I posted previously about some new fish I ordered from Dave Schumacher at Dave’s Rare Aquarium Fish. They arrived earlier this week on Tuesday.
I ordered the following:
- six (6) ‘Lamprologus’ similis,
- seven (7) ‘Lamprologus’ caudopunctatus Kapampa “Red Fin”
- five (5) Julidochromis marksmithi Kipili “Yellow”
If you’re not familiar with these species, the first two are shell dwellers and the latter is a rock dweller, all from Lake Tanganyika.
The marksmithi are one of the most colorful Julidochromis (Julie), a genus whose species are all brown/black and white in color with often distinct lateral patterns. Some Julie species have really nice blue lined caudal and dorsal fins, like dickfeldi, but few offer other colors, like yellow in marksmithi. Females in some species will also develop yellow bellies when in breeding dress, but that isn’t universal.
The similis are in one of the 45g custom tanks and the caudopunctatus are in the other.
The juvenile Julies (not pictured), which are still quite small, are currently in a 20g long. They’re pretty shy, and it’s almost impossible to get a photo of them.
The similis (above photo) are already claiming shells and sorting out their hierarchy. On the other hand, as you can see in the top photo, the caudopunctatus haven’t quite figured out their surroundings and still stay together most of the time.
I will attempt to get some close-up shots of both the caudopunctatus and the similis. If successful, I will add them to this post, so please check back in a day or two. NOTE (10/8/24): Photos added.
I have ordered fish from Dave multiple times and highly encourage you to do the same if you need/want some fish that your LFS doesn’t have. I have had nothing but great experiences with him, and his fish have always been top-notch. For more about Dave and his business, check out the interviews I have done with him:
- Dave Schumacher interview, 6-20-2019
- Dave Schumacher interview (#2), 11-29-2022