Two day collecting trip to the Anavilhanas confirmed

[Hudson Ensz]

Will be collecting in Tiririca saturday and Sunday I have been here before, and caught paucisquamis, true pertensis, cf. pertensis, and gibbiceps. Wish me luck!

 

[HaakonH]

Good luck, let's hope you find some real gems! Chanses are certainly good Eagerly awaiting pictures.

Haakon

 

[blueblue]

any update? Please remember take more photos to show us here.

 

[Melanochromis]

Good luck. I'd love to see pictures of the true pertensis !

 

[Hudson Ensz]

Well I pretty mutch caught everything I had hoped to catch! The Paucisquamis from that location is simply stunning from that location. I just got back and will start to work on a collecting report/article. I had a mini disaster on the way back but I still have three adult paucisquamis, a subadult pertensis, a few gibbiceps and some others. They have acclimated to the tank and the 8 or so apistos have their own 10 gallon until they settle down and get stronger. In the end it was a great (if short) trip and just what I needed to get excited about the hobby more.

 

[Tom C]

Wow, that's great news, Hudson!
I'm really looking forward to see this report...:biggrin:

 

[Hudson Ensz]

Update: All fish have adapted well to the aquarium and have staken out territories.

 

[blueblue]

any photos to show us?

 

[Hudson Ensz]

I have pictures of the trip on facebook, it may take a few days to post the pictures here or on my blog. If anyone else has face book send me an invite and I will add them or just give me your name and I will look for you (except if your name is Mike Wise as there are tens of thousands of other Mike wises on facebook and I won't be able to find you). I am also setting up another Flickr account for nature photography so if anyone else has a flickr just give me the link. I have some very good intank pictures and have posted a few to different groups on facebook. If you don't have facebook you will just have to wait a few days lol

 

[Hudson Ensz]

At 6:30 in the morning we crossed the new bridge

we got off the bus at around 10:30 at Nova Ayrao a small depressing city with the feel of a ghost town

after an hour and a half of waiting, we got in a boat just as the rain was getting near.

The ride to the small village where we would stay was about 30 minutes away.

Once at the village we were greeted by the 10 year old macaw that owned the village.

I had a few minutes before lunch and I caught a Hypselecara in some submerged grass

After eating piranha for lunch I went back out to the river and caught some Lampeye fish (I dont actually know what they are)

and a mesonauta insignis

and a pike cichlid

and a few more fish of interest...

Apistogramma pertensis

Apistogramma paucisquamis, one of my all time favorites

After about an hour of fishing and with lots of apistos and sore wrists I took a walk around the village

I enjoy taking pictures a lot with my new Rebel XT

There was a pet White Hawk that posed quite nicely for me

and a pet parrot

Enough with the birds, the next day I almost caught a peacock bass but I didnt set the hook right.
After that we had to leave with all the fish in breather bags. Apparently the weather decided it had been too nice to us and it was so windy that we had to stop in a cove because of the waves.

I was hoping to catch more apistos in an Igarape back in the woods

But there were no fish in it.
Half an hour later the waves subsided and we headed off to Nova Ayrao again in the pouring rain. Disaster struck when I realized that one of the bags had opened and all of the water had escaped loeaving the fish stranded! Unfortunately four died.
Back at home I put the remaining apistos, in an empty ten gallon quarintine.

I also caught a lot of juvenile A. gibbiceps but no pretty adults. Next week I am travelling to Boa vista and will be staying there 9 days. i will fish in some of the creeks there. Other then rupununi and gibbiceps, what should I look for?

 

[Tom C]

Thank you very much for sharing, Hudson!
Like you, I find this color form of A. paucisquamis to be a veritable beauty!

Did you measure the pH of the water where you collected them?
Any pics of the habitat?

 

[aquaticclarity]

Very Nice!!!

I believe that a fish similiar to A. pulchra (cf. pulchra or the like) had the tag of Boa Vista along with it. These were imported into the US a few years ago and I was lucky enough to get a few of them, although it was a very male heavy group. Regardless they are a stunning fish! Hopefully you are able to find them. It's a black water species though so it can be a challenge to keep.

I'll have to dig through some files and see if I can find a few pictures.

 

[Hudson Ensz]

Cool! Cant wait to see photos of them. Tom C yes I did measure the PH and Hardnessthe PH was high, about 6.2 and the hardness was 0 ppm

 

[Tom C]

Next week I am travelling to Boa vista and will be staying there 9 days. i will fish in some of the creeks there. Other then rupununi and gibbiceps, what should I look for?

A. roraimae (A 210), type locailty = 10 km from Boa Vista on the road to Caracarai (Would be fantastic if you found this one!)
A. cf. rupununi (Boa Vista) (A 131)
A. sp. Branco (A 226) (= A. cf. pulchra (Branco); A. sp. “Branco-Pulchra”) has been collected in the Rio Cauamé drainage (U.Rio Branco near Boa Vista)

I wish you good luck!

...Tom C yes I did measure the PH and Hardness the PH was high, about 6.2 and the hardness was 0 ppm

The "high" pH is unusual for this area, and very interesting. Thanks for the info, Hudson!

 

[regani]

great pictures. thanks for sharing.
best of luck for your next expedition

 

[Cor]

Interesting to observe that the wild-caught Apistogramma's show once more that in captivity kept freshwaterfish are mostely given to much food. At least in my case the apistogramma's i'm keeping all show a much bigger bally then the fish Hudson caught. This is for me the reason to get the fish on a diet of brine shrimps only once a day in stead of twice, starting today.

 

[Mike Wise]

Next week I am travelling to Boa vista and will be staying there 9 days. i will fish in some of the creeks there. Other then rupununi and gibbiceps, what should I look for?

Other species found in the area around Boa Vista include A. roraimae, A. wapisana, A. sp. Branco, and A. sp. Rupununi Savanna. As you can see, this part of the Rio Branco isn't collected commecially very often.

 

[Hudson Ensz]

A. roraimae (A 210), type locailty = 10 km from Boa Vista on the road to Caracarai (Would be fantastic if you found this one!)
A. cf. rupununi (Boa Vista) (A 131)
A. sp. Branco (A 226) (= A. cf. pulchra (Branco); A. sp. “Branco-Pulchra”) has been collected in the Rio Cauamé drainage (U.Rio Branco near Boa Vista)

I wish you good luck!


The "high" pH is unusual for this area, and very interesting. Thanks for the info, Hudson!

Dont take it as fact I did the test in a boat while it was moving fast in a storm, I should have tested it more carefully. I only fished in the Rio negro by the anavilhanas, The water was so High the igarapes have almost all dissapeared in the amazon.
I will ask around and try my best to get roraimae.

great pictures. thanks for sharing.
best of luck for your next expedition

Thank you! Your welcome

Interesting to observe that the wild-caught Apistogramma's show once more that in captivity kept freshwaterfish are mostely given to much food. At least in my case the apistogramma's i'm keeping all show a much bigger bally then the fish Hudson caught. This is for me the reason to get the fish on a diet of brine shrimps only once a day in stead of twice, starting today.

Careful though, there are TONs of variables, where they live, availability of food, habitat, species, time of year (right before spawning) etc. ask Mike Wise or TomC they should know a lot better then me.

Other species found in the area around Boa Vista include A. roraimae, A. wapisana, A. sp. Branco, and A. sp. Rupununi Savanna. As you can see, this part of the Rio Branco isn't collected commecially very often.

A. wapisana would be incredible to find! Despite it being a bit homely. A. roraimae would be awesome too. I will have to see what I can do. as long as its close to the city I may be able to find a way out (walking or Taxi lol) Time wont be a problem neccesarily.

 

[Melanochromis]

The pictures are amazing. You seem to have had a very nice trip.
And the paucisquamis is super stunning.

 

[DaRe]

Great photos and really interesting to read. You build a wish to travel!