Carolina Aquatics received the first successful shipment of aquarium fish from the South American country of Guyana in at least a decade, after a years-long effort to reopen what was once a major supplier of the trade. Working with an exclusive supplier in country, the shipment contained a number of rarities and old favorites that have been largely absent from the hobby for many years.
Guyana, located in northeastern South America between Venezuela and Suriname, is one of the most biodiverse countries in South America in terms of freshwater fish, and was among the first countries to commercially export aquarium fish to the United States going back to at least the 1950s. Despite its long history, exports dwindled to only sporadic shipments in the 2000s as the few remaining exporters retired or left the industry to focus on other areas. Since then, once relatively common species like the striped headstander (Anostomus anostomus) or four eyed fish (Anableps anableps) have been absent from the trade or extremely hard to find.
Among the highlights of this first shipment are jewel spot eartheaters (Satanoperca leucosticte), spotted severum (Heros notatus), gold spangle pike cichlid (Crenicichla saxatilis) and the other, much rarer South American leaf fish Polycentrus schomburgkii. Many more species of unique and endemic freshwater fish are expected in with future shipments. Carolina Aquatics is wholesale to the trade, supplying quality aquatics specialty retailers throughout the USA.
