Limbochromis robertsi

[BTBarney]

Does anyone have a line on these Ghanaian Dwarfs (Limbochromis robertsi)? I have a friend in Ghana who could collect, but the cost after importing and inspections and such would get a little out of hand - especially since I'm not commercial (just a hobbyist), so I'm looking for them in the states.

Any leads would be greatly appreciated :lol:

 

[Kevin]

Limbochromis

There is one importer in Canada who claims to have the ability to get them but he says it would be cost prohibitive for him to do so. I want that fish. Period. I am willing to pay a lot of money to get them into my tanks. Is your friend an accomplished collector? Can he ship fish? I am willing to work out more details on this if you are. I am in Sacramento so we can use San Fran Airport and I know of at least a dozen people who want the fish and might kick in for a shot at them.

Kevin

 

[Neil]

And I know someone who would want dozens of other species from that area as well - ME 8O Neil

 

[Randall]

To all interested L. robertsi persons,

Unfortunately, this beautiful cichlid is endemic to an area of central Ghana where few collectors venture. There aren't many collectors who work in Ghana as it is, and the ones who do seem to concentrate on the Volta River basin vicinity in the eastern part of the country. This is due, in part, to a lack of infrastructure.

The Canadian importer that Kevin mentions is probably Oliver Lucanas. Oliver is as about Canadian as the Pope, but that's another story. Shipping and clearing costs to the US and Canada from Western Africa are so prohibitive, that a person like Oliver would need to order large quantities, say 250+, of a particular fish and sell each one at a fairly high price to justify the cost. Due to shipping delays, inspections, airplane problems, etc., it is not uncommon for numerous fish to arrive DOA as well, only driving up the pricing further.

Fortunately, there are other beautiful Pelmatochomine fishes from West Africa available, usually in small quantities, coming out of Nigeria, Cameroon, Guinea and Gabon, to name a few. These include the Chromidotiplia/Benitochromis sp., Parananochromis sp., and of course, the Pelvicachromis sp. For more information, please contact me directly, and I should be able to help.

Thanks for reading.

All the best,

Randall Kohn

 

[Neil]

Randall,

WELCOME TO THE FORUM

Glad to see that you made it on to the forum, Randall. It is very nice to have yet another person who obviously has a clear command of a number of topics, especially one of my favs - West African Dwarfs!
Nice to have you aboard.
Neil

 

[Randall]

Follow up to L. robertsi posting

To all interested L. robertsi persons,

This is a follow up to my prior posting.

According to a collector based in Nigeria, one of the reasons L. robertsi is so difficult to come by is because no one can catch it! Apparently, the smaller water courses to which this fish is endemic contain a lot of emerse vegetation, making for very difficult netting. To be quite honest, I was expecting a more scientific explanation.

If those here in the forum are serious about this fish, please let me know, and I'll see what I can do. I've wanted this beauty swimming in my tanks for a long time now as well.

All the best,

Randall Kohn

 

[Finatic_LasVegas]

West African Literature

Big *wave* to Randall (from a former NJ resident),

Does anyone have any idea if any new books are coming out on Westies? I'd love to get a lobby going to get Aqualog to do a little something for us...but obviously, because of the issues in West Africa, it'll be a little more difficult at present. Just a pipe dream, I suppose, for now.

With all the exports coming out of the region of late, thought things might be looking up for new species recognition/descriptions in literature form. Any inklings out there?

And if anyone has a line on a source for Chromido sp. mundemba or sexable pairs of C. finleyi "Moliwe" -- that won't force me to tap into the kid's college fund? :roll:

Cheers,
Wendy McKenna Peters
Las Vegas, NV

 

[Randall]

West African dwarf cichlids

Dear Wendy,

Here's a big wave back.

Yes, with all the new "developments" in West Africa, one would think (or hope) that more information would be available...some day. Unfortunately, that doesn't appear to be the case at the moment. Many of the new cichlids coming out of West Africa are either undescribed or newly described and most of the available information is in German.

The upcoming publication of the Apistogramma Study Group (ASG), the Apisto-Gram, is devoted to West African dwarf cichlids. If I can get it together in time, an article concerning two "new" Chromidotilapia species will be included. Please check out the ASG's website, Apisto.com, and join, if you are not already a member. This way you will be kept abreast of the new developments in West Africa. It is my intention to make the ASG a valuable resource for information concerning our beloved "Westies."

The unusually beautiful C. sp. "Mondemba" was recently described by Dr. Anton Lamboj as Benitochromis ufermanni. Although the paper is in German, I have an English language abstract that is yours for the asking. If you'd like this fish, you may come back to New Jersey and have a look at mine, or you may contact Mr. Toyin Ojo in Baton Rouge, LA. His website, rehobothaquatics.com, specializes in wild West African fish and plants. Please tell Mr. Ojo that Randall sent you, and I'm sure that he will send you the fish. Unfortunately they are only scarcely available, and in limited quantities.

I hope this helps you out.

All the best,

Randall Kohn

 

[Cichlids1]

I have not purchased fish from Toyin yet, but have heard nothing but great things about them. If the fish are like the plants I purchased from him, the buyer will be pleased.

 

[Randall]

Mr. Toyin Ojo

Dear Cichlids 1 in Ohio,

Toyin deals in wild West/Central African fish and plants, and benefits from three principal exporters in Nigeria, Cameroon and Kinshasa, DR Congo. In my opinion, his is a quality product. Currently, he is handling several Chomidotilapia/Benitochromis sp., Parananochromis sp. and Pelvicachomis sp., as well as various barbs, tetras and catfish. I've had the pleasure of purchasing some of his fish, and my expectations were exceded.

Should you decide to contact him, you may not have the fish that he is holding for me! If you buy them, I may have to come out to Ohio and get them back!

All the best,

Randall Kohn

 

[Finatic_LasVegas]

Mundemba, etc.

Randall,

I would definitely love to read anything you have on Chromidos....especially mundemba (you can email it to [email protected])! I've emailed Toyin on his amazing stock list and when I can recover from ACA purchases, will definitely put in an order for something fine!

Know what you mean about all the latest and great being in German. We're behind Japan and Germany on most things fishy...ah well. The deepest pockets get the fish first!

AND....I WILL join ASG now that there is more to be had on Westies!!! Not that I don't love Apistos (only ones in my tanks right now are juruensis), but Westies will always own my heart.

Thanks again!
Wendy

 

[Randall]

Limbochromis robertsi

To the entire group,

It is with great pleasure that I make this announcement. Recently, I have been in touch with a US-based importer who, after some persuasion, has agreed to investigate the availability of L. robertsi in Ghana. Although neither he nor I can make any definitive representations yet, we can expect that if this fish can be collected and exported to the US, it will be quite expensive. Exactly how expensive is difficult to predict at this premature time.

In the event that my contact is successful in his endeavor, I would like to furnish an approximate upfront head count so that he, in turn, may approximate how many fish to import. All those interested in L. robertsi and who are prepared to pay what will most likely be a somewhat higher price than one might customarily pay for a rare, wild West African cichlid please speak up now. I may be contacted privately via email ([email protected]); or, if the organizers allow, through posting on this forum.

Thanks all very much and let's keep our fingers crossed!

Randall Kohn

 

[Neil]

Randall,
It is totally acceptable to me to have this forum used as a tool to get rare cichlids into the hobby. Both my site and this forum should act as a resource for information and, certainly also, for fish as rare and interesting as L. robertsi. I am game for the wishlist, as long as it is not outlandishly expensive. Do you have a ball park and is it related to the amount of pre-orders you can drum up?
Again, thanks for your efforts to bring this type of thing to light. Good luck in the continuation of this pursuit.
Neil