Diving in Xingu

[Heribertogj]

Hi guys, a few more underwater shots in Xingu river..
Hypancistrus zebra

Peckoltia vittata

[Heribertogj]

Parancistrus nudiventris and Panaque armbrusteri

[Heribertogj]

Oligancistrus sp.

Parancistrus nudiventris, Ancistrus ranunculus and Hopliancistrus sp.

Hopliancistrus sp.

[Suckermouth]

Very nice!

[Heribertogj]

young Crenicichlas

[vanillarum]

I am sooo jealous !!

[grokefish]

Parancistrus nudiventris and Panaque armbrusteri

Best picture ever...................

[mangopleco]

thats so sick i wanted do that sometime

[pleco22]

Uhhh!
Great pictures of a great place. Like the picture with the Hypancistrus zebra.

[lotsabettas]

amazing pictures

[jeremybasch]

Wow! What I'd give for some of those fish! We haven't seen those Crenicichla in a long time due to the ban.

Jeremy

[Matt30]

I have had my feelers out for a Parancistrus nudiventris for over two years now, grate to see a picture of one in the wild, my favourite Catfish.
Thanks for posting.

[Heribertogj]

Thank´s guys!!! More pics...
Panaque armbrusteri

Pseudacanthicus sp. L-25 (terrible pic)

L-14 Scobinancistrus aureatus

L-18 Baryancistrus xanthellus

[Heribertogj]

Hypancistrus zebra

[Matt30]

Bit of a random question but do you test the water parameters TDS/PH/Temp etc ,from wear you collect the fish from ?

[wrasse]

Superb post!

Any more pics???

[har_eh]

Awesome post, thanks for sharing!

Do you have an estimate on how many l46 are out there, surely the numbers must have grown since they're "not" being exported anymore?

[saor alba]

Your a lucky guy Heribertogj thats cracking stuff .
Whats the situation on the water flow/clarity any big difference,s so far etc and is the dams on or off building work at the moment .

[Heribertogj]

Hi guys, these photos were taken in 2010.
Matt30, pH 8.0, temp 30.1 ...
har_eh, I have no idea how H. Zebra exist in the rapids of the Xingu, but I guarantee that there are few, because they still collect illegally.
Now the Belo Monte dam is already being built. I don´t know how is the situation now, but the result will not be good for endemic plecos, because the flow through the "Volta Grande" will not be capable of maintaining species.

[Heribertogj]

More pics...
Pseudancistrus barbatus

Peckoltia vittata

Leporinus species

Breeding caves (L-14,L-48, L-15, L-75)

Magic box!

[unblinded]

Totally cool. I'm too jealous. Thanks for allowing us to experience a little piece of the dive with your photos. Can you explain how the "magic box" works? Do you put bait in to lure them in or do they use it as a territory? Or is it just a holding box for ones you've caught using some other method?

[Heribertogj]

Hi unblinded, this is a holding box for the ones captured using manual collection method (only the big ones, L-14, L-25, L-27 and others adults specimes). For small ones, they use a different storage.

[HaakonH]

These pictures are fantastic! Where between Altamira and Belo Monte are the pictures from? I always wondered how wide-spread the different Xingu-species are in the river. For example: Is Hypancistrus zebra found "everywhere" from Altamira to Belo Monte, or only at 4-5 different locations? And if it does occur at many different sites, what makes these sites special? And are the fishermen who collect them illegaly now catching them at just one site, or do they catch them at many different sites?

Great stuff! I would love to see even more pictures

Haakon

[Heribertogj]

Hi Haakon,
Hypancistrus zebra were collected in six different locations (near at Altamira, near at Belo Monte and the middle of this course, called "Volta Grande") Found in rock crevices in moderate flowing streams.

[HaakonH]

Thanks, Heribertogj

Did you ever see any other Hypancistrus species in other parts of the river except around Belo Monte?

If a Hypancistrus species is found at a certain location as the only member of the Hypancistrus genus, it backs up the theory of it being a genuine species of it's own. Until now, only H.zebra, L066 and L333 are known to live in some locations as the only Hypancistrus in that spot. Many Hypancistrus forms, like L173, L236, L399 and L400 are only known from Belo Monte where they live together in the same area.

Haakon

[rob rensen]

Amazig pics......thanks for sharing


those panaque's....great

[rob rensen]

Could you tell some more about the conditions over there where you'd catch the big panaque's. I mean like depth, temp, current etc
Was their allot of wood in the river and how many did you'd find around one log
thx !!

[wrasse]

Heribertogj - brilliant job!

This is seriously good stuff.
What is lacking in the hobby, is a current record of water parameters at catch locations.
And also the 'structure' of the river... clarity, flow, depth, day and night temp, what the river bed is like, wood, rocks, gravel, sand etc.

[Flyfisher]

I agree Mr Wrasse. This is a great thread! That first pic holding the zebra! You look like a diver who's found a gold bar in a wreck! Happy as the proverbial pig

I love that so many species are found so close together, is that often the case????
That pic of them all in a net, it reminds me of a well stocked tank on here recently

PH8!?!?!? Are you serious??? Is this because of work being done on the dam, concrete, brickwork, construction processes?? or is this the norm????

Big thanks

Gavin

[Vaney..]

Very nice pictures...