You can get pictus and hoplos and raphael size cats easy enough at around $35 AUD each. Shovel noses and retails are highly illegal but some get through, I've only ever seen 3 RTCs in my life, last year a 5cm one was for sale at a seedy LFS for $1750 AUD,
There is a black market but you need the connections and be willing to face the consequences if you get caught and there are usually a few people busted each year, people always like to show off their illegal fish then someone opens there mouth in the local LFS........
There's a half decent range of cichlids available but the issue is the guys with quarantine facilities only import what sells quickly and a tank full of juvenile,monsters don't move too quickly in the shop compared to some nice bright community fish. Apparently it's not cost effective too import a single specimen, only 20 or so of anything so can't place special orders for things even if they are on the import list unless you have lots cash to spare. To put it in perspective the $650 bichir is pretty much an average weeks take home pay for most people.
unless done in spite 
