The Rarest Cichlid in The US

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i can see why that last one was rare, no offense but besides the fact that its "rare" it has little redeeming qualities. Chocolate cichlids have more colour and have the same body shape. so if that fish was a regularly available fish it would only really apply to people who favoured it personally.
 
Stratoquarius said:
i can see why that last one was rare, no offense but besides the fact that its "rare" it has little redeeming qualities. Chocolate cichlids have more colour and have the same body shape. so if that fish was a regularly available fish it would only really apply to people who favoured it personally.
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This fish is actually an African cichlid from the Congo. What makes it interesting is that it's been classified as a New World cichlid because it shares characteristics with the Central and South American cichlids (things like the structure of the mouth, etc.). It's rarely imported.

Color is not the only "redeeming quality" when it comes to cichlids. A lot of people find cichlids interesting for things like their behavior, their body shape, etc. Most of the SA cichlids at my house are not colorful, but I sought them out for other reasons. If I wanted color, I'd probably be keeping Africans or saltwater. So this fish might not be your personal taste, but others may have been waiting on the chance to snag these up for a while.
 
Hey I'm hardly arguing that its rare for a reason, I'm just saying that personally I can see why the fish might be less appealing, especially with the festae crowd.

also I had no clue it was from Africa the Genus name should've given me a clue. Brazil was once joined to western africa so it makes sense that there would be a link between the cichlids in the two continents. it would be interesting to see if it could live with American cichlids or possibly even hybridise. that would definately tell icthyologists a lot about the divergance that took place between those 2 particular types of cichlids.
 
It is thought that H mutidens is the ancestral link between Africa and the new world, as far as cichlids go. Been on my wish list for years, but waiting for F1s price for wild is beyond my means.
Retroculus is normally found in fast flowing rivers, even in rapids, much like darters. It covers it's nest with small stones, high oxygen required to thrive. Also been on my list, and bit out of reach.
 
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