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First of all, hat tip to you Bruce for finding some good pics of Neolebias ansorgei. The disgreement in image appearance is caused by the fact that the species is seriously sexually dichroic - juveniles are all striped, but when sexual maturity arives, males become a gorgeous iridescent green. So, basically, this fish]http://www.zierfisch-ratgeber.de/art065.htm[/link] and [link=this fish are mature males.

As for Characidium fasciatum, this fish is mentioned in the venerable Innes book. Apparently it was spawned in captivity even back in the 1930s, and it likes dense mossy foliage to deposit its eggs in - Innes quotes Fontinalis or Willow Moss as the plant of choice, but Java Moss is probably just as good a medium (and a LOT easier to obtain!). Innes says in his piece on the fish, however, that it likes cooler than usual water - 67 to 73 degrees F. Not that compatible with sauna lovers like Venezuelan Rams then.

One thing that the blurb on that site DOES mention correctly though, is that if they're kept in small groups, i.e., less than 8 individuals, they're scrappy and belligerent with each other. They're territorial, but in a large group (say 12 or more), this behaviour becomes somewhat suppressed, particularly if they're kept with fishes that "look" threatening, i.e., an adult pair of Keyhole Cichlids or a Moonlight Gourami.

Innes mentione in addition that breeding is something of a challenge because the young fry MUST have small live foods, being weaned on to dead matter at a later stage. Personally I'd run with a group of 12 in a suitable sized aquarium, because one on its own might be less than ideally happy even though it's a territorial fish, because in the wild they do occur in groups. Of course, in the wild they've far more space to spread out over for territorial purposes, but when predators approach, they bunch up.

Haven't seen the Red Arc Pencilfish, but it sounds amazing. Can't wait to see a photo of that beauty!

I'm still waiting for a truly gorgeous little Tetra that was new to the hobby in 2003 to receive a valid scientific name - this little gem is currently known as the "Junior Pandurini", and it's tiny at just 4 cm max SL. It's a stunning little fish, changing hands for silly money in Germany at the moment, and is effectively a claret coloured fish with gold iridescence along the lateral line, cyan flashes in the tail tipped with more of the claret body colour, and the remaining fins are a really strange sort of fuchsia cerise colour ... all in all it's a blast of a fish, and another of my "Wish List" Characins! Apparently it was introduced to the hobby by Erwin Schraml, better known in connection with L-number Plecs than Characins, and a group of 12 in a planted aquarium is guaranteed to blow the socks off even veteran fishkeepers who've seen it all

I've got a picture of the "Junior Pandurini", but I can't embed it here because I'm not a premier member at the moment. So, if CrazyRed wants to do the honours, and illustrate this fish for everyone (hint, hint!), E-Mail me and I'll send the photo by return mail. Oh, warning, the photo is a big one file size wise as I scanned it at 300 dpi and saved it at top quality (minimal JPEG compression), so you might want me to compress it a lot more if you're on a dialup connection!


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

This isn't the Junior Pandurini, is it? (There are several references to a fish of that name on Google, but none accomapnied by a photo -- but this photo is of a critter called the "Junior Tetra" (Hemigrammus caudovittatus):

http://www.mtfb.com/SouthernApistos/tetraJunior1WEB.jpg

As for the male Red Arc Pencilfish (Nannostomus mortenthaleri), there ARE several photos and paintings of the male on the Web. I'll see if I can find one that accurately reflect this fish's appearance, although if I do find an accurate one I have doubts that you'll believe me -- the intensity of its deep, fiery red glow must be seen to be believed. (It might better be called the "Inferno Pencilfish".)

First off - that isn't the 'Junior Pandurini' that I have illustrated by Erwin Schraml. The fish in the photo I have is a claret coloured fish without ANY dark stripes on the body whatsoever. There's virtually no black markings on it at all. Plus, it only reaches 4 cm SL, whereas Hemigrammus caudovittatus is a bruiser in comparison, reaching 9 cm!

Semd me an E-Mail and I'll return the photo of the 'Junior Pandurini'. Click on "Profile" below and you'll find my E-Mail address.

Meanwhile, as I reported in my Recovery Room account of my trip to Maidenhead Aquatics, Cochu's Blues are now here, and at a price that is ridiculously cheap given how sky high desirable these fishes are. For them to be this cheap, somemone must be breeding them in industrial quantities! Additionally, I found Hyphessobrycon amandae, the Ember Tetra, along with goodness knows how many others - you'd LOVE the Diamond Tetras they have in stock, they're pristine and the males have wonderfully developed finnage!

Just a pity I can't afford to set up another two aquaria for all the Tetras I want to buy from there!


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

" For [Cochu's Blues] to be this cheap, someone must be breeding them in industrial quantities!"

Somebody (although I don't know who) certainly is -- we are, as I say, literally awash in them now over here in the US. And somebody has started cranking out Diamond Tetras like crazy, too (although their price remains higher than that of most Tetras).

Finally, "Lamb Chop" Rasboras (R. espei, I presume) have also started appearing here in very large numbers. (This is another fish that I recommend very highly; it's extremely beautiful against a black background, being a downright brilliant glowing rose red, much brighter than the Harlequin Rasbora -- although it also seems more delicate. Parenthetically, I've also been amazed to discover lately how attractive Black Neons are against a black background -- that stripe of theirs, which looks so blah against a light background, takes on a consistent apple-green glow against a black background.)

Oh yes, with some fishes, lighting and decor choices make a WORLD of difference, and utterly transform their appearance.

Most people would look at Lemon Tetras in a bare dealer aquarium and pass them by. House them in an aquarium lavishly forested with the right plants, interspersed with open swimming areas, and with a range of foliage choices (some dark, some light), and Lemons become little jewels. Feed the juveniles colour food and live Daphnia upon arrival, and keep doing so for six weeks, and your washed out insipid Lemons from the dealers end up as blasts of fishy sunshine - take a look at Sirbooks' Lemons for example!

I suspect (apart from the hazards of collecting fishes in the Cameroons, where human strife tends to be lamentably commonplace) that this is the reason Neolebias ansorgei tends to be overlooked as well - juveniles in a dealer aquarium are washed out, because they're like Lemons, they like their foliage. Transfer them to a nice, planted aquarium, feed them up on live food, and WHAM - iridescent green bundles of joy. Trouble is, all too many people (as I recounted in my article An Aquarium Is Not A TV) want instant gratification - plug in, switch on, push buttons and enjoy. Getting the best out of the more unusual fishes requires spadework that all too many people aren't willing to put in (thankfully this Board is replete with people who DO put in the spadework!) but when you do, it's SO worth it in the end.


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Here, as promised, are some good Web photos of the Red Arc Pencilfish (originally regarded as a subspecies of Nannostomus marginatus, but recognized since 2001 as a separate Peruvian species,, "N. mortenthaleri" ) . Let me assure you again that the extraordinary fiery red glow on the photos of the adult males is completely accurate -- they really are that intensely colored.




http://images.google.co.jp/images?q=Nannostomus+mortenthaleri&hl=ja&lr=&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi

(a complete photo gallery.)

http://www.israquarium.co.il/Fish/Nannostomus/Nannostomus%20mortenthaleri.html

http://www.52fish.com.cn/files/tropicalfish/datadetails.jsp?id=160 (a good photo of the totally different coloration of the female)

As I say, these fish are currently running $10-11 on the rare occasions when they show up here. I can hardly wait for someone to start breeding them and knock their price down.

[link]

WOW.

That is one AMAZING fish.

Had to overcome the semicolon bug again to view the Google Images, but the second link took me to a truly STUNNING photo.

Those fishes will change hands for an ENORMOUS sum ...


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

And here's a bit on their care from http://www.edas.com.au/EDAS-Weird.htm :

"The water should be fairly warm (27 degrees C), be soft and have a pH below 7. The tank should be well planted and the fish should be kept in larger groups to reduce intra-specific agression and fin-nipping. They can be placed together with other small and peaceful fish species, however. The red pencilfish requires a hearty diet of live foods. Prepared foods are also accepted.

"Dr. Stanley Weitzman, Curator of Fishes at the Smithsonian Institution, has reportedly succeeded in spawing the red pencilfish. They spawned in a 30 gallon tank with Hygrophila on the surface. The water was 78 degrees F, pH 6.6, 20 ppm total hardness. The fry are presumably first fed with infusoria and after a week they accept brine shrimp nauplii."

I imagine that breeding and care is similar to other pencilfish species. Nannostomus mortenthaleri is a recently discovered and described fish, much like Puntius denisonii. Prices will sink in the years to come. Definitely beautiful fish, no matter how much they cost.

---

And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

Now that I'm able to link photos, here is the 'Junior Pandurini' Tetra that Erwin Schraml photographed in 2003:



Attached Image:

"Junior Pandurini" Tetra - no scientific name currently available

Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

That's a completely new fish to me, but obviously a lovely one.

Thought that one would raise a few eyebrows

Still waiting to hear if a scientific name has been bestowed upon it. Probably have to polish up my rusty German and go trawling through DATZ archives to see ...

Meanwhile, here's a couple more pics ... new Characins as of 2003, some of which have doubtful names ...

Attached Image:


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Next up, a really attractive one ...

Attached Image:

Acrobrycon ipaniquianus from Peru

Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

So that's what the Kitty Tetra looks like. First photo I've seen of one.

As for the Peruvian Sapphire Tetra: is that the same one shown in this photo from the "Southern Apistos" ( http://www.southernapistos.com/ ) site?

http://www.mtfb.com/SouthernApistos/blueredtetra.jpg

On that site, the fish in the photo is called a "Boehlkea sp. 'Rio Nanay' ". (Alas, Southern Apistos hasn't had it -- or, indeed, any Peruvian characins -- for a long time. If that fish really looks like the photo, then -- to steal a line from S.J. Perelman -- there are few lengths short of murder to which I would not be prepared to go to get it; and if murder proved unavoidable, I would not let mere squeamishness stand in my way. Note also their photo of a new fish which they call the "Blue Neon Tetra": http://www.mtfb.com/SouthernApistos/tetra2.jpg )

Oh, before I continue, those photos - I forgot temporarily to mention that they're courtesy of no les a leadingf aquaristic light than Erwin Schraml himself, who is also credited with bringing them to the hobby. My currently defunct article on new Tetras should mention this fact (and indeed cite the magazine articles in which I first alighted upon them).

You're not alone Bruce, some of those fishes are real show stoppers, and I'd be more than happy to have them in my collection too - though whether I'd risk nding up sharing my meals with the likes of Dennis Nilsen to obtain them is a thought I won't dwell too long upon ... these are in the German hobby at the moment, and although the Kitty Tetras have come down to reasonable price levels because German aquarists have discovered how to breed them in quantity, some of the others are still 'mystery fishes' from the breeder's standpoint, and consequently change hands for Discus type money.

The Peruvian Sapphire Tetra I've just illustrated, and another fish called Boehlkea sp. "Sky Blue" is not ony a breeding mystery, but because they are closely related to those 'grey area' fishes from the old Innes book, namely Glandulocauda inequalis and Mimagoniates microlepis, there is the faint possibility that they may practice internal fertilisation of the eggs, even though there is no obvious anatomical adaptation to allow them to do so at first sight - Innes highighted this under the species details for Glandulocauda inequalis, in which he says:

Although this fish has been successfully bred a number of times, there remains some question as to just how fertilisation tkes place. The fishes do a side-by-side love dance, but no eggs seem to appear at the time. Reliable observers claim that the female several hours later deposits fertile eggs without the presence of the male. Possibly she draws into her egg duct water that has been charged with the sperm of the male. The author has not proven the process and there is not sufficient confirmiong evidence for him to make positive statements regarding it. The male may be distinguished by a more bulging outline to the outer edges of the tail fin, particularly the lower lobe.

With respect to the gender differentiation observation made by Innes in his piece, the specific name inequalis refers to just this trait, and is sufficiently visibly notiecable for the taxonomist describing it to make it a feature of the fish's scientific name. Incidentally, the same trait appears, to a lesser extent, in that other mystery fish, Mimagoniates microlepis (again Innes gives details), this latter fish having been called the "Blue Tetra" way back in the late 1930s, before Boehlkea fedcochui was discovered. However, the blue in this fish is NOWHERE near as obvious as that seen in the Cochu's Blue.


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

then -- to steal a line from S.J. Perelman -- there are few lengths short of murder to which I would not be prepared to go to get it; and if murder proved unavoidable, I would not let mere squeamishness stand in my way.

ROFLMAO..... Ditto the sentiment. We can do time in the slammer together. I love that fish!

---

~~Melissa~~
"Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder."

Here's another fish for you to covet Bruce ... I don't think this is the same fish as the Red Arc Pencilfish, but it's a spectacular one nonetheless ...


Attached Image:

Nannostomus marginatus "Purple" - Photographed by Erwin Schraml

Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Yeah, there are at least two Red Arc-type Pencilfish known now -- one of them, as you note, somewhat less colorful than the other, and maybe a slightly different hue as well. The number of entirely new species of attractive tropical fish still being discovered in jungles across the world continues to amaze me -- it gives you some idea of what we're going to lose if man-made ecological problems really do seriously reduce the world's biodiversity.

Mike Jacobs of "Southern Apistos" had a whole article in 2004 on some of the pretty new fish coming in from Peru to his store (although, maddeningly, he seems to be carrying almost nothing right now except dwarf cichlids and Plecos. Not that there's anything wrong with dwarf cichlids and Plecos, but, well, you know...):
http://www.mtfb.com/mikepage.htm

Note his entry on that second "Red Arc Pencilfish", which is less dramatically colored than N. mortenthaleri but still looks quite attractive: http://www.mtfb.com/SouthernApistos/redcoral2.jpg . Note also his entry on the "Morado Tetra", which I forgot to mention earlier, and which is also mentioned in a few other places on the Web as starting to come into stores here and there -- although I've never seen one. Again, his photo makes it look quite beautiful ( http://www.mtfb.com/SouthernApistos/moradoWEB.jpg ) -- although the one other photo of it I've found isn't quite as attractive-looking ( http://www.blackwaterfish.com/morado.htm ). As always, lighting angle may make all the difference.

Of all the fish he mentions, the only ones I've actually seen so far anywhere are N. mortenthaleri and the little "Zebra Otocinclus", which came in once in a small shipment at my rural but very well-stocked LFS. The little fellers look just like Jacobs' photo, and were very reasonably priced (about $4, if I remember correctly) -- but I didn't dare get any at the time because of one of the periodic epidemics in the library tank that I maintain.

Regarding those "epidemics", by the way, a side note that perhaps belongs in the Medical section, but which I'd like to hear your opinions on. I've been mystified for years as to why epidemics of bacterial diseases kept sweeping my tank despite the fact that repeated tests by experienced personnel showed the tank water to be entirely clean.

Then, about 2 months ago, I was vacuuming my tank and noticing how the fish swarmed eagerly around the tank vacuum to snap up dislodged pieces of food, and the low-voltage light bulb over my head suddenly lit up. I have never kept many bottom-feeders in that tank (usually no more than one or two, and sometimes none), and it suddenly hit me: my other fish may have been eating lots of bits of partially-decayed food off the bottom -- thus getting a far more concentrated dose of putrefactive bacteria than they could possibly get out of the water itself -- and giving themselves food poisoning!

I promptly stocked up on bottom-feeders (not just loaches, which I've always liked, but a few nice big Corydoras), and threatened the library staff with violence and sudden death if they overfed the fish, no matter HOW pathetically the little liars begged every time a human walked up to the tank. My fish-loss rate instantly plummeted to very low levels. This -- not keeping the water itself clean -- seems to be THE key reason why bottom-feeders are crucial to a healthy tank. (For all I know, a lot of books have mentioned this fact. All I know is that I myself have never seen this particular rationale for bottom-feeders mentioned in print.)

I ***WANT*** Morado Tetras. SOOO badly.

They are STUNNING. Probably be about £10 each when they reach the UK though (sigh).


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Those "kitty" tetras remind me somewhat of the garnet tetra, Hemigrammus pulcher. I'd like to see more of these fish in the near future, they're pretty cool.

Actually, a lot of the new tetras shown here and in the site Bruce linked to are very nice. But my experience so far has been that most people relegate tetras to second fiddle, and don't pay much attention to new discoveries or rare species. Because of this, many stores won't carry anything but the bread and butter tetras. They miss out on the good-looking fish that way.

---

And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

Another area where I'm fortunate Sirbooks - the big dealership I visited a while back carries a LOT more than the 'bread and butter' Tetras, and can order some of the oddities if required. After all, how hard is it for you to get Ember Tetras? Or Garnet Tetras? These and several other less frequently seen species are a 40 minute cycle ride away.

As to whether they could obtain Red Arc Pencilfishes or some Peruvian Sapphires, that would probably involve a special order (and in the case of the Red Arcs, a frightening level of expensse) but I don't doubt they could get them. I suspect that if I twisted the odd arm here and there, they could even get hold of Pseudocorynopoma doriae or Corynopoma riisei, which are usually considered to be as rare as the proverbial rocking horse dollop on both sides of the Atlantic ... mind you, I can foresee that involving some hairy financial juggling as well, given that they might have to be imported direct ...



Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Ember Tetras are pretty infrequent even here in California (and not that attractive, at least to me, when they do turn up, alas) -- but Garnet Tetras have been VERY common for a decade or more, and in fact turn up under several different names, including "Pretty Tetras" and "Stop-and-Go-Light Tetras".

The Characin whose absence from the "easily available" list has always mystified me most is the Three-Striped Pencilfish (N. trilineatus). These are rather delicate; but at their maturity they are absolutely beautiful fish, and they're supposed to be extremely common in the wild. But just try finding one in a store without special-ordering it.

I've seen them over here and in another state (Oregon). Both stores were pretty large though, and obviously could carry more fish than the typical outfit. Pretty nice looking pencilfish, especially when they get those little blue fringes on them. Still not as good-looking as Nannostomus mortenthaleri though.

---

And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

In that case Books, you and Bruce should get together and organise some swaps!

Depending of course upon the practicalities of distance and the logsitical fun and games involved therein ...

Meanwhile, I think Bruce would be quite pleased to see the Garnet Tetras I've seen recently - they were quite a size. Certainly a good deal bigger than the Head & Tail Lights that they resemble, which were in a separate aquarium some distance from the Garnets.

Mind you, it's still strange to consider that I can, if I wish to indulge in the expense and commit myself to major live food cultivating in the kitchen, obtain Poecilocharax weitzmani without too much difficulty!

Oh, I haven't seen trifasciatus among the Pencil Fishes recently, but I've seen beckfordi, espei and unifasciatus - and even more surprisingly, all together at the same time! Next time I pop in there, I'll have to ask if he can get trifasciatus Pencil Fishes ...


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

The Garnet Tetras we see here (and I repeat that we've been seeing them entirely routinely for a decade or more) are always considerably bigger than the Head-and-Tail-Lights. (I kept a couple once about a decade ago; they seem to be quite easy to keep, although I wouldn't put them in the top rank aesthetically.)

As for N. trifasciatus, when they hit maturity they can be very spectacular-looking indeed -- rather like sports cars with fins. Their gold color between the black stripes is very bright gold (unlike any other Pencilfish I've seen), they have a few little red dots down their sides, and the combination of red fins with a sky-blue edge on the pelvic fins is very nice. Unfortunately, they are also quite delicate, unlike Beckford's penciflish. (This is not to put down Beckford's -- the stores are aswarm with them, they're fairly tough and quite attractive, and unlike Caly I've had no trouble with any fights between the males other than the occasional symbolic side-by-side wiggling routine. N. espei also come in with lesser but still surprising frequency, but I can't say anything at all for thir dingy looks.)

While this is getting off the subject of Tetras, I'm also on the lookout for the recently discovered bright green Kubotai Rasbora (Microrasbora kubotai). I've seen a shipment of this little fish only once -- and I didn't dare get it at the time because of (you guessed it) my trouble at the time with a tank epidemic. But it is very attractive; it looks just like the brighter photos of it on the Web, and one experienced clerk who kept some said that it seems fairly tough. (He keeps trying to order shipments of it for me and getting Emerald Eye Rasboras instead.)

http://filaman.ifm-geomar.de/Summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=58581

http://www.fischhaus-zepkow.de/gruppe_karpfenaehnliche2.html

http://www.rva.ne.jp/gallary2/carp/kubotae.htm

Note also the photo of a school of the little buggers swimming in the Songgaria River, to which they were accidentally introduced after a local fish merchant died and his family dumped all his remaining stock into the river. They seem to be doing very well in their new home, which suggests again that they're not greatly delicate:
http://siamensis.org/survey/s049e.asp