S A AQUARIUMS & TROPICAL DISCOVERY

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Volu me 7 • Nu mber 6 | M E DA K A • A N D E A N A N C I S T RUS • R A I N B O W F I S H A DV E N T U R E S

Marvelous
Medaka
❙ Collecting Mexican Cichlids
❙ New Andean Ancistrus
❙ Rainbowfish Adventures

NOV/DEC 2018
 CONTENTS • VOLUME 7, NUMBER 6
EXECUTIVE EDITOR | Ann Whitman
5 EDITORIAL by Ann Whitman
SENIOR EDITORS & PUBLISHERS | Matthew W.
Pedersen, Michael J. Tuccinardi, Stephan M. 6 LETTER FROM EUROPE by Friedrich Bitter
Tanner, Ph.D.
8 AQUATIC NOTEBOOK by AMAZONAS staff
INTERNATIONAL PUBLISHER | Matthias Schmidt
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF | Friedrich Bitter
DESIGNER | Michael Kolmogortsev
EDITORS -AT-LARGE | Eric Bodrock, Gary Elson,
FEATURE ARTICLES
Hans-Georg Evers, Dr. Tim Hovanec, Ted Judy, Ad
Konings, Gary Lange, Dr. Paul V. Loiselle, Oliver
18 INTRODUCING MEDAKAS
Lucanus, Ingo Seidel, and Greg Steeves A fish for many interests
TRANSLATOR | Mary Bailey by Friedrich Bitter
ART DIRECTORS | Amey Radcliffe, Stephanie Salmon 28 VIEW FROM THE TOP: MULTICOLORED MEDAKAS
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COVER:
Colorful new varieties of Medaka 97 ADVERTISER INDEX
(Oryzias latipes). Images by
F. Bitter 98 UNDERWATER EYE
by Hristo Hristov
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4
AMAZONAS
L E T T E R F R O M TH E EDITOR

EDITORIAL
Dear Readers,
By November, the autumn foliage has already peaked in crimson, yellow and orange, and fallen to
the ground here in Vermont, the chilly Northeast. My summer tubs of Water Lilies and breeding
colonies of Platies (Xiphophorus sp.), Mexican Mollies (Poecilia sphenops), Orange-finned (Danio
kyathit) and Gold-Ring Danios (D. tinwini), White Clouds (Tanichthys alboneubes), and Bloodfin
Tetras (Aphyocharax anisitsi) are safely back in their warm winter aquariums. The plant tubers are
tucked into plastic bags of peat and the equipment stored away. This is the time of year when I like
to relax a bit and take stock of my fish room and goals, clean up the projects that got put aside “for
later,” and start planning for next year. Medaka (Oryzias latipes), our feature fish in this issue, will
likely inhabit at least one of my tubs. These killifish are gaining popularity in North America and I’m
intrigued with fish that thrive outdoors and show well in patio ponds.
Part of my winter downtime involves a healthy dose of dreaming about travels to warm, distant
places to see native habitats, perhaps collect some fish and plants, and experience the thrill of see-
ing the tropical plants, birds, amphibians, and fish in the wild that I have enjoyed for so long in my
hobbies. So far, I admit, much of my armchair occupation has been just that—bucket-list dreams.
Perhaps 2019 will be the year that I finally make it to Peru or one of the other South or Central
American destinations on my list.
If you share my travel dreams, you will enjoy flying over and driving the backroads of Papua to
search for Rainbowfish with Johannes Graf, Gary Lange and their companions. Or, maybe exploring
the watersheds of southern Mexico for big cichlids is on your checklist. Intrepid explorer Hans-
Georg Evers begins his new column, What’s Up?, this month with a collecting adventure in the An-
des Mountains of Peru. So, step away from the day-to-day for a little while, settle into an armchair,
and travel to faraway places with our adventurers. Get inspired.

Ann Whitman

Vacations by the water are a

must, such as this warm, sandy
beach in West Mabou, Nova
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Scotia, Canada.

5
 LET TER FROM EUROPE
Dear Readers,
As we prepare for winter, I’m already dreaming of spring. For a growing circle of aquarists, late spring is
the time for preparing small ponds and tubs for populating with fishes from temperate and even tropi-
cal latitudes. This is precisely why once we are devoting part of this issue to detailed coverage of the
Japanese Ricefish, which has an ever-increasing number of fans, and not only in its native land. This
colorful killifish is an ideal subject for stocking seasonal outdoor containers. We’ve covered the basic
requirements of these attractive fish, introduced a few of the cutting-edge Japanese breeders, and given
you lots of photos to get you excited for this fascinating species. Have we awakened your interest?
In addition, we take you to Mexico, South America, and Papua to collect new fishes with some of
the top explorers in our hobby. Lakes and rivers everywhere are home to creatures with the potential
to enrich the interest we all share. Seeing photos and reading first-hand descriptions of their natural
habitats allows us to prepare our aquariums to suit their needs, so that our fishes feel at home right
from the start, and are free to be what we love them for: a little piece of nature in our homes.

Happy reading!

Friedrich Bitter
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6
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AQUATIC
article & images by Hans-Georg Evers •
Whiptail catfishes:
new nomenclature
FIRST THE GOOD NEWS: A new species of the whiptail catfish
genus Sturisoma has recently been recognized. Londoño-
Burbano (2018) has described Sturisoma graffini from
southern Peru as the eleventh species of the genus, whose
distribution is considered strictly cis-Andean, occur-
ring in the Amazon lowlands (Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador,
Colombia, and Peru), the Orinoco Basin (Colombia,
Venezuela), the La Plata Basin (Argentina, Paraguay), as
well as in the drainages of the Rupununi and Essequibo
on the Guyana shield.
Changed generic placement
The Sturisoma species are bottom-dwelling fishes with
relatively short finnage and shorter rostrums compared to
the closely-related, trans-Andean genus Sturisomatichthys.
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From the aquarist’s viewpoint, the best-known members
of the genus Sturisoma, which was recently revised by
Covain et al. (2016), are S. nigrirostrum and S. robustum.
Catfish experts among our readers will doubtless be wrin-
8
View of the Río las
Piedras, a tributary
of the Río Madre
de Dios in southern
Peru and habitat of
Sturisoma graffini.
Inset: Freshly
caught Sturisoma
graffini.
kling their eyebrows and asking themselves why I haven’t
mentioned S. aureum and S. festivum.
And that brings me to the bad news in this short
article. Both last-named species live in the trans-Andean
part of Colombia and were unequivocally assigned to the
genus Sturisomatichthys by Covain et al. (2016) based on
genetic studies, and since then have been known as Sturi-
somatichthys aureus and Sturisomatichthys festivus. Ac-
cording to Covain et al. (2016), the two genera are most
closely related to Farlowella and together they constitute a
tribe of their own that is monophyletic.
Have I confused you? Or even irritated? Please don’t
blame me, or Raphaël Covain and his co-authors for
that matter! I regard this new classification as generally
sensible, although I have my doubts at least in the case
of Sturisomatichthys panamensis (a taxon used incor-
rectly for S. festivus for decades by some unwilling-to-
learn aquarists!), whose external appearance is much
more reminiscent of the cis-Andean species; moreover,
like the latter group, it inhabits sandy
biotopes and is hardly ever found on
wood, unlike the other species of the
genus Sturisomatichthys.
Other parts of the repeatedly cited
work by Covain et al. (2016) are a lot
more controversial in my view and that of
other catfish enthusiasts, and raise a lot
more doubts. But fortunately, that isn’t
relevant here. Aquarists will learn a new name. This
Aquarists will now have to change popular whiptail catfish, formerly classified
as Sturisoma festivus, is now correctly termed
their ways once again, and in future speak
Sturisomatichthys festivus.
of Sturisomatichthys instead of Sturisoma
where the most popular members of the
whiptail catfishes are concerned.
Sturisoma are different
Returning our attention to the genus Sturisoma, S. ni-
grirostrum and similar species are usually found on sandy
bottoms. I have always caught these fishes on sandbanks
in larger white-water rivers using a seine net. In the
aquarium, too, they prefer to rest on the bottom, moving
little, if at all. I well remember a pair of S. nigrirostrum
that I kept for a number of years. The two fishes lay
motionless next to each other on the sand in the cur-
rent. They were there in the morning, at noon, and in
the evening, and also at night, when I tiptoed in to look
for them with a flashlight. In all those years, I never saw
them anywhere else in the aquarium.
The underside of the
rostrum is dark in color
in Sturisoma graffini—a
characteristic of the
species!
The newly recognized species Sturisoma graffini was
described from the drainage of the Río Madre de Dios in
southern Peru. The majority of the specimens on which
the description is based were collected in the area of the
Manu National Park (small affluents of the Río Manu
and in the Manu itself), though specimens from the
drainage of the Río Tambopata are also mentioned.
The species is in fact distributed further downstream
in wide parts of the Madre de Dios basin. I have, for ex-
ample, caught it several times in the way described above
on extensive sandbanks in the Río las Piedras. The water
temperature in the Río las Piedras can fluctuate between
71.5 and 80.5°F (22 and 27°C) in the space of a few
days. The visibility in this typical whitewater river was very
low and was no more than a few centimeters on every
occasion I visited it.
The species is distinguished from all other members
of the genus by its dentition, and otherwise mainly by a
broad, dark dorsolateral longitudinal band extending at
most to half-way along the caudal peduncle. The under-
side of the rostrum is black, while by contrast the remain-
der of the underside of the body is light. Once again, I
see several catfish experts wrinkling their eyebrows. And I
have myself wondered whether that is enough to diagnose
a new species? Fortunately, I’m not a scientist and hence
cannot comment.
A brief anecdote in conclusion: the species was named
in honor of Greg Graffin, who has a doctorate in zool-
ogy but is probably better known as the lead singer of the
punk rock band Bad Religion!
REFERENCES
Covain, R., S. Fisch-Muller, C. Oliveira, J. H. Mol, J. I. Montoya-Burgos, S.
Dray (2016): Molecular phylogeny of the highly diversified catfish subfamily
Loricariinae (Siluriformes, Loricariidae) reveals incongruences with
morphological classification. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 94:
492–517. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2015.10.018
Londoño-Burbano, A. (2018): A new species of Sturisoma (Loricariidae:
AMAZONAS
Loricariinae) from the Madre de Dios River basin, Peru, with a key to all
congeners and comments on the type series of Sturisoma rostratum.
Journal of Fish Biology. doi:10.1111/jfb.13560
9
AQUATIC

A new miniature sleeper

goby from northern Brazil
Microphilypnus hypolyrasimeion
is a recently described miniature
sleeper goby.

Microcharacidium sp. shares the habitat

with Microphilypnus hypolyrasimeion.

This Microphilypnus specimen reached

TOP & MIDDLE: R. BRITZ; BOTTOM: S. K. HETZ

Germany in 2015 as a bycatch.

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10
by Ole Arnold Schneider • Many South American
representatives of the characin, cichlid, and
catfish families are well-known, widespread,
and popular in the aquarium hobby. But South
American gobies, let alone sleeper gobies, are
far less common. Some truly tiny gobies in Latin
America are still being discovered and definitely
invite a second look.
COMPARED TO THE DIVERSITY of goby species in Australia
or East and Southeast Asia, there is a relatively sparse
spectrum on the North and South American continents,
so, it is hardly a surprise that the New-World representa-
tives also rarely appear in the aquarium hobby. The gobies
discussed here, however, remain hidden in a completely
different way: they are the smallest of all the freshwater
sleeper gobies, so you first have to find them. Given their
tiny stature they would probably be perfect for the nano-
aquarium, but there remains a shortage of imports.
Three genera
The Latin-American miniature sleeper gobies belong
to three genera that are found predominantly in fresh
water, but sometimes also in brackish. Members of
Leptophilypnus, the first genus, are found only in Central
America. According to the most recent revision of the
genus by Thacker et al. (2006), there are a total of three
valid species. The largest can attain a standard length
of just over 2 inches (55 mm) and is the longest of the
small fish discussed here. Originally, a number of species
were described in a genus of their own, Microeleotris,
but this has now been absorbed into Leptophilypnus. The
habitats of Leptophilypnus species, in part, include coastal
brackish-water regions on the Central American land
bridge, where their distribution extends its entire length,
from Panama to Mexico (Espinosa-Pérez et al., 2014).
The second genus in this group is Leptophilypnion,
whose name similarity to the first genus offers plenty of
opportunity for confusion. The scientific description of
the genus was comparatively recent, as it was first erected
in 2013 by Roberts, and to date it comprises just two
species, both from northern Brazil. The outlook for these
doesn’t look very bright, however: the type material was
collected decades ago and, despite interim searches in
the wild, as well as in zoological collections, no further
specimens have been found. One of the two species may
even already be extinct, as the area around the type local-
ity, in the vicinity of the Brazilian city of Santarém, has
been extensively deforested in the course of increasing
the area available locally for soybean cultivation (Roberts
2013). The two species are absolutely tiny with a recorded
maximum standard length of only about 3/8 inch (9-10
mm), and even their live coloration remains unknown.
The members of the third genus, Microphilypnus, de-
scribed in 1927 by the American ichthyologist George S.
Myers, are true dwarfs with a maximum length of only
an inch (25 mm). The most recent revision of the genus
was performed in 2011 by Caires and de Figueiredo,
and subsequently another species was added two years
later (Caires 2013). Thus, to date there are four valid
members of Microphilypnus. All the species are found
exclusively in South America, where they are distrib-
uted across Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Brazil, and
Bolivia in the drainages of the Amazon and the Orinoco
(Thacker et al., 2006).
In their natural habitats, they are often found near
the bank, sometimes in still, very shallow water in
oxbow lakes, inundation zones, and small watercourses,
where they live over soft bottoms and hide in mud or
leaf litter.
Camouflage alliances?
Microphilypnus species are not only well camouflaged in
this environment, but may also be practicing a form of
mimicry together with other very small aquatic denizens.
Observations suggesting such a hypothesis originate
from a study by Carvalho et al. (2006), who found that
the sleeper gobies share their habitat “conspicuously
inconspicuously” with small characin and shrimp spe-
cies. The Microphilypnus species observed by them in the
field as well as in the aquarium were predominantly M.
ternetzi and occasionally M. macrostoma (Caires pers.
comm., Caires & de Figueiredo 2011, Caires & Toledo-
Piza 2018). These apparently live in close association
with the characin Priocharax ariel and three shrimp
species from the rock and partner shrimp family (Palae-
monidae): Pseudopalaemon amazonensis, P. chryseus, and
Palaemonetes carteri.
In the wild however, the shrimps very clearly pre-
dominate in numbers. All species have the common
feature of a light brown speckled coloration and a trans-
parent body, by virtue of which they are ideally adapted
to their environment. In addition, they all have a similar
body shape and a short length, which makes it difficult
(at least from a human perspective) to spot them. While
the characins swim in the open water near the bottom,
the gobies and shrimps live directly on the bottom and
are active mainly at night.
Gobies, characins, and shrimps also exhibit very
different flight reactions, from which the authors
deduce a possible additional method of confusing at-
tackers. As is so often the case, however, a lot more
research into these inter-relationships and phenomena
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is required before more definite pronouncements on
the subject are possible. Aquarists could certainly make
an important contribution to this by means of long-
term behavioral observations.
11
 A newly described species
Microphilypnus hypolyrasimeion, a fifth species of the ge-
nus, was described at the beginning of the year, and here
too there are indications and assumptions about living re-
lationships of this type (Caires & Toledo-Piza 2018). The
species, which was collected in northern Brazil back in
2011, was found together with Microcharacidium sp. and
Collecting locality for the new sleeper
goby in the Igarapé Tibarrá, a tributary of
the Rio Negro, upstream of Santa Isabel
do Rio Negro.
Odontocharacidium sp., two currently still-undescribed,
miniature characins. The visible similarities in markings,
coloration, and size between Microcharacidium sp. and
Microphilypnus hypolyrasimeion are impossible to ignore.
In addition, both species are only a few millimeters long.
There are an astonishingly large number of very small
fishes in the fresh waters of South America, with 213
species currently listed that measure less than one inch
(26 mm) in length (Toledo-Piza et al., 2014). But, they
include only seven goby species, and M. hypolyrasimeion,
currently with a maximum recorded standard length of
barely 5/8 inch (15 mm), is the smallest member of its
genus known to date. Its small size and attractive pattern
of red-brown spots, speckles, and lines on the fins and
transparent body would certainly make the species an
interesting fish for the nano aquarium.
Scarce imports
Unfortunately, miniature sleeper gobies are not yet
commercially unavailable. Only single specimens have
AMAZONAS
reached the aquarium hobby as bycatches, in shipments
of Cardinal Tetras, for example (Hetz, pers. com.).
Microphilypnus ternetzi is probably the species most
commonly found in the wild, and the fish shown at the
12
bottom of page 10 is probably that species as well (Britz,
pers. com.). But, to date there is no information about
deliberate or commercial imports, and equally little is
known about reproduction or other aspects of the spe-
cies’ way of life.
The sites where Microphilypnus species are found are
often located deep in the interior of South America, mak-
ing it probable that the development
of the larvae may play out entirely in
fresh water, so the chances of successful
breeding in the aquarium don’t seem
all that bad. Hopefully, some specimens
will eventually find their way into en-
thusiasts’ tanks, so that one day there
will be more to report about them.
Obrigado! I would like to thank Manoela
Marinho, Ralf Britz, and Stefan K. Hetz.
All three provided photos for this article,
without which it wouldn’t have been possible
at all. I would also like to heartily thank
Ralf Britz and Rodrigo A. Caires for their
expert supporting information and willing-
ness to help.
REFERENCES
Caires, R. A. (2013): Microphilypnus tapajosensis,
a new species of eleotridid from the Tapajós basin,
Brazil (Gobioidei: Eleotrididae). Ichthyological
Exploration of Freshwaters, 24 (2): 155–160.
Caires, R. A. & J. L. de Figueiredo (2011): Review of
the genus Microphilypnus Myers, 1927 (Teleostei:
Gobioidei: Eleotridae) from the lower Amazon basin, with description of one
new species. Zootaxa, 3036: 39–57.
Caires, R. A. & M. Toledo-Piza (2018): A new species of miniature fish of
the genus Microphilypnus Myers, 1927 (Gobioidei: Eleotridae) from the
upper Rio Negro basin, Amazonas, Brazil. Copeia, 106 (1): 49–55.
Carvalho, L. N., J. Zuanon & I. Sazima (2006): The almost invisible league:
crypsis and association between minute fishes and shrimps as a possible
defence against visually hunting predators. Neotropical Ichthyology, 4 (2):
219–224.
Espinosa-Pérez, H., A. Martínez & D. Sepúlveda (2014): Leptophilypnus
guatemalensis Thacker & Pezold, 2006 (Gobiiformes: Eleotridae): first
record in México. Check List, 10 (6): 1535–1537.
Myers, G. S. (1927): Descriptions of new South American fresh-water
fishes collected by Dr. Carl Ternetz. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative
Zoology, 68 (3): 107–135.
Roberts, T. R. (2013): Leptophilypnion, a new genus with two new species
of tiny central Amazonian gobioid fishes (Teleostei, Eleotridae). aqua,
International Journal of Ichthyology, 19 (2): 85–98.
Thacker, C. E., F. L. Pezold & R. D. Suttkus (2006): Redescription of the
dwarf neotropical eleotrid genus Leptophilypnus (Teleostei: Gobioidei),
including a new species and comments on Microphilypnus. Copeia, (3):
489–499.
Toledo-Piza, M., G. M. T. Mattox & R. Britz (2014): Priocharax nanus, a
new miniature characid from the Rio Negro, Amazon Basin (Ostariophysi:
M. MARINHO
Characiformes), with an updated list of miniature neotropical freshwater
fishes. Neotropical Ichthyology, 12 (2): 229–246.
 13
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AQUATIC
catfishes also exhibit comparable
similarity. In some cases, up to three
different species with very similar

Delightfully rare! markings have been recorded in the

A pair of Corydoras tukano.
by Hans-Georg Evers • Fishes from the
upper Rio Negro in the Brazil/Colombia
border region rarely reach the aquarium
hobby. It is even rarer for mailed catfishes
from the Rio Tiquié to turn up in the trade.
The mailed catfish Corydoras tukano was
described from this remote river and has been imported
now and then in the past. In a few cases, there was
also a similarly colored longer-nosed or “saddle-snout”
among the imports, which was quickly given the code
number CW 11. Flavio Lima, one of those who de-
scribed C. tukano, also caught this saddle-snout, along
with the type material of the species—but he had only
a few specimens, and they didn’t represent sufficient
material for a first scientific description.
Renewed collections in 2006 and 2008 yielded small
numbers of CW 11, which were caught with the far com-
moner C. tukano. Eventually,
enough specimens were ac-
cumulated for Lima & Sazima
(2017) to describe the species Corydoras desana, a very
as Corydoras desana, a short rare guest in our aquariums.
time ago.
Pier Aquatics of Wigan,
UK, has managed to import a
same biotope. For this reason, Mül-
lerian mimicry—in which a poison-
ous species is imitated by a non-poi-
sonous one—was assumed in earlier
publications. But Lima and Sazima
demonstrated very nicely that, in this
case, both species have a gland at the
base of the first pectoral fin ray that
produces a poisonous secretion as a
defense against enemies. If the fish is
attacked, the pectoral fins are spread
and the gland releases the secretion.
It is transmitted along the first pec-
toral fin ray, which is modified into a
pointed spine, and injected into the
predator. So the predator not only
gets stabbed, but also has to endure
the pain of the poison. Any aquarist
who has handled one of these mailed
catfishes can confirm this: it is very painful (just how
painful depends on the species) and can last for hours.
In this case, where both species are poisonous, the
correct term is Batesian mimicry. Luiz Tencatt (pers.
comm.) has found these glands in all the mailed cat-
fishes he has studied. So it can be assumed that Batesian
mimicry is the norm in mailed catfishes. This and further
observations show that research on the mailed catfishes
is still far from complete.
REFERENCES
Britto, M.R. and Lima, F.C.T. 2003. Corydoras tukano, a new species of
corydoradine catfish from the upper rio Tiquié, upper rio Negro basin, Brazil
(Ostariophysi: Siluriformes: Callichthyidae). Neotrop Ichthyol 1 (2): 83–91.
Lima, F.C.T. and I. Sazima. 2017. Corydoras desana, a new plated catfish
from the upper rio Negro, Brazil, with comments on mimicry within
Corydoradinae (Ostariophysi: Siluriformes: Callichthyidae). aqua, Int J
Ichthyol 23 (1): 19–32.
TOP: H.-G. EVERS; BOTTOM: N. WOODWARD

number of C. desana. Because

of the very high price, such
treasures usually go to Asia,
where aquarists are more will-
AMAZONAS

ing to splurge.
The very similar col-
oration of the two species
is striking. Other mailed

16
 “Continuously releases good bacteria to consume
waste - keeping your tank clean”

HELPS MAINTAIN A CLEAN TANK

BREAKS DOWN FISH WASTE

Gets into the nooks and crannies of
hard to reach areas”
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GOOD FOR FRESHWATER • MARINE • TURTLE • PLANT • AMPHIBIAN TANKS • REEF SAFE

17
 C OV E R STORY

Introducing
Medakas
A fish for many interests
article & images by Friedrich Bitter • Many fish species require close attention to
every detail if you want to maintain them successfully and maybe even breed them.
Happily, the Japanese Ricefish (Oryzias latipes) is not among that challenging group.
These small, colorful fish take virtually anything in their stride and reward you with
offspring without too much coaxing.

Male of a Yang-Guifei variant

known as the “Silver Banded”;
the term “Hikari” is used
for specimens like this with
“doubled” dorsal and caudal
fins. Compare to fish with wild-
type fins at top of page 20.
AMAZONAS

18
A breeding group of young
Medakas from a yellow-red
strain; the numerous reflective
scales on the back and flanks
are called “Lamé”, like the flashy
fabric they resemble.
MEDAKA, ALSO KNOWN AS JAPANESE RICEFISH, have
been kept as pets for centuries throughout their
native range and beyond. This ordinarily drab
schooling fish has been selectively bred into an
astonishing array of colors and patterns, often
resembling those seen in fancy Goldfish and
Koi. Unlike those much larger species, however,
Medaka require only modest investments in
space, equipment, and maintenance in return
for their fascinating behavior and simple beauty.
Housing requirements
A standard 15 to 20-gallon (57 to 75-l) aquari-
um is a good start for a group of about 10 to 15
Medaka. In tanks used exclusively for breeding
or rearing, I use little or no bottom substrate in
the interests of easier monitoring and cleaning.
Any mulm that accumulates can be siphoned
off, leaving no residue. If, on the other hand, the
aquarium is to be more decorative with plants
and rocks or bogwood, I introduce a suitably
deep layer of sand or fine, natural-colored river
gravel. I avoid coarse-grained substrate because
uneaten food invariably sinks to the bottom,
disappears between the stones, and pollutes the
water unnecessarily.
Incidentally, during scientific research—
which decades ago discovered the Japanese Rice-
fish to be an ideal model organism—small breed-
ing groups are put into aquariums of as little as
1.3 gallons (5 l) volume to breed. Although this
type of housing is necessary for highly controlled
scientific laboratories, such small containers
are unacceptable for aquarists who wish to keep
Medakas. Small volumes of water do not allow
the fish to display their natural behavior, and
maintaining stable water quality is very difficult.
The fish will live longer, healthier lives in an
environment better suited to their needs.
Luckily for the wallet, Medakas are unde-
manding inhabitants of nearly any environment
in which they find themselves. In theory, you
can even keep them in an aquarium with no
filter, but I prefer a separate filter chamber or a
sponge filter, in both cases powered by an air lift.
Power filters, whether internal or external, are
also suitable, but they often produce a high flow
rate, and Oryzias latipes do not like to constantly
swim against a current.
An aquarium heater can be added, if neces-
sary. These fishes begin their reproductive activi-
ties from about 68°F (20°C) upwards, with the
optimum breeding temperatures being 75–79°F
(24–26°C). High temperatures will shorten their
lifespan, however, which must be considered.
You can actually get by without any additional
aquarium heating in most homes, which imitate
the temperature fluctuations between day and
night that also occur in nature.
Keeping Medaka outdoors will demonstrate
AMAZONAS
the adaptability of these fish. It can be signifi-
cantly warmer, especially at midday in the height
of summer and, although Medaka can tolerate
higher temperatures, it’s best to provide shade
19
 MEDAKA-RIFFIC!

Fish of the Miyuki strain “Super Long Line

Light”; the deeply notched dorsal and prolonged
anal fin clearly identify it as a male.

or place containers out of direct sun. Anyone who forgets to bring their fishes
indoors in autumn, will find that they can also survive temperatures as low as
45°F (8°C).
That leaves the lighting. Modern LED systems are my first choice. They
produce very little unnecessary waste heat and illuminate the aquarium more
than adequately. I have set up a series of open-topped aquariums in which
plants such as Umbrella Palm (Cyperus alternifolius) can grow as tall as they
like. Even if there is permanent contact with the lighting they rarely suffer any
damage, and the light intensity is perfectly adequate for the sun-loving plants
in the aquarium.

Aquascaping
Medaka feel most at ease in a well-planted aquarium where they will display
their brightest colors. I have experimented with submerged aquatic plants as
Perfect For well as emersed marsh plants that can be kept indoors. These fish are also
Small Tropical Fish suitable for an open-topped aquarium, such as a paludarium or vivarium,
where structures of stone and wood extend above the water’s surface, as long
Scientifically as the water is well below the top of the glass to prevent the fish from jumping
Formulated out. The emersed landscape can be planted with additional greenery, such as
Nutrient Mix mosses, if sufficient moisture is present. Submerged cushions of mosses are
also particularly popular with Medakas for depositing their eggs.

Superb Growth Water parameters

And Color Given the number of aquariums I have, I needed to come up with a solution
for less time-consuming maintenance. As mentioned, Oryzias latipes has a
Micro-Coated broad tolerance when it comes to water parameters. I have now moved away
To Lock In Nutrition from making numerous small water changes. Instead it’s a case of “thinking
big”: in 40-gallon (150-l) aquariums with half-grown to adult fishes, which
are actually quite temperature-tolerant, I change at least 90% of the volume
once a month. Even in winter I use fresh tap water, with the sole limitation

MORE that it flows only slowly into the tanks. The fishes can cope with this without
problems and there are no losses. Water changes may be a different matter
FEEDING in the living-room, where you can’t always work with the garden hose. Plus,
OPTIONS the temperature should be adjusted so that the plants and companion fishes
don’t suffer any damage. Routine water changes, whether 20% weekly or up
to 90% monthly, will keep the water within the safe zone for these fish.
Unlike many other fish species from tropical and subtropical areas, Meda-
kas do not like extremely soft water. In their natural range, they are instead
adapted to medium-hard to hard water. If you need to alter your water, either
harden it with crushed oyster shell or limestone or add 1 to 1-1/2 table-
AMAZONAS

spoons of marine salt per gallon. Oryzias latipes is able to live in brackish
water, which would confirm its high degree of adaptability. However, note
that salt will limit the plants and companion fishes suitable for living in your
Medaka aquarium.

20
 We do have to be careful with the pH value. A pH just
below 7 is the lowest recommended, but it is better to always
keep it between 7 and 8. Avoid décor that can lower the pH,
such as dried leaves or peat fiber. Decorative wood should be
well-soaked before being placed in the aquarium, and feeding
should be in moderation. Regular water changes will also
help maintain the pH.
Yang-Guifei variant “Silver Banded” male
Feeding
Ever since I became interested in Medakas, I’ve been study-
ing the different aspects of their diet. Some other species in
my set-up require live food, so I was immediately happy that SPECIES FACTS:
my first Ricefish imports were satisfied with commercially JAPANESE RICEFISH
prepared foods, and even completed their entire life cycle on
such foods. Size:
Up to 1.75 inches (4.5 cm)

Class:
Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes)
Order: Beloniformes (beloniforms)
Family: Adrianichthyidae (ricefishes)
Subfamily: Oryziinae
Genus: Oryzias
Species: Oryzias latipes

Native range:
Japan

Habitat:
The natural habitat of the Japanese Ricefish includes
pools, ponds, and stagnating streams on coastal
plains and in lowland areas. In some regions of
Japan and Korea, they have even been recorded in
tidal pools. They are also found in association with
human activity, in rice fields and their irrigation
channels.

Preferred water parameters:

pH 7.0–8.0
Hardness 8–20° dGH
Temperature 64.4-75.2°F (18–24°C)

To some extent, O. latipes will tolerate a much wider

range of water parameters, although higher tem-
peratures will shorten their natural lifespan.

Reproduction:
Adhesive eggs with a development time of between 6
and 16 days, depending on temperature.

Age at sexual maturity:

Open-topped aquarium with On average around 4 months in captive-bred fish
AMAZONAS

Medakas in the living-room; the LED Average life expectancy:

lighting also provides for emersed 14–15 months
growth of the plants.

21
 Here we see a
female shedding her
eggs on fine-leaved
plants, watched by
two males.
Courting male
of a dark Orochi
strain; the breeding
objective is to
produce completely
black specimens.
On my most recent trips to Japan, I visited various
breeders, looked at the range of foods available in pet
stores, and listened to the remarks of Fumitoshi Mori,
a journalist and specialist author of many aquarium-
hobby books and magazine articles. I found that there
are already many types of food specifically made for
these popular fishes. Japanese Medaka foods vary in
composition and quality. Granulated food has proven
successful, especially the types that float for a long time
and disintegrate slowly, as the fishes prefer to take food
at the water’s surface. I now work with just two granule
sizes, namely 0.2–0.3 mm for the youngsters and 0.3–0.5
mm for half-grown to adult fishes. Hikari makes a num-
ber of different formulations.
Unlike the fry of many other fish species, Medaka
feeding should take place within the first 24 hours after
hatching. Even the fine granulated food would still be
too big for the little fry immediately after hatching,
so I process it to a very fine powder in a mortar, and
then sprinkle very tiny portions on the water’s surface.
Fumitoshi Mori advised me to also feed fine, freshly-
AMAZONAS
hatched Artemia nauplii for the first two or three days
of life and I would see a qualitative improvement. I have
noticed that different Medaka strains produce different-
sized young, however. Artemia nauplii are initially too
22
big for some, but I can still bring them through using
powdered food.
Incidentally, decapsulated Artemia eggs, which have
a small diameter, are also readily eaten by the young.
After being warned that they could swell up in the diges-
tive tract and damage the fishes, I initially soaked them
before feeding. Nowadays I use a small spoon to scatter
them on the water’s surface directly from the pack—
without any negative effects on the offspring.
Let’s get back to granulated food. The Asian trade
offers it in a variety of different recipes. Some are aimed
primarily at growth and these are not bad for young
Medakas, as long as they are still growing and haven’t yet
reached sexual maturity. Thereafter, growth foods may
become a problem, at least for some females. They rapidly
increase in girth, which is the beginning of the end. This
can be countered by serving appropriate portions that are
eaten relatively quickly. Fasting for several days does not
harm the fishes in any way and is rather useful. I find
it best to feed lower-calorie foods to sexually-mature indi-
viduals. If you cannot find the Japanese food varieties,
take advantage of what the domestic market offers.
If I catch enough live food in our pond, the Meda-
kas also receive copepods and the smallest water fleas
now and then. The fish may not be particularly good
Spontaneous mutations sometimes
occur as well; this male actually
belongs to the “Black Rim” strain
which normally has dark-colored
scales on the back.

Male (above) and female

(below) of an orange-
yellow strain called
“Yang Guifei”; note the
gender-specific split
dorsal and elongated
anal fin of the male.
AMAZONAS

23
 The gender differences
in fin and body shape are
also clearly visible in these
“Black Rim, Red Color”
fishes; gravid female below.

Under magnification, fine adhesive

threads are visible on the eggs.
AMAZONAS

The threads adhere to plants and

spawning mops, making the eggs
easier to shed.

24
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25
 Newly-hatched fry in a rearing
container; feeding can now begin.
Developing fry are visible
in these Medaka eggs.
hunters, but they are good enough to overpow-
er small mosquito larvae and glassworms before
they pupate.
Breeding
I can’t give any hints for putting together the
right breeding pairs or groups, as this depends
on strains and variants and would go beyond the
scope of this article. For targeted breeding under con-
trolled conditions, however, I proceed as follows:
The aquarium equipment is limited to an air-powered
sponge filter. I offer the females several acrylic yarn mops
as a spawning medium, some floating, some lying on the
bottom. The preferred sites for shedding eggs vary with
the individual, but I find most of the eggs in the mop
near the bottom.
You only rarely get to see any of the mating behavior
itself, as it usually begins early in the morning. The males
display with their fins spread in front of the females and
can occasionally be really persistent. If a female is willing
to mate, she doesn’t flee but surrenders to the male’s ad-
vances. At the climax of mating, the male snuggles tightly
against his partner and embraces her with his dorsal and
anal fins. The pair release their eggs and sperm at this
time, so the fertilization of the eggs is external.
The females then often carry the eggs around for
hours in a cluster at the anal opening. Later, usually
not until the early afternoon, they shed the eggs on the
chosen substrate. Ideally, the eggs are deposited individu-
ally, but sometimes it is the entire cluster that remains
in or on the substrate. By the way, yarn mops aren’t the
only spawning medium that can be used. Slashed sponges
are typically used in Japan, but you can also use spawning
floss, or just mosses and other fine-leaved aquatic plants.
I prefer dark brown or black spawning mops as they are
easier to monitor.
Hatching the eggs
Don’t worry about handling Medaka eggs! Simply take
AMAZONAS
one spawning mop at a time out of the breeding aquar-
ium in the evening and gently squeeze it out. If all has
gone well, you should find individual eggs between the
strands of yarn. Their diameter is less than 1.5 mm, plus
26
Female of the author’s “Blue & Black Lamé” strain.
Note the sparkling scales along the back of the fish.
initially they are almost crystal clear; any milky or white
eggs are unfertilized or dead.
Take a clear egg between two fingers. It shouldn’t
burst if everything is okay. I always use plastic contain-
ers with a volume of 1 to 4 quarts (1–4 l), filled with
aquarium water for collecting the eggs. Try to shake the
egg from your fingers in the water. It has fine barbs, so
sometimes you have to roll it between your fingers before
it sinks to the bottom.
The development of the fish larva can be easily ob-
served through the clear egg membrane during the daily
monitoring. The time to hatch varies depending on the
incubation water temperature, taking anywhere from 6 to
16 days before the barely 5 mm long youngsters rupture
their egg shells. Initially, the fry still has the remains of
the yolk sac on which to feed, but after only a few hours
it goes searching for food.
Lifespan
Even in the best-case scenario, the lifespan of our color-
ful O. latipes is rarely more than two years, but this also
applies to many other aquarium fishes. Ricefishes gamble
on a high reproductive rate and an exceptionally rapid
succession of generations. Thus, I see the first gravid fe-
males among my Medaka offspring as early as the end of
the third month of life. They subsequently produce eggs
every day for months, so there is no shortage of fry if you
have enough space for the fish.
Already popular throughout Asia, Ricefish are poised
to enter the North American and European hobby. Their
easy maintenance, small size, and breeding behavior
make them ideal for beginners, while well-seasoned hob-
byists will enjoy the fascinating genetics and challenge
of maintaining some of the dozens of color forms. Make
room for Medakas!
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27
 C OV E R STORY

by Fumitoshi Mori & Friedrich Bitter • Japan has long been famous for breeding
ornamental fish with highly developed patterns and colors, such as Koi and Goldfish,
that can be viewed from above. Add Medaka, Oryzias latipes to this list. Small enough to
be kept in bowls and tubs, these diminutive jewels are ready to fill the growing niche for
paludarium and patio pond fish. The cultivated forms pictured in this article and many
other color variants are gradually finding their way into the hobby.

View from the top:

Multicolored Medakas
HOMES IN JAPAN tend to be smaller on average than in the
western world, and not only in the cities. In addition,
people there feel a closeness to nature that also finds
expression in their lifestyle. Thus, it is not uncommon
for Medakas to be kept in bowls, basins, tanks, tubs, and
miniature ponds both inside and outside the home, often
in conjunction with aquatic or marsh plants, although
these are usually employed in a minimalist fashion.
Since maintenance in such containers also means
that you have to observe the fishes mainly from above,
this method of viewing is increasingly determining
choice of fishes and breeding objectives in traditional
Japanese Medaka culture. Originally monochromatic,
nowadays the most popular fishes are those with extrava-
gant color patterns and markings on their backs, which
can often only be seen at a second look or on closer in-
spection. But you need to take your time with these fishes
and let them work on you! Sometimes the names for
these variants are based on Koi and fancy Goldfish forms,
but it certainly doesn’t do justice to the little Ricefish to
call them miniature Koi.
If you look around on the Internet for photos of
cultivated Medaka forms, it isn’t difficult to find rel-
evant illustrations on social networks and extracts from

Multicolored Medakas are becoming

increasingly popular; this is a male of
the Tricolor Kouka variant.
AMAZONAS

F. BITTER

28

printed publications. The problem is that the names of
these cultivated forms—and by now there are more than
800—usually remain a mystery for westerners, as they are
written in Japanese or Chinese characters.
In order to give the increasing number of Medaka
enthusiasts outside Japan some idea of where we stand at
present, we gathered up photos representing a small selec-
tion of small selection of cultivated forms. The fishes were
usually photographed from above in dark containers, cor-
responding to the special method of observation required.
Still aquarium fish!
Of course, aquariums still play an important role in
breeding Medakas. When kept in outdoor containers,
Medakas (and other fishes) can normally be viewed
only from above. Anyone who wants to breed seriously
and not just strive for the most convenient form of
mass reproduction, should always be able to view his
fishes from the side as well. This is primarily impor-
tant for judging the body and fin form of the
breeding groups.
The use of an aquarium
doesn’t have to be lim-
ited to the selection
of fishes and breed-
ing pairs. It also
makes sense to
let the youngsters
grow up under
supervision in an
Assorted containers and
plantings suitable for
Japanese Ricefish.
aquarium, at least for the first few weeks. In this way, you
can see at first glance whether sufficient food is available
and whether the young are doing well in general.
Only after approximately six weeks, when the young-
sters can cope with somewhat coarser food granules,
should they be transferred into prepared outdoor pools.
There they have the opportunity to consume algae and
the organisms it contains in addition to the prepared
food provided. You can see that the fishes are making use
of the natural food, not only from their behavior, but
also from the change in the color of their feces.
The sun helps
Medakas will find and make use of the warmest areas in
their living quarters, especially at those times when the
water temperature is still relatively low. When the rays of
the sun strike one side of the container, the water heats
up faster there, and soon many fishes will have gathered
in precisely that spot in order to benefit from the higher
temperatures. In fact, optimal temperatures significantly
affect the growth rate of the fishes.
A second aspect, which
cannot be mentioned often
enough in connection with
outdoor maintenance, is
increased color intensity
and stronger contrast
in the body markings
due to exposure to
direct sunlight. This
AMAZONAS
Ricefish can be observed only from
above when they are kept outdoors.
29
 1
2

7
4

11.

13

14

1. Akari 6. Longfin Albino 10. Unshu 13. Konjikiyasha

AMAZONAS

2. Awa Tricolor Miyuki 11. Aurora Yellow 14. Amber Lamé

3. Ujo Kohaku 7. Beniazami Miyuki 15. Kabuki
4. Akari 8. Ujo Tricolor 12. Black & White 16. Beniazami
F. MORI

5. Akari 9. Akebono Lamé

30
 3

10

16

12.

15
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31
 18

17

21

20

23

26
25
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32
 19

22

24

27
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17. Clear Brown 20. Kurenai 23. Sanshokumiyuki 26. Red & White Lamé
18. Zensin 21. Shirobuchi Lamé 24. Sanshokurame 27. Nijikujyaku
F. MORI

19. Tainaikou 22. Zensin 25. Koutei

33
 SPARKLE UP It is somewhat warmer where the sun hits the
side of the container; the majority of fishes

YOUR TANK!
quickly find their way there.

becomes particularly apparent when you compare Medakas caught outside

in late autumn with siblings that have grown large under artificial light in
the aquarium. The benefit of sun exposure is especially dramatic in strains
with shades of red, orange, and yellow and dark color elements. By contrast,
sunlight has hardly any visible effects on the Miyuki cultivated strains (fishes
that exhibit predominantly blue and gray shades), or on the white forms.
Their colors remain practically unchanged.

Outdoor risks
Anyone listing the benefits of a move outdoors shouldn’t forget to men-
tion the possible disadvantages. First of all, there are the weather hazards.
Prolonged heavy rainfall can cause the container to overflow and wash away
young fishes, though this can be countered by a safety overflow or use of a
manual dip bucket. Large amounts of “acid rain” can cause the pH to drop
to levels that are critical for the fishes. The safest way to counter a pH drop is
Highly Porous immediate large water changes.
Sponge Maximizes In the final analysis, even the most glorious weather can end in catastro-
Bacterial Action phe due to a heat wave, the intensity of the sun, or the exposed location of
the containers, such as near the south-facing wall of the building. Such com-
binations can send water temperatures soaring. Although Japanese Ricefishes
Easy To Clean are rightly regarded as extremely temperature-tolerant, the 104°F (40°C)
mark is the top edge of their limits. Possible countermeasures include shading
Long Lasting Sponge the container, aerating the water or adding fresh tap water, so that the fishes
Material Made aren’t subjected to such extreme temperatures.
Exclusively For The strikingly colored Medakas may also be in danger from the animal
world: predatory flying aquatic insects can arrive and immediately start
Underwater Use attacking the fishes. Others, such as dragonflies, may lay their eggs in the
containers, and then it will be their larvae that actually go hunting for fish.
Uplift Tube Won’t Smaller containers can be covered with coarse gauze or screen to prevent the
Clog Easily invasion of large flying insects. On the other hand, it doesn’t matter if mos-
quitoes reach the water’s surface as their larvae will enrich the menu of the
Ricefish. Incidentally, it is for precisely this reason that Koi and Medakas are
kept together now and again in Japan. The appetites of the little fish ensure
that a mosquito infestation never occurs.
Unfortunately, the colorful, often eye-catching appearance of these fishes
AMAZONAS

and the top-swimming behavior that makes their owners happy, also attracts
the attention of larger predators. Cats, birds, raccoons, and frogs find Medaka
F. BITTER

easy prey. And once the uninvited guests get a taste for Ricefish, that will
quickly be the end of the outdoor population. The only solution is a sturdy

34
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covering for times when you aren’t in the immediate
vicinity. But despite all the risks, keeping Ricefish outside
has its own special charm!
Plants: decorative and useful
The majority of people who are interested in Medakas
certainly don’t regard breeding their fishes as a prior-
ity. Instead, they desire their fishes and the container
in which they live to fit as harmoniously as possible
into their surroundings and perhaps even become a real
eye-catcher in the process. Many containers of differing
shapes, sizes, and materials now are available for minia-
ture outdoor pools, and specialist businesses also offer a
wide range of attractive marsh and aquatic plants.
Take the time to check out the cultivation and care
instructions for these plants, such as the recommended
planting depth and the water level, for example. Vari-
AMAZONAS
36
Modern plastic containers
can be placed in highly
visible and unusual
locations with little effort.
ous floating plants, species of rushes and horsetails, and
even Umbrella Palm (Cyperus alternifolius) have proven
suitable. Although not all of these plants are winter-
hardy, they are usually fairly inexpensive and some can be
brought indoors for winter cultivation.
Given the rapid growth of many plants, such as
Duckweed, it is important to thin them out occasionally
so you can still see the fish. “Less is more” should be your
motto, although partial shading of the water’s surface
can also be beneficial. Some floating plants produce
dense roots that serve as an ideal spawning medium and
also provide excellent hiding-places for the offspring.
Plant growth also ensures that nutrients are removed
from the water, significantly reducing pollution. Even so,
nobody should shy away from regular water changes!
The outlook
Medakas combine so many positive characteristics
and possibilities that they not only represent a new
challenge for old hands, but also encourage
beginners to get involved. The newcomer’s
first good fish-keeping experiences may
take place outdoors, but it isn’t such
a major step from a small pool
to an aquarium of their own—
and our hobby can always
use new aquarists!
Large enamel bowl, dark
substrate, Medakas, and
a Water Chestnut (Trapa
natans) as greenery.
Editor’s note: Trapa
natans is an invasive and
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prohibited plant in parts
of the US.
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37
 C OV E R STORY

Three Medaka breeders,

three different approaches
article & images by Fumitoshi Mori • While we’re only just beginning to work with
Medaka in the West, Japanese hobbyists have kept them for hundreds of years. Japan
already has clubs and exhibitions for Oryzias latipes, and interest in this species
continues to grow. The author, who has just published his latest book on Medakas,
visited three breeders whose fish are very popular with fans of the hobby.

A. Two tricolor
Medakas with
partially transparent
scalation from Yuji
Ikeya’s Mitarai strain.
B. This color variant
from the House
of Ikeya is called
“Congo”.
C. Ikeya developed
his Matsui Longfin
from albino Miyuki.
IF YOU CAN COMBINE YOUR HOBBY with your
profession, the work feels significantly easier.
For a writer and Medaka enthusiast such as
myself, I have such an opportunity when do-
ing research for new books. I visit breeders all
over Japan and get first-hand information and
photographs of their operations as well as new
and popular strains of fish. Here’s the story of
three Japanese Medaka breeders I visited:
The enthusiast
Yuji Ikeya is 36 years old and has been profes-
sionally breeding Medakas for three years. He
has been fascinated by aquatic life since his
childhood and investigated the waters in his
area when he was a young boy. It was rare for
him to come home without new fishes.
Nowadays he breeds full-time. During
my visit in summer 2017, he had about 650
containers of various sizes kept outdoors, but
the number has since doubled. The reasons
for this are his ambitions as a breeder, as well
as the numerous visitors who come to him
from all over Japan. “Some come by every
few months,” he told me, “and naturally they
always want to see something new.”
The increased number of breeding contain-
ers allows him to develop new variants through
crossing and selection. Yuji Ikeya often pursues
50 cross-breeding projects simultaneously,
although not all of them produce the desired
success. “But, if the result is an occasional fish
that meets my expectations, I must first of all
establish a strain with them, and ultimately get
it to breed true. This takes several generations,”
he explains. “Fortunately, the succession of
generations is very rapid in Medakas.”
Over the years, he has created more than
20 new pure-strain varieties—and there is no
end in sight. Only time will tell whether he
can manage without help in the long term,
given the extent of his breeding ambitions.
Be that as it may, his friends from the area
rally round for the Medaka Festival that he

A
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38
Yuji Ikeya has now
expanded his
capacity to 1300
containers.

organizes every year,

helping him to man-
age everything and assisting the visitors 1. These
with information and advice. They, too, containers
are used for
work with Medakas in their spare time,
rearing. The
and Yuji Ikeya has gradually schooled strain and/
them in what is particularly important or breeding
when breeding. “It is very important to crosses are
have a good eye for a fish when choos- always labeled
2 on each bin.
ing the right breeding stock, because it
often depends on little details,” he says, 2. Closely
based on experience. His results read- packed rows
ily demonstrate that he has no problem of breeding
with that. and rearing
containers;
Examples of the breeding strains
space must
established by Yuji Ikeya and currently be utilized
popular in Japan include the Kuro-Meshi, optimally.
Raikiri, Congo, and Night Sky variants.
Incidentally, some evenings he still 3. These
containers
sets out to catch dwarf shrimps and native
house fish that
fish species for his customers in streams are ready for
and rivers; a real do-it-yourself-man! sale.
3

C
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39
 A

A. A Kirameki from the House of Tarumi; the scales are predominantly dark-patterned.
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B. This fish belongs to the Mebina strain, an in-house development of recent years.
C. A yellow Miyuki with numerous reflective scales, termed Lamé in Japan.
D. The reflective metallic colors are particularly striking in this Yozakura Medaka.
E. A Kirameki with an interesting pattern of blue, orange, and black elements.

40
 Masaharu
Tarumi is
developing his
cultivated forms
in completely new
directions. 1

The trendy one

Masaharu Tarumi is 37 years old and lives in Ehime Pre-
fecture in western Japan. He has also moved his Medaka-
breeding operation outside, but the containers are housed in
a foil tunnel. The enclosure gives him a certain temperature
benefit during the cooler times of year, but can sometimes
be a problem in the heat of summer.
When I visited his breeding area, the first thing I noticed
was the neat rows of unusual white containers framed by
wooden beams. “Recycling,” answered Tarumi with a smile
when I enquired, “I get the empty plastic containers from an
2
ice-cream parlor nearby, first-class containers for breeding
and rearing, and free as well.” One has to agree!
In my view, given the breeding strains he has developed,
Tarumi is one of the “young nonconformists” of the Medaka
hobby, i.e. those breeders who don’t follow the traditional
colors as much. They have developed completely new vari-
ants that exemplify a totally different aesthetic, mostly based
on viewing from above and with elaborate color patterns. It
is not without reason that Tarumi’s fishes are currently very
much in fashion, and individuals from his breeding strains
are considered the most valuable in our country.
One of his outstanding attributes is his eye for interest-
ing specimens, which he sometimes selects for himself when
visiting other breeders in the western part of Japan and then 3
incrosses into his strains. He also has a very good idea of
what he is doing and what the eventual outcome should be.
With only about 200 containers, his capacity is certainly limited, but he values the fact that his 1. View of the
breeding is still just a hobby. Only a very few specimens are offered for sale, and most of his offspring main area of
Mr. Tarumi’s
are given to close friends. “The price is difficult for me to calculate,” he told me during my visit, “and
breeding facility.
I’ve never felt it important to earn money that way.” As with many hobby breeders, for him it is more
about recognition and the shared experience. 2. Eggs and
For some time, Tarumi has been the head of a small but exclusive breeders’ association, to which fry are housed
admission is granted only after a thorough examination. Together they organize three or four events in recycled
ice-cream
per year involving the Medaka, the biggest being a sales day, in the course of which more than 1,000
containers.
visitors crowd into the breeding room and around the display containers set up in the open air. The
majority, however, want only to look at the pretty fishes bred by the hobby association. 3. The facility
The names of some of the well-known strains from the House of Tarumi are Kirameki, Mebina, also provides
plenty of space
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Yozakura, Sekitonischiki, Kizakura, and Ayanishiki.

for breeding
I am fairly sure that the “Medaka Exchange Association Ehime” and its Medaka variants will in
tanks.
time cause a lot of excitement countrywide. And there’s no doubt that Tarumi-san, with his emphasis
on quality, will be at the heart of it.

41
 A C
B
The master
When it comes to listing the best Medaka
breeders in Japan by name, Yoshikatsu Kodera,
now 68 years old, must always be included. He
has been known for first-class quality for years.
A. A splendid When I visited him, he told me that his
example of the ornamental-fish facility is constructed so
Akebono strain from
that every day the first rays of the sun hit the
the House of Kodera.
breeding containers. This allows the adult
B. This is a Konjiki- fishes to become active early in the day, espe-
Yasha, actually a cially when it comes to reproduction. “I always
mixed-color Miyuki.
put six to ten fish together to form a breeding
C. Another specimen group,” he told me, “and that promises a good
from the Akebono daily harvest of eggs.”
strain, with bold
One fish in the facility immediately
patterning.
caught my attention. “How did you breed this
D. The Japanese term Akebono?” I asked. He explained to me that
for Ricefish with this it took a total of four years before the fish of
coloration is Karen.
this strain achieved their current appearance.
“It started with a cross between Yang Guifei
and Miyuki Lamé,” said Kodera, “and this was
repeated once again.” Kodera then used a cross
between Yang Guifei and normal Miyuki.
Thereafter, it was a matter of progressing via
stringent selection.
After the incrossing of the Miyuki, some
of the whitish offspring had black dots. These
subsequently gave rise to specimens with
small spots of yellow color. In subsequent
generations, he selected for those specimens
in which tiny, often only millimeter-sized, red-
dish spots appear between the yellow.
I think that the big plus point of Yoshikat-
su Kodera is his stringent selection. He doesn’t
go for mass production, but isolates fish that
appear to be suitable for further breeding as
soon as he sees them. Only these are used
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for breeding, and in this way, he develops his
strains with clearly defined color patterns.
Before Kodera started with Medakas,
which he has been breeding for more than
42
D
10 years now, he was involved in the breed-
ing of tropical aquarium fishes such as Discus
and Ranchu Goldfish. When I questioned him
further about the Akebono, he replied, “You
have to pay attention to pedigree with any spe-
cies of fish that you genuinely want to breed
rather than just mass-produce. I already had
breeding experience with other livestock, and
that made it easier for me to create my own
Medakas.” Kodera’s first Ricefish were plain
white specimens.
I looked again at the single Akebono I had
noticed at the start of my visit. What was dif-
ferent about it, why had Kodera selected it for
further breeding? What made it so unique?
There is a very wide range of variation in mul-
ticolored specimens with established colors.
Was it the reflective blue color of the eyes?
“There is a baseline,” explained Kodera,
“that you have to leave behind if you want to
reach a new goal. I put the parents of this spec-
imen together specifically to obtain this head
pattern, even though the parents themselves
did not exhibit it.” The names of the most
best-known cultivated strains developed by
him are Akebono, Karen, and Konjiki-Yasha.
There are many Medaka lovers in the area
around Fukuyama, Hiroshima Prefecture, and
breeding has reached a high level. But Kodera
remains unmatched. He manages not only to
imagine a certain type with his inner eye, but
also to realize it step by step. In this way, he
gives the world completely new strains that
breed true. He also wants to improve his Ake-
bono still further in the future. A completely
new form is in the pipeline, and I have a strong
desire to visit Yoshikatsu Kodera again soon!
With so many excellent Medaka breeders
and exciting new varieties emerging in Japan,
I will have no trouble finding more ways to
combine my work with my hobby.
 UNBELIEVABLE
cOLOR!
AFTER
60
DAYS

Outstanding Color
Enhancing Benefits

Triggers Feeding Response

In Most Live Food Eating Fish
2
Uniquely Designed To Mimic
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IN ACTION!
1. A breeding
container;
stringent
selection of
breeding stock ANOTHER
is the rule.
FEEDING OPTION
2. Mr. Kodera’s FOR cARNIVORES
breeding facility
is partly indoors.

3. The Medaka
containers in
the outdoor
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area can also be

shaded.

43
 REPORTAGE

Mexican
cichlids
Cichlid habitat:
Río Almoloya

Matías Romero—a fish-collection destination

article & images by Michael Pilack • Mexico is large and, from the aquarist’s
viewpoint, offers a multitude of destinations and habitats. Every one of them is worth
a trip, and many are home to their own special cichlids. The rivers around the village
of Matías Romero in southern Mexico are one such rewarding destination.

Not yet full grown, but already

attractive—Maskaheros regani
from the Río Almoloya.
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44
 Female Trichromis
salvini guarding
fry in the
aquarium.

Below: Young pair

of Maskaheros
regani in front of
their clutch on a
piece of slate.

THE VILLAGE OF MATÍAS ROMERO lies in the southern federal
state of Oaxaca in Mexico. Geographically speaking, it is
situated in the narrowest part of the country, where the
Atlantic side is separated from the Pacific by the Isthmus
of Tehuantepec.
Its position alone made the area of interest as long
ago as the time of the Spanish Conquest. There has
repeatedly been talk of a canal, navigable for shipping,
linking the Pacific coast with the Atlantic since the
two coasts are separated
by only about 160 miles
(256 km). This proj-
ect has never been
realized, however, despite being planned and measured
several times.
A number of rivers belonging to the upper drain-
age of the Río Coatzacoalcos have their sources in the
area around Matías Romero. These beautiful, small to
medium-sized rivers are home to a number of cichlids
that can generally be found elsewhere, but there are also
cichlids that only occur in this region.
Observing them here is,
of course, a fantastic
experience, especially for
fans of these Central
American fishes.

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45
 Numerous possibilities
If you have chosen Matías Romero as your destination,
then there are eight cichlids on the collecting list. Nu-
merous rivers with well-known and melodious-sounding
names can be included in your itinerary, and the majority
are easily accessible via surfaced roads. Access to the riv-
ers is available near balnearios (spas or specially designed
bathing areas), or near bridges. Nowadays, however,
there are signs prohibiting fishing on almost every bridge.
I see this as primarily positive, as it means that, in
many areas, the local residents are valuing the native fish
species once again and protecting them by fishing bans.
On the other hand, as a result of the bans, it has become
almost impossible for aquarists to go unchallenged into a
river to net juvenile fishes. Of course, we didn’t feel good
anyway about doing something that may be prohibited,
even if the fishes are put back into the water after taking
pictures. Sometimes we ended up talking to the residents
and explaining what we wanted to do. This was usually
registered with a smile, but sometimes we simply had to
do as we were told and leave the river empty-handed. To
start our collecting journey, we began on the Atlantic side
of the Río Coatzacoalcos drainage.
The cichlids
Trichromis salvini
This fish may remain relatively small, but shouldn’t be
underestimated when it comes to temperament. Salvinis,
also known as Salvin’s and Yellow Belly Cichlid, can be
found throughout Southern Mexico, from Grijalva to
Guatemala. Its appearance is rather variable, depending
on provenance. The variant living in the upper Coat-
zacoalcos is not quite as high-backed compared to other
local forms, and the red component can be described as
modest, at least in males. This variant is also rather lack-
ing in metallic blue spots. Instead, it exhibits an attrac-
tive yellow with fragmented black bands.
The species inhabits virtually any suitable bodies of
water, by preference living in quieter areas. Half-grown
Thorichthys callolepis observed
underwater during brood care.
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46
fishes like to wander along the bank zones in small
groups, while larger individuals are usually solitary. In
brooding pairs, the male exhibits a larger territory while
the female remains in the immediate vicinity of the fry
and tries to keep them together.
Trichromis salvini assumes the role of predator in this
area. There are no Parachromis, Petenia, or Chiapaheros in
the upper Coatzacoalcos drainage, and none of the Rocio
that perform the role of predatory fishes elsewhere.
Maskaheros regani
The genus Maskaheros, erected in 2015, includes just two
species. One of these is Maskaheros regani, commonly
called Almoloya Cichlid, which occurs only in the afore-
mentioned drainage of the Río Coatzacoalcos. You usually
encounter only juveniles in the river itself, and larger fish-
es are hardly ever to be seen. They are too quick to flee to
safety. The opportunity to observe adult specimens occurs
only if you have the luck to come across a brooding pair.
This species does not display much of its splendid
coloration during brood care. While rearing their young,
the parents appear rather pale with only a few black
areas on the body. In the aquarium, however, you can
admire their full beauty at other times. They are some-
what timid fishes, and this should be born in mind when
choosing tankmates.
Given an adult size of up to 14 inches (35 cm) in
males, these cichlids should be provided with an aquar-
ium with a bottom area of at least 72 x 24 inches (180
x 60 cm). It isn’t uncommon for pairs to form from a
group of juvenile fishes and then remain together all
their lives. Unfortunately, they don’t breed all that often
in the aquarium, which is why this beautiful species is
very rarely available for sale.
Thorichthys callolepis
The genus Thorichthys is represented by two species in
the upper Coatzacoalcos. Thorichthys callolepis, the San
Domingo Cichlid, has a rather small distribution and is
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 rather unusual in many respects. The most striking fea-
ture of T. callolepis is the lack of the opercular spot seen
in every other species of the genus. It is atypical in form
and color as well.
These little jewels can be rather susceptible to stress
in the aquarium, sometimes resulting in problems such
as inflammation of the digestive tract. Obviously, this
makes it difficult to establish the species in the hobby,
which is a shame given its beauty and rarity. A species
aquarium, with at most some livebearers as tankmates,
is the best solution for successful care, supported by a
varied, low-protein diet.
At present there is no real danger of this species
disappearing from its rather limited natural distribution.
This may rapidly change, however, as environmental pol-
lution is increasing in many places in Mexico. Obviously,
the same concern applies equally to all the other species
occurring there.
Thorichthys
panchovillai,
first described in
2017; seen here
immediately after
capture.
Thorichthys panchovillai
The second Thorichthys species recorded in the area was
only recently scientifically described (Del Moral-Flores,
López-Segovia & Hernández-Arellano, 2017). Previously,
we knew the species as Thorichthys sp. “Ma-
latengo” or Thorichthys sp. “Coatzacoalcos”,
as it was first recorded in the Río Malatengo
(upper Coatzacoalcos drainage). It also occurs
in the other rivers, however.
In terms of appearance, T. panchovillai is
initially reminiscent of T. maculipinnis and is
one of its closest relatives. Like all Thorichthys
species, T. panchovillai exhibits a striking striped
brood-care dress. In normal coloration, these
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fishes have an attractive red head and belly,
and the body is adorned with metallic blue
spots. Females show a distinct black spot on the
dorsal fin. Both sexes have an opercular spot;
48
an important character for distinguishing them from T.
callolepis under water.
The prerequisites for successful maintenance in the
aquarium are identical to those of T. callolepis. These
rules apply to the majority of Thorichthys species, albeit
not as rigorously as for T. callolepis.
As an aside, this species was named after the notori-
ous general of the Mexican Revolution, José Doroteo
Arango Arámbula, better known by his pseudonym Fran-
cisco Villa or the diminutive of that name, Pancho Villa.
Paraneetroplus bulleri
Paraneetroplus bulleri is another endemic cichlid, i.e. a
species occurring only in this region. The body form and
lifestyle of members of this genus are rheophilic (adapted
to fast-flowing waters). Thus, P. bulleri is usually found
out in the current, and even the young seem to cope
with the current with ease. Even so, pairs seek out calmer
reaches of water for spawning.
Adult specimens exhibit an attractive red on the head
and unpaired fins. During brood care, the body colors
become much lighter and up to five black longitudinal
stripes become visible on the lower half of the body. In
English-speaking countries, these fishes are called Sarabia
Cichlids, as the type specimen originated from the Río
Sarabia. Günther named the species bulleri in honor of
the collector, and also erected the genus Paraneetroplus in
the same work.
This cichlid grows rather slowly and isn’t sexually
mature until the age of two years, by which time it is
a good 6 inches (15 cm) in total length. In view of its
expected eventual size of 12 inches (30 cm), P. bulleri
should be provided with an aquarium at least 78 inches
(200 cm) long and 24 inches (60 cm) wide, decorated
with a number of water-worn pebbles and boulders, and
fitted with a current pump.
Vieja zonata
A member of the genus Vieja also lives in the area under
discussion. For quite a long time, this species was known
as Vieja sp. “Coatzacoalcos”. Recent information sug-
gests, however, that it is Vieja zonata, a view with which I
Half-grown Paraneetroplus bulleri; adults
can attain 12 inches (30 cm) in length.
 49
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 These fishes are thought
to be Vieja zonata.

concur, but which still

needs to be confirmed
scientifically. Buller
recorded this species in the
Río Sarabia as long ago as be-
tween 1889 and 1893 and listed
it as Cichlasoma guttulatum.
The unusual thing about this rather
large species is that it looks somewhat dif-
ferent in almost every river; no major differences,
but sufficient reason to always cite the collecting locality
for the original specimens, if known, when passing on
their offspring. But whether from the Río Junapan or the
Río Grande, this beautiful species attains an eventual size
of well over 12 inches (30 cm). For this reason, these
fishes require an aquarium of appropriate size.
On the other side
We now come to another special feature of Matías
Romero. The uplands of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec
form the watershed between the Atlantic and
Pacific. This area can be crossed from coast to
coast in a few hours by car, so we also had the op-
portunity to visit rivers that drain into the Pacific.
It has always been assumed that a different fish fauna
is to be found on the Pacific side compared to that of
the Atlantic drainage. This assumption has now been
challenged with V. zonata being recorded in the upper
Coatzacoalcos. Although Pacific-slope V. zonata differ
in appearance from Atlantic-slope conspecifics, I have
also observed differences in their behavior. Pacific-slope
specimens proved to be appreciably more aggressive in
my aquariums, both intraspecifically and towards other
species. This is rather a shame as, in
my opinion, the Pacific-slope variant
is somewhat more attractive.
Additional cichlids are found in
the Pacific affluents, as detailed below.

Astatheros macracanthus
Astatheros macracanthus is a resident
of the Pacific slope, from the Río Te-
huantepec in Mexico down to El Sal-
vador. The Blackthroat Cichlids are in
truth no miracle of color, but even so
they’re an interesting species that is
worth maintaining. With an eventual
size of 12 inches (30 cm), I would be
inclined to class it as a medium-sized
cichlid. Nevertheless, the bottom area
of the aquarium should measure at
least 72 x 24 inches (180 x 60 cm).
For a long time, young A. macra-
canthus swim around the aquarium
together quite inconspicuously. This
changes with the onset of sexual
maturity. Gray to black individuals
with a slight blue sheen change to
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strongly contrasting black and white

fishes, and announce the imminence
of spawning with violent courtship.
The larvae hatch three to four days

50
after spawning, and after another
four days the fry become free-
swimming. Freshly-hatched Artemia
nauplii are a suitable first food and
are very well accepted.
On one occasion, traveling
aquarists brought home young wild-
caught specimens that later turned
out to be natural hybrids between V.
zonata and A. macracanthus.

Amphilophus trimaculatus
The situation with Amphilophus
trimaculatus is quite similar to that
with V. zonata: the species was
thought to be restricted to the Pacific
side, but there have now been reports
of the Trimac Cichlid occurrence in
the upper Coatzacoalcos area on the Atlantic slope, as
well. I personally haven’t seen this species there while
diving, but there is no reason to doubt the information.
Amphilophus trimaculatus is a heavyweight from
the aquarist’s point of view, both in terms of bulk and
length—these fishes can grow to a good 16 inches (40
cm) long—and also as regards their behavior. Con-
sequently, appropriate aquariums and experience are
prerequisites for successful maintenance. I am reluctant
to use the term “aggressive” that is so frequently bandied
about. Instead, I would prefer to interpret such behav-
ior as an indication of special requirements regarding
swimming space and tankmates. Thus, maintenance of
this fish in the aquarium isn’t impossible and, given ap-
propriate conditions, A. trimaculatus can even become a
pet, scoring highly by virtue of its impressive appearance,
fabulous colors, and interesting behavior.
Incidentally, along with one or two other cichlids,
this species forms the basis of the Flowerhorn Cichlid, a
hybrid that is very popular, particularly in Asia.
Like many other large cichlids, Astatheros
macracanthus requires a spacious aquarium.
Three-day stop
The village of Matías Romero is often just a three-day
stop for aquarists traveling in Mexico. Because of the
typically short period of time, it is usually only the well-
known sites that are visited: the rios Almoloya, Junapan,
Sarabia, and El Corte, to name but a few. I am, however,
of the opinion that you can also easily spend a week or
more in this area, exploring other, new routes and in-
vestigating other rivers. There are undoubtedly still many
places that have not yet been fished. But, is that not the
case with any region in Mexico?
REFERENCES
Regan, C. T. (1905): A revision of the fishes of the American cichlid genus
Cichlosoma and of the allied genera. Annals and Magazine of Natural
History, 16 (7): 60–77; 225–243; 316–340; 433–445.
Del Moral-Flores, L. F., E. López-Segovia & T. Hernández-Arellano (2017):
Descripción de Thorichthys panchovillai sp. n., una nueva especie de
cíclido (Actinopterygii: Cichlidae) de la cuenca del Río Coatzacoalcos,
México. Revista Peruana de Biología, 24 (1): 3–10.

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This pair of Amphilophus trimaculatus

has only just formed.

51
 REPORTAGE

Wim Heemskerk, Henni Ohee,

and the author searching for
rainbowfishes in the Kali Putui.

Searching West Papua for new

rainbowfishes
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G. LANGE

52
 by Johannes Graf • What’s it really like to collect undiscovered fish species in remote
places? Traveling through the island of New Guinea in search of rainbowfishes
requires ingenuity, patience, an adventurous spirit and more than a fair share of luck.
With the help and goodwill of friends and local villagers, this well-seasoned team
found many attractive new species for the hobby.

LAST YEAR I once

again set out on a
trip to New Guinea to
find new rainbowfishes. It
was an eventful tour with numer-
ous experiences and impressions that are
difficult to describe in words, but the long journey to
get there was definitely worth it. I made the trip together with Gary
Lange, Wim Heemskerk, and Henni Ohee, plus Marten Luter Salossa for part of the time.

A difficult arrival
As with the previous trips, we first flew via Jakarta to Jayapura. But something that sounds so simple
included almost two days of travel. To make matters worse, a tropical storm prevented our land-
ing in Jayapura, so our plane, which was already circling above the airport, had to divert because of
low fuel and had to make an interim landing on Biak, an island offshore. We spent about six hours
there waiting for the storm to run its course. We were able to land in Jayapura at the second at-
tempt, and were met there by Henni Ohee.
Although we had already completed the immigration formalities in Jakarta, a separate permit
from the district police is required for travel to West Papua. You shouldn’t get caught without this
permit, as otherwise there will really be a lot of trouble. This procedure took the entire rest of the day.

Excursion to the Kali Putui

We had already made various arrangements in advance, including booking the flight to Oksibil, a
town about 170 miles (274 km) to the south in the Bintang Mountains. Before that flight, we had
a free day, which we used for a trip to an interesting river we had discovered on a previous trip, the
Kali Putui.
In a rented car, we set out from Sentani, traveling along Lake Sentani and the base of the
Cyclops Mountains via the tangle of streets of Abepura and Jayapura. This region is more densely
populated every time I go there, and nowadays can be described as a highly urbanized area. There is
no longer any room for nature. The drive takes about an hour, after which the route runs along the
Pacific coast until the road bends inland.
We passed the Arso area, a community of Indonesians resettled from the overpopulated islands
of Java and Sulawesi. In the interests of simplicity, the individual parts of the settlement are num-
bered, with each actually being a town in itself.
After just under an hour, we reached the Kali Putui. We had been there two years ago, but at
that time there were only gardens. Now houses were being built as well, but they weren’t finished.

Above: We already knew

Chilatherina sp. “Kali Putui”
from an earlier trip.
AMAZONAS

Left: Melanotaenia sp.

“Kali Putui” was a new,
undescribed species.
J. GRAF

53
 Sorong
WEST PAPUA
Meyado
Jagiro
Bintuni
Jayapura
Sentani

Kali Putai
PAPUA

Dekai

Oksibil

From our home base in

Sentani, Papua, New Guinea,
we reached our collecting
destinations after flights
to Oksibil and Sorong and
Bintuni, West Papua.

Arafura Sea

Merauke

TOP: GOOGLE EARTH; MIDDLE: H. OHEE; BOTTOM: G. LANGE

Above: Habitat of our new

Melanotaenia sp. “Iwur”.
AMAZONAS

Left: Melanotaenia sp. “Iwur” in

all its glory.

54

The team traveling south
from Oksibil in a borrowed
pickup truck.
We were able to catch fishes undisturbed, and discovered
a new species of Melanotaenia that hid among the Chi-
latherina and wasn’t noticeable at all at first glance.
Off to Oksibil
The next day we flew to the town of Oksibil very early in
the morning. That meant getting up during the night and
driving to the airport. The Indonesian domestic airline
Trigana operates this route and flies there using twin-en-
gine ATR 72-500 aircraft. After a one-hour flight over the
central mountain cordillera of New Guinea, we landed in
Oksibil, which is situated 4430 feet (1,350 m) above sea
level. There are no rainbowfishes here, but two roads start
there, one leading south and the other west. Both are
dead ends, but they are continually being extended and
one of these days they will connect Oksibil with Merauke
on the south coast and Dekai far to the west.
At present, however, Oksibil is accessible only by air
and is supplied entirely by aircraft. Everything—all the
food, every liter of gasoline, entire vehicles, heavy con-
struction equipment, building materials for the houses—
is flown in by planes and cargo helicopters. Accordingly,
a liter of gasoline costs several times more than
in Jayapura. However, Oksibil was the
home of one of Henni’s relatives,
who provided us with a car. It’s
the same everywhere in Papua—
you need to know
someone who knows
someone who has
what you require.
The vehicle
proved to be a pickup
TOP: W. HEEMSKERK; MIDDLE & BOTTOM: J. GRAF
with four-wheel
drive, in good condi-
tion, and with a very
friendly and helpful
driver. He told us
that flying this truck Specimen of Melanotaenia sp. “Kali
in by helicopter was Muaib” discovered in a tributary.
more expensive than Background: Seining for rainbowfish
its purchase price! in the fast-flowing Kali Muaib.
We traveled south, heading
steadily downhill. Soon the vegeta-
tion changed and gave way to the
usual rainforest, but the altitude was
still too high for rainbowfishes. We
took a brief look at the main river,
one of the headwaters of the Digul:
too cold, too strong a current. So, we
continued downhill. It’s funny when
suddenly Google Earth no longer
agrees with the reality: the road actu-
ally goes much further than shown
by the satellite image.
Yet another new species
Arriving at the end of the road, we met a team of
construction workers excavating the road further with
a powerful bulldozer. They had pitched their camp by a
nearby river. We took a look and again found the current
too fast and the water too cold. However, we were now
only 1312 feet (400 m) above sea level and that was
definitely rainbowfish country, so we searched all the
small streams that crossed our way. Many of these waters
weren’t permanent but simply carried rainwater away.
Even so, we didn’t have to search long at all to find a
permanent stream.
Quietly standing on the bank, we were able to make
out movements in the water that we identified beyond
doubt as those of rainbowfishes. The nets now finally
came into play. This was very typical of these journeys
through Papua: a day traveling to fish for half an hour.
The three of us rapidly captured our quarry, and it was
fairly obvious that we had found another new species,
even though we would still have to wait for the results of
the DNA analysis to be sure. We called this form “Iwur”,
after the region of the same name in which we cur-
rently found ourselves. We
then made the long
journey back to
Oksibil with
our catch.
AMAZONAS
55
 Chilatherina fasciata
“Kali Muaib” is virtually
indistinguishable from
Melanotaenia in the net.
A second Iwur site
The next morning, we set off early and drove west on the
other road. After about an hour, we found that the road
was still running at too great an altitude and, according
to the satellite photo, that would be continue to be the
case for quite a while. So, we turned around and used
the rest of the day to drive along the same road as the
day before in the direction of Iwur, to catch a few more
specimens of the new rainbowfish.
On arrival we found a second, very attractive biotope,
in which large numbers of the new rainbowfish were
darting around. Fishing there was a real pleasure. The
stream, which was about 80 inches (2 m) wide, con-
tained beautiful low banks of gravel and rocks and was
surrounded by forest.
At the Kali Muaib
We used the following day, before our flight to Bintuni,
for a drive to the river Kali Muaib. I had always wanted to
go there. The Kali Muaib lies largely unnoticed between
the two major river systems, the Grime (where there are
Chilatherina fasciata in the rivers and Glossolepis dorityi
in a number of lakes) and the Sermowai (almost mythi-
cal because of Melanotaenia corona, which has never been
found there again). The drive took about three hours this
time, one of them just to travel along Lake Sentani.
It is quite difficult to get to the Kali Muaib. With the
aid of satellite photos for orientation we finally managed
to get to the river via minor roads. The main river was
impossible to fish. It looked dangerous on account of
crocodiles, and the mud along the shoreline was so deep
that you would inevitably have become stuck. So, we ven-
tured along the main river on dirt tracks—despite being
in a normal road vehicle!
AMAZONAS
What looked like a tributary proved to be just a
temporary watercourse. After a long search, we finally
discovered a natural stream flowing into the Kali Muaib
downriver. At last we were able to fish. Armed with seine
56
net, frame nets, and, of course, our camera equipment,
Wim and I climbed down the steep bank.
The stream had only a slight current, and its water
was slightly whitish-cloudy. There was no life whatso-
ever to be seen in the water. We did a test run with the
seine, and lo and behold, there were fishes in it! They
looked like Chilatherina fasciata. They were slender in
form, but their colors wouldn’t be apparent until later,
in the aquarium.
At one point, I stopped short as we pulled up the
net: there was a Melanotaenia in it! That was particularly
interesting for me, as ever since I started traveling around
Papua in search of rainbowfishes, I have been hunting
for the phantom Melanotaenia corona, which purport-
edly originates from the Sermowai, but definitely doesn’t
occur there.
The closest relative of M. corona is M. lorentzi (for-
merly classified as Chilatherina, but now assigned to
Melanotaenia on the basis of DNA analysis). And that is
where the chaos begins: a large number of different Mela-
notaenia representatives from rivers in the north of New
Guinea have been lumped together under this name, but
in reality, they are all separate species. Because almost all
the species of this large complex are similar looking and
not outstanding in appearance, hardly anyone is interest-
ed in them. And now we had a new, previously unknown
representative of this complex in the net.
“Yet another lorentzi,” was the way Gary labeled
our discovery. He was right, but maybe one of these
days it will be M. corona in the net. In any case, I bagged
everything that looked like a Melanotaenia. It is incred-
ible how difficult the two species are to tell apart in the
net. You wouldn’t believe it to see them side by side in
the aquarium.
Another fl ight
The next morning, we took the plane from Oksibil to
J. GRAF
Sorong on the western tip of New Guinea. We planned
 Our party with our hosts in Meyado.

to travel on from there to Bintuni, to take a

look at the southern side of the Vogelkop Pen-
insula. We met up with Marten Luter Salossa
in Sorong and flew on to Bintuni the next
morning. As the planes got ever smaller, the
journey slowly became interesting: to Sorong it
was still a Boeing 737, but now we were flying
in a Cessna Caravan with 12 seats and direct
communication with the pilots.
On arrival in Bintuni we were initially dis-
appointed to find that the car organized for us
wasn’t there. But Marten has a friend in Bin-
tuni, Raymond, who found another off-road
vehicle in next to no time. Again, it proved to
be the case that you must know someone who
knows someone. The four-wheel pickup came
with a driver and two helpers. That is quite
usual when traveling in such areas in Papua,
because often the vehicle has to be pulled free.
Would that be possible in Germany—a pickup,
driver, and two helpers for a three-day tour,
after only 40 minutes with no prior warning? Caught as small juveniles,
our Melanotaenia sp.
At the village of Meyado “Meyado Village” have
now become very attractive
We now headed west to the interior of the adults in the aquarium.
southern side of the Vogelkop. Our destina-
tion was the little village of Jagiro, as we had
information that a very beautiful rainbowfish
had been caught there years ago. Gary had
taken photos of this fish in Papua in 2005.
It was a long way to Jagiro. We traveled
all day on very bad roads and arrived in the
afternoon at Meyado, a large village on the
way to Jagiro, populated by immigrants from
the other Indonesian islands. The Bupati Desa

The habitat of the new rainbowfish

Melanotaenia sp. “Meyado Village”.
The rented pickup in Bintuni,
loaded with the necessary tools
and gear, included a driver and
two helpers.
TOP: G. LANGE; MIDDLE: J. GRAF; BOTTOM: H. OHEE

AMAZONAS

57
7
test kits

Melanotaenia sp. “Jagiro

Village” in the photo cuvette
at the collecting site.

For comparison, Melanotaenia sp.

“Jagiro Village” photographed in
2005 in an aquarium in Sentani.

(the mayor) gave us a very friendly welcome and was very interested in our
collecting activity.
After some searching we also found a place to stay, and as there were still
a few hours of daylight available we decided to make use of them. The Bupati
consulted with several locals and told us that there was a small side road
heading south that crossed some watercourses. So off we went with the back
of the pick-up full of people who all wanted to come along. Of course, our
friend, the Bupati, came, too!
After about an hour’s drive we crossed a small river with tea-colored
water, and of course we wanted to take a look at it. Steep banks and deep mud
easy to use made fishing difficult, but Wim managed to catch a large number of very
small (half inch/1 cm) rainbowfishes with the frame net. We were unable to
extremly accurate catch larger specimens, so the little ones went into the bags; they could grow
quick results on in their own good time.

The black water

of the Kali Jakora
is home to newly
discovered
rainbowfishes.
TOP & MIDDLE: G. LANGE; BOTTOM: H. OHEE
AMAZONAS

58 We Lo v e Fi s h www.sera-usa.com
 59
AMAZONAS
 These youngsters turned out to be another unde-
scribed species. This easy-to-maintain species has a
beautiful red posterior body, black mid-body, and a
fire-red margin to the second dorsal fin, and is a won-
derful addition to our hobby. We have named this fish
Melanotaenia sp. “Meyado Village” until such time as
it is scientifically described.
The journey continued, and after a while we came
to a stream with black water such as I had never seen
before. We learned that it was called the Kali Jakora.
Whatever plants grow there must release enormous
amounts of humic substances. The visibility in full
sunshine was less than 4 inches (10 cm)! Surprisingly,
however, the water parameters at both locations were al-
most the same. We recorded 30 or 40 μS at 79°F (26°C).
Here, too, the water margins were bordered by
practically bottomless mud. Raymond and I nevertheless
accepted the challenge and climbed down to the water.
Raymond exhibited true natural talent—as in everything
else to do with fishes.
There was absolutely nothing to be seen in the black
water, so we simply walked through the water, fishing
blind with the frame nets. And we were successful: we
netted tiny juvenile rainbowfishes less than one-half inch
(1 cm) in length, completely black in color. Once again,
we were unable to catch adult specimens, but the young-
sters looked different to those from the first site. Unfor-
tunately, we were able to catch only a few, and packed
them all the more carefully as a result.
When they grew to adulthood, these fishes turned
out to be another unidentified species, which deviates
completely from the known pattern of the rainbowfishes
of the Vogelkop. It is a small, shiny metallic blue species
At the collecting site near
the remote village of Jagiro.
AMAZONAS
60
Our Melanotaenia sp. “Kali Jakora” show an unusual pattern for
the rainbowfishes of the Vogelkop Peninsula.
with translucent red fins that we dubbed Melanotaenia
“Kali Jakora”. Given the correct lighting these fishes
display an ethereal beauty. I hope that it will be possible
to establish a breeding strain in captivity.
As the day was by then well advanced, we drove back
to Meyado and our quarters, the home of an Indonesian
family. In the evening, our hostess even cooked us an
opulent meal of chicken, fish (tilapia, of course), rice,
and preserved jackfruit, which we greatly enjoyed.
Very remote: Jagiro
The next morning, we set off at sunrise for our actual
destination, Jagiro, still a drive of several hours away. We
finally arrived before noon. White people were a sensa-
tion in such a remote village. The entire population came
running to marvel at us. A note to fellow travelers: always
stay friendly, take photos with the people!
We explained our objectives to the chief and were
allowed to drive to the river, which flows close past the
former landing strip. That, of course, explained how once
upon a time some fishes from here came to be in an
aquarium in Sentani. The landing strip
has been abandoned since then, as the
road now leads to Jagiro. At the end of
the landing strip, the river makes a turn
around a bank of gravel; it’s a peaceful
place where you could even have a picnic.
Of course, the villagers accompa-
nied us in numbers and marveled at our
fishing activities. That sort of thing is
particularly embarrassing if you don’t
catch anything, but luck was on our side
and we netted a number of rainbowfishes
of all sizes the very first time we used
the seine. We didn’t have to do anything
more ourselves, as enthusiastic villag-
ers grabbed the seine and had great fun
landing quantities of rainbowfishes. We
TOP: J. GRAF; BOTTOM: G. LANGE
didn’t need that many at all. We took
photos of some of the larger specimens,
picked out sufficient individuals of a size
suitable for transportation, and released
the rest. But we didn’t catch any really
full-grown specimens.
 Top: Melanotaenia sp. “Kali Dagu” in the
photo cuvette.
Middle: Adult male Melanotaenia sp. “Kali
Timbuni” in full color.

You never know how transporting

fishes will go. Of the fishes I brought
back with me from that location,
only a trio survived, which I am now
trying to breed. I hope that I succeed,
because the species is very beautiful,
judging by the photos from 2005.
On the way back to Meyado we tried our
luck in various other places. We were able to
register rainbowfishes in the Kali Dagu as well.

Back to Bintuni
The following day, we made our way back to
Bintuni, and we planned to fish in waters along
the way that we had had no time for on the out-
ward journey. One of these rivers was the Kali
Moysi, where we discovered a really interesting rainbow-
fish—dark green to blue, depending on the light, with red
fins and black caudal-fin rays. It should certainly do well
in the aquarium hobby, as it is extremely attractive in color
and apparently very tolerant regarding water parameters.
We also stopped at a stream we had noticed previously.
It was spanned by the ruins of an old steel railway bridge
from the colonial period when coal was mined in this
area. The name steenkol is still familiar among the local
people, and we had already passed the former mining area.
We once again scrambled into the stream and looked
for fishes. Steel girders lying in the water prevented the
use of our fishing gear under the bridge, but we neverthe-
less found a number of rainbowfishes here as well as a
little further upstream, and they looked noticeably dif-
ferent from those at the previous site. Suddenly, we had
an adult male in the net. What a sight! It gleamed yellow
and orange in the sun. We learned from our companions
that this stream was called Kali Timbuni.
TOP & MIDDLE: G. LANGE; BOTTOM: J. GRAF
Although we brought back only smaller specimens,
these fishes have grown on very well back home, and
also rapidly produced offspring. So far, however, no male
has developed the colors of the individual we found and
photographed in the field, but that may still come about,
as our fishes are still a long way from full-grown. The
colors of the wild-caught adult were truly extraordinary!
The water in the habitat was relatively hard (parameters
20°dGH, 14°KH, pH 8, 390 μS, 80.5°F (27°C)), but
these Melanotaenia are coping with my softer water with-
out problems.
Off to Lake Ayamaru
The next morning, we flew back to Sorong with the Cess-
na Caravan and even the same pilot. On arrival, we first
had to go to the police station and hang around there for
half a morning until we obtained our travel permit for
Lake Ayamaru. We wanted to go there for a very special
fish, Pseudomugil reticulatus. This blue-eye had not been

AMAZONAS

Melanotaenia sp. “Kali Moysi”

is splendidly colored.

61
 The attractive Pseudomugil
reticulatus belongs to the blue-eyes.
imported for a long time and it was high time to add
some fresh blood to the captive strains.
Henni Ohee had previously accompanied Gerry Allen
on a collecting trip to Ayamaru back in 1999 and caught
a large number of P. reticulatus in a ditch in the village
of Ayamaru at that time. That made us confident of find-
ing this blue-eye there. Catching this species was Wim’s
most ardent desire for this trip.
First of all, however, there was a drive of several hours
in front of us. The road was surfaced, but not particularly
good. Marten drives a pretty hot tire and made every ef-
fort to get us to Ayamaru as soon as possible, as we had
only one day for our search. We arrived towards evening,
tired out, and found a small hotel—expensive, but the
only accommodation in the place. We used the remain-
ing daylight for initial exploration, but without success.
Searching in vain
Very early the next morning we started our search for
P. reticulatus. Henni’s former collecting site within the
village couldn’t be found again, too much had changed,
and everything was more developed than it was in 1999.
We examined every water-filled ditch, without success. So
the search radius kept on expanding, and eventually we
searched the entire area below Lake Ayamaru.
Melanotaenia boesemani was practically ubiquitous
nearly everywhere we fished. We also looked in the out-
flow from Lake Ayamaru, the Kali Kromsa, as well as in a
Always popular:
Melanotaenia
boesemani from Lake
Ayamaru.
AMAZONAS
62
Wim, who is a total blue-eye
fan, finally got his wish with
the help of local villagers.
number of swampy areas. It was simply as if we had been
jinxed: again and again we thought that we finally had P.
reticulatus in the net, but the fishes always turned out to
be young rainbowfishes. We were on the go all day in the
scorching sun without finding a single blue-eye.
As darkness fell, we halted the search and returned,
frustrated, to Ayamaru. We had only a few hours left on
the following day, as we had to be back in Sorong by the
evening so as not to miss the plane to Sentani the next
morning. We sat together for a long time that evening,
but had no idea where else we could search. Eventually,
Marten took his leave of us, as he was spending the night
with relatives in the village.
At last!
In the morning, Marten reappeared and said we should
drive past his relatives’ house in the village, as they had
a bucket containing a few fishes that they had caught
the previous night. We went there. On the terrace stood
a bucket, Wim looked in it then turned away, frustrated
and shaking his head: no blue-eyes. I wanted to make
another video, so I looked in the bucket, looked again
and then a third time. Viewed from above, the fishes
were far too chubby for rainbowfishes. I took one out by
hand—it was P. reticulatus! Sheer enthusiasm broke out,
Wim was in seventh heaven. We thanked Marten’s rela-
tives a thousand times, they celebrated with us, and we
packed our precious new charges extremely carefully in
the breathing bags we had brought with us.
TOP LEFT: W. HEEMSKERK; TOP RIGHT: H. OHEE; BOTTOM: G. LANGE
Our desire to see the collecting site trig-
gered a certain amount of discussion among
the locals, which Henni couldn’t follow
in full, as the conversation was conducted
partly in the tribal language. Finally, we were
led to a fabulous biotope a few kilometers
away. It was the men’s bathing area of a
village! Even Henni was allowed to come as
no-one was bathing there at the time.
Crystal-clear blue water, with shoals of
fishes in it—big M. boesemani, cichlids, barbs,
but no blue-eyes. In my opinion, the water
was much too open for blue-eyes. We made
 Group photo at the men’s
bathing area, which is
sited slightly hidden in the
rainforest near Ayamaru.

enquiries and were told that the small fishes came out
only at night.
Departure and return journey
It was now high time for the journey back to Sorong.
The next morning, we said goodbye to Marten. Without
him and Raymond, our travels on the Vogelkop wouldn’t
have gone so splendidly. We checked in with more than
H. OHEE
Sentani, where we spent barely a day before continuing
to Jakarta. We said goodbye to Henni, without whom the
trip wouldn’t have been possible. In Jakarta, the rest of us
went our separate ways: Gary flew back to the USA, while
Wim and I came back to Europe.
Thanks! Our hearty thanks to the IRG (Internationale Regen-

bogenfisch Gesellschaft/International Rainbowfish Association),

66 pounds (30 kg) of excess baggage for the flight to which supported our trip.

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 WHAT’S UP?

article & images by Hans-Georg Evers •

Collecting
Andean Ancistrus
The waterfall of the Quebrada Honda
that we nicknamed “Shangri La” is the
habitat of two Ancistrus species.

Inset: Ancistrus sp. L 392 from the

Amazonian lowlands around Puerto
Maldonado inhabits the white water
habitats of the Río Madre de Dios and
its lowland affluents.
AMAZONAS

64
IN THE YEAR OF MY BIRTH, Mr. Bob Dylan became famous
by publishing his song “The Times They Are A Changin’”.
Well, this is actually very true and the song came to my
mind when the American publishers of AMAZONAS
changed their set-up. Over the years, staff and manage-
ment of Reef To Rainforest Media, LLC, became friends
and I, in my position as a “retired” editor-in-chief, get
a chance to play a smaller role under a new “flag” now.
Stephan Tanner is an almost life-long, dear friend of
mine and I want to take the opportunity to say two
things. First of all, I want to thank Reef To Rainforest,
in particular Judy Billard and James Lawrence and their
staff, for the professional and very inspiring cooperation
over the years. And secondly, I wish Ann Whitman and
her team the best of luck for the next years of the English
version of AMAZONAS!
I now have the wonderful opportunity to entertain
you, dear readers, in every forthcoming issue with some
pages on the latest news on aquarium fish. New im-
ports, scientific findings or even spectacular breeding
successes will be the topics for me as a columnist for the
English-language edition of AMAZONAS. I am starting in
this issue with some loricariid catfishes that just recently
received new L-codes in the German magazine DATZ. I
know that some of these Southern Peruvian species are
available in the American aquatic scene, and it may help
the pleco community to correctly identify these same fish
when discussing or even trading them.
The neotropical catfishes of the family Loricariidae,
to aquarists better known under their common name
“plecos”, are widespread all over the South American
continent and parts of Central America. Amongst them,
AMAZONAS
65
 Ancistrus sp. L 504 from the Río Chaquimayo.

Ancistrus sp. L 505 from Shangri La with the red iris.

The second species from Shangri La, Ancistrus sp. L 506.

Ancistrus sp. L 507 from the Quebrada Amazonas.

AMAZONAS

Ancistrus sp. L 508 from the Río Araza.

66
 Ventral look at L 507 out of
the breeding season. The
males only show very short
barbels along the edge of
the snout.
the bristlenose catfishes of the huge genus Ancistrus
are by far the most common ones, very well known to
aquarists. Most of the many forms inhabit rivers, creeks
and lakes of the lowlands. Actually, every river basin has
its own species, and sometimes several different species
in different kinds of habitats. Only a few people know
that the distribution of the large genus Ancistrus contin-
ues to the sub-Andean regions and even to altitudes up to
approximately 5000 feet (1500 m) above sea-level!
Three trips
I had the great opportunity in 2014, 2015, and 2016,
to visit the southern state of Peru, Madre de Dios, and
go collecting in the many rivers and affluents of the
mighty Río Madre de Dios. Several trips took us along
the relatively new road from Puerto Maldonado, the
capital of Madre de Dios, into the direction of Cusco,
the famous town in the higher Andes. The little village
of Quince Mil was our base from where we explored
the many crystal-clear creeks and rivers crossing the
highway. The Río Inambari, one of the bigger affluents
of the Río Madre de Dios, collects all the water from
these rivers, many of them isolated by higher mountain
ridges and steep valleys. The weather in the Andes, like
in other mountain ridges, can change from one mo-
ment to the other and small shallow creeks can turn
into furious wild waters within a few minutes when
heavy rains are splashing down. Fishing in these rivers
can be very dangerous. A few years ago, the Peruvian
ichthyologist Fonchi Chang lost her life and drowned in
such a situation.
Some of the rivers we tried to explore were out of
reach for us, as the water was only reachable for expe-
rienced free climbers, but not for fishermen with all
their equipment. However, we were still able to sample
a good number of creeks and rivers along our way.
Starting from the lowlands, we searched our way uphill
to altitudes of around 5000 feet (1500 m). In the higher
regions, only catfishes of the families Trichomycteridae
and Astroblepidae are living in the shallow, fast-flowing,
rocky habitats. Only in the lower, warmer waters below
5000 feet (1500 m) did the first Ancistrus end up in our
nets. Boulders, rocks, and pebbles are the perfect habitat
for cave-dwelling fishes, and the cave-breeding Ancis-
trus species find plenty of crevices to quickly hide under
when a stomping Homo sapiens comes along.
While the Ancistrus species of the lowlands are
mostly widespread throughout a smaller or bigger river
drainage, the sub-Andean species probably inhabit much
smaller areas. Over millions of years, these forms were
isolated by the mountain ridges and had enough time to
evolve into separate species. Surprisingly, there is only
one species scientifically described from the Andes of
Peru and Bolivia, Ancistrus megalostomus Pearson 1916.
Just recently, the Canadian ichthyologist Nathan Lujan
and co-authors (Lujan et al. 2015) revised the Andean
Ancistrus and the closely related genus Chaetostoma and
described the two trans-Andean genera, Andeancistrus
and Transancistrus. But, on a species level, most of the
forms we found appear to be undescribed. That was
the main reason for me to publish L-numbers for these
forms. Now we can all talk about the same fish without
giving them funny trade names, which only lead to con-
fusion and misnaming, especially in case these forms
ever get a good scientific name. A few years ago, I (Evers
2005) gave L-numbers to some of the lowland forms
AMAZONAS
around Puerto Maldonado. L 392, a black species with
few white spots, and L 393, a beautifully darkish-brown
reticulated species on an orange body, are in the hobby
now and have been spawned.
67
 Another lowland form from around Puerto Maldonado, in
the drainage of the Río Manuripe, is Ancistrus sp. L 393.

Ancistrus sp. L 509 shows a

somewhat unusual body shape. We
could not find a single specimen with
barbels on the snout.

Very attractive Ancistrus sp. L 510 from the Río Araza.

AMAZONAS

68
The species
Unfortunately, the whole region of the lower Río Madre
de Dios drainage suffers from illegal gold mining. It is
a kind of gold rush going on that brought in thousands
of people who are even entering the protected areas, like
the Manu Nature Reserve and the Tambopata National
Park. We saw big excavators and other heavy equipment
right in the river beds when searching for still-intact
biotopes. And this is all illegal! I remember a situation
while we, a bunch of American aquarists and I, were
just happily turning stones to find the pursued catfishes
when some armed guys turned up to chase us out of
the river, telling us we are destroying their water source
with our collecting activities! That actually happened in
the Río Chaquimayo, 820 feet (250 m) above sea level.
The clear, fast flowing water had 78°F (25.5°C) and a
conductivity of only 38 μS/cm. We found Ancistrus sp. L
504 here, a tiny 3-inch (7.6-cm) species with brooding
males that developed a massive “beard”. L 504 also in-
habits the close-by Río Avispa (945 feet, 75.7°F, 55 μS/
cm) (288 m, 24.3°C).
Passing the busy town of Mazuco, we searched our
way uphill. The American Lance Peck explored this area
in search for fish previously in the early 2000s. What
luck for me to have had Lance as a travel companion and
guide on my trips in 2015 and 2016! He knows all the
good places and how to find them. He brought me to the
Quebrada Honda (1250 feet, 70.5°F, 65 μS/cm) (383 m,
Typical habitat of Andean Ancistrus.
Relatively cold, shallow and with fast
running waters over a bed of rocks and
boulders.
Illegal goldmining in the Río Chaquimayo.
Excavators and other heavy equipment are
destroying the whole river bed.
Male of L 504 with an impressive “beard”.
21.4°C), a hidden river that we followed upstream to a
beautiful little waterfall, named “Shangri La” by Lance.
Directly under the waterfall, clinging on the rocks and
rapidly hiding behind the stones, we could see, and later
collect, two Ancistrus species. L 505 shows black mark-
ings on a light to dark-brown body. The most outstanding
character of L 505 is the red iris. One can recognize this
species on the first sight. L 506, the second, larger species
in the Quebrada Honda, has a similar coloration but
lacks the red iris, has a broader body and the caudal fin
rays show no black pigmentation.
Close to the little town of Quince Mil, we
left the main road and followed a small dirt
road that lead us to the Quebrada Amazo-
nas (1611 feet, 71°F, 64 μS/cm) (491 m,
21.7°C). The Ancistrus sp. L 507 from here
can grow up to 3 inches (7.6 cm). The males
develop big bristles on the head only in the
breeding season, which occurs in September.
Out of the season, the males only show some
small bristles along the edges of their heads.
Rio Araza
The most impressive panorama of the region I
encountered was upon entering the river bed
of the mighty Río Araza, an affluent of the Río
Inamabri. Close to Quince Mil, at an altitude
around 2460 feet (750 m) above sea level, we
passed a narrow gallery of trees, and stepped
right into a beautiful scene. Fast-running
waters poured over big rocks and boulders,
framed by the green rainforest and a cloudy
sky. The Araza (69°F up to 73°F (20.6°C up
to 22.7°C), 55 μS/cm, measurements taken
AMAZONAS
several times in July 2015 and September
2016) is hardly fishable in the middle portion.
The current is too strong and it is nearly
impossible to collect the adult specimens of at
69
 Ancistrus sp. L 511 has
bright blue eyes. least three different Ancistrus and a
Chaetostoma species.
The smallest Ancistrus of the three
found here is L 508. The males show
no big bristles at all, but have some
short odontodes at their cheeks. The
marbled coloration of the biggest
fish (3 inch, 7.6 cm) tells them apart
from the two other species. L 509
grows much bigger, at least 5 inches
(12.7 cm). We never could find any
Fully adult Ancistrus sp. L 512 shortly after collecting. male fish with bristles or odontodes
on the head. Maybe they only develop
the bristles in the breeding season?
L 510 is a real beauty. Their slate-col-
ored body is adorned with bright
white spots. Adult males of around
4-inch (10-cm) size show orange
bristles, and all fins are display a pale
orange hue.

Green Ancistrus
Leaving the Río Araza brought us
higher into the Andes. The Río Sauci-
pata is an easily accessible stream
with wild waters. Turning stones is
Kept in an aquarium, L 512 changes its coloration an exhausting job to do here. One
but still is a very attractive catfish! person (preferably a tall and strong
ex-football player like my friend Jay
Lindamood) lifts bigger rocks and
stones while the catcher (preferably
me!) quickly puts the net under the
rock to catch the falling pleco. In the
Saucipata (2635 feet, 71°F, 32 μS/
cm) (803 m, 21.6°C, 32 μS/cm), we
found a small Ancistrus L 511 with
a faint coloration but bright blue
eyes! The males again showed only
very small bristles along their heads’
edges. Maybe they also develop the
bristles during the breeding season?
The collection site of the last new
Ancistrus I am presenting here will
remain a secret. It is a really beau-
Semi-adult Ancistrus sp. L 512 tiful fish and was already discussed
shortly after collecting show a on the Internet and in social media
green hue under the sunlight.
as the “Green Ancistrus”. I know
there are commercial fishermen in
Cusco that are already exploiting
the rivers for Corydoras weitzmani,
using poison to get the shy fishes
more easily. I strictly oppose such
AMAZONAS

a greedy and destructive behavior

and therefore will not tell the place
where we collected L 512. Adult
specimens can grow up to 5 inches

70
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(12.7 cm). Freshly-caught semi-adult specimens show a
bright green hue over the body, especially when exposed
to the sunlight, with a bright golden pattern of spots and
wrinkles on their body. In the aquarium, this coloration
turns into a silvery pattern on a grey body, still making L
512 a very attractive fish. The American aquarists Jeanette
and Andrew Blumhagen were able to breed L 512 in the
aquarium and already published their findings in this
AMAZONAS
72
The Río Araza at
Quince Mil provides
spectacular scenery.
magazine earlier this year (AMAZONAS July/Aug 2018).
They proved that the males of L 512 only develop their
bristles during the breeding season, something that was
new to me for the genus Ancistrus. But, it is obvious
that at least some of the sub-Andean Ancistrus species of
Southern Peru are doing this.
Well, here ends my report on the Andean Ancistrus.
I would like to thank all my travel companions, especial-
ly Lance Peck, Ian Fuller, Michael
Barber and Felix Manami of Go Wild
Peru, a company that organizes field
trips for aquarists, making travelling
in this corner of the planet so easily
available.
REFERENCES
Blumhagen, A. & J. Blumhagen (2018): Search
for the missing barbels: A new mountain river
loricariid. AMAZONAS July/August 2018, 7(4):
70–76.
Evers, H.-G. (2005): Harnischwelse aus dem
Río-Madre.de-Dios-Einzug. D. Aqu. Terr. Z. DATZ,
58 (9): 36–37.
Evers, H.-G. (2018): Antennenwelse aus den
Anden. D. Aqu. u. Terr. Z., DATZ 71 (8): 44–49.
Nathan K. Lujan, N. K., V. Meza-Vargas, V.
Astudillo-Clavijo, R. Barriga-Salazar & H. López-
Fernández (2015): A Multilocus Molecular
Phylogeny for Chaetostoma Clade Genera
and Species with a Review of Chaetostoma
(Siluriformes: Loricariidae) from the Central
Andes. Copeia 103 (3): 664–701.
Lujan, N. K., V. Meza-Vargas & R. Barriga-
Salazar (2015): Two New Chaetostoma Group
(Loricariidae: Hypostominae) Sister Genera
from Opposite Sides of the Andes Mountains
in Ecuador, with the Description of One New
Species. Copeia 103 (3): 651–663.
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AMAZONAS

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73
 HUSBANDRY & B R E E D IN G
Pearly Cichlids from Lake Tanganyika
Altolamprologus calvus
by Wilhelm Klaas • Unusual body shape, vivid markings, and peaceful behavior
give these Tanganyikan cichlids a special place in the aquarium world. Although
not difficult to breed, Altolamprologus calvus are always in high demand.
RIGHT FROM THE BEGINNING, importations from Lake Tang-
anyika in the 1950s included Altolamprologus calvus. For
many years these cichlids, characterized by black bodies
and numerous little white spots, were always available in
the ornamental fish trade, but then sales of these Pearly
Cichlids fell off.
However, interest in this cichlid, with its bizarre
body form and fascinating behavior, hasn’t disappeared
completely. I regard A. calvus as one of the loveliest of all
Tanganyikan cichlids, with its laterally compressed and
high-backed body form.
It wasn’t till 1978 that these Pearly Cichlids were sci-
entifically described by Poll under the name Lamprologus
calvus, on the basis of specimens that Pierre Brichard had
caught in Zambia in 1977. The species was reassigned to
Altolamprologus by Poll (1986). The type locality is Chip-
imbi, on the southwest coast of Lake Tanganyika.
AMAZONAS
A splendid male
Altolamprologus calvus
“Black Pectoral.”
74
In addition to Altolamprologus calvus and the more
commonly encountered A. compressiceps, another mem-
ber of the genus is known, but so far it remains unde-
scribed. This third species is small and rears its broods in
empty snail shells. For this reason the species is some-
times encountered in the trade under the name Altolam-
prologus sp. “Sumbu Shell.” Altolamprologus belongs to
the tribe Lamprologini.
Body of a predator
The body of A. calvus is strongly compressed laterally,
similar to those of the leaf-fishes of the genus Nandus. Its
narrow form allows it to squeeze between rocks in search
of prey, which it quickly inhales. When an A. calvus
raises its dorsal fin, it presents an impressive high-backed
body form, excelled only by that of A. compressiceps. By
comparison, A. calvus appears somewhat more slender,
and this is an important characteristic for differentiation.
In addition, in A. calvus the forehead between the eyes
lacks scales. In fact, “calvus” is the Latin word
for bald. The species usually has 12 or 13
spines in the anal fin, compared to
A. compressiceps, which has only
9 to 11 spines, and a scaled
forehead. According to
Konings (1993), the
scales are very thick.
M. OBERLIESEN
 Half-grown individuals exhibit
coarser white spotting and have a
lighter base color.
Male A. calvus are sometimes
more than twice as large as females.
It isn’t uncommon for a male to measure
around 6 inches (15 cm) while females get no lon-
ger than 2.75 inches (7 cm), although typically, females
reach about 4 inches (10 cm) long.
Geographical variation
Three geographical variants are known:
1.) The typical population from Cape Chipimbi has a
pitch-black body covered in numerous little silvery
spots. In addition to those found in the type local-
ity, populations have been recorded between Tembwe
and Cape Kachese.
2.) A yellow form is found in Nkamba Bay.
3.) A white variant inhabits the rocky biotopes at Cape
Chaitika and Kapemba.
Maintenance in the aquarium
It is best to begin with a number of young specimens
from a breeder or the trade. Eventually, you may see no-
ticeable differences in growth, but there is still no guar-
antee of being able to pick out a harmonious breeding
pair. Sometimes a pair can be put together successfully
at an early stage, but sometimes the putative female
remains permanently behind the heater or the internal
fi lter. Occasionally the male “changes his mind” and
suddenly accepts the partner. Of course, with a bit of
TOP: M. OBERLIESEN; BOTTOM: H.-G. EVERS
luck it is also possible to buy a large pair right away and
establish them in their new home without major prob-
lems. When starting out with a group of young fish, the
largest ones often turn out to be males.
Pearly Cichlids don’t require a particularly large
aquarium. A tank 24–40 inches (60–100 cm) long will
suffice. The aquarium should be set up to suit a special-
ized cave-brooder, with rockwork to simulate the rocky
landscape of the natural biotope. It is important to
provide enough caves to permit the fishes to define their
own territories. The shells of large marine snails are ac-
cepted as an excellent substitute for crevices in the rock-
work, and some aquarists use capped PVC elbows. These
make it fairly easy to remove the fry after they hatch.
Altolamprologus calvus are very peaceful aquarium
occupants. They don’t like lively company, which tends
to make them rather secretive. Besides, they aren’t
very good at holding their own against more aggressive
fishes. They are best kept with
other calm-tempered fish from a
similar habitat.
These fish require a very
nutritious diet on a permanent
basis, and in particular when
you want them to ripen and
spawn. Water fleas and krill are
The empty shells of marine snails
are readily accepted by females
AMAZONAS
as breeding caves.
75
 their preferred foods, but these cichlids won’t turn their
noses up at brine shrimp or mysis either.
They require alkaline water typical of Lake Tangan-
yika, but otherwise aren’t especially fussy about water
chemistry, apart from an obligatory weekly water change.
They do need clean water and stable conditions, so small,
regular water changes are best. The water temperature
should be around 77°F (25°C), the total hardness
7–9°dGH, and the pH 7.5 to 9.0.
Breeding and rearing
Altolamprologus calvus are not particularly territorial for
cichlids. The female prefers to move about, seeking new
caves for brood care. In the species’ natural habitat, this
is usually a rocky crevice, into which the female is just
able to fit. The male takes on the guarding of the brood,
often those of several females in his harem with whom
he has paired.
If a female is ready to spawn, she signals this clearly.
Although the male can’t get into the spawning cave, he
is able to fertilize the eggs laid inside. He expels his milt
above the entrance to the cave, and the sperm come into
contact with the eggs as the result of his fanning his fins,
supplemented by the movements of the female. This can
be readily observed in the aquarium when a male makes
quivering movements with his body, for example in front
of the entrance to a large snail shell in which the female
AMAZONAS
76
has laid her eggs. This is usually followed by a brief spell
of guarding, which ends after about 10 days when the
young leave the cave or shell. The brood then disperses all
over the tank, so if you want to rear the fry, now is the
time to remove predators from the aquarium.
Rearing the fry is very laborious, as they grow strik-
ingly slowly and it can be several years before they are
sexually mature. For this reason, A. calvus always com-
mands a high price.
It’s worth it!
Anyone who fancies trying a rather special cichlid from
Lake Tanganyika should take the opportunity to keep this
unusual and peaceful African species. It is a real treat to
watch Altolamprologus calvus in the aquarium, hunting
among the rocks, and guarding their fry.
REFERENCES
Boulenger, G.A. 1915. Catalogue of the Freshwater Fishes of Africa in the
British Museum, vol. III, pp. 1–526.
Brichard, P. 1989. Pierre Brichard’s Book of Cichlids and All the Other
Fishes of Lake Tanganyika. T.F.H., Neptune City, New Jersey.
Konings, A. 2015. Tanganyika Cichlids in their Natural Habitat, 3rd ed.
Cichlid Press, El Paso, Texas.
Poll, M. 1974. Contribution á la faune ichthyologique du lac Tanganika
d’après les récoltes de P. Brichard. Bull Inst Royal Sci Nat Belg 88 (1):
99–110.
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AMAZONAS

77
AMAZONAS CENTURY S P E C IE S

AARON NORMAN

78
The Paradise Fish,
Macropodus opercularis
by Michael Kokoscha •
AMAZONAS

79
 The classic wild form of
Paradise Fish, Macropodus
opercularis.

If ever there was an aquarium fish that deserves to be called “classic” it is the Paradise Fish
(Macropodus opercularis). After all, this was the very first tropical aquarium fish to reach
Europe and North America and hence represents the beginning of our hobby. The Para-
dise Fish has been known to science since the mid-eighteenth century, when it was first
described. It came to Europe in 1869 from China, when an officer on a French ship took
around 100 of these fishes aboard at the request of the French consul; 22 of them arrived
in France alive. Most then went to Parisian ichthyologist and public aquarium director
Pierre Carbonnier, who was the first to breed them successfully.

THE FIRST PARADISE FISH SPECIMENS appeared in
Germany five years later, but at the exorbitant
price of 50 Marks (almost $300 in current dollars)
per pair, they were far too expensive to become
widespread. Subsequently, in the 1890s, the Berlin
breeder Paul Matte managed to cross the Paradise
Fish with one of its relatives, the Roundtail
Paradise Fish (Macropodus ocellatus), and achieved
a lot of success with the resulting splendid fishes,
also known as Paradise Fish.

The albino form of

M. opercularis is very
popular.
AMAZONAS

INGO SEIDEL

80
 Because of its beauty and undemand-
ing nature, the original Paradise Fish also
attracted increasing numbers of devotees
in the rapidly developing aquarium hobby.
Naturally, the ease with which it could be
bred had a downside: haphazard mass pro-
duction resulted in increasing numbers of
miserable specimens in the trade. The Para-
dise Fish was to be found in almost every
shop, but it had lost a lot of its original at-
tractiveness. Wild-caught stocks have again
been imported from Vietnam and eastern
China, largely by members of the Interna-
tionalen Gemeinschaft für Labyrinthfische
(International Labyrinthfish Association,
IGL). New species of Macropodus are also
being discovered and described.

Low tech living

It was undoubtedly not just its beauty, but A blue variant of the Paradise Fish.
also its robustness that encouraged the
spread of the Paradise Fish. Although they
are nominally warm-water fishes, they will
generally tolerate temperatures of 64.5°F
(18°C). Wild-caught stocks from northerly
locations even appear to require cool over-
wintering at 53.5–59°F (12–15°C) in order
to remain in good health. Paradise Fish will
also do very well in a garden pond, at least
during the summer months in northern
locations.
There is no doubt that the low
oxygen requirement of Paradise Fish also
contributes to their being able to survive
in low-tech aquariums. They belong to
the labyrinthfishes, and hence have an
auxiliary respiratory organ (the labyrinth)
with which they can breath atmospheric
air taken in at the water’s surface. Like
many other labyrinthfishes, Paradise
Fish deposit their spawn in bubblenests
The bubblenest is the center of the territory. After hatching, the larvae remain
constructed by the males. Mating takes
in the bubblenest until their yolk sacs are consumed.
place beneath the nest, and the eggs then
float up into it.
The bubblenest is the center of the
territory and the fish vehemently defend
it. This has contributed to their bad reputation for being the tiniest of pond foods, and, in an emergency, the
aggressive, although the size of the aquarium also plays finest proprietary fry foods) until they are around a week
TOP: INGO SEIDEL; BOTTOM: H.-G. EVERS

a part in their behavior. If there is sufficient space, the
female sticks to defending the outer part of the territory,
but if the aquarium is too small the male will attack her
if she comes too close to the nest.
old, when they can begin to take Artemia nauplii. There
may be several hundred eggs, so you should never try to
rear all the fry, but concentrate on those with the best
form and markings.
AMAZONAS

Rearing the tiny fry can be a bit tricky. Once they

become free-swimming they are no longer protected REFERENCES
by their parents, who may even eat them under certain Sweeney, M.E., Bailey, M.C., and Norman, Aaron. A PocketExpert Guide:
circumstances. The fry require very fine foods (rotifers, Tropical Fishes. Microcosm/TFH, 2009. Neptune City, New Jersey.

81
 AQ UATI C PLANTS

Boron deficiency Iron deficiency

Calcium deficiency

Potassium deficiency

Magnesium deficiency

Manganese deficiency

Phosphate deficiency

Nitrogen deficiency
AMAZONAS

Healthy leaf

82
Recognizing
nutrient
deficiencies
in aquarium
plants
article & images by Maike Wilstermann-Hildebrand •
Determining the causes of disfiguring plant symptoms
isn’t always easy. Damage from nutrient deficiencies or
excesses often have similar patterns to those from pests
and diseases. Recognizing common deficiency symptoms,
however, is the first step to finding a solution.

THE INITIAL CLUES to different types of nutrient deficiency are characterized

by where the first symptoms appear and whether or how they spread out
across the plant. Terrestrial and some aquatic plants take up nutrients
from the substrate via their roots. In submersed plants, nutrients enter
the stems and leaves directly from the water.
After uptake, some nutrients are readily transportable within the plant
and can be moved quite easily and rapidly from one leaf to another or
into the roots. These include nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium, for ex-
ample. Other nutrients, such as iron and manganese, become integrated
into the plant in forms that make transportation to other parts of the
plant impossible.
Nutrients are required mainly in the young parts of the plant at the
growing points and hence are transported there by priority. If a plant lacks
a particular nutrient from its environment, it seeks to mobilize reserves
from the older leaves, and if necessary breaks down its own mass in order
to provide the growing parts with the required elements. Transportable
nutrients then migrate from the old leaves to the growing point and serve
for the production of new leaves. For this reason, it is the old leaves that
turn yellow first in the event of nitrogen deficiency.
With the deficiency of nutrients that cannot be transported around
the plant, such as iron, the old leaves will remain healthy. The shortage of

Chlorosis. Yellow leaves aren’t always due to a deficiency. Top: a cultivated yellow
form of Shinnersia rivularis; middle: a cultivated yellow form of Hygrophila difformis;
AMAZONAS

and bottom: a Gymnocoronis spilanthoides suffering from a massive iron deficiency.

In the color variants, the leaf veins are yellow, while the interveinal areas are green.
In the case of iron deficiency, the areas between the veins are yellow while the veins
themselves remain green.

83
 Top left: Iron deficiency in Anubias
coffeifolia: the leaves become light
green to lemon yellow in the event
of iron deficiency. The longer the
shortage persists, the more leaves
are affected.
Top right: Manganese deficiency:
these Echinodorus are suffering
severe manganese deficiency due
to massive over-fertilization with
iron. Nutrient balance is key.
Opposite page: Boron deficiency:
an extremely high pH has
hindered nutrient uptake and
caused symptoms of severe boron
deficiency in these Water Lilies.
AMAZONAS
84
iron will first show in the young leaves at the growing point where they become increas-
ingly chlorotic (lacking in chlorophyll) and hence yellow in color.
Diagnostic guide to deficiency symptoms in aquatic plants
Symptoms visible in all parts of the plant:
• Variegated plants lose their variegation and turn green; plants sickly; stems thin, leaves
in rosette-forming plants small; stemmed plants with long internodes and few leaves
(“leggy” appearance): insufficient light.
• Leaves and stems of frogbit plants (several species share this common name) glassy:
copper toxicity.
Symptoms begin with the older leaves:
• Older leaves light green to yellow in color: nutrient loss from old leaves following
planting or transplantation.
• All leaves become lighter, starting with the oldest; plants small, with little branching:
nitrogen deficiency, root damage, or putrefaction in the substrate.
• Young plants and cuttings fail to thrive; in older plants, first the veins of older leaves
and stems discolored reddish, later dirty dark-green to blue-green leaves throughout
the plant; plants stiff (rigidity); possible die-off of leaves from the tip down; reduced
growth: phosphate deficiency.
• Chlorosis in the interveinal areas giving the plant a marbled appearance; leaf veins and
edges initially remain green; chlorosis may lead to necrosis: magnesium deficiency.
• Edges of leaves become chlorotic between the veins, creating a light-colored margin to
the leaf; all leaves affected if the deficiency continues: calcium deficiency.
• Large chlorotic patches on the surfaces of the leaves, yellow patches and necroses or black dots: manganese
later containing small spots to larger areas of necrosis; deficiency.
holes sometimes develop; shortened life-span of leaves: • Chlorosis in the interveinal regions of young leaves: zinc
potassium deficiency. deficiency.
AMAZONAS

• Youngest leaves small, twisted and/or deformed: lack of

Symptoms begin with the younger leaves: calcium, boron, zinc, or copper.
• Mosaic-like chlorosis in the interveinal regions of • Young leaves light green to lemon yellow, pink, or white;
young leaves; veins remain green; progressing to larger leaf veins initially remain green: iron deficiency.

85
 • Youngest leaves, including veins, light green to yel-
low; leaf veins lighter than surface of leaf; limited new
growth: sulfur deficiency.
• Youngest leaves initially deep-green to blue-green, later
chlorotic; die-off including the tips of shoots: boron
deficiency.
• Die-off of tips of shoots: lack of calcium, boron, or
copper.
Diagnosis challenges
The diagnosis of deficiency symptoms is relatively easy if
only a single nutrient is in short supply. It is more dif-
ficult when several nutrients are involved, or plants show
symptoms of toxicity due to over-fertilization, algicide, or
fish medications. Some nutrients must be balanced with
others. Over-fertilization with iron, for example, hinders
the uptake of manganese and molybdenum.
In addition, the lack of one nutrient can cause symp-
toms similar to those of a different nutrient deficiency.
For example, the metabolism of nitrogen is regulated
by enzymes that contain sulfur and molybdenum. If
one of these nutrients is lacking, this can cause nitro-
gen deficiency in some plants and nitrogen toxicity in
others. In leguminous plants (peas, beans, clover), for
example, a shortage of calcium hinders the production of
root nodules for symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria. For
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AMAZONAS
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this reason, calcium deficiency can lead to symptoms of
nitrogen deficiency in these plants.
Unsuitable pH values likewise have a negative effect
on nutrient uptake. Most nutrients are only available for
plant uptake within a certain pH range. If the pH is too
high or too low, the nutrients become “bound up” in
forms that plants will not be able to use. Too high a pH
disrupts the uptake of boron, for example.
In the wild, aquatic and marsh plants live in sym-
biosis with mycorrhizal fungi and various other micro-
organisms that help them to take up nutrients, such as
phosphate and iron, more effectively. There has been no
research into the occurrence of such micro-organisms in
the aquarium. Thus, deficiency symptoms may occur even
when all necessary nutrients are available.
Another factor to consider is the specific plant itself.
Some aquatic plants have a greater need for certain nu-
trients. Amazon Sword and Madagascar Lace plants, for
example, require more soluble iron in the substrate than
other aquarium plants.
When diagnosing the underlying problems with
aquatic plants, it is important to examine the plant as
a whole and also to monitor culture conditions, via
visual checks and water tests, in order to arrive at an
accurate diagnosis.
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87
 AQ UA R I U M

CALENDAR
compiled by Janine Banks

OCTOBER 4 Quad City Fish Swap

Davenport, IA
11–13 Honolulu Aquarium Society Facebook
Show and Auction
4 St. Catherine & Area Aquarium
Honolulu, HI
Society Annual Auction
Facebook
E. Thorold, ON Canada
13 Fort Myers Aquarium Society scaas.info
Swap Meet
10 Motor City Aquarium Society
Fort Myers, FL
Fall Auction
Facebook
Madison Heights, MI
19–21 The Aquatic Experience motorcityaquariumsociety.com
Seacaucas, NJ
11 Missouri Aquarium Society
aquaticexperience.org
Autumn Auction
20 Greater Detroit Aquarium Society St. Louis, MO
Fall Auction missouriaquariumsociety.com
Royal Oaks, MI
11 Tropical Fish Club of Burlington
greaterdetroitaquariumsociety.org
Annual Auction
21 Green Bay Aquarium Society Auction So. Burlington, VT
Kaukauna, WI tfcb.org
gbasonline.org
16–18 24th Annual Ohio Cichlid
28 Boston Aquarium Society Association Extravaganza
Annual Auction Strongsville, OH
Beverly, MA ohiocichlid.com
bostonaquariumsociety.org
17 Tampa Bay Aquarium Society
28 Jersey Shore Aquarium Society Annual Auction
Fall Auction Plant City, FL
Manasquan, NJ tbas1.com
jerseyshoreas.org
18 Greenwater Aquarist Society
Fall Swap
NOVEMBER Joliet, IL
greenwateraquaristsociety.org
3–4 San Diego Aquarium Society
70th Annual Show
San Diego, CA
DECEMBER
sandiegotropicalfish.com
2 Greater Chicago Cichlid Association
4 Greater Akron Aquarium Society Swap Meet
Fall Auction Hoffman Estates, IL
Tallmadge, OH gcca.net
gaas-fish.net
2 Milwaukee Aquarium Society
Swap Meet
New Berlin, WI
For a more complete listing of upcoming events,
milwaukeeaquariumsociety.com
visit www.reef2rainforest.com/events.
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To submit your event, contact:

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88
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91
 S P E C IE S SNAPSHOTS
➊ B A D I S L A S P I O P H I L U S ➋ A M B A S S I S I N T E R R U P T A
➌ MOGURNDA CINGUL ATA “MIMIKA” ➍ DANIO S YSPHIGMATUS
➎ E L A S S O M A G I L B E R T I ➏ T A N I C H T H Y S S P . “ D A N A N G ”
Badis laspiophilus
1| If you are very lucky you sometimes come
across new and unusual species. I had actu-
ally ordered Badis singenensis from Buxar in India.
When the box of fishes arrived, I initially put them in
quarantine. The daily offerings of pond food (Cyclops
and sifted Daphnia) clearly agreed with them. After
almost four weeks, I caught six vigorous fish out of the
aquarium and put them in the photo tank.
As I often do, I subsequently posted a photo of my
new arrivals on Facebook—and labeled it B. singenensis.
Only a few hours passed before Andrew Rao got in touch
and told me that my fishes were B. laspiophilus. I made
the comparison—and Andrew was absolutely right. He
ought to know, as he discovered the latter species.
Badis laspiophilus was described from the drainage
of the Torsa River in West Bengal, India. The species is
one of the smaller members of the genus and attains
barely 1.5 inches (4 cm) total length. Phylogenetically
speaking, it belongs to the B. singenensis species
group, but can readily be distinguished by eye from the
other species.
My fishes are currently kept over sand in a 40-inch
(100-cm) tank. To give the fishes a sense of security,
I positioned several bricks vertically, thereby providing
lots of individual small caves which were willingly ac-
cepted. If live food is added to the aquarium, however,
AMAZONAS
the little Badis quickly swim to the open areas to
secure their share. The significantly plumper bodies of
the females, who are somewhat paler than the males,
indicate that very little stands in the way of breeding.
92
Young wild-caught male Badis
laspiophilus from West Bengal.
My current water values are a pH 7.0–7.8, gen-
eral hardness 11°dGH, conductivity about 400 μS,
and a temperature of 68°F (20°C). I will increase the
water temperature slightly in the breeding aquarium.
But generally speaking, you can keep fishes from this
species’ area of origin a little cooler in winter, as that
corresponds to the natural conditions
—Friedrich Bitter
Ambassis interrupta
2| Together with Hans-Georg Evers and Jeffrey
Christian I was able to catch a new halfbeak
species in the Sungai Lembo during our Sulawesi ex-
peditions in January 2015 and February 2017. At the
same time, we netted some attractive glassfishes of
the species Ambassis interrupta. They were swimming
along in small shoals in the fast-flowing open water of
the river.
The name glassfish is particularly suitable in the
case of this species, as you can see bones and some
of the internal organs through the transparent skin.
The second fin-ray of the front dorsal is very long and
shimmers brownish red, the two dorsal fins are almost
always upright, giving the fish a majestic appearance.
The tips of the pelvic fins along with the anal fin are
white in color.
In 2015, some half-grown specimens found their
way into one of my show tanks (48 x 24 x 20 inches /
120 x 60 x 50 cm). Here too they exhibited interesting
F. BITTER
shoaling behavior. After the fishes had grown on—the
largest males now measured about 2.75–3.25 inches

A small group of young
Ambassis interrupta in my
Lembo tank.
(7–8 cm) in length—they also exhibited increased
territorial behavior, mostly towards the evening. They
occupied small territories, and drove off even het-
erospecific fishes from the area, and appeared to be
waiting for females.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to observe a mating;
perhaps this takes place only in concealed places.
According to the literature, the species often spawns
in the estuaries of the rivers. The fry of glassfishes
are probably very tiny and need the finest live food. In
2017, I again brought back some young glassfishes
from the Lembo, and currently have two groups of them
for further study. I hope to find a way to breed them.
They are very suitable as aquarium fishes and ac-
cept food in almost any form. Keeping them together
with other pelagic fishes, e.g. rainbowfishes, works
very well. Glassfishes of the genus Ambassis are wide-
spread in the Indo-Pacific region. Ambassis interrupta
occurs throughout Indonesia and beyond.
—Andreas Wagnitz
Mogurnda cingulata “Mimika”
3| Sleeper gobies of the genus Mogurnda are ex-
clusively freshwater fishes and occur in Austra-
lia, New Guinea, and on the Aru Islands. They are well
suited to the aquarium hobby and relatively easy to
breed. The eventual size of fishes of this genus ranges
from 3 to 8 inches (8 to 20 cm), depending
on the species.
Unfortunately, only few aquarists get
involved with this phylogenetic group, as
these fishes have a bad reputation. This is
because they are often kept with unsuitable
tankmates, and then, of course, there are
sometimes negative consequences: many sleeper go-
bies are predatory fishes, and hence carnivorous. But
A. WAGNITZ
they also exhibit very interesting behavior, and many
species are gorgeous, both females and males.
During our Timika expeditions,
Hans-Georg Evers, Jeffrey Christian
and I were able to record this spe-
cies practically everywhere. These
fishes are generalists and hence can
be found in virtually every habitat: in
clear- and black-water rivers as well
as in ponds, pools, and swamps.
These sleeper gobies are very
robust and can even cope with
oxygen shortages and temperatures
above 86°F (30°C). The specimens
that I brought back to Germany with
me came from a residual pool at the
edge of the river Mimika. I have now
been maintaining them for three years and have man-
aged to breed them several times. This form seems to
be full-grown at around 5 inches (12 cm).
—Andreas Wagnitz
Danio sysphigmatus
4| As there is no existing popular name for this
fish species from Myanmar, I would like to sug-
gest the name Chain Danio, which hasn’t previously
been used for any other species.
Together with Danio dangila, D. assamila, D. cat-
enatus, D. concatenatus, and D. meghalayensis, Danio
sysphigmatus forms the chain danio phylogenetic group
within the genus. All of its members possess relatively
long barbels, a more or less pronounced shoulder spot,
and above all, a dot-and-line pattern on the flanks,
reminiscent of a chain.
These fishes, which measure just under 3 inches
(7.5 cm) in length, were discovered in small streams
in the mountains. Higher aquatic plants are found only
rarely there, and the stream beds are characterized by
sand, gravel, rocks, and dead wood.
A male Mogurnda cingulata
from the Sungai Mimika.
AMAZONAS
93

Chain Danios swim non-stop
in the aquarium.
The typical body pattern, with several light
spots linked together in a band, is the reason
for the suggested popular name.
Female Elassoma gilberti "Wacissa Spring"
exhibits a brownish marbling on the body;
the unpaired fins are smaller than in males.
Male Elassoma gilberti "Econfina
River, Perry FL" in breeding
coloration.
AMAZONAS
94
The aquarium for these indefatigable
swimmers should have a volume of at
least 30 gallons (112 l) and offer plenty of
open swimming space. Densely vegetated
areas are best created at the ends and as
a background. An internal or external filter
will provide the required oxygen input and
water movement. In addition, regular water
changes should be made to minimize pol-
lution of the water. Ideal water values: tem-
perature 61–79°F (16–26°C); pH 6.5–7.5;
Hardness <20°dGH.
In the wild, these danios prefer to take
aquatic insects and those that land on the
water; in the aquarium they are omnivo-
rous and easy to feed. I predominantly
use high-quality food granules, but live and
frozen foods, as well as flake, are also
readily accepted.
Danio sysphigmatus is an egg scatterer
that releases eggs and milt on or among
fine-leaved vegetation. These fishes are,
however, particularly fond of eating their
spawn, so you should at least make it dif-
ficult for them. A spawning grid or mesh can
be fitted so as to keep the fishes away from
the eggs, which are virtually non-adhesive
and sink to the aquarium bottom. Anyone
who finds that too complicated can use a
layer of coarse gravel several centimeters
deep instead; that way at least some of the
eggs will disappear into the interstices.
If you want to keep Chain Danios, it is
very important to cover the aquarium tightly,
especially at the corners. When they are
looking for food, and even more so when
frightened, they may dash around the tank
and, in extreme cases, jump out if there
TOP & SECOND FROM TOP: F. BITTER; SECOND FROM BOTTOM & BOTTOM: ANTHONY TERCEIRA
isn’t an adequate cover to prevent them.
—Friedrich Bitter
Elassoma gilberti
5| Every year in late spring the pygmy
sunfishes of the genus Elassoma
once again find themselves in the spot-
light. There are seven recognized species
and their main distribution region is in the
southeastern United States. Even in more
northerly zones, they can be kept and bred
outdoors once the spring and summer
nights are milder again, provided you have
a good source of live food.
The species featured here, E. gilberti,
known in the United States as the Gulf
Coast Pygmy Sunfish, occurs exclusively in
 northwestern Florida and southwestern
Georgia. These fishes, which attain only
an inch (2.5 cm) in length, are found pre-
dominantly among dense vegetation and
accumulations of fallen leaves, where
they hunt for small organisms such as
tiny crustaceans and worms.
Aquariums with a volume of
10 gallons (37 l) or larger will suffice
for maintenance and also breeding.
Their tank should be densely planted
with mosses, for example, while Elodea, Male of the unidentified, newly imported
cardinal minnow from Central Vietnam.
Hornwort and other stem plants can
be used as well. Males are temporarily
territorial during the breeding season
and also defend the eggs laid by the
female(s) in their territory.
The species is very adaptable as
regards water parameters. Although
soft, slightly acid water is usually cited
as ideal, the fishes will breed adequately
even in medium-hard water with a pH
around 7.5. The accepted temperature
spectrum is 59–80.5°F (15–27°C).
A diet consisting predominantly of
live food is important. Frozen food is
accepted only to a limited extent. The
sexes can be distinguished easily (see
photos). Unfortunately, the offspring
are often predominantly one sex, which Ripe female of a new geographical
may be due to various water param- variant of Tanichthys.
eters during the gender-determining
phase of development.

—Friedrich Bitter

Tanichthys sp. “Da Nang” Enquiries by the importer to the exporter revealed that
the fishes were supposedly caught in the general area

6| Six years ago, Ingo Seidel reported in the German

AMAZONAS (Nr. 41, Mai/Juni 2012) on a new cardinal
minnow from Vietnam, which had already been commercially
imported to Europe in 2009. Ingo obtained a pair of these
fishes in 2010 and was able to breed them successfully. I
don’t know how long this strain survived in the aquarium and
since then I have heard nothing about their precise identity
or further imports, either.
I am very interested in Vietnamese fishes and have been
able to observe and catch them myself during several trips.
In autumn 2017, I took advantage of the opportunity to order
a number of fish species directly from this southeast Asian
country as part of a shared importation. They were supposed
to include Tanichthys micagemmae, the smallest species
of its genus known to date. During unpacking, I was quite
around Da Nang. In addition to the very informative ar-
ticle by Ingo Seidel already-mentioned, by inputting the
keywords “Tanichthys” and “Da Nang” into a search en-
gine, I came across additional sources on the Internet.
My experiences regarding maintenance and
breeding are almost identical with Siedel’s data, and
the fishes proved easy to maintain in a wide range of
water parameters. Unlike Siedel’s fishes, however, my
imported fishes exhibit a slightly different base color,
and the number of branched anal-fin rays mentioned by
Siedel differs: his new species showed 9 and my speci-
mens have 8, which is the same as some other already
described Tanichthys species. While they can generally
be described as pretty, it hasn’t yet been possible to
clarify the exact identity of these cardinal minnows
AMAZONAS

amazed to find another fish in the bag, whose external ap- conclusively. Only further research will determine their
pearance matched neither T. micagemmae nor T. thacbaensis. true identity.
F. BITTER

I had obtained young wild-caught specimens, so nothing

conclusive could be stated about external appearance yet. —Friedrich Bitter

95
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A DV E R TI S E R S

INDEX
101 Best Freshwater Nano Species Book . . . . . . . . . . .97 Fry Factory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
www.amazon.com www.fryfactory.com.au
AKA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91 Hikari . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20, 34, 43
www.AKA.org www.hikariusa.com
Amazonas Magazine Back Issues. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97 Nautilus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50
www.reef2rainforest.com www.NautilusMarineWholesale.com
Amazonas Magazine Retail Sources . . . . . . . . . . . .90, 91 Ocean Nutrition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
www.Reef2Rainforest.com/source-directory www.oceannutrition.com
Amazonas Magazine Subscriptions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89 OmegaSea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
www.AMAZONASmagazine.com www.omegasea.net
Amazonas Magazine Website . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .96 Pleco Feeder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72
www.reef2rainforest.com www.theplecofeeder.com
Apet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .96 Poly-Bio-Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71
www.apetinc.com www.poly-bio-marine.com
Aquariumfishsale.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .96 Repashy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
www.aquariumfishsale.com www.repashy.com
Aquarium Münster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86 San Francisco Bay Brand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
www.aquarium-munster.com www.sfbb.com
Aquarium Zen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .96 Sera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58
www.AquariumZen.net www.sera-usa.com
Aquatropic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37 Swiss Tropicals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87
www.aquatropic.com www.SwissTropicals.com
Boyd Enterprises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Tunze . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63
www.chemi-pure.com www.tunze.com
Brightwell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73 Two Little Fishies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17, 89
www.brightwellaquatics.com www.twolittlefishies.com
CaribSea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . inside back cover The Wet Spot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59
www.caribsea.com www.WetSpotTropicalFish.com
Cichlid and Catfish Extravaganza . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76 ZooMed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13, 14, 15, back cover
www.OhioCichlids.com www.zoomed.com
Cobalt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .inside front cover
www.cobaltaquatics .com
Dr. Tim’s Aquatics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
www.drtimsaquatics.com For an AMAZONAS Media Kit please contact:
Fluval Sea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35, 77 Mike Tuccinardi, Advertising Sales Director •
www.fluvalaquatics.com Michael.Tuccinardi@reef2rainforest.com

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 U N D E RWAT E R EYE by Hristo Hristov

Longfin German Blue Ram

(Microgeophagus ramirezi)
male in full display.
AMAZONAS

98
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