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Aquarium Rarities Revisited

It's been a while since I posted a big post here, partly due to my spending time recovering from illness, and partly due to my being involved as a moderator on a forum that is, not to put too fine a point on it, something of a full time war zone, but that's a story for another time. Meanwhile, I thought I'd revisit some aquarium rarities to whet the appetite of newcomers here who haven't seen some of my past articles, and hopefully persuade a few of you to branch out and become more adventurous in your fishkeeping. However, be advised that quite a few of these fishes will prove to be notoriously difficult to track down, and if you find any in circulation, you will be extremely fortunate indeed. However, the effort involved in tracking them down will be amply rewarded by what these fishes have to offer with respect to curiosity value, and in some cases, such delights as weird breeding features. so, here goes!

First off, let's take a look at some Characins. First on the list is Neolebias ansorgei, which is a small, peaceful Characin from Africa that is raely imported (though given both its attractive colour scheme and peaceful disposition, I'm slightly puzzled as to why), and which will provide a delightful change from the more common Characins available in the hobby. Despite being an African fish, it's actually a soft water dweller, hailing from places such as Cameroon, and shares its native home with various colourful and similarly difficult to obtain Killifishes, being found in rainforest streams with a water chemistry not that dissimilar from the Amazon, a whole continent away. Maintenance requirements are what you would expect for a shoaling Characin - namely, decently planted aquarium, good sized shoal (6 minimum, 12 is better) and soft, slightly acidic water with an average temperature of around 24 degrees Celsius. It's a fairly shy fish until acclimatised, and fares best with other inoffensive tankmates such as smaller Corydoras, small Rasboras and Otocinclus sucker catfishes. Because African Characins tend to be much less frequently imported, it'll be a difficult find, but not impossible, and well worth tracking down for those who want something different from the usual Cardinals, Neons or Lemon Tetras.

Next up, two Characins that hail from South America, but are likely to be available only from specialist Characin societies or from dealers with very extensive stocks. First of these is Corynopoma riisei, the Swordtail Characin, which possessed an extended set of lower filaments to the male's tail fin analogous to the livebearer with whom it shares its name. As an Amazonian fish, requirements in the aquarium will be similar to those of more familiar fishes such as Cardinals or Neons, and the males not only possess the aforementioned extended tail fin, but weird spoon-shaped appendages that are held on stalks from the gill plates, making it easy to tell males from females. Next up is a larger, more active Characin, the Dragon Fin, Pseudocorynopoma doriae, which reaches 3.5 inches in length and is thus a candidate for a more spacious aquarium. Males possess a tall, flag-like extended dorsal fin when sexually mature, and make an imposing sight in a long aquarium with a large swimming space between plant thickets. This active and fairly robust species is best kept with other active fishes, and will also benefit from the provision of the odd floating plant here and there.

Finally, a Characin that will give you a facial tic watching it! The Whirling Dervish Characin, Apareiodon pongoensis. Again, this is a fish for the larger aquarium, and one that exhibits a truly weird shoaling behaviour, whereby it swims in tight circles at speed, with several fishes following each other nose to tail. Frankly, this fish is bizarre to watch, and it will probably prove annoying to those who like their aquaria to be placid, calming affairs to gaze at after a hard day's work, but for those who want to have something weird in their aquaria, this is probably the fish for you. Again, one for a spacious aquarium, not only because of its size (4 inches) and absolutely manic swimming activity, but because you'll need space for the other fishes in the aquarium to steer clear of its whirling dervish antics! Another Amazonian fish with typical Amazonian maintenance requirements.

Moving on, a Killifish oddity that will be extremely difficult to locate in the UK and Europe, and probably nigh on impossible in the USA. The reason? Check the scientific name - Cubanichthys cubensis. That's right, it's a fish from Cuba. Hence the extreme difficulty in obtaining it. However, this fish is well worth tracking down not only because it is attractive (its coating of turquoise spangles adds a certain charm) but because when it breeds, it exhibits a weird feature. The female carries a bunch of eggs, like a miniature bunch of grapes, suspended from beneath her vent on the end of a thread-like extension, until such time as the eggs are brushed off against bushy plants. Hardy, resilient, easy to maintain in the aquarium and not that difficult to persuade to breed, this is a rarity that is worth tracking down just for its extreme rarity in aquarium circles alone, but the breeding oddity adds that little extra something that will become a major conversation point whenever you meet up with fellow aquarists and they ask you what you've acquired recently! the BKA Species Database]http://www.bka.org.uk/BKA/SpeciesDetails.php?ID=191[/link] cites this as a warm water lover and a lover of relatively hard, alkaline conditions, and moreover claims that the fish is a "problem fish", but the venerable Innes book (a long term source of mine) disagrees with this assessment. The extreme rarity of this fish in aquarium circles, and the fact that almost all stock encountered will be wild stock on the very few occasions it is ever seen, may account for some people's problems with this fish, but [link=this page provides more details, which are generally as hard to find as the fish themselves!

Now, how about some Labyrinth Fishes?

Allow me to introduce you to Malpulutta kretseri. This one is a bit of a specialist, though probably a good deal less demanding in this respect than the Chocolate Gourami, which is the Layrinth Fish equivalent of the Discus! Malpulutta kretseri is probably best suited to a species aquarium, and one that is heavily planted at that, as it is a fairly shy fish, and also tends to like being kept in an aquarium away from noise and bustle. However, it matures into a lovely looking fish, with males being particularly ornate in appearance, and if supplied with the conditions it likes may even breed for you. Tropical Fish Hobbyist magazine covered this fish way back in January 1978, which contained the first ever successful spawning report, and the conditions cited for this fish are: maintenance temperature 77 degrees F (up to as high as 84 degrees F for breeding), low to moderate hardness (say around 10 degrees dH) and pH around 6.6. Likely to be a "problem fish" for the inexperienced, and fares best if given frequent live foods, and thus something of a specialist, but if you have the skills and the expertise to take on this rarity, it's well worth tracking down.

Next, a Cyprinid that should, in my view, be FAR more widely available, but for some reason, despite its glorious colours, relative hardiness and peaceful disposition, is almost as rare as Cubanichthys cubensis above. The fish in question is known, quite incongruously here in the UK, as the Sri Lanka Fire Barb, despite the fact that it isn't a barb at all! It is, in fact, a Rasbora - Rasbora vaterifloris to be precise. And, if you've never heard of it, don't be in the least surprised, because it too is one of the aquarium "wallflowers" that has been passed by over the years in favour of other species. A pity, because a shoal of these is a supremely impressive sight, and what's more, despite coming from the same home waters as Malpulutta kretseri above, is a good deal hardier and easier to keep. I suspect the reason for its rarity is the fact that Sri Lanka has been, on and off, under virtual civil war conditions, which are hardly conducive to regular collection and shipment of tropical fishes, and so, until the unhappy politics of the region improve significantly, this is likely to remain another much-lamented absentee from the aquarium world.

And now, a Cichlid fish that recently appeared in my locality after an absence of almost 30 years, a fish I've been plugging as an ideal "beginner's Cichlid" repeatedly here, and which deserves to be FAR more widespread than it is, because it possesses a whle raft of redeeming features that make it FAR more suited to aquarium keeping than some other Cichlids far more widely available in the aquarium trade! This fish is Anomalochromis thomasi, which has among its virtues the fact that it is about as close as you will come to meeting a "pacifist" Cichlid (it's the very antithesis of the likes of Convicts and Dempseys in this regard), it's also a small sized fish by Cichlid standards at around 3.5 inches fully grown and thus has modest space requirements in comparison to the more familiar Cichlids, it's hardy, adaptable to a wide range of water chemistry parameters, and will breed in any reasonably clean water with relatively little encouragement once adult. It's also a good, dependable parent, and altogether possibly one of the best introductions to Cichlid keeping one could possibly wish for. Why, oh why this fish isn't FAR more widespread, especially as it is not only hardy and peaceful, but beautiful in breeding dress, defeats me, but again, the fact that its African home is uncomfortably close to regions of recent ethnic strife and internecine warfare probably has much to do with this.

And finally, I'll close with an oddity that is rare for an entirely different reason. The African Butterfly Barb, Barbus hulstaerti, is a rarity because of its VERY unusual water chemistry requirements. When I tell you that it is also known as the Vinegar Barb, because its native waters boast a pH that frequently drops as low as a whopping 4.0, this should provide a clue as to why this fish is hardly ever seen! Another one for the specialists, and thanks to its need for unheard-of levels of acidity in its water (wild-caught specimens will die in normal pH 7.0 water!) it's going to be a species aquarium fish only. Hardly ever imported for this reason, because the chance of being able to sell this fish once it reaches the market is infinitesimally small, and so, likely to be another one to put on your "impossible to find" list unless you happen to know someone who has been collecting in the right area of late and is keeping a brace of these in a basement aquarium somewhere ...

I hope the newcomers that have arrived since my last major appearance here appreciate this little Baedecker tour of oddities, and are thus inspired to go out looking for something a little different to populate their aquaria with - taking due care and attention with species requirements and compatibility issues of course!


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Nice to see you back cal, the posting as ever , is some good stuff.

I don't suppose you have a link to your previous article, do you?

Notoriously difficult to track down is part of the fun. I've got a few fish I've only seen for the first or second time in my care as half-knowledgeable half-impulse purchases. It can be as fun to dream about having a fish as it is to actually keep it, even moreso in the case of certain impossible-to-keep types, lol.

The common name for A. pongoensis is simply amazing. I almost want that fish purely for the name.

I agree with lhg, it's good to see you back.

--------------------------------------------
The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

Cheers, Cali!

Interesting as always! I love how you manage to work Thomas' Cichlid into every article you write.

Shini,can't seem to find the original article here at FP (it dates from 2003) but fortunately, I saved the original text on my hard drive, so I can reprise some of the species I omitted from the above list.

For example ...

First of all, Kerr's Danio, Brachydanio kerri. I have a colour photo in my old Innes book which really makes me wonder why this fish hasn't taken off in a big way. Body shape is identical to the Leopard Danio, Brachydanio frankei, but the photo depicts an azure-blue fish with a faint magenta half-line extending forwards from the caudal peduncle. Even its eyes are blue-tinted. While it is, reputedly, not as easy to breed as other Danios, its habits and aquarium hardiness are similar.A dozen of these in a community aquarium would make a stunning sight, which is one reason why I am amazed that it hasn't become far more popular. Now most likely to be known as Danio kerri after the recent taxonomic revision of the Danionines. A particularly fine specimen of this fish can be seen here.

Next, a Killie. One which I've never seen 'live', but whose name alone should have guaranteed it a more regular appearance. Poropanchax macrophthalmus, formerly known as Aplocheilichthys macrophthalmus, is the Lamp Eye. Another stunning small fish which, for some strange reason, I have yet to see. And, one of the Killies that, provided it has 'old' water in plentiful supply, is not as difficult to breed as might be first thought. More recently, one of our members alighted upon Aplocheilichthys normani, which is another member of this expansive Genus that is worth tracking down, being small, peaceful, as stunning in a group as Neon Tetras, and all the more likely to attract attention because few aquarists will have seen it 'live'. Here is a photo of Aplocheilichthys normani that should prove sufficiently inspiring for you to hunt for it.

Now for a Barb, which I've only ever seen once, and which has always been rare. Barbus gelius is small, peaceful, delightfully marked, and whose only negative trait is a marked propensity for egg-eating during spawning, which of course a rod or marble trap should help to minimise. Rarely reaching 1½ inches, its small size would make it suitable for the smaller community aquarium, and its general gaiety of disposition should have made it one of the more popular Barbs. Again, here is a photo of this delight, a genuine "Dwarf Barb" that lives up to the name and which is likely to be extremely difficult to acquire.

Even the genus Hyphessobrycon has its wallflowers - how about the Loreto Tetra, H. peruvianus? A black-lined fish with intensely red fins, its main problem is that it occupies the same waters as the Neon Tetra, and is inevitably passed by in favour of its incandescent cousin. I suspect that it may prove difficult to breed, too, although if it is a problem fish, chances are someone has alighted upon the 'magic ingredients'. Soft, acid water will probably be one of them, given its origins. If anyone should ever find this fish, chances are that maintenance AND breeding requirements will closely match those of the Neon Tetra, and it would be well worth considering the option of keeping the eggs in darkness until after hatching if first spawning attempts yield no fry, just in case this is one of the photosensitive species, even though I have seen no reports to this effect. I cannot even find a photograph of this fish, but a closely related fish, which confusingly is ALSO known as a Loreto Tetra (!), is this one, which, just to throw a spanner in the works, is Hyphessobrycon loretoensis ...

What about native American fishes? Too close to home for many American aquarists, yet seemingly only available in quantity in Germany, where there even exist specialist native American fish societies. Fishes such as the Pigmy Sunfish, Elassoma evergladei, or delightfully coloured minnows such as Notropis hypselopterus. Oddly enough, I have seen quite a few Rainbow Dace N. lutrensis in circulation, but usually at fish shows. Indeed, the entire Genus Notropis contains a number of delightful fishes, which, once again, seem principally to be appreciated by our German aquarist friends to the extent of their being available in anything like reasonable numbers, though of course American aquarists could simply find a handy pond or stream and catch their own! Whilst on the subject of native American fishes, some of the Sunfishes of the Genus Lepomis are worthy of just as much attention as Central American Cichlids (and indeed some Africans) in the looks departmnent, one species I can recommend looking out for being Lepomis humiilis, whose looks are stunning - here's a freshly caught male in breeding dress courtesy of the French mirror of Fishbase, and I think you'll agree it's every bit as resplendent as the Jewel Fishes of the Genus Hemichromis. Lepomis miniatus is also worth looking out for.

Also worth considering for fans of big fishes are two rather odd, larger species that are placed in the Genus Pomoxis. These are known as the Black Crappie, Pomoxis nigromaculatus and the White Crappie, Pomoxis annularis, though one is not necessarily darker than the other despite the common names, and both fishes are fairly demanding, requiring good oxygenation levels and a fair amount of space because they will grow to 53 cm if given the chance! Again, both are bona fide native Americans, and share some of the other Sunfish traits, such as Cichlid style territoriality (especially among the males), care of young (though not as advanced as the Cichlids) and gluttonous appetites for the size of fish in question.

Meanwhile, some livebearers deserve better mention too. Quintana atrizona is small, peaceful, relatively hardy, and of charming appearance. Perhaps the fact that it comes from Cuba causes problems, who knows? But again, one that deserves to be better known. Likewise, the genus Limia contains several interesting livebearers, the most individual being Limia nigrofasciata, the Hunchback Limia. Adult males are real dandies - carrying upon their humped backs a flag-like dorsal fin that they continually display to the females. Limia caudofasciata has jewelled blue spangles that in the right lighting, look like little sapphires. And, Limia species have as an additional asset the fact that they are assiduous algae eaters - so much so that they were once available on the UK market for this very purpose before the ubiquitous Loricariid sucker catfishes took over. More usefully, Limias will deal with surface algal nuisances that are likely to be overlooked by bottom dwelling Loricariids, and may even deal with hair algae of some types. However, the fact that they were once a feature of the trade means, hopefully, that they haven't entirely disappeared, which given their proven utility value in the past, would be quite a shame if they have. For your delight, here are some photos:

Quintana atrizona female

Limia nigrofasciata male

Limia melanogaster pair

Limia vittata shoal

Note that of these, Limia vittata and Quintana atrizona, both being natives of Cuba, are likely to be impossible for US aquarists to acquire directly. The truly determined seekers of these fishes are advised to try hunting them down amongst the exchanged livestock of German livebearer societies in particular (once again the Germans seem to have a knack of acquiring these things!)

How about a dwarf labyrinth fish? Labyrinth fish fans with a small aquarium doing nothing might like to try out Trichopsis pumilus, the Green Croaking Gourami. Tiny, but attractively coloured, this minute labyrinth fish (which only reaches the same size as a Neon Tetra) will reward the careful aquarist with, among other things, an intricate display of bubble-nest breeding, scaled in accordance with its diminutive size. Be advised that the fish is pretty shy, will appreciate thick planting, and if placed in a setting other than a species aquarium, will also appreciate a careful choice of companions. One possibility for a companion to this species, if these fishes haven't vanished from the scene altogether, is the recent sensation known as the Galaxy Rasbora, though the placement of that fish on the Endangered list due to overcollection is likely to rule out that choice for all but the extremely persistent and well-connected. Here's an unusual picture of one that appears to be yawning!

Among the Cichlids, here's two more oddities to look out for. The Genus Nannacara provides the thoughtful aquarist with peaceful Dwarf Cichlids, their only negative attribute being the aggression of the female toward the male after spawning. Otherwise, N. anomala, the Golden-Eyed Dwarf Cichlid, and N. taenia, the Lattice Dwarf Cichlid, are good choices - if they can be found! They're peaceful in a community setting, not overly given to tantrums even in the run up to spawning, and if one is mindful of the fact that after spawning, the female assumes total responsibility for brood care and can become murderously violent toward the male if he doesn't make a sharp exit (or is removed by the thoughtful aquarist), the breeding of these species can be rewarding too. Once again, don't expect to find them in numbers ... incidentally, there are some other species to track down that I've discovered since I initially covered the Genus Nannacara, and I'll add these to the photo links below if I can find them!

Photos:

Nannacara anomala

Nannacara aureocephalus

And, finally, a lesser known gem among the Corydoras that is well worth hunting down for those who like their fishes small. Corydoras cochui at first glance resembles very closely the more commonly seen Corydoras habrosus, but is even smaller, and even more avowedly social, which means that like Panda Corys, they need to be kept in decent sized groups. The tiny adult size of just 35mm fully grown for females (and less for males) means, however, that a dozen can be accommodated with ease in a 24" x 12" x 12" aquarium, with space for some small, peaceful Characin companions such as Ember Tetras. Again, care for these is similar to that for habrosus or Pandas, which means good sized social groups, good provision of interesting aquarium landscape features for these fishes to explore, and while cochui is likely to be less finicky than Pandas with respect to high temperatures, coming as it does from the Rio Tocantins, it's best not to let it spend much time above 26 degrees C. Again, choose companions carefully if not in a species aquarium, and be prepared for this initially shy species to come out of its shell in the right setting and prove to be a miniature delight.

If you want photos, Planet Catfish has a couple on its species page for Corydoras cochui here.

So, some more lesser known fishes, in many cases deserving of far wider recognition, for you all to ponder if you're inspired to go after something a little different.



Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002