At present there are 5 sub-species, Sarotherodon melanotheron melanotheron, S. m. heudelotii, S. m. leonensis, S. m. nigripinnis and S. m. paludinosus. Confusingly, some of these are maternal mouthbrooders.

It has been introduced into several countries for aquaculture purposes and thriving populations now exist in areas of Asia, Europe and the USA….

A rarely seen species in the hobby due to its deep water lifestyle and the associated difficulties with collecting it.

This is currently the only described species in the genus Pungu. Because of it's its tiny natural range, habitat destruction due to excess water removal (the nearby town of Kumba relies on the lake for it's water supply), deforestation, the introduction of non-native species and overfishing, it is considered to be critically endangered and all efforts at captive breeding are to be encouraged. It is correspondingly rare in the hobby, and we suggest purchasing some only if you intend to …

Endemic to Lake Victoria which has a shoreline divided between Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, although P. nyererei has been recorded only in the southern part of the lake belonging entirely to Tanzania.

Type locality is ‘Mwanza Gulf, Tanzania, Lake Vic…

The genus Prionobrama currently contains only one other valid species, P. paraguayensis. It is very similar in appearance to P. filigera, but lacks any red pigmentation in the caudal fin. It's probably never been imported for the hobby, although it may show up as occasional bycatch amongst shipments of more popular species.

P. filigera can be easily distinguished from the "other" bloodfin tetra, Aphyocharax anisitsi by its more elongate body shape and the fact that it exhibits…

There are only three species in this little known genus, all of which are rarely seen in the hobby. In 2007 an apparently undescribed Piabucus was seen on sale in the UK under the name "chin tetra", in reference to the black marking on the lower jaw of the fish….

This species can be found swimming in most dealers' tanks and is one of the best choices for the newcomer to fishkeeping. All the fish sold in the trade have been captive bred and as such are unfussy regarding water chemistry and diet.

The taxonomic status of all species in the genus Moenkhausia is currently Incertae Sedis, meaning uncertain. The genus is currently used as something of a catch-all for a large number of small characin species. Most experts agree that a full revision is re…

This species has a confusing taxonomic past. There are currently 3 subspecies, Pseudotropheus tropheops tropheops, P. t. romandi and P. t. gracilior. P. macrophthalmus and P. microstoma were also once considered as subspecies of tropheops, but are now classed as distinct species. Furthermore, it is likely that the current subspecies and their various colour forms (of which there are many) will be themselves reclassifed into the currently invalid genus Tropheops! Incidentally, none of the subspec…

Although it is a good choice for the general mbuna community, as mentioned above P. flavus should not be kept together with any member of the P. elongatus complex. Not only will these species interbreed, producing undesirable hybrid offspring, but males of these species will clash very heavily.

As with other members of the genus it possesses flat, bicuspid teeth which are designed for scraping algae and other organisms from the surface of rocks….

There is ongoing debate as to the true genus of this species, it having been variously grouped in both Maylandia and Metriaclima as well as the currently valid Pseudotropheus. It is unlikely it will remain in Pseudotropheus, however. One interesting feature is the presence of additional rows of teeth when compared to others in the genus. Also, the rows of bicuspid teeth, used for rasping algae from rock surfaces, extend further back into the mouth than in other Pseudotropheus.

P. fainzilberi…