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Channa stewartii

Restricted to a series of small habitats below the waterfall known as 'El Salto' in the upper Río Mezquital basin, Durango state, central Mexico. It was previously considered to occur throughout much of the upper Río Mezquital in both Durango and Coahuila states, but genetic analyses suggest otherwise and have resulted in taxonomic confusion (see 'Notes').

This rarely seen Characin occasionally shows up in the trade, usually as a contaminant among shipments of more popular species. It's sometimes referred to as Asiphonichthys condei in older literature.

It is currently the only valid member of the genus but it is possible that additional taxa exist, particularly in Myanmar, while a number of former species are contained within the Laubuka assemblage, to which C. cachius is closely related. Phylogenetic studies suggest the existence of a monophyletic clade consisting of the genera Devario, Chela, Laubuca, Microdevario and Microrasbora plus the genus Betadevario.

Omnivorous and will accept most foods offered, with the stomach contents of wild specimens varying on a seasonal basis but mostly comprising insects and insect larvae (orders Trichoptera, Hemiptera, Homoptera) plus some terrestrial fruits and even scales of other fishes (Sánchez et al., 2003). In the aquarium offer live Daphnia, Artemia, Moina, bloodowrm, etc., vegetable matter in the form of blanched spinach, lettuce, cucumber, fruit, algae wafers, etc., and good quality, sinking dried foods.

This fish belongs to a very distinctive genus of mochokid. There are almost 50 species of Chiloglanis described to science, but most are never imported and even the commoner species, such as this one, are seen only rarely. They are very difficult to identify down to species level, as many are very similar in looks. Some are strongly sexually dimorphic with the males having thickened or enlarged anal and caudal fins. Chiloglanis are also sometimes confused with the other 2 genera of African sucke...

This species is also referred to as 'royal knifefish' in the aquarium trade but arguably has no place in the ornamental hobby given its adult size and specialised requirements. It can be distinguished from congeners by presence of many small, dark spots on the anterior portion of the body which merge to form oblique, irregular stripes extending onto the anal and caudal fins posteriorly.

This species' name has been widely misapplied in the aquarium trade and hobbyist literature, most often in reference to the Southeast Asian species C. ornata, but unlike its relative is in fact very rarely exported for ornamental purposes although its is fished and cultured for food in India. It can be told apart from C. ornata by possessing fe...

This species is not collected for the aquarium trade at time of writing. In contrast to other members of the genus older juvenile and adult individuals lack dark markings on the body while the jaw is more pronounced.

This species is also referred to as 'clown knifefish' in the aquarium trade. It arguably has no place in the ornamental hobby given its adult size and specialised requirements but remains inexplicably popular and an albino form has even been line-bred for the purpose. It can be distinguished from all congeners by presence of one or more rows of large ocellated spots above the base of the anal-fin, but...

Lake Eyre is a vast endorheic basin within which lies the lowest point in Australia at some 15 m BMSL. It only fills with water occasionally and when it does so forms the country's largest salt lake. C. eremius does not occur in the lake itself since no fishes are able to survive there, rather it inhabits isolated freshwater springs, flowing artesian bores (wells), and ephemeral waterholes where it tends to be associated with rocks and other submerged cover.

Described from Assinie-Mafia in south-eastern Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), western Africa but currently accepted to be extensively distributed in coastal river drainages of central western Africa from the Saint John River, central Liberia to the Cross River drainage, in southeastern Nigeria and southwestern Cameroon. It also occurs in the Niger and its major tributary the Benue (Bénoué) and has thus been recorded from Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria and Togo.

This species is arguably one of the most misunderstood in the hobby since it's wholly unsuitable for smaller aquaria despite its ubiquitous availability. Most retailers sell it without providing what should be considered essential information regarding long-term care and most specimens undoubtedly fail to reach their potential in captivity. The purchase of a group is also a considerable investment given that if properly cared for typical life span is in excess...

Due to their large size, Peacock Bass are only really recommended for the experienced fishkeeper that can house them adequately. That said, they are a hardy and robust species that will adapt to a variety of conditions. Peacock Bass are becoming much more available in the hobby and are often seen for sale as cute 2" babies, often tempting people into buying a fish they will not be able to care for in the long term. Peacock Bass are also fished as a sport fish....

Due to their large size, Peacock Bass are only really recommended for the experienced fishkeeper that can house them adequately. That said, they are a hardy and robust species that will adapt to a variety of conditions. Peacock Bass are becoming much more available in the hobby and are often seen for sale as cute 2" babies, often tempting people into buying a fish they will not be able to care for in the long term. Peacock Bass are also fished as a sport fish....

Due to their large size, Peacock Bass are only really recommended for the experienced fishkeeper that can house them adequately. That said, they are a hardy and robust species that will adapt to a variety of conditions. Peacock Bass are becoming much more available in the hobby and are often seen for sale as cute 2" babies, often tempting people into buying a fish they will not be able to care for in the long term. Peacock Bass are also fished as a sport fish....

One of the largest cichla species. Due to their large size, Peacock Bass are only really recommended for the experienced fishkeeper that can house them adequately. That said, they are a hardy and robust species that will adapt to a variety of conditions. Peacock Bass are becoming much more available in the hobby and are often seen for sale as cute 2" babies, often tempting people into buying a fish they will not be able to care for in the long term. Peacock Bass are also fished as...

Sometimes referred to (incorrectly) as cichlasoma boliviensis, the Bolivia cichlid is not commonly seen in the hobby. A good candidate for a community of medium sized cichlids, assuming aggression problems can be overcome.

The Red Terror can be troublesome to breed due to pairing problems - if a pair of fish are incompatible and are housed together for any length of time, it is likely that the weaker fish will be killed. The best way of getting a true pair is to grow 6 juveniles up until a noticeably strong pair has formed. Also, its size means finding an aquarium and suitable breeding surfaces can be difficult. As previously mentioned, rocks (siliconed if necessary) and bits of slate used to create man-made caves...

Salvin's Cichlid has a well deserved reputation for aggression, especially when breeding. They are regularly available in the trade and make an extremely colourful addition to any north/central American aggression tank. Take care when choosing tank mates, however. If only this species is kept in the tank, it will be quite shy until mature or until the natural domination order has been established. If a single fish of this species is kept alone, it will be extremely shy, usually choosing ...