Sales directly to private customers and resellers
We offer you help and advice with East African cichlids of Lake Malawi and Lake Tanganjika since August 12th 1989!
There are over 300 aquariums in our store in Meerbusch – one of the biggest ranges of Malawi and Tanganjika cichlids in Germany. We directly import Malawi and Tanganjika cichlids on a regular basis. We are the primary importer of cichlids of the unfortunately deceased Stuart M. Grant in the regions Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium.
You find all information regarding directly imported fishes, news and dates, our inventory and shipping information as well as a copious picture gallery on our website.
The Aqua-Treff team is looking forward to your personal visit in our store!
In 1988 there was the Idea to put cichlids and the breeding plants in Africa in a public spotlight. After a suitable store room was found it all started.
We celebrated the opening of Aqua-Treff on the 12th of August 1989. The inventory once included East African cichlids, live bearers, barbs, aquarium accessories and even food for cats and dogs!
In December 1989 we went to Lake Malawi for the first time for 4 weeks. But of course not where everyone could travel safely… to Stuart Grant on the Malawi side of the lake… no it should be the Tanzanian side of Lake Malawi! Arrived in Dar es Salaam, it was after a few days of the organization, when went on the big trip to Lake Malawi!
Long story short, after we arrived after a long and very adventurous drive in Mbamba Bay and after a few days drove on to Liuli, it was clear to every one of us that we wanted to export fish from there to Germany. What we witnessed under water in Liuli, Mbamba Bay, Lundu, Lundo, Puulu and many other places left nothing to be desired but to tackle this adventure of exporting the animals to Germany.
They bought land, they started to build a fish house, and so on. To be honest, though, one has to say that this story sounds better and, above all, easier than it actually was.
From Germany, the necessary on-site control was not really possible. So we sent our friend Rainer Zinke as a controller to Lake Malawi. But there were always difficulties and things that we, naive as we were then, had not expected.
After we realized that it was very difficult to profitably manage the station on Lake Malawi, we decided to sell everything that had been created on the lake until then at the end of 1991. A buyer was found immediately and everything seemed to end well. But fate had more in store for all of us…
In November 1991 , our companion and friend, Rainer Zinke, was attacked and killed by a large crocodile in the bay off Liuli. Two friends of him were in the water during the attack and experienced everything close up.
The villagers were able to recover our friend from the hiding place of the crocodile and so he was taken to Germany by plane and buried here. The unimaginable happened and it took a very long time until all parties realized what had happened.
But it had to go on. Still in December 1991, our partner Hans Fleischer decided to go to Zanzibar to live there and to tackle various projects. He put this plan into action in early 1992.
In the year 1992 Aqua-Treff was lead on a good way. Meanwhile, the number of sales aquariums had risen to about 90 and there were no more dog and cat products. The assortment included only aquaristic accessories!
The aquarium plant was enlarged to about 150 aquariums in 1993, and at the same time the range of accessories was extended.
In the following years there were regular participations at fairs in Duisburg.
In the Aqua-Treff a special cichlid festival was celebrated annually.
This “Cichlid Festival” in the Aqua-Treff is still well visited and always a highlight for us and our customers.
We get the fish offered in Aqua-Treff from many well-known breeders, whereby the special feature probably lies in the fact that we already work together with some breeders 1989.
In 2003 it was time again. Finally back to Lake Malawi. This time, however, to Stuart Grant, the veteran when it comes to wild catches from Lake Malawi. After only a few animals from Stuart Grant found their way to Germany in the years 2000 to 2003, it was decided to visit Stuart Grant in his paradise with a group of six in January 2003 (you can only recommend this to any Malawi enthusiast) not without ulterior motive.
It was a glorious time and how it had to come, so it came! In March 2003, the first delivery of wild catches of Stuart Grant arrived at the Aqua-Treff.
From now on it was regularly imported by Stuart Grant. By November 2003, there were already 4 imports done and we did not stop there.
In the following years, the number of imports increased steadily. Furthermore, direct imports also came from Burundi and Zambia! Since 2007, there are only East African cichlids in the Aqua-Treff. All other ornamental fish have been removed from the assortment … so more space for our cichlids. The range of accessories has also been greatly reduced. Everything to make room for even more sales aquariums.
The number of aquariums has risen to over 300 by 2019 and ideas for change still exist.
After the death of Stuart Grant in 2007, a cooperation of friends of the family Grant, to which we are allowed to count, changed a lot of the system of the holding plant in Malawi as well as the import system.
The aim was to improve the holding and handling of the animals in Malawi and thus to maintain a better quality for shipping. Over the years, we have succeeded and today we can say that the quality of the imported animals is very good. Since that Time the Aqua-Treff also acts as general importer for the cichlids of the family Grant, in Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium.
But we will never forget the man who was one of the pioneers on the Lake Malawi and has made it possible to bring these great animals in greater numbers to Europe and the world!
Thank you Stuart and all the best for your long journey, which you started too early.
I hope you have not bored with this little journey through the history of Aqua-Treff.
A large selection of species and qualitatively excellent offspring as well as regularly new, directly imported wild catches from the Lake Malawi and Lake Tanganyika. We also have some rare species in store you do not find at every corner. In addition to the Malawi and Tanganjika cichlids we also carry a small selection of Lake Victoria cichlids
During our opening hours for private customers, you can enjoy our well-maintained facility and the variety of East African cichlids. We advise you gladly and in detail.
We regularly import wild catches from the most famous and largest exporter in Malawi, the company of Stuart M. Grant, who is now run by his son David and his widow Esther Grant. Furthermore, we import Malawi and Tanganyichi from Tanzania.
We ship our fish with overnight Express within Germany and Europe. The prices for shipping can be found here on the website under shipping costs. Non-EU shipments ship via Frankfurt am Main airport.
Whether by phone or directly in Aqua-Treff, we advise you if you have questions and for the welfare of the animals! Of course we also have to earn something, but not at any price!
By appointment, resellers at the Aqua-Treff can shop almost every day. In addition, we ship to resellers in Germany and Europe via Overnight Express. We ship by air freight to countries outside the EU.
We have a small but fine food range ready for you. This consists of the feeds that we feed to our animals in the store.
Customer proximity is important to us. Take advantage of our more than 40 years of experience in the area of Malawi and Tanganyika cichlids. Ask us your questions!
Just take a look at our site. Our well-maintained sales facility with over 300 aquariums offers almost the right fish for everyone.
Here you will find information about the premium food from Naturefood!
If you have any questions… ask us!
For some years now we have been feeding the Naturefood products to our fish in the shop
and are more than satisfied with the result.
Due to the excellent and close cooperation with the manufacturer, the feed has been further optimized over the past years.
From our experience one of the few manufacturers who is not only interested in practical experience, but also tries to improve the feed very quickly and professionally!
The recipe for success of Naturefood,
Naturefood is produced as an extrudate and as a high-pressure granulate.
Nach dem Cichlidenfest sind unsere Aquarien nicht leer, ganz im Gegenteil! Wir bieten immer noch eine sehr große Auswahl gesunder und schöner Malawi- und Tanganjikabuntbarsche!
Achtung, ab dem 11.06.2019 bieten wir neue, günstigere Versandpreise für den Versand in Deutschland! Zusätzlich können wir ab dem 11.06.2019 in folgende Länder direkt versenden.
Zum 30 jährigen Bestehen des Aqua-Treff, laden wir Euch herzlich zu unserem Cichlidenfest, am Samstag den 21.09.2019 ein. Die Veranstaltung beginnt um 10.00 Uhr und
If you have any questions about our stock of East African cichlids, our food range or our shipping offer for fish, write or call us
Orders are placed -as long as the online shop is not ready – by email as before. Take a look at our stock list and send us your order, with a complete shipping address and a phone number. We will contact you soon!
Of course, we are also there for you if you have other questions on the area of Malawi and Tanganyika cichlids!
Hol dir unseren Newsletter, damit du immer weißt, welche Neuigkeiten es gibt.
