The Retropinnis Bichir (Polypterus retropinnis) is known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as the West African Bichir or Speckled Bichir and is found in the Congo River basin in Western Africa and has been recorded in Benin, Gaboon, Nigeria, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Ghana, and the Congo Republic. Retropinnis Bichirs frequent the swamps, marshes, […]

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The Spotted African lungfish (Protopterus dolloi) is also referred to by tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as the Slender Lungfish and is found in middle Africa, the lower Congo River, the Kouilou-Niari, and the Ogowe River basins. Spotted African Lungfish live in the temporary floodplains, riverbeds, swamps, marshes, and backwaters of the above basins and during […]

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The West African lungfish (Protopterus annectens) is the most commonly seen species in the tropical fish keeping hobby.    It is found in the partially dry floodplains, marshes, slow moving backwaters and the swamps of Guinea, Togo, Sierra Leone, Cameroon, Niger, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Burkina, Faso, Gambia, Ghana, Chad, Benin, Senegal, Kenya, Mali, Sudan and the […]

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The Gilled African lungfish (Protopterus amphibius) also known by tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as the East African Lungfish, is found in Kenya, Somalia, and Mozambique, East Africa and the delta of the Zambezi River. Gilled African Lungfish are the smallest of the extant lungfish that seldom grow longer than 17 inches in length.    Their bodies […]

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The Marbled Lungfish (Protopterus aethiopicus) is found in the African countries of Tanzania, Ethiopia, the Sudan, Kenya, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo and referred to by tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as the Leopard Lungfish, or African Lungfish . Marbled Lungfish live in the Nile River as well as lakes Albert, Edward, Tanganyika, Victoria, Nabugabo, […]

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The South American lungfish (Lepidosiren paradoxa) is the only species of lungfish found in South America. It frequents swamps and slow moving waters in the Amazon, Rio Paraguay, and lower Paraná River basins, and is known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as the American Mud Fish, Amazonian Lungfish, or Scaly Salamanderfish.    It is found […]

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The Queensland Lungfish (Neoceratodus forsteri) is the sole surviving member of the family Ceratodontidae and is known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as the Australian lungfish, Barramunda, or Burnett Salmon. The Queensland lungfish is truly a “living fossil” and one of only six species remaining in modern times. Of the six known surviving members of […]

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Lungfish is the generic name given to a group of fish belonging to the families Ceratodontidae, Lepidosirenidae and Protopteridae.    Each family represents a different continent where they can be found specifically, Australia, South America, and Africa. Lungfish get their name from the fact that they can breed atmospheric oxygen by using lungs similar to those […]

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Poecilocharax bovalii are found only in the Potaro River in Guyana up to Kaieteur Falls. They are exceptionally rare to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts and are difficult to maintain when available. Poecilocharax bovalii are a shy, fast moving, bottom dwelling species that inhabit slow moving blackwater forest ponds where they feed on a variety of […]

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Ram Cichlids (Mikrogeophagus ramirezi) are a peaceful, social species of Dwarf cichlid that are found in the Orinoco River basin in Venezuela and Columbia, South America. There are several color variations of Mikrogeophagus ramirezi that lend to their common names such as German Blue Ram, Electric Blue Ram, German Gold Ram, Butterfly Cichlid, Blue Ram, […]

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The Purple Emperor Tetra (Inpaichthys kerri) is found in sluggish tributaries off the main river channels of the Rio Aripuanã and upper Rio Madeira basins, in Brazil and are known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as the Blue Emperor Tetra, Inpaichthys Tetra, Regal Emperor Tetra, or Royal Emperor Tetra. They are a peaceful shoaling species […]

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The Weitzman Tetra (Poecilocharax weitzmani) is widely distributed throughout several river drainages in Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, and Peru, and is also known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as the Black Darter Tetra or Black morpho tetra.     Wild specimens collected from Colombia and Brazil are much more intensely colored, and specimens collected from Peru may […]

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The Green Fire Tetra (Aphyocharax rathbuni) is found in the clear waters of the Paraguay river basin in South America, and  is known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as the Redflank Bloodfin or Rathbun’s Bloodfin tetra.   In addition to being found in the Paraguay river basin, it is also endemic to the Paraná and […]

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The Bucktoothed Tetra (Exodon paradoxus) is found in the Rio Branco, Guyana and throughout the Brazilian Amazon. They are usually found over sandy bottoms in slower moving waters that flow through the savanna like grasslands. Although the Bucktoothed Tetra gets its name from their uniquely designed mouth that allow it to rip the scales from […]

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The Managuense Cichlid (Parachromis managuense) is a large Central American species that is also known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as the Jaguar Cichlid or Aztec Cichlid.   The species was originally found in Lake Managua, Nicaragua where it got its name but is distributed throughout Central America from Honduras to Costa Rica. The Jaguar […]

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The Firemouth Cichlid (Thorichthys meeki) is found in the shallow, slower moving (and often turbid) rivers of the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico, south through Belize and into northern Guatemala. The Firemouth Cichlid’s body color is a pearlescent turquoise blue, with red edged scales. The “throat” and breast areas are colored a brick to fire engine red, […]

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The Rainbow Tetra (Nematobrycon lacortei) is peaceful shoaling species that is found in sluggish tributaries, small quiet rivers (Río Calima) and streams of the Rio San Juan basin in western Colombia, S.A. The Rainbow Tetra (Nematobrycon lacortei) is rarer and the more colorful of the two species of Emperor Tetras that are found in Colombia. […]

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The Candy Cane Tetra (Hyphessobrycon bentosi) is also known as the HY511, Ornate Tetra, White Tip Tetra, False Rosy Tetra, Bentos Tetra, and White Fin Ornate Tetra. Hyphessobrycon bentosi is native to the Amazon basin in Peru and are found in the densely vegetated, shaded, slow moving creeks that branch off from the Amazon River. […]

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The Lemon Tetra (Hyphessobrycon pulchripinnis) is an Amazon River species that was first collected from the Rio Tapajos Basin, near Santarém, Brazil.   It is found in both the Rio Tapajos and stretches of the Amazon River where they join together at Santarem. Lemon Tetras are one of the deeper bodied tetras that have a “diamond” […]

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The Colombian Tetra (Hyphessobrycon columbianus) also known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as the Blue Flame Tetra, Blue Red Tetra, and Colombian Red Fin Tetra is found only in the Río Acandí in Chocó Department, northern Colombia, close to the Panama border. Originally misidentified as Hyphessobrycon ecuadorensis, the Colombian Tetra has a deep body that […]

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