Altum Angels

[Waterloo Kid]

I would like some info regarding Altum Angels. Any info you might have is welcome!
I have not seen any in any of my lfs. Are they rare and can they be easily ordered?

WK

 

[KnuckleHead]

Best place I found to get altums is thru aquabid.com. They usually sell in bunches but if you contact the sellers Im positive they could sell you the amount you desire. As far as any info on them all I can say is that they havnt been breed in captivity as of yet. So any that you get are going to be wild caught.

 

[smb]

Hi Waterloo Kid.

Do you want info on care food etc. on the Angel or info on where to buy it?

 

[Waterloo Kid]

Both if possible!
I'm a bit concerned that, being wild fish, they are going to need exta care and exact water parameters.

 

[cichlidmaster]

Here is a link to some good info on wild Altums. ALTUMS

I will only add this......be careful when buying altums!! There is now on the market a Peruvian altum which is not the TRUE altum!!

The Peruvian is actually believed to be a form of P. scalare!!

In addition, most wild angels (including altums) have already been conditioned to aquarium life so feeding and water parameters should be matched to that of the retailers!!

CM

 

[Waterloo Kid]

Great link, thanks CM. Those Altums look so regal. Thanks
When you buy these fish in this country are they large or fairly small. The reason I ask this is because I only have a small quarantine/hospital tank so I will not be able to quarantine larger individuals. In fact it's not a small tank, it's tiny. A meer 20 litres! It's fine for the fish I have at the moment but would be useless for a quarter grown Altum! If I got this species I'd have to get a larger one.

WK

 

[cichlidmaster]

Waterloo,


Since P. altums are wild caught, the size is really dependant on what is collected!!

It is very unusual for them to be collected at a small size (dime/nickel) and therefore a 20l/5 gallon tank will not suffice for quarentine.

Unless you are bringing them in yourself, they should already be debugged and used to the water in your area so quarentining them may not be necessary.

I am in the process of putting together several orders and wild altums are available to me this month so I may just bring some in.

Just a note: If you are confident in the shop you get your fish from then quarentining really is not really necessary.

Now I know I will probably take a ton of heat for that comment, but I do not quarentine new stock that I bring in before placing it in holding tanks that may already contain fish...... and I bring in A LOT of stock every month.

I do quarentine the stock prior to making it available for sale tho!!!

One question to ask if wild altums should be available to you is...how long has the shop had them?? This will tell you the quarentine time that the shop has had them in.

Also most shops that do offer wild stock do NOT bring it in wild themselves, but go thru a wholesaler who has already acclimated the fish!!

HTH

CM

 

[dwhite93]

A good resource for info on altums is:
http/www.angelfish.net/yabbse/index.php?board=11

You can ask questions there too. I got mine from a local aquarium specialty shop, and haven't had any problems with it as far as water parameters go. My pH is slightly on the acidic side, but he seems to be very happy & healthy (except for Polly). I do weekly partial water changes, so my nitrates & nitrites are practically zero. I did read though that wild angels are prone to parasitic infestations which can be fatal to other types of fish that are not as tolerant, but I have no way of knowing how to tell if the angel is carrying the parasite or not. I guess I'll know if my other fish start dying. But I've had the angel for about 3 weeks with no trouble so far. We'll see!

 

[Waterloo Kid]

Thanks!
Anyone know where in the UK I can order some from?

WK

 

[ChiclidBoy]

THEY CAN BE ORDERED AT THE STORE I WORK AT BUT IT BE TOUGH TO GET THEM TO YA IN WALES

 

[Waterloo Kid]

Let me guess, you live on the other side of the Altlantic or something! Hmmmmph.

WK