Hagen (the parent company for Fluval) sponsored a team of explorers to head out on a 13-day, 1,600-mile excursion throughout Llanos, a tropical grassland at the base of the Andes Mountains in Columbia.  During their first expedition, the team chanced upon a undescribed pike cichlid species whose males and females both sport a “distinctive W-shaped trident near the gills.”

The team filmed their journey (including the discovery of this new cichlid) and is producing a documentary about the wild habitats of Columbia.  Hagen will also sponsor a trip to Papua New Guinea later this year in what we hope will be a continuing series of such films; After all, nature serves as the perfect teacher and inspiration for our glass boxes.

The aquatic films will air on Fluval’s upcoming website, fluvalaquatics.com.  Aquarists can visit the website now sign up for notification for the full website goes live.