they aren't being imported? ancistrus hoplogenys and ancistrus leucostictus are fairly common in australia. i don't know if the are the true leucostictus because i can't find a reliable and recent pic. the "common" bristlenose in aus is currently unidentified i think...they came in about t...

can i have some general care info on these, thanks.

in australian terms you don't use exchange rates. you use rarity, availability and whether or not the fish in question was illegally smuggled in or not... the suttonorum are without a doubt the only ones in australia, the adults are NOT for sale, and neither are the babies. except to special trusted...

p. suttonorum is being bred in western australia. did'nt believe it until i saw it. also being bred are liposarcus pardalis, liposarcus sp. (albino pleco), glyptoperichthys gibbiceps and some liposarcus sp. called the "chocolate pleco". looks like a color morph of liposarcus pardalis to me...

a swimming pool would house the fish=yes
comfortably? no.

this is getting to be a familiar question now...
what sort of enviroment/habitat/biotope are these big locariids found in?
and with what sort of fish?
thanks

thanks shane, point taken :) i will try to set-up my biotope with a good selection of fish from the same general area. it will look good, i hope. i won't be so particular with my selctions, i'll admit i was trying to setup a perfect tank that replicates the enviroment p. ornatus are collected in dow...

i notice p. ornatus is listed as being from the Rio Cuyuni, venezuela for the black water river bank tank. considering some of the fish sp. available to me would this be a better habitat to replicate? or are p. ornatus more likely to be found in the white water river bank we've been discussing?
thanks

would sand collected at the beach also be suitable for this tank? out of the lorcariids mentioned by yourself and in the article the ones available to me are: sturisoma aureum/panamense (royal whiptail) , sturisoma barbatum and possibly hemiloricaria sp.(L010a). some of the others might be available...

sounds great. i'll put them to good use. i suppose turning into a blackwater habitat would'nt matter for this sort of biotope?

i see you've already answered that one-thanks :) are there any plants commonly available in the trade that would be suitable for this tank? the only knife fish available in australia are the black ghost and the brown knife. not too sure on latin names, but they are both s. american. which would be b...

oh, well perhaps you can answer the question i posted in TANK TALK.
are oak leaves suitable as leaf litter? i was considering them for another biotope tank, but i'll add them to this one if they are biotope correct.

would oak leaves be suitable as "leaf litter" in a rainforest stream/flooded forest biotope tank, housing small corydoras and loricariids. are oak leaves harmless?
would this type of biotope be blackwater or other?

thanks. thats exactly what i need to get started. are emergent lily type plants rooted or floating? are they rooted and protruding out of the water? would bogwood be authentic in this type of setup/biotope? i was considering ph 6.5 and hardness 100. tank already has a sand and small (1mm) pebble mix...

yeah if you could get more detailed info that would be great.
bring it on my friend
thanks

ok, will do
should i use a similar list of tankmates as the one gleaned from museum records?

ok so i guess i'll leave satanopercas out... which community would be the best replica? in terms of fish, water conds and tank setup? which habitat in the "natural catfish aquarium" would be the best to use? once again thanks for your patience with me :) what sort of rivers or creeks are t...

its ok. i probably can't get banded knifefish in australia. silurus: i am picky about exactly replicating the biotope :) i want it to be as close as possible to the real thing. maybe excluding the natural predators...i don't think they'd be a good idea (hehe). any word about satanoperca eartheaters?...

anyone?

i know the rest...what are gymnotus? and curimata?

thanks mate
anything else you can think of?
what water type are they found in, whitewater, blackwater or clearwater?
are they found near satanoperca sp.?

thanks for the info. i'm setting up a 6x2x2 biotope...

what about fish that live in the same biotope/habitat as p. ornatus?

does anyone have any detailed information on p. ornatus in the wild?
specifically habitat, other fish from the same habitat/area, biotope, water conditions of the habitat and anything else you know.
thank-you!

so you've seen 5" tinfoils?
did you know they reach up to (and sometimes beyond) 14"?
sorubim lima and pimelodus ornatus are probably not a good choice for a tank this size.
i think its cruelty to keep anything over 8" in a 4' tank.

when i was much younger i put exactly the same 3 fish into the same size tank.
everything went fine.
until the green terror killed the severum and shredded the plecos fins.
those things are KILLERS!
i sold the g.t. and set-up my first s. american biotope tank with a more compatible mix of fish.

i'm from geelong
and i'm a huge catfish fan

hey, i thought i'd let you know that the pangasius i was going to rescue have found a good home. someone w/a 10x4x2 tank is going to take them. it goes to show that these fish should not be offered for sale from retail outlets... because they get sold by unscrupulous dealers to inexperienced people ...

i'm from the aforementioned "land down under" :) and as usual, i like SOUTH AMERICAN FISH. unfortunetly due to extremely strict import laws it is difficult to get the loricariids and pimelodids i want. a common pleco does'nt cut it when you want/need a royal panaque... you can still get a-...

i'm in australia
in worldwide terms thats close to n.z. he he, in real terms its a loooooooong ways away.
what sort of fish do you keep? and what did you pay? what with those cheap prices and easy availability over there.

ha ha ! and to add insult to injury he also told me a tsn won't get longer than the tank is wide! its no wonder so many fish get trapped in undersize tanks :roll: i have seen a l.pictus here once, it was not for sale tho. i heard a shop in brisbane had one for sale for $1200. brisbanes 2000km away t...

yeah the do raid occasionally. they can also raid private residences if they suspect prohibited animals on the premises. an aquaintence of mine who owns a shop recently got raided for making the mistake of advertising his 4' s.planiceps and 3' tiger shovelnose in the local trading post. the fish wer...