Altum angels

[dapostle]

Hi, I am new to wild angels and am wondering what you would expect to pay for them. I have a 6ft tank planted and was either going to get wild discus or wild angels....
Here in Perth prices seem to be reasonable for wild discus, there are some 'dumerilii' angels around but that is about all and from what i have seen from some photos here, i want 'altums' they look incredible.
Any advice for 'Perths' would be appreciated. email dapostle@tpg.com.au
David

[Merrilyn]

Hi David and welcome to the forum.

Can't blame you for wanting altums. They're the ultimate wild angel. Not an easy fish to keep, and almost impossible to breed, but some of us keep trying LOL.

The only altums you'll see in this country are wild caught, and so are only available during the catching season, which is June/July/August.

They have pretty stringent water requirements, but probably the biggest drawback is that you will need to dedicate as very large and deep tank to them alone.

You can't mix them with any other cichlids, and that includes discus, and any kind of wild or domestic angel because of the possibility of cross infection. It will wipe out your whole tank. I've done it myself, so learned from bitter experience.

The other thing is, if you want a colony of say, ten altums, you will need to buy them all at once, and never mix them with any other altums during their life time. This isn't necessary because of aggression, but again for disease control. I became quite an expert on killing altums before I discovered these secrets to keeping them alive :roll:

Good luck with your venture. Wait till next July and see if you can talk your aquarium shop into ordering some for you. Most shops are reluctant to bring them in because of the very high mortality rate (something like 95% even before they leave the wholesalers) so you may need to talk to a few shops before you find one willing to take the risk.

Expect to pay between $120 to $150 per tiny fish, even more if the catching season is bad.

[dapostle]

Thanks for all that incredible info. Well it looks like i may go for my wild discus atm, and then organise a tank for Altums later in the year.
Once again thank you for your help and advice.