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Lake Tanganyika 

Seemingly, Tanganyikan fish are the favorites for Rift Lake hobbyists in many countries. There is strong interest in Tropheus, goby cichlids, odd balls, and of course blue Cyphotilapia frontosa varieties. Fish collected in the southern Congo coast seem to be in demand, but costs to do business there continue to rise. Several old time collectors and new upstarts have decided it is just too expensive to collect far off fishes. Due to the bad economy and high expenses, some have given up all together.
 

Collected along the central Tanzanian coast, this Petrochromis orthognathus “red eye” is named for the bright color patches above the eyes. Advanced hobbyists continue to try their hands at keeping several species of these brutes.	One of the few species collected over the past year or two in extreme northern Congo is Asprotilapia leptura. This fish is from Uvira, Congo, and looks similar to the other populations of this fish around the lake.
Exported from Tanzania, but collected in southern Congo, Eretmodus sp. Kamakonde is similar to the populations found elsewhere in the area (see E. sp. Moba last issue.) These fish are spotted in blue dorsal dots and also sport faded yellow body bars.	Still popular with hobbyists that can afford them, Cyphotilapia frontosa from southern Congo are highly regarded for their deep blue colors. Pictured here is the variety from Moba, Congo, swimming underwater in a Florida breeding vat. Photo by R. Martin.

Lake Malawi

Sales of wild caught Malawi fishes have been very low in the United States and parts of Europe. Many hobbyists are opting for less expensive bred fishes from Florida or local European breeders. As costs of importation slowly rise, and the economic crisis continues, demand for expensive wild Malawi fish has dropped. There is always the occasional hobbyist searching for hard to find cichlids and sometimes they are rewarded when the special order arrives.

Fully colored male haplochromines from Malawi are often bought just for display purposes. Here a fully colored male Otopharnyx sp. ‘spots’, a seldom seen cichlid from the south-central Malawi coastline. Photo by F. Callegari.	Some male predatory haplochromines are especially beautiful when fully or seasonally colored up in their breeding dress. The Buccochromis species seem often to fit the bill especially when extra large. Pictured here is a male B. nototaenia. Photo by F. Callegari.
Several of the male Placidochromis varieties have gained popularity among Malawi fans. A male Placidochromis sp. ‘jalo’ becomes especially beautiful when grown out over time. Compared to newly imported individuals, the color and finnage are spectacular. Photo by F. Callegari.	Rarely exported from Malawi is another species, Placidochromis sp. ‘phenochilus gissel’. Not as strikingly colored as the P. phenochilus from the northern end of the lake, this newer variety is not as bright iridescent blue, but somewhat darker in contrast. Photo by F. Callegari.
Gaining recent popularity, Placidochromis johnstoni is a cichlid that was collected and exported in the late 1970s. A few of these old time species are gaining notoriety from the newer generation of Malawi cichlid hobbyists. Many of these species are difficult to collect now and are supplied from farm raised sources. Photo by F. Callegari.	Pseudotropheus heteropictus from Chizumulu has been shipped infrequently over the past year or so. The males are powder blue and the females are orange, making them a very colorful item to breed and something hobbyists will buy as juveniles.

Lake Victoria

No news of any wild caught items, but there are still pockets of Victorian cichlid fans in different parts of the world. Often one area’s group of hobbyists has a species that another hasn’t seen in some time. Hopefully, with exchanges of species and dedicated hobbyists breeding these fishes, current species will not disappear from the hobby in the future.
 

Bred in some places in Europe, Lipochromis melanopterus sometimes sent to America and elsewhere as bred juveniles. Other hard to find species can sometimes be sourced this way. Photo by O. Seehausen.

Developed by select breeding from the Uganda variety called ‘Haplochromis’ sp. ‘red fin piebald’, this Florida farmed variety is now sold as ‘Fluorescent Pink.’ In this underwater photo, one can see why. Photo by R. Martin.

Neotropics

Exports from the usual South American countries have been active of late.  While some countries like Brazil have restricted trade in certain species and groups, other countries try to find and collect similar species from their own regions to fill any demand gap.  Some different and no so often collected cichlids are arriving from these places as well. 

Small numbers of Geophagus pellegrini are finally being shipped from Colombia. Hopefully, this beautiful species will stay in the hobby this time around. Photo by O. Lucanus.	This very interesting cichlid hails from Colombia as well.  Often sold as Cichlasoma ornatum (or C. gephyrum), its true identity is uncertain.  Photo by O. Lucanus.
While many Crenicichla species are restricted from the trade in Brazil, other countries are still shipping their native species.  Exported and sold from Colombia as Crenicichla sp. ‘Orinoco,’ this unidentified pike cichlid could be related to the strigata group of pikes.	Crenicichla multispinosa are finally starting to be shipped out of Surinam.  This attractive pike cichlid gets too large for most aquariums, but it is one of the most colorful and elegant species.  Photo by O. Lucanus.