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Lake Tanganyika 

Although collecting and export from most African countries has decreased, interest in Tanganyika cichlids has increased somewhat in the USA. Some exporters around the lake have temporarily closed shop due to weak prices and lack of sales. Other exporters have come out of retirement to meet the demand from the USA. Also of note, exporters are doing their best to bring unique and new fish to the marketplace.
 

Exported from Burundi recently is a somewhat rarer and certainly lesser known species of Limnochromis. Perhaps this new fish is L. abeelei and is currently collected in low numbers.	Some newer items are collected in Congo close to the Burundi border. As of late, some goby cichlids have appeared for sale from Makobola, Congo. Here Spathodus marlieri from this location has been imported.
Another goby cichlid also collected from Makobola, Congo, is the northern species of Eretmodus. This variety has an overall tawny yellow color and bluish markings on its throat.	A super rare find from Burundi is the Greenwoodochromis bellcrossi.  Only a few individuals have be collected as of this writing and none exported to date. Let us hope more are found and can be exported to avid fans! Photo courtesy of M. Schreyen.

Lake Malawi

Demand for wild-caught cichlids from Lake Malawi seems to be at an all time low. Due to ever increasing freight and styrofoam box charges, the past great bargains and prices are now long gone. To counter the low demand, collectors have stepped up the search for new items as well as hard to find items. There has been some success in actually collecting wild Nimbochromis fuscoteaniatus and Chilotilapia rhoadesi as well as other items.  
 

Several of the smaller mbuna varieties are popular now. Recently a Pseudotropheus minutus-like cichlid has been collected and imported from different localities. Pictured here, the variant from Manda, Tanzania.	The “elongatus” types have also been collected for a little something different. Sold as Ps. elongatus Kanchedza (Malawi), this cichlid is reportedly less aggressive than other types of the elongatus group. Photo by A. Konings.
In the early days of collecting Malawi cichlids, several of the exported haplochromines like Nimbochromis fuscotaeniatus, were actually caught in Lake Malombe to the south. Now they are sporadically caught in Lake Malawi. Photo by A. Konings.	Collecting cichlids along the Mozambique coast is becoming more difficult for various reasons. All the more important to keep stable breeding colonies of items like the “blue dwarf auratus” from Mozambique, now called Melanochromis wochepa. Photo by A. Konings.
Long-forgotten in the past, Lethrinops varieties are now popular with specialty breeders. Species similar to Lethrinops auritus have been found at several locations around the Lake. Photo by A. Konings.	Rarely caught for export, Copadichromis sp. ‘goldcrest mloto’ can be obtained from specialty breeders while they last!

Lake Victoria

Exports of Lake Victoria cichlids from the surrounding countries are non-existent. Victoria cichlid fans must still rely on the bred fish from original stocks collected over a decade ago. Occasionally new albino forms or offspring of small breeder colonies will appear for sale.
 

Another albino form of a well-known Victorian basin cichlid appeared in the hobby recently. Here is a beautiful albino ‘Haplochromis’ sp. all red, originally from the Lake Kyoga area.

Popular in the past, but rarely seen now, ‘Haplochomis’ sp. red parvidens is originally from Lake Nawampasa, Uganda, and is still being bred in small numbers.

Neotropics

The availability of cichlids from the New World remains strong. Spotty shortages are reported from Brazil due to local government bans on certain species. Other exporting countries are making discounts to reduce inventories and attract new sales. Specialty breeders of unique items have even more to offer!  

Imported from the Brazilian Amazon, this is a rarely seen species of freshwater angelfish, Pterophyllum dumerili. It is also known as the “long nose” angelfish. Photo by A. Konings.	Originally from Bolivia, Aequidens viridis is an unusual cichlid found on a collecting trip by hobbyists and brought back to be bred. Photo by S. Jack.
A beautiful wild caught heckel discus from the Rio Abacaxi, Brazil, southeast of Manaus. These discus are infrequently collected according to the river conditions. Photo by S. Jack.	Collected in Suriname, Mesonauta guyanae can be very aggressive compared to any of the other M. festivum types. Interested parties should take note! Photo by S. Jack.