This species was introduced into the aquarium trade in the early 20th century but disappeared soon after. It subsequently reappeared in a Berlin zoo in 1965 and has been available from specialist breeders ever since. It occasionally appears for sale in aquatic shops….

As of 2006 only 4.6% of the old forest was left with the remainder existing only in small, highly-fragmented patches, most covering areas less than 10 km², of which some are now officially-protected reserves. Kottawa Forest is one of these and comprises just 15-20 hectares of wet, evergreen jungle, though the combined Kottawa-Kombala forest covers around 1600 ha. A number of minor, pristine streams…

This species can be told apart from relatives by the characteristic ‘keyhole’ shaped marking on each side of the body.

It’s one of few fishes in which the current generic name is derived from the common name popularised in the aquarium hobby with ‘Cleithracara‘ a combination of the Greek kleithron, meaning lock, and, acará, the Guaraní word for cichlids.

Altum Angels are a lot less common in the trade than their well known (arguably the best known tropical fish) relatives Pterophyllum Scalare, the common Angelfish. However, they are still available from some of the better tropical fish suppliers.

They are a challenge to keep – they share all of their relatives' difficulties (susceptible to hole-in-the-head disease, very weak to nitrate buildups, extremely prone to stress-related diseases, commonly eat their own spawns etc.) and have a fe…

Endler's Livebearer was actually discovered in 1937 by Franklyn F. Bond before being rediscovered by John Endler in 1975 in Laguna de Patos, Cumana, northeastern Venezuela. It was found coexisting, but not interbreeding with, a wild form of P. reticulata. Both species are native to this area of Venezuela, but P. reticulata was much less common in areas where P. wingei was thriving. This is thought to be partially related to habitat type, as guppies are usually found in colder, running water…

This species appears endemic to the upper rio Madeira basin in Bolivia and Brazil.

Records exist from the Río Mamoré and Río Guaporé drainages in Bolivia (where the Guaporé is known as the Iténez) and Brazil plus the upper Río Orthon (ríos Tahuamanu and Manuripi).

Type locality is ‘sand-bank in the Rio Marm…

Another popular molly in the hobby, and another that has been selectively bred to produce several different varieties, such as albino, black, red etc. Some of these are the result of cross breeding with P.latipinna. There also exists a (in our opinion) grotesque 'balloon' variety of this fish in which the body is malformed and rounded, giving a balloon-like appearance. This condition can cause swimbladder and digestive problems and may bring about premature death.

It is difficult to…

Another massively popular aquarium fish, with dozens of selectively bred varieties available, including mickey mouse, wagtail, tuxedo, moon, blue, red, comet and hi-fin. Some of these are produced by crossbreeding with X.helleri or X. variatus. Unfortunately many commercially bred platies are not very hardy due to inbreeding and over-production and are prone to disease and premature death.

Wild fish are almost never seen in the hobby.

As long as the ph remains above neutral this fish is …

Wild swordtails are a fairly basic green colur. However the vast majority of swordtails available in the hobby today are hybrids of X.helleri with X.maculatus or X.variatus. There are a huge number of selectively-bred varieties available, including wagtail, lyretail, tuxedo, albino, neon, red, green and hi-fin.

Swordtails may undergo what appears to be a change in sex. In young fish this may simply be late development. However some adult females develop male characteristics which is thought …

A hugely popular aquarium fish. Many aquarium-bred colour morphs of this species are available, including the ubiquitous black molly. There are also Gold, Green, Lyretail, Silver and Dalmation varieties. Some of these are the results of P. sphenops being crossed with P. latipinnis. The 2 species will also interbreed readily in the aquarium and in order to avoid this we suggest keeping only one of them per tank. There also exists a (in our opinion) grotesque 'balloon' variety of this fi…