fairdeal

Gina: I can get some of the rarer cyps and xenos but they won't be cheap nowadays with the 30% exchange and 5% GST as well as the shipping from Africa has gone up substantially. F1 paracyps for example would go for $50 your cost and that leaves very little for me. Let me know specifically what types you really want and I'll see what I can find.

Sorry I missed this thread - still alive and well and have lots of peacocks.

As long as the fish is otherwise healthy I would just leave it alone. The gills are left exposed either way. I have a 30" red tail cat with it and he is doing just fine.

Hi Neil: I'm doing well thanks - just busy all the time it seems. I did get a little carried away I admit but tried to illustrate that W/C or locallly raised fish will both do well if properly cared for. W/C can just be more finicky initially until they get properly acclimated. Anyways as I get more mature I seem to have more rattling aroung in the old noggin and get distracted easier so yeah skydiving sounds like fun..

Jorg and I have brought in a few shipments of wild caught fish over the years and I would have to say that it is a combination of factors that affect the fishes well being. Stress can be helped with such simple things as arranging the environment in such a way that it resembles the conditions that the fish were caught in - sand bottom, rocks, wood etc. More than the shipping stress is the very simple Ph factor. Some fish just cannot adjust to the differences in Ph from where they are captured to the Ph in the tank water where they arrive.That is why most suppliers have their facilities right on the rivers where the fish are captured so the water changes are done directly from the river so the Ph remains constant until the fish are actually shipped out. Large variations in Ph in addition to travelling long distances is just too much for some fish to tolerate. Ph also has a great deal to do with whether fish will actually breed. Some South American plecos for an example will do fine in our Ph but either will not breed or eggs will not hatch if the Ph is not comparable to what it is in the wild while others will breed like rabbits. We try to order fish that have a range of Ph that is easier for them to adjust to when they get here. Fish will and can adjust but not overnight - can take a few weeks before the adjustment is completed. That is one of the reasons that some suppliers try to get the fish out as quickly as possible after arrival before the fish start dying off. If they die in your tank the 1st instinct is that it is something that you did. We keep the fish quarantined for a minimum of 10 days to ensure that the transition to our Ph is alright. It also lets us know if any disease or parasites are going to crop up. Most arrivals have to treated even if they look fine - could take 7 - 10 days for a disease to show up. We feel that if you are intending to breed the fish it is most important that the fish have a good genetic makeup. Many fish such as electric yellows and electric blues have been around for so long and bred so much that any resemblance to wild caught genes is almost nonexistent. Nothing wrong with F1 or F2 for breeding as many offspring actually display better colors than the original parents. Wild caughts in a lot of instances will live longer in an aquarium than in the wild if they are given weekly water changes, good quality food, a happy environment, etc. African cichlids for example may survive 2-3 years in the wild but in captivity may live twice as long because they are not genetically inferior to start with. Other species may have relatively short life spans in either situation. Before my comments end up reading like a book I'll just summarize by saying know about your fish before you purchase, feed and treat them well and whether wild caught or tank bred you can enjoy the results for years to come.

I sold the last of the eels but will be ordering more from the supplier in a month or so if he has any left. I never carry rope fish. I just brought in some wild caught ramarizis yesterday. These little beauties color up really nice.

I have F1 Tocantins altifrons in 3 various sizes. I also have wild caught San Paulo altifrons - about 3 1/2". I have someone coming to Edmonton in the next week or so.

Thanks for the update Raymond.

I hope to have the stock lists updated in the next few days. I'll post when they are done.

Thanks Jason. I'll keep watching for it.

Any news yet on the spring auction time and place? May have to plan my vacation around it. LOL

I used to live in Burnaby and in the summer I waited for a good rain and went out at night with a flashlight and a pail and scooped up hundreds of dew worms in less than an hour. It has to be an older district though - well established lawns and boulevards. I never had to worry about chemicals and the like - used to ask the people if they had fertilized their lawns lately and if they would mind if I picked up their dew worms. I can't remember anyone that wasn't grateful for me ridding their lawns of those pests. I even had some that would come out and help me. I raised them in an oak rain barrel and they bred like crazy. I remember someone posting on here quite a while ago and a store was mentioned that sold them in bulk and they were chemical free. I looked online and found Walleye Bait and Tackle and that name seemed kind of familiar but couldn't swear that is the store in the post but could be a place to start for winter supplies of worms.

As long as the frozen fish are fit for human consumption you will eliminate a lot of the unknowns. I have purchased my fish from the Real Canadian Superstore for many many years and have not had any problems whatsoever. I use smelts and shrimp for the fish under 15" and the bigger boys get either herring, mackeral or blue scads. What you have to remember is not to feed every day so they get a chance to properly digest their meal before eating again. If you feed too much and/or too often your fish will get fat and lazy. The frozen feeders should also be completely thawed out in lukewarm water to prevent the possibility of the fish getting a belly ache and throwing the meal up in the middle of the night. The tank water will foul extremely fast from a partially digested meal.

Hi Jason: I haven't found any on my stock lists but will make some inquiries.

Jeff: My S. American suppliers rarely get C. Americans so it is really hit and miss for me to get them. I can keep my eyes peeled for any that appear on the price lists but I couldn't give you any kind of time frame or prices. Harold

Rhood: The only F1's my supplier has right now are Kipilis. He does get wild caught in about twice a year but they tend to go very quickly. I have heard via the grape vine that Kitumbas are not being caught again so it is anybodies guess when they may be available again. The last time the divers refused to go in it was something like 4 years. I can't give you a price as the supplier doesn't know beforehand what he will be charged until his contact actually has them. I can keep my eyes open for you if you are prepared to be patient. Let me know. Harold

Dana: Let me know the types you were looking for and I'll check my suppliers list for you too. Harold

Michael: My apologies for the late reply - work has been all consuming the past while. Yes the posts are up to date on the tropheus. The bembas are tank raised and would prefer to sell them as a group. They are young so will breed for a long time yet. If you want wild caught let me know the particular type(s) you want and I'll check the suppliers list. Shipping to Kamloops is not a problem as long as West Jet lands there. Harold

I can get them from my supplier in Brazil but they are not cheap - average $25 - $30 each. I had 1 bunch of 30 about a year ago and most of them went to Vancouver. They are available usually just a few times a year. One thing you must be aware of is that there are often corys being sold as eques but they are not the true eques but look-a-likes.

xyzfish - I no longer have access to koi angels - sorry.

I can certainly get you the female from a supplier but you would be better off to see if someone local could help you out 1st. At that size they could only get 5 or 6 fish in a box and the shipping charge alone would be $25 - $30 US. Harold

You can call me at (403)254-9402 anytime after 3 weekdays or pretty much anytime weekends. If you prefer texting my cell is (403)850-3096. Harold

Yes I have 1 L240 left - a real beauty too. The adonis is from Peru and unless I see a whole lot of other plecos or cichlids I really want I will not be ordering from that supplier for a while yet. If you could send me the "L" number on the gold nugget and the size you are looking for I will let you know on that. There are at least 4 varieties of gold and golden nuggets and just want to ensure we are on the same page..

I have plenty of demasoni in all size ranges. I'll be up to Edmonton likely in the next month or so.

Sorry the only type of rams I can get are wild caught Bolivian red rams.