I have mentioned numerous times here on the blog that I am a member of several cichlid Facebook (FB) groups. Even with all its warts, FB is a great way to get the latest news on new species, new cichlid initiatives, etc. It is also a great platform for networking with other cichlid keepers. It’s one reason that so many cichlid clubs use it.
To that end, I have discovered many great hobbyists by being in these FB groups. Today’s interviewee is one of those people.
Matt Quinn has been keeping aquariums and been active in the aquarium hobby since he was in elementary school in the 1980’s. Starting with bettas, Matt has kept and bred dozens of fish species. He currently maintains a semi-automated fishroom and seasonal greenhouse of nearly 100 tanks, mostly housing specimens from Uruguay, where he has collected and imported fish multiple times. In addition, he recently launched Wild West Driftwood, a company that sells sustainably sourced manzanita wood, which is great for aquascaping.
Matt’s extensive cichlid keeping experience and knowledge made him a great interview candidate. I reached out to him earlier this year to gauge his interest in doing an interview for the blog, and here we are.
All photos and photo captions courtesy of Matt Quinn unless otherwise noted.
As a fish collector and importer, Uruguay is one of your favorite countries. What makes that small South American country so special?
Even if Uruguay didn’t have amazing fish, it’s a really lovely place: picturesque, peaceful, safe, and great people and culture. My introduction to Uruguay came in 2008 when my family and I traveled there for a trip organized by the late Felipe Cantera. I’ve been hooked since and have traveled there, I think, 10 times now. Uruguay, kind of like Florida, has temperate weather and seasons (cold in the winter and hot in the summer). The fish really require those annual changes in temperature and, I think, length of daylight to thrive and reproduce long term.
Uruguay is a relatively small country; you can drive pretty much anywhere in a day (and I have). It has rolling hills and lots of different watersheds, so rivers or streams relatively close to each other can have different fish. I really enjoy exploring, because you really don’t know what you’ll find! Having developed friendships with people down there makes it much more than just a vacation or fish collecting trip.
You just recently returned from Uruguay. Talk a little about that trip and what you brought back with you.
This latest trip was at a great time of year in Uruguay (late February), which is kind of like late August in the northern hemisphere (they have opposite seasons in Uruguay). I wasn’t sure circumstances would allow me to travel this year, so I was kind of a late addition to a trip planned by Mati Garcia and German Sanguinetti of Uruguay Fish Tours and a fellow hobbyist from California. We truly made the rounds of the country, starting in Montevideo and traveling through charming Treinta y Tres in Eastern Uruguay (Rio Olimar), picturesque Tacuarembo (Rio Tacuarembo), balmy Artigas in Northern Uruguay (Rio Cureim), the river towns of Salto and Paysandu (Rio Uruguay) in Western Uruguay, quaint Durazno (Rio Yi) in the middle of the country and back to sleepy Santa Lucia, just outside of Montevideo.
I was really surprised and excited to collect some wonderful Crenicichla minuano in the Rio Yi, a smaller insect-eating species of pike cichlid, some gorgeous Gymnogeophagus pseudolabiatus, a mouthbrooding cichlid, in a couple of spots in northern Uruguay, some bright green Hisonotus ringueleti (like an Otocinculus catfish) in a stream near Salto, and some Hemiancistus night fishing in the Rio Queguay. My favorite fish are acaras, so I was also happy to bring back some striking red-bellied Australoheros scitulus (“Chanchitos”) from a stream called Zanja Honda in northwest Uruguay and some Cichlasoma dimerus from a couple of locations.
I brought home a bunch of other fish, but these are the highlights. Mati and German handle all of the permissions from the Uruguayan government to legally remove a limited number of wild fish. This involves applying for a permit, listing the species and quantities that we desire to take, gaining approval, paying a fee, scheduling an inspection, and some other steps. It’s a lot. That’s the export side.
I also needed to work through the import into the US, which involves US Customs and Fish and Wildlife. Because there are no commercial fish exporters in Uruguay and air cargo is really expensive, I transport fish in my checked luggage. Uruguay Fish Tours has oxygen, and I bring coolers and supplies for shipping. Depending on the species, the Uruguayan government only approves release of somewhere between four specimens (for Apistogramma) and 10 or so (for tetras and some catfish). That makes it really critical to care for each fish on the journey and during quarantine back in the US. They’re straight from the wild, and young fish tend to acclimate much better than larger ones. Going through this whole process and being able to successfully breed and share these fish feels like a great accomplishment as a hobbyist.
What’s a South American cichlid species that you consider underappreciated in the hobby and why?
Definitely the acaras – Cichlasoma and Australoheros (“Chanchitos”). They are my absolute favorite fish because they combine the elegant acara shape, interesting social and reproductive behavior, and don’t get too big (in most cases). The added part that really fascinates me is the variability of both groups of fish across geography.
Probably the most widely known Cichlasoma is Cichlasoma dimerus from Bella Union, Uruguay which, thanks to hobbyists, has been around for some time. It’s a sparkly blue fish. What’s really interesting is that about 20 minutes south, there is another C. dimerus from a stream called Zanja Honda that is sparkly greenish gold and black. And another from a place call Villa Constitucion, right on the Uruguay River, that is sparkly green. All are C. dimerus and all different colors, sizes, and behaviors. I’m convinced if they were described as different species with “new” names, then people would be compelled to have them. In addition to C. dimerus, the true Cichlasoma portalagrensis and perhaps unknown species are in Uruguay (on the Eastern side of the country, in the rivers and streams that drain to the Laguna Merin and not the Rio Uruguay in the west).
A couple of trips ago, I (and probably I alone) was thrilled to catch probably the southernmost location for C. portalagrensis in a stream near Rio Branco, Uruguay. Cichlasoma like to hide in the roots and cover of trees and foliage, so catching them can be challenging. A couple of years ago, Mati and I stopped by a roadside ditch and, after some vigorous dip-netting, pulled out a few amazing Cichlasoma dimerus of a sparkly bronze color that neither of us had seen. A great surprise!
The Chanchitos or Australoheros are also a really cool and underappreciated fish, probably because they’re not well described in books and on the web. Ranging in size from 4-5” fish, like Australoheros scitulus, to mid-sized ones like A. minuano (the “Red Ceibal” complex), to large fish like A. facetus, they’re all great parents, are feisty but not too aggressive, have a great striped pattern when breeding, and some even have a lot of color outside of breeding season. Also. like the Cichlasoma, they’re quite variable by location.
A. scitulus from Santa Lucia, for example, has orange eyes and an orangey and butterscotch color, while the ones from Zanja Honda, Cuaro, and other spots up north have bright red bellies. Same species but wildly different fish. Same with C. minuano. Examples of this species from the now protected Arroyo Ceibal near Centurion, Uruguay are red and orange. But others from a couple hours west at Estancia los Platanos are much yellower and larger. A couple of trips ago, I caught some in a stream emptying into the Rio Yi that could be A. minuano or another species. I also really enjoy the big bruiser A. facetus – the original cichlid – which grows to a foot. I have pairs and fry from several locations. They’re pretty much all brown and yellow striped cichlids… but cool – and I’d argue – greatly unappreciated ones.
Let’s look at your fishroom. Please describe it for the readers.
Several years ago, my family moved to a small town in the agricultural reserve in Western Montgomery County, MD (suburban or exurban Washington, DC area). While I’d had basement and garage fishrooms in the past, having some additional land and a detached block, two-car garage was the opportunity to put together a dedicated fishroom, especially for Uruguayan fish.
My fishroom has skylights for natural light and to mimic annual light cycles, is well insulated, and heated and cooled with a split unit system. We ran water and additional electrical to the fishroom so that I can power an on-demand hot water heater and a central air system. Uruguayan fish like – actually need – seasons.
In the spring, I open the windows and let the fishroom warm up – often into the upper 80s or even 90s (It’s hot in Maryland and Uruguay in the summer). It triggers the fish to breed in the spring and summer. When I close the windows and turn on the AC, it slows down.
In the winter, I let the temperature gradually drop into the lower 60s and upper 50s F. It gives the fish the rest that they need to recover for the next season. The other key component of my fishroom is a drip water-change system; water drips into each tank via drip irrigation lines, and (mostly) PVC overflows take water from tanks to a central drain and into my yard. Being able to do water changes as often as I want (usually every day) takes a lot of the drudgery out of keeping fish.
Almost all tanks have air-driven box and/or Poret sponge filters. Some of the bigger ones have DIY overhead sumps (AKA dump filters), and many have terrestrial plants like Pothos, Peace Lillies, and Monstera growing in them. There is a Peace Lilly that is almost 6 feet tall growing out of one of the tanks and a Monstera with three-foot leaves growing out of another.
I reorganized the fishroom last summer to adjust the mix of tanks to better support having tanks for quarantine, grow outs, adult colonies, and fry. I have several 6-foot tanks to support colonies of larger fish and a bunch of 29g and 30g tanks for pairs and smaller species. I added a bunch of 4-foot tanks to replace 3-foot ones.
An addition a few years ago was a lean-to green house on the back of the fish room garage. It’s too cold for all year use, but perfect for growing fry in the spring and summer. It’s on a drip system and a fun addition to my normal fishkeeping (along with a couple of raised bed ponds in the yard). I think I have about 100 tanks overall. Without automation (water changes, light, etc.), I couldn’t do it.
With respect to your own cichlid keeping, what are your favorite species and why?
Cichlasoma dimerus is my favorite species. Since I started keeping fish in grade school in the 80s, I’ve always been drawn to medium-sized, new world cichlids. The shape, the interesting behavior, the parental care, the understated but pretty colors. Catching them myself has really added to my appreciation. I kept and bred C. dimerus from Bella Union before I visited Uruguay. Each trip I try to “discover” a new one, bring it back, and breed it. Each location has different coloration, size, and even behavior.
What’s that “bucket list” species for you and why?
One of my bucket list fish was Australoheros facetus from the type locality in Laguna del Diario in Maldonado, Uruguay. This is a pond that Darwin (yeah, that Darwin!) visited and collected in the 1830s. I’d been there in the past but, for whatever reason, hadn’t brought back any of the chanchitos from there. After a long hiatus on trips (Felipe’s passing, COVID, and then not having anyone to coordinate the permits from the Uruguayan government), Jeff Rapps (formerly of Tangled Up in Cichlids) and I took a trip to Uruguay in December of 2023. Toward the end of the trip, we planned to travel to Laguna de Diario to collect. By complete luck, Jim Cumming, who is a Canadian master aquarist and very active in the appreciation of cichlids on social media, happened to be in Montevideo with his wife on the tail end of a cruise. Jeff and I borrowed Jim for the day. We caught some breeding stock of A. facetus and some really beautiful Gymnogeophagus terrarpurpura (substrate spawning cichlid) and otherwise had a most memorable and enjoyable day.
What’s cool about Uruguay is that the actual bucket list fish is the one I didn’t know existed. Books and science don’t catalog the full denominator of fish that are out there, especially in a place like Uruguay…and I find new and interesting fish just about every trip.
Earlier on the same trip with Jeff, we were exploring a dirt road not too far from Bella Union. We stopped and looked down from the little bridge over the road and saw a green-colored Gymnogeophagus that must have been 7-8” long. Jeff quietly retrieved the cast net from the trunk of the car and waited. He appeared a couple of times, but the wise old fish evaded us silly humans dropping the net fifteen feet or so from above. We climbed down to the water and pulled a seine, did some dip-netting, and were able to capture a handful of the fish – something different than either of us had seen before.
After a couple of years of care, I believe this mouthbrooding Gymnogeophagus from the Rio Ituctumbu to be related to Gymnogeophagus australis. But definitely different than any I’ve seen. I’ve kept and bred the fish from that day for a couple of years now… and I can’t wait for the next one like it to appear in my dip net or seine.
What are some of the more available Uruguayan cichlid species that hobbyists should consider keeping and why?
Fortunately, several species of Uruguayan fish are pretty readily available in the trade and through hobbyists like Ken Davis. In the past I distributed many of the fish I breed through specialty sellers like Tangled Up in Cichlids and, without them, it’s a challenge to find an outlet where people are looking for niche fish like these. And I just don’t have the time myself to field orders and ship fish.
Many moons ago (circa 2006), someone brought back fish from a collecting trip with Felipe Cantera and sent them to Florida to farm. Many of the fish in the hobby today – Gymnogeophagus, Cichlasoma, and Australoheros – are from that stock.
Keeping Uruguayan fish takes patience and understanding of their needs, which are different from a lot of tropical fish. They grow slowly, especially in the winter cool-down period, and much faster in the spring and summer, with higher temperatures. A lot of people who are used to power-feeding and cranking up the temperatures on cichlids to grow them out into adults are disappointed in their Uruguayan fish when they don’t do well – or just die – under these circumstances. But to me the wait is worth it. And with proper care, these fish can live a long time. I have a Cichlasoma that I collected with Felipe on a trip in 2013 or 2014. He shares a divided tank with an Australoheros I collected in 2015.
You recently started a business called Wild West Driftwood specializing in manzanita driftwood. Talk about this new venture, including what separates manzanita from other wood types used in aquariums.
During the pandemic, a friend of mine – a non-fish person – moved from the DC and bought a ranch… actually Buffalo Bill Cody’s ranch… in rural Arizona. We were catching up, and she was telling me about needing to clear the brush on the ranch. Manzanita brush. I asked her, “So is this the wood that’s really branchy and ornate?” She said, “Yes, it’s beautiful,” as she piled more onto the bonfire.
A few weeks later, my daughter and I spent her spring break exploring the ranch, including checking out the manzanita. Unlimited, legal source of a much-desired aquascaping material? Check. A friend looking to start a venture that upscales and uses a natural material instead of literally burning it? Also check.
We’re in the early stages of launching Wild West Driftwood, in close partnership with Martin and Lisa Hoeber of SuperCichlids in Dover, Delaware. We donated a bunch of pre-soaked (instantly sinking!) manzanita to the aquascaping competition at the 2025 Keystone Clash in Pennsylvania and received great feedback on the sizes and types of wood that people desire. All of the winners, of course, featured our wood in their ‘scapes! As we get the website online and start distribution through SuperCichlids and other stores, please be on the lookout for Wild West Driftwood. We feature sustainably sourced wood from small sizes all the way up to pieces for the largest tanks and animal enclosures. We really look forward to seeing how people use our wood to create their dream aquaria!
Thanks so much. Anything you want to add that we didn’t go over above?
Thanks so much for the opportunity to share a little bit about my passion for our hobby! I really feel fortunate that, as a young kid, that I discovered my interest in fish and aquariums and that my parents nurtured this interest. I’m also lucky that I discovered fish clubs. I remember seeing a fish show in my local mall and thinking, “This is amazing!”
The future of our hobby depends on bringing younger folks into the fold. Not just online but in-person. And there is no better way to be inspired than to swim with actual cichlids in nature – like in Uruguay! If anyone is interested in traveling to Uruguay and joining a fish collecting trip, please contact Mati Garcia at Uruguay Fish Tours. It’s surprisingly affordable and will make your fish dreams come true.