Andy,
There are several that are traded from time to time, but as with African fish generally, they're just not as commonly seen as S E Asian and S American stuff.
Anyway, the West African mono, Monodactylus sebae, is the most commonly seen species. It's like a regular mono (and the two get on well) but much taller but shorter. It looks a bit like a freshwater angelfish. It's a nice fish.
Then there's the African scat, Scatophagus tetracanthus. This is a stunning fish, with thick, vertical stripes instead of the spots more typical of the common scat. In young fish the stripes go all the way down the flanks, but in adults they are restricted to the top half of the body. It also has some red along the back as a juvenile, this getting a bit faded in adults. But still, very nice fish. Quite a bit bigger than regular scats (up to 40 cm).
There's a lovely sleeper goby, Dormitator (Batanga) lebretonis, that grows to about 10 cm and is peaceful, not too predatory, and very easy to keep. It's sometimes called the clay goby by dealers, and isn't too hard to find.
Lots of African cichlids occur in brackish water. Obviously common kribs and Pelviachromis ocellatus are well known for this, although they tolerate only a little salt.
The tilapias are often very salt tolerant. My pick of them would be Sarotherodon melanotheron, better known as the black chin cichlid. This is a fascinating fish often assumed to be a freshwater species but more normally occuring in brackish water in the wild. It is famous for the male being the mouthbrooder rather than the female. Doesn't grow particularly big by tilapia standards, up to 20 cm, and gets on well with scats and monos. It will tolerate any salinity, from fresh through to fully marine.
Very rarely seen, but worth hunting for, are the brackish water damsels. One African species, Neopomacentrus taeniurus is occasionally seen. It is a feisty fish but not overly aggressive and would get on well with other robust fish.
There are plenty more you could consider, particularly among to killifish and gobies, but this should do as a start!
Neale
