 

Indiana 

Inland Aquatics 

10 Ohio St 

Terre Haute, IN 

812-232-9000 

Iowa 

Aquatic Environments 

730 E Kimberly Rd 

Davenport, IA 

563-445-3687 

Maine 

Easy Aquariums 

17 A Gorham Industrial Pkwy 

Gorham, ME 

207-272-5212 

Maryland 

House of Tropicals 

7389F Baltimore Annapolis Blvd 

Glen Burnie, MD 

410-761-1113 

Massachusetts 

South Coast Scientific 

109 McArthur Rd 

Swansea, MA 

508-678-8306 

Michigan 

Blue Fish Aquarium 

2939 Wilson Ave SW Ste 109 

Grandville, MI 

616-667-2424 

Moby Dick Pet Store 

3700 Sashabaw Rd 

Waterford, MI 

248-673-2520 

MVPets 

7429 S Westnedge Ave 

Portage, MI 

269-492-7387 

Oceans and Seas 

26085 Gratiot Ave 

Roseville, MI 

586-778-2223 

Preuss Pets 

1127 N Cedar St 

Lansing, MI 

517-339-1762 

Minnesota 

Tropiquatics 

2519 7th Ave E 

Saint Paul, MN 

651-330-1635 

New Hampshire 

Laconia Pet Center 

1343 Union Ave 

Laconia, NH 

603-524-8311 

New Jersey 

Adam’s Pet Safari 

19 W Main St 

Chester, NJ 

908-879-8998 

Aquarium Center 

1295 Blackwood Clementon Rd 

Clementon, NJ 

856-627-6262 

88

Pets, Pets, Pets 

2 JFK Blvd 

Somerset, NJ 

732-545-6675 

New York 

Eddie’s Aquarium Centre 

1254 New Loudon Rd Rt 9 

Cohoes, NY 

518-783-3474 

The Fish Place 

141 Robinson St 

North Tonawanda, NY 

716-693-4411 

Pet Friendly 

845 Manitou Rd 

Hilton, NY 

585-366-4242 

North Carolina 

Aquarium Outfitters 

823 South Main St 

Wake Forest, NC 

919-556-8335 

Blue Ridge Reef & Pet 

103 WNC Shopping Ctr Dr 

Black Mountain, NC 

828-669-0032 

Oregon 

The Nautilus Tropical Fish 

727 Main Street 

Springfield, OR 

541-344-3474 

Pennsylvania 

Oddball Pets & Aquarium 

262 Joseph St 

Pittsburgh, PA 

412-884-2333 

Texas 

Austin Aqua-Dome 

1604 Fortview Rd 

Austin, TX 

512-442-1400 

Fish Gallery Houston 

2909 Fountain View Dr 

Houston, TX 

713-523-3474 

Reef Valley 

920 N 10th Street, Suite 40 

Mcallen, TX 

956-330-6155 

Royal Aquatics 

2601 Flower Mound Rd., 

Ste 101 

Flower Mound, TX 

214-453-9133 

Vermont 

Pet Advantage 

350 Dorset St 

South Burlington, VT 

802-860-1714 

Virginia 

Pet & Aquatic Warehouse 

2408 Wards Rd 

Lynchburg, VA 

434-239-6787 

West Virginia 

Scales & Tails Reptile/ 

Fish Store 

9 1/2 W Washington St 

Westover, WV 

304-296-9218 

Wisconsin 

Sunset Tropical Guppies 

4864 County Rd C 

Auburndale, WI 

715-254-4929 

CANADA 

Reef Wholesale 


12 Vulcan St 

Etobicoke, ON 

613-884-7258 

Big Al’s Aquarium 

Supercentres 

3511 99th St 

Edmonton, AB 

780-435-3474 

The Afishionados 

825 Erin St Unit 3 

Winnipeg, MB 

204-295-5375 

AUSTRALIA 

Aqua Blue Distribution 


17 Cairns St 

Loganholme, Queensland 

07-3806-4255 

FRANCE 

Anthias 

3 Chemin de Maupas 

69380 Les Cheres 

33-437-50-29-80 

INDIA 

Water World 

Ananda Dutta Lane 

Howrah-7111 01 

West Bengal 

91-983-022-5574 

MALTA 

Blue Reefs 

82 Triq Guzeppi Mattew Callus 

Mosta, MST 4105 

003-562-762-7463 

NETHERLANDS 

Stunning Corals 

Wolvenlaan 285 

1216EV Hilversum 

Noord-Holland 

06-1569-9743 

Sell 

To sell AMAZONAS 

in your store, 

contact us today: 

Email: sales@rvmags.com 

CALL (800) 381-1288 

Fax (630) 353-2692 

SOUTH AFRICA 

Aquarium Depot 


#1 Mackenzie Park Capital Hill 

392 Le Roux Ave 

Halfway House 1685 

27-11-805-8899 

BACK ISSUES 

How deep is your collection 

Enrich your aquatic library 

with back issues of AMAZONAS. All back 

issues are like new, in pristine condition in their 

original poly wrapping. 

SPECIAL OFFER: Buy 3 issues or more 

at $8 each, 6 or more at $7each. 

(plus shipping) 

Go to www.reef2rainforest.com 

and click on the SHOP tab 

AMAZONAS 

89

SPECIES 

SNAPSHOTS 

➊ ACENTROGOBIUS VIRIDIPUNCTATUS ➋ NOMORHAMPHUS REX ➌ AEQUIDENS CF. RONDONI ➍ 

NEOLEBIAS TREWAVASAE ➎ GYMNOTHORAX POLYURANODON ➏ SPINIPTERUS SP. “OTORONGO” 

Spotted Green Goby, 

Acentrogobius viridipunctatus 

AMAZONAS 

Acentrogobius viridipunctatus 

The gobies and their relatives all over the world 

1| 

include innumerable species that would be 

suitable for freshwater aquariums, but attempts at 

their keeping have been made only sporadically, if at 

all. Many of these species have not been tried because 

they require salt water, at least periodically. In the past 

I, too, shared this attitude. 

However, these “commuters”—and there are lots 

of them among the gobies and their allies—can be very 

easily maintained in an appropriate aquarium. Often 

only small amounts of sea salt (1–2 g/L) are necessary 

to keep these fishes in good condition. Many so-called 

brackish-water species even spend long phases of their 

lives in completely fresh water. When it comes to reproduction, 

and especially the first larval stages, things do 

become more complicated—and often saltier (Taxacher 

2011a, 2011b). Another factor that is often really 

important with regard to the goby tribe is the availability 

of live food. These considerations also apply to the species 

discussed here, which belongs to the true gobies. 

I found and collected Acentrogobius viridipunctatus 

in the administrative district of Chantaburi in southeast 

Thailand. They were living in a former shrimp-breeding 

pool in an area of Nipa Palms with a strong tidal 

influence, hiding among stones lying on the otherwise 

muddy bottom. The salinity of the water was rather high 

at the time of measurement—around 10 g/L. I couldn’t 

resist the temptation to pack up some of these gobies 

and try my hand with them. They had gorgeous, iridescent 

metallic scales on their sides, though this isn’t 

reflected to full effect in the accompanying photo. 

The bulldog face with the visible teeth suggests 

exercising caution about keeping this fish with tankmates, 

but so far my Acentrogobius viridipunctatus have 

been very peaceful toward tankmates and each other. 

Obviously these powerful fish, which measure around 3 

inches (8 cm) long, require a certain amount of bottom 

space for their territories, but any aggression is well 

distributed within the group, and even in a relatively 

confined space there are only minor squabbles. And long 

periods in completely fresh water present no problems 

for this species either. So far there has been no breeding 

success—or, more accurately, there have been no 

attempts. Acentrogobius viridipunctatus can occur sympatric 

with the second species of the genus, A. caninus. 

REFERENCES 

—Jens Kühne 

Taxacher, M. 2011a. Grundeln der Gattung Mugilogobius. AMAZONAS 

7 (4), 36: 32–39. 

Taxacher, M. 2011b. Kleine Süß- und Brackwassergrundeln aus der 

Familie der Gobiidae. AMAZONAS 7 (4), 36: 14–21. 

J. KÜHNE 

90

Pair of Nomorhamphus rex, Vermillion Halfbeak 

TOP: H.-G. EVERS; BOTTOM: T. WEIDNER 

Nomorhamphus rex 

The halfbeak Nomorhamphus rex from central 

2| 

Sulawesi, Indonesia, was described quite recently. 

These attractive fish have already been imported 

incognito a number of times and are now reappearing 

under the new species name. 

The new species resembles the species N. kolonodalensis 

and N. ebrardtii, also from Sulawesi, but differs 

in having a longer lower jaw and in the structure of 

the male copulatory organ, the andropodium. We now 

know 10 described Nomorhamphus species that occur 

endemic to Sulawesi. 

Nomorhamphus rex Huylebrouck et al. 2012 is 

known only from three small river systems in the province 

of Sulawesi Selatan. In 2010, my friends Jeffrey 

Christian, Peter Debold, and Thomas Heinrichs and 

I were able to find these fishes in various clearwater 

rivers in the famous Torajaland in South Sulawesi and 

bring them back alive to Germany. 

These not very aggressive fish are best maintained 

in a small group in cool (72–75°F/22–24°C), mediumhard 

to hard water. They will eat anything that lands on 

the water’s surface. I place gravid 

females in small, densely planted 

aquariums with a volume of around 

10 gallons (30 L) to give birth. I 

maintain the group in a 53-gallon 

(200-L) aquarium with a number of 

bottom-dwelling catfish (Loricariichthys 

acutus). 

Nomorhamphus rex is not 

exactly easy to breed. My largest 

brood to date was 12 fry, but they 

measured 1.2 cm at birth and 

immediately ate small water fleas. 

I have often transferred putative 

gravid females that unfortunately 

became thinner again over the 

following days and weeks. Could 

it be that the females resorbed the young into their 

body cavities because they were over-stressed by being 

moved 

REFERENCES 

—Hans-Georg Evers 

Huylebrouck, J., R.K. Hadiaty, and F. Herder. 2012. Nomorhamphus rex, 

a new species of viviparous halfbeak (Atherinomorpha: Beloniformes: 

Zenarchopteridae) endemic to Sulawesi Selatan, Indonesia. Raffles 

Bull Zool 60 (2): 477–85. 

Aequidens cf. rondoni 

Aequidens have a hard time of it in our aquariums. 

Why Probably because half-truths stick 

3| 

in our heads better than the courage to question them. 

When I received word from Aquarium Glaser that one of 

their Brazilian exporters might be sending a small number 

of Aequidens, I was not that interested at first. But 

then I heard that they had purportedly been brought 

in under the trade name “Cachimbo verde,” and my 

interest was piqued immediately—I had seen photos of 

the PIPES expedition (see AMAZONAS 25) on the Web, 

Aequidens cf. rondoni 

AMAZONAS 

91

and they included a bright green Aequidens. I ordered 

10 individuals. 

I must say, I didn’t regret my decision. The new 

arrivals should probably be assigned to Aequidens 

rondoni, as they exhibit hints, at least, of the black - 

margined scales above the longitudinal band that 

are typical for that species. But because this isn’t as 

strongly expressed as is usual for A. rondoni, to be 

safe I will call them Aequidens cf. rondoni. 

As is apparently typical for Aequidens species, 

these fish have proved extremely easy to maintain. They 

greedily accept any type of food, are relatively peaceful, 

and are not demanding with regard to water parameters. 

However, even though I have kept them in soft, 

acid water, nothing is left of the intense green body coloration. 

This doesn’t surprise me, since green shades 

are often food-dependent. At present the fish are an 

intense yellow, overlain with a slight greenish sheen. 

One further point: the really bad guys, which are 

(or were) responsible for the negative reputation of the 

genus Aequidens, have now been assigned to other 

genera, so it is time to give these species a second 

chance. 

Neolebias trewavasae 

—Thomas Weidner 

The range of tetras from Africa in the trade is 

4| 

limited and most species are also rather drab. 

Hence it comes as a pleasant surprise to see such a 

beauty as Neolebias trewavasae Poll & Gosse, 1963. 

This little tetra from the family Distichodidae arrived 

in Europe in small numbers from Gabon in 2011. It 

grows to around 2 inches (5 cm) long, is very quiet and 

peaceful, and, like most South American tetras, is not 

very demanding. 

In normal coloration, as you see them at a fish 

store, these fish look nice, but not that exciting; but 

once settled in, they are a real sensation! The males in 

particular are truly gorgeous, occupying small territories 

which they defend against other males and into which 

they try to entice females. In my opinion this is absolutely 

the most beautiful small tetra from Africa. 

The species purportedly also occurs in southern 

Cameroon, at least according to current wisdom. But 

when the fish from Cameroon are compared with those 

from Gabon there are noticeable differences. The fish 

from Cameroon are never as colorful, and the position 

of the lateral longitudinal band is different. 

Note that some authors regard the genus Neolebias 

as a synonym of Nannaethiops, though I can’t 

entirely agree. But, as is generally the case, a future 

revision will probably bring clarification. To put it mildly, 

Neolebias trewavasae is a stunning fish that will enrich 

any aquarium. With any luck, it can be bred successfully 

and the population increased; unfortunately, imports 

from Gabon are extremely rare. 

Gymnothorax polyuranodon 

—Anton Lamboj 

The attractive Black-Spotted Moray, Gymnothorax 

polyuranodon, can definitely be recom- 

5| 

mended to fans of brackish-water fishes. These fish 

turn up now and then in the trade, and sometimes it 

is possible to order them through a retailer. They won’t 

last long in completely fresh water and should be maintained 

with the addition of salt right from the start. 

In addition to a really tightly covered aquarium— 

these beasts are real experts at escaping—there 

should be plenty of hiding places for these sociable 

eels. They are predators that like to have shrimps and 

small fishes to eat. 

They quickly become accustomed to their owner and 

will often take morsels of food offered using forceps— 

another reason, in addition to their attractive coloration, 

Male Neolebias trewavasae, 

a scarlet-banded African tetra 

AMAZONAS 

A. LAMBOJ 

92

Black-Spotted Moray, Gymnothorax polyuranodon 

why these morays make good pets for aquarists and 

their families. Such unusual pets may even prove interesting, 

at least briefly, to the iPhone-addicted teenager. 

Spinipterus sp. “Otorongo” 


The number of fans of driftwood catfishes (family 

Auchenipteridae) worldwide is probably negli- 

6| 

gible. The majority of members of this South American 

catfish family look like a bizarre piece of wood and 

move about as much, at least during the day. A few 

exceptions, such as the popular Centromochlus perugiae, 

are attractively colored. The same can be said of 

the species recently imported for the first time by Pier 

Aquatics (Wigan, England), which, on the basis of its 

external characteristics, should probably be assigned 

to the recently described genus Spinipterus, previously 

regarded as monotypic. 

Spinipterus sp. “Otorongo” (its trade name) was 

imported from Peru; no more precise locality is given. 

This nocturnal species appears not to grow very large. 

Specimens of only around 3 inches (8 cm) total length, 

such as the male in the accompanying photo, already 

exhibit clear sexual differences—for example, the copulatory 

organ formed from the first anal fin in males. 

This species practices internal fertilization. It is still 

not known whether the females of this species, like the 

similar C. perugiae, practice brood care, guarding eggs 

laid in caves. 

REFERENCES 


Akama, A., and C.J. Ferraris, Jr. 2011. Spinipterus, a new genus of 

small, spiny catfish (Siluriformes: Auchenipteridae) from the Peruvian 

Amazon. Zootaxa 2992: 52–60. 

Spinipterus sp. “Otorongo” 

TOP: F. WANG; BOTTOM: N. WOODWARD 

AMAZONAS 

93

SOCIETY 

CONNECTIONS 

AMAZONAS 

94 

U.S. AQUARIUM 

SOCIETIES 

NATIONAL AQUARIUM CLUBS 

American Cichlid Association 

www.cichlid.org 

American Killifish Association 

www.aka.org 

American Livebearer Association 

www.livebearers.org 

The Angelfish Society 

www.theangelfishsociety.org 

Aquatic Gardeners Association 

www.aquatic-gardeners.org 

International Betta Congress 

www.ibcbettas.org 

International Fancy Guppy Association 

www.ifga.org 

Mid-Atlantic Koi Club 

www.makc.com 

North American Discus Association 

www.discusnada.org 

The North American Native Fishes 

Association 

www.nanfa.org 

Northeast Council of Aquarium Societies 

www.northeastcouncil.org/nec/ 

ARIZONA 

Dry Wash Aquarium Society, Phoenix 

www.DryWashAquarium.org 

Arizona Aquatic Plant Enthusiasts (AAPE) 

Tuscon & Phoenix 

www.azaquaticplants.com/index.php 

CALIFORNIA 

Sacramento Aquarium Society 

Sacramento 

www.SacramentoAquariumSociety.org 

San Francisco Aquarium Society 

San Francisco 

www.SFAquarium.org 

Silicon Valley Aquarium Society 

San Jose 

www.SiliconValleyAquariumSociety.com 

COLORADO 

Colorado Aquarium Society, Arvada 

www.ColoradoAquarium.org 

Rocky Mountain Cichlid Association 

www.rmcichlid.org 

CONNECTICUT 

Greater Hartford Aquarium Society 

Manchester 

www.GHASCT.org 

Northeast Livebearer Association 

Bristol 

www.nela.northeastcouncil.org 

Norwalk Aquarium Society 

South Norwalk 

www.NorwalkAS.org 

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 

Greater Washington Aquatic Plant 

Association 

www.GWAPA.org 

FLORIDA 

Gold Coast Aquarium Society of South 

Florida, Cooper City 

www.GCAquarium.org 

Tampa Bay Aquarium Society, Tampa 

www.TBAS1.com 

GEORGIA 

Atlanta Area Aquarium Association 

Atlanta 

www.AtlantaAquarium.com 

HAWAII 

Honolulu Aquarium Society, Honolulu 

www.HonoluluAquariumSociety.org 

ILLINOIS 

Central Illinois Tropical Aquarium Club 

(CITAC) 

Bloomington 

www.citac-il.org 

Federation of American Aquarium 

Societies 

Champaign 

www.FAAS.info 

Greater Chicago Cichlid Association 

Brookfield 

www.GCCA.net 

Green Water Aquarist Society, Alsip 

www.GWASOC.org 

INDIANA 

Circle City Aquarium Club 

Indianapolis 

www.CircleCityAqClub.org 

Michiana Aquarium Society, South Bend 

www.MichianaAquariumSociety.org 

IOWA 

Eastern Iowa Aquarium Association 

Cedar Rapids 

www.FinFlap.com 

LOUISIANA 

Southeast Louisiana Aquarium Society 

Baton Rouge & New Orleans 

www.selas.us 

MARYLAND 

Capital Cichlid Association, Silver Spring 

www.CapitalCichlids.org 

MASSACHUSETTS 

Boston Aquarium Society, Boston 

www.BostonAquariumSociety.org 

Pioneer Valley Aquarium Society 

Chicopee 

www.PVAS.net 

Worcester Aquarium Society, Worcester 

www.WorcesterAquarium.org 

MICHIGAN 

Greater Detroit Aquarium Society 

Royal Oak 

www.GreaterDetroitAquariumSociety.org 

Grand Valley Aquarium Society 

Grand Rapids 

www.GrandValleyAquariumClub.org 

Southwest Michigan Aquarium Society 

Portage 

www.SWMAS.org 

MINNESOTA 

Minnesota Aquarium Society 

Roseville 

www.aquarium.mn 

MISSOURI 

Missouri Aquarium Society, St. Louis 

www.MissouriAquariumSociety.com 

NEW HAMPSHIRE 

New Hampshire Aquarium Society 

Rollinsford 

www.NHAquariumSociety.com 

NEW JERSEY 

Jersey Shore Aquarium Society 

Freehold 

www.JerseyShoreAS.org 

North Jersey Aquarium Society, Nutley 

www.NJAS.net 

NEW YORK 

Allegheny River Valley Aquarium Society 

Olean 

www.orgsites.com/ny/ARVAS 

Brooklyn Aquarium Society, Brooklyn 

www.BASNY.org 

Danbury Area Aquarium Society (DAAS) 

Carmel 

www.northeastcouncil.org/daas 

Central New York Aquarium Society 

Syracuse 

www.CNYAS.org 

Genesee Valley Koi & Pond Club 

Rochester 

www.ggw.org/GVPAKE 

Greater City Aquarium Society, Flushing 

www.GreaterCity.org 

Long Island Aquarium Society 

Stony Brook 

www.LIASOnline.org 

Thanks to Ray “Kingfish” Lucas of Kingfish Services in Boston, NY, for his invaluable help in establishing this 

directory and the AMAZONAS Aquarium Calendar of Events. www.kingfishservices.net

Nassau County Aquarium Society 

Rockville Center 

www.NCASweb.org 

Niagara Frontier Koi & Pond Club 

North Tonawanda 

www.NFKPC.org 

Tropical Fish Club of Erie County 

Hamburg 

www.Tropical-Fish-Club-of-Erie-County.com 

NORTH CAROLINA 

Raleigh Aquarium Society, Raleigh 

www.RaleighAquariumSociety.org 

OHIO 

Cleveland Aquarium Society, Cleveland 

www.ClevelandAquariumSociety.org 

Columbus Area Fish Enthusiasts 

Plain City 

www.ColumbusFishClub.org 

Greater Akron Aquarium Society, Akron 

www.GAAS-FISH.net 

Great Lakes Cichlid Society, Euclid 

www.GreatLakesCichlidSociety.net 

Medina County Aquarium Society 

Medina 

www.geocities.com/MCASfish/index 

Ohio Cichlid Association, Brunswick 

www.OhioCichlid.com 

Stark County Aqua Life Enthusiasts 

Society, Canton 

www.ClubScales.com 

Youngstown Area Tropical Fish Society 

Youngstown 

www.YATFS.com 

OREGON 

Greater Portland Aquarium Society 

Clackamas 

www.GPAS.org 

PENNSYLVANIA 

Aquarium Club of Lancaster County 

Lancaster 

www.ACLCPA.org 

Bucks County Aquarium Society 

Chalfont 

www.BCASOnline.com 

Greater Pittsburgh Aquarium Society 

Pittsburgh 

www.GPASI.org 

TEXAS 

Houston Aquarium Society, Houston 

www.HoustonAquariumSociety.org 

VERMONT 

Tropical Fish Club of Burlington 

Burlington 

www.tfcb.org/ 

VIRGINIA 

Central Virginia Aquarium Society 

Richmond 

www.CVAS.forumotion.com 

Potomac Valley Aquarium Society, Fairfax 

www.PVAS.com 

WASHINGTON 

Greater Seattle Aquarium Society 

Seattle 

www.GSAS.org 

Puget Sound Aquarium Society 

Federal Way 

www.thePSAS.org 

WISCONSIN 

Milwaukee Aquarium Society, Milwaukee 

www.MilwaukeeAquariumSociety.com 

Central Wisconsin Aquarium Society 

Wausau 

www.cwas.org 

INTERNATIONAL 

AQUARIUM 

SOCIETIES 

AUSTRALIA 

Australia New Guinea Fishes Association 

www.angfa.org.au/ 

New South Wales Cichlid Society 

Moorebank, NSW 

www.NSWCS.org.au 

Victorian Cichlid Society Inc. 

Mitcham, VIC 

home.vicnet.net.au/~cichlid 

Queensland Cichlid Group Inc. 

Clayfield, QLD 

www.qcichlid.org 

BELGIUM 

Belgian Cichlid Association 

www.cichlidae.be 

BERMUDA 

Bermuda Fry-Angle Aquarium Society 

www.fryangle.com 

CANADA 

The Canadian Association 

of Aquarium Clubs 

Canada & New York State 

www.caoac.ca 

London Aquaria Society 

London, ON 

www.londonaquariasociety.com 

Saskatoon Aquarium Society 

Saskatoon, SK 

www.SaskatoonAquarium.com 

GET LISTED! Contact: Mary Sweeney, Senior Editor: mary.sweeney@reef2rainforest.com 

Montreal Aquarium Society, Montreal, QC 

www.theMontrealAquariumSociety.com 

Hamilton & District Aquarium Society 

Hamilton, ON 

www.HDAS.ca 

Durham Region Aquarium Society 

Oshawa, ON 

www.DRAS.ca 

Regina Aquarium Society 

www.reginaaquariumsociety.ca 

Association Regionale des Aquariophiles 

de Quebec, Ste-Foy, QC 

www.ARAQ.org 

Aquarium Society of Winnipeg 

Winnipeg, MB 

www.ASW.ca 

FINLAND 

Ciklidistit r.y. (Finnish Cichlid 

Association), Vantaa 

www.aquahoito.info/cichlids/index.html 

FRANCE 

Association France Cichlid, Hoenheim 

www.FranceCichlid.com 

GERMANY 

Deutsche Cichliden-Gesellschaft 

(German Cichlid Society) 

Frankfurt am Main 

www.DCGonline.de 

MALAYSIA 

Malaysia Guppy Club 

www.myguppy.net 

MALTA 

Malta Aquarist Society 

www.maltaaquarist.com/ 

SINGAPORE 

Discus Club Singapore 

www.DiscusClubSG.com 

UNITED KINGDOM 

Anabantoid Association of Great Britain 

Doncaster 

www.AAGB.org 

BIDKA: The British and International 

Discus Keepers Association 

www.BIDKA.org 

Bristol Aquarists’ Society, Bristol 

www.bristol-aquarists.org.uk 

The Federation of British Aquatic 

Societies, Sussex 

www.FBAS.co.uk 

Greater Manchester Cichlid Society 

www.nekrosoft.co.uk/GMCS 

The Calypso Fish and Aquaria Club 

London 

www.calypso.org.uk 

AMAZONAS 

95

ADVERTISERS 

INDEX 

American Cichlids Association Convention ..... 96 

www.2013aca.com 

AMAZONAS Back Issues .................. 89 

www.reef2rainforest.com/shop 

AMAZONAS Retail Sources ............. 88, 89 

www.reef2rainforest.com 

AMAZONAS Subscriptions .............. 18, 79 

www.amazonasmagazine.com 

American Livebearer Association ............ 87 

www.ALA2013.com 

Boyd Enterprises ............. 

inside front cover 

www.chemipure.com 

Brightwell Aquatics ..................8, 15, 17 

www.brightwellaquatics.com 

CAOAC Convention and Fish Show ........... 46 

www.edmontonfish.com 

EcoTech Marine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70, 71 


Florida Tropical Fish Expo ................. 87 

www.flafish.com 

Fritz Aquatics .......................... 16 

www.fritzaquatics.com 

Hikari ...........................33, 53, 83 

www.hikariusa.com/am 

Invertebrates by Msjinkzd ................. 11 

www.msjinkzd.com 

Lifegard Aquatics ........................ 9 

www.lifegardaquatics.com 

Milwaukee Instruments ................... 11 

www.milwaukeeinstruments.com 

New Era-Living Color .......... inside back cover 

www.livingcolor.com 

Ocean Nutrition ......................... 78 

www.oceannutrition.com 

Piscine Energetics ....................... 32 

www.mysis.com 

Poly-Bio Marine . ......................... 5 

www.poly-bio-marine.com 

Prodibio . ............................. 82 

www.prodibio.com 

Reef to Rainforest Website . ............... 19 

www.reef2rainforest.com 

Repashy Superfoods . .................... 46 

www.repashy.com 

Riparium Supply . ....................... 97 

www.ripariumsupply.com 

San Francisco Bay Brand . ................. 47 

www.sfbb.com 

Segrest Farms . ......................... 21 

www.segrestfarms.com 

South Central Cichlids . ................... 82 

www.southcentralcichlids.com 

Stax Magnetic Rock Ledges . .............. 97 

www.staxrock.com 

Swiss Tropicals . ........................ 61 

www.swisstropicals.com 

Ted’s Fishroom . ........................ 82 

www.tedsfishroom.com 

Tunze . ............................... 73 

www.tunze.com 

Two Little Fishies . ................... 11, 16 

www.twolittlefishies.com 

The Wet Spot . ......................... 46 

www.wetspottropicalfish.com 

ZooMed . .................... 13, back cover 

www.zoomed.com 

For an AMAZONAS Media Kit 

or other information, please contact: 

James Lawrence, Publisher • 802.985.9977 Ext. 7, 

James.Lawrence@reef2rainforest.com 

Magnetic 

Reef Rock 

Patent Pending 

 

 

Invisibly Attached 

Real Rock Ledges 

Save space, add habitat 

 

 

staxreef@hotmail.com | www.staxrock.com 

eBay Store: STAX Rock Aquarium Fish Decoration 

eBay Category: Pet Supplies> Aquarium & Fish> Aquariums 

Planted Ripariums 

Grow easy-care riparium plants with 

your aquarium fish. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

www.RipariumSupply.com 

AMAZONAS 

97

UNDERWATER 

EYE 

Hericthys labridens “Yellow,” 

the Yellow Labridens, from 

Media Luna, Mexico. Listed 

as a “threatened” species 

in the wild, the fish is crossbreeding 

itself out of existence 

with the invasive Hericthys 

carpinte, which entered its 

waters via a manmade canal. 

Photographed by 

Morrill Devlin. 

AMAZONAS 

98

ZOO MED LABORATORIES, INC. 

 

 

 

 

www.zoomed.com

Congo Killies - PageSuite

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?