flatfish

very disturbing

There might still be one or two about, depending on how long they live for, and I agree they may not even be the real deal. Go for a leopard cactus pleco (Pseudacanthicus sp. L114), they are a great looking relie and there are a few about.

Nice wood.

I only wrote one. Theres plenty of other articles in there which make for a great read and I'm sure putting the whole issue together is a huge job.

Very nice ?halibut. Have you got pics. I've only seen black flounder 45 cm long.

Thanks Stella. I look forward to seeing the field guide. I tagged a few black and yellowbelly flounder for my thesis in the Ruamahanga River to validate annual and daily growth zones in their ear nobes (otoliths). The study was successful but the study was never published. One of the tagged flounder did travel to the Awakino River (?454 km from memory) so some do go wandering once they have spawned. I kept my two fairly large flounder in a large five foot tank for a few weeks. It was to see how well the fish took up the antibiotic and bone marker (oxytetracycline). They were voracious feeders. I fed them mainly earthworms, a few bloodworms and white worms. I didn't have to keep them long and I guess it was a fairly boring diet but they ate it all. I caught plenty of small black flounder in shallowwater at night in the Ruamahanga River. But they grow so fast you would have to catch them at the right time of the year if you wanted really small ones. I'd need to check what time of the year I caught them.

Hi ilwis, I did a fair bit of work on flounder (hence the name flatfish) at uni several years ago and I have kept black flounder in a tank for a short while. We have 4 similar species of common inshore flounder in New Zealand (all Rhombosolea species). The greenback flounder in mainly found in the lower South Island. The remaining three: the dab or sand flounder, the yellowbelly flounder, and the black flounder are found throughout much of New Zealand. The ones you've seen off beaches are likely sand flouder or yellowbellies. The yellowbelly does move into the lower reaches of many rivers but is thought to only stay there for short periods while the black flounder is a truly freshwater species and appears to only go to sea to spawn. So yes you could keep it in a freshwater tank. However the minimum legal size is 25 cm (about 1.5 to 2 years old) so thats a fairly long and wide fish to keep in a tank, and they eat quite a lot of food. The also grow fast and can get to 45 cm in just over 4 years.

Just got mine. Another great read. Thanks Caryl

Hi. When this original post was made we were under the impression, somewhat naively, that it if we did the research on a given species, that we might be able to get it added to the list. From what I now understand, and Reef correct me if I am wrong, the only practical way of getting a species added to the list is if you can prove that it was in the country prior to the cutoff period, which I think was 1998. So you need access to something like an importers records or some other form of very good evidence to prove the species was imported or in the country prior to the cutoff period. You then need to do a heap of aditional research. As far as I am aware Reef has had a number of species added to the list and had to do a lot of research in his own time to achieve this. So thanks Reef for all your hard work. No doubt you know far more about this than I and might be able to provide advice to anyones that is interested and is able to get hold of the right evidence. If you want of get a species added which has not been imported in the past then I think, and again Reef correct me if I am wrong, that you need to go through all the appropriate official channels which is very expensive (i.e. thousands), and you are not guaranteed of success.

An excellent point. :sml1: My hammocks quite comfortable really.

I say fancy plecos because you're thinking of buying an L168, i.e. an expensive rarer pleco and in my opinion also a very attractive one. Any pleco you are thinking of would have to be able to handle an alkaline pH easily to be healthy. So you could look at the recommended pH range for a pleco species you're interested in on Planet catfish or similar websites and see if its able to handle it. I mentioned flash plecos because they are a species I've heard can handle alkaline pH's, and Geoff has had no problems with flash plecos at a higher pH. I agree that any pleco you get should be healthy in your tank and its an expensive lesson if its dies. You could always set up another tank with a lower pH, heaps of cover (bogwood, rocks, etc), good water flow, and high aeration for an L168 or two :lol:. To my knowledge the L168's that were imported recently and are being sold as 'Peckoltia pulcher', L168, are the real deal, i.e. Dekeyseria brachyurus. There have also been the similar Dekeyseria sp. L052's imported slightly earlier. They are somewhat duller in colour but otherwise similar, and they were also a bit cheaper. If you worried about sexing them then you may be after more than one, in which case I'd go for a new setup :lol: They are difficult to sex but there are a few hints on Planet catfish.

yeah I dont know of many fancy plecos that would handle an alkaline African tank. Apparently flash plecos (Panaque sp. L204) have been kept in African tanks as they can handle pH's of 6-8 but personally I wouldn't risk it.

They are a great little pleco but personally I wouldn't risk it. Peckoltia pulcher is a trade name for the butterfly pleco, Dekeyseria brachyurus. According to Seidels L-Catfishes they do best in soft, rather acidic water with a pH of 4.5-6.5 which is the oposite of the alkaline water many Africans prefer.

!drool: Awesome pics.

Interesting. The vittata is likely to be a clown pleco as they are often imported under that name. Not sure about the pulcher, butterfly plecos were imported under that name but at that price its probably something different. Do they look similar?

You should be able to get most, if not all of these plecs from HFF.

Yeah Trade names can be a pain. Peckoltia pulcher is an incorrect trade name for the butterfly pleco, Dekeyseria brachyura, L168, and sells for close to $200. Peckoltia vittata is again not what it seems. I dont think real Peckoltia vittata's have been imported into New Zealand but clown plecos (Panaque sp. LDA67) has been imported under that name, and are much cheaper.

theres also a couple of Peckoltia's that are reasonably priced: big band tigers (Peckoltia sp. ?L140) and Peckoltia brevis

Flatfish as when I was at uni I studied flatfish (flounder and the like) and all the other names I could come up with at the time were taken. I also find the word amusing.

Very nice leopards Duncan with great patterning and a very good deal at $80 each. They look like they still have a bit of growing to do but I'd guess at two females. The head looks tapered and the snout pointed and they dont seem to have a block head. However they also dont look like they have very swollen bellies.

Yep you're bang on with the sex differences Duncan. The males also seems to have bigger and thicker spikes down the body and I think a larger dorsal and caudal fins. It'd be nice to see some pics of your new ones. $80 is very cheap and at that price they should be snapped up quick.

You're big male is doing very nicely thanks Henward and is now in charge of the tank.

I've posted this before but it shows a male and two females. Males have a broad block head and a more tapered profile, while females have a more pointed snout and are widest through their belly which is often quite fat. At the size you're looking at you should be able to sex them easily enough. With a tank of that size two males should be fine, particularly as jamosfish suggests if they have distinct defined territories.

very nice

+1 to female Cuban :thup:.