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One of the more amusing aspects of having a copy of the venerable Innes book, a staple part of the libraries of many aquarists of the older generation, is that it presents unusual fishes that have much to recommend them, but which have, for various reasons, 'fallen by the wayside' and are only obtainable nowadays through specialist fish societies, or by collecting them in the wild directly. Moreover, some of the comments that appear in the book with respect to some of these fishes have a charming old-fashioned naive innocence about them that brings a little nostalgic tear to the eyes of those old enough to remember what Innes was talking about.

Cubanichthys cubensis is one of those fishes. Now, being one of the Killies probably hasn't helped its cause, for precious few Killies are found in dealers. Indeed, it is some years now since the last appearance in my LFS of the American Flag Fish, Jordanella floridae, although German aquarists continue to demand it and pay prices for it that will raise a few eyebrows among American aquarists on the Board. If a once-popular fish such as Jordanella floridae has vanished from the stores, what chance does this oddity, the subject of my latest post, have of attracting fans?

Which is a pity. While the general base colour of the fish is a somewhat muted olive green, it is very prettily marked with iridescent electric-blue horizontal stripes, and when viewed under the right conditions, these fairly sparkle with light. Moreover, the fish is small (4.5 cm or thereabouts), tolerates a wide range of water conditions, will live in a temperature range of 21°C to 27°C, has a peaceful disposition that makes it a possible 'general community' fish if only it can be obtained, can be bred in the aquarium after the application of modest effort on the part of the aquarist, and provides a spawning novelty.

After mating, the eggs are not scattered about, or for that matter laid purposely. Instead, something very unusual happens, which makes this fish unique in the aquarium world. The eggs are carried about by the female, on the end of what appears to be a kind of thread, hanging like a bunch of grapes on the end of a long string. It takes a fair amount of tension to break this thread, but eventually, the eggs are left behind, caught in aquatic foliage. Persuading this fish to display this breeding idiosyncrasy generally requires nothing more than good aquarium husbandry, and prior conditioning with live foods: the adaptable little fellows can generally be relied upon to do what comes naturally, and upon doing so, present the aquarist with the spectacle just described, which is perplexing to put it mildly. Quite why this fish evolved such a diversion from the piscine norm is a mystery that I have yet to see explained, but, thus it has evolved, and thus provides those specialist Killle keepers fortunate enough to encounter it with something to talk about.

Innes had high hopes for this species when he first wrote about it, namely:

The fish has not yet become freely distributed, but it no doubt will be, for it is interesting, it has been bred several times, the original source of supply is easily reached, it is peaceful and easily kept.

And that source of supply? The scientific name should give the game away. Cubanichthys cubensis, as Innes kindly informs us in the page devoted to the fish, translates as "Cuban fish from Cuba". Trouble is, Innes wrote that quoted line above nearly 25 years before the appearance on the scene of a certain Mr. F. Castro. Since the appearance of said gentleman, the short 90 mile hop across the water between Florida and Cuba might as well be 90 light years as far as gaining access to this fish is concerned. But for the vagaries of the Cold War chessgame, this little fish might have had a much brighter future in our aquaria: a small, peaceful Killie that is adaptable enough to live in a general community aquarium, and offers a spawning novelty to boot. And, that little passage in the venerable Innes book gives us an insight into an almost forgotten world: a world in which Cuba was a romantic daydream for cinema-goers and fishkeepers alike, instead of being notorious for a hair-trigger nuclear standoff and 40 years of ideological bickering. Such is life ...

Has anyone else here even heard of this fish before? Let alone seen it?

Despite the less than happy circumstances that place obstacles in our path, it is worth hunting for this fish. I suspect that yet again, the Germans, who seem to have a knack of obtaining such oddities on a regular basis and distributing them far and wide, will prove a good starting point as a source of supply. The effort will be amply rewarded, especially when this fish puts on its novelty breeding act. Perhaps someone here on the Board will be the first person since dear old Mr Innes to make public a photograph of its antics, only this time in full colour. A challenge for you all!




Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002