favourite fish – Glass Boxes

New African tetras

Every respectable local fish store offers a range of tetras from South America and less usual species crop up with reasonable regularity. Beyond the near-ubiquitous congo tetra, Phenacogrammus interruptus, it is unusual to find any African tetras in UK fish stores. I don’t think the situation is much different in Germany or the US. Over the last few years, however, a number of beautiful new species have been imported. Hopefully some will become established in the hobby and more widely available. Like congo tetras they are larger than their familiar South American cousins at 3-8 inches long and need spacious homes.

Phenacogrammus auranticus

Phenacogrammus nigropterus

Distichodon noboli (from Fishbase)

Distichodon sp. Black and Red Lefini River

Bathyaethiops breuseghemi

Alestopetersius brichardi ( also seems to be known as Phenacogrammus ansorgii)

Alestopetersius caudalis

Diapteron

I’ve always liked killifish. They are small and colourful and have masses more personality than more commonly kept ‘little pretty fish’ like tetras, rasboras and livebearers. Over the years I’ve kept Nothobranchius rachovii, Aphyosemion gardneri, Chromaphyosemion bitaeniatum and Austrolebias nigripinnis – mostly somewhat unsuccessfully in rather inappropriate community aquariums. I did get eggs from the Chromaphyosemion, but could never raise the fry.

The 5 species and numerous local varieties of the genus Diapteron have always particularly caught my eye. They come from shaded rainforest streams with soft, cool water in a small area of Northern Gabon and nearby parts of the Congo. They are stunning tiny fish, fully grown at 1.5 inches long, and so would be quite at home in a small well planted tank. A great project for those with an RO machine or regular access to clean rainwater.

One day I will breed them!

The humphead eartheaters

The humphead eartheaters, or the ‘Geophagus‘ steindachneri group, have a special place in my affections. A pair of redhump eartheaters (‘Geophagus‘ steindachneri itself) shared a too small 30″ aquarium when I first got back into fishkeeping in rented flats after leaving university in the late 90s. They are beautiful and characterful fish – more outgoing and intelligent than many South American cichlids without the anti-social aggression of most Central American species.

The three species in the group are found North and West of the Andes in Panama, Colombia and Ecuador – quite distinct from the majority of South American aquarium fish from the Amazon and Orinoco basins to the East of the Andes. Like most geophagine cichlids they are adapted for sifting through sandy substrates to find food. Their natural habitat in open sandy-bottomed rivers and streams and the impact of their feeding behaviour on any rooted plants don’t lend themselves easily to exciting naturalistic aquarium design. However, they do share their native range with some interesting other fish that could form the basis for a great biotope aquarium, including emperor (Nematobrycon palmeri) and rainbow tetras (Nemtobrycon lacortei), giant whiptail catfish (Sturisoma), and the Blue Acara and Green Terror related cichlids that now form the genus Andinoacara.