Collecting Rio Terable, 2 pleco species, and 2 small gars

[duanes]

Yesterday (June 8th), Danny and I returned to the Rio Terable (near Chepo, Panama, an area a few miles from the western edge of the Darien)), in the hope of landing a male Geophagus crassilabrus. The female caught a few weeks earlier is doing well, t his is also the area where a couple knifefish were netted, but none were seen yesterday


But no such luck, not 1 cichlid , or knifefish found their way into our nets.
As usual, Astyanax tetras were easily caught, but none were kept, (they are usually plagued with Lernea parasites, and I didn´t want to deal with medicating again)
What we did keep, were 2 gar types, (probably Ctenolucius beanii), 2 Sturismatichthys (whiptail plecos) and a few Chaetstoma fischeri (rubber lip Plecos.)






My Cannon camera got trashed last collecting trip, so I’m now trying an inexpensive point and shoot Kodak underwater encased camera, (obviously still learning).
The brown tint (for tank shots), is a little disconcerting.

 

[M075]

Man im so jealous im actually looking for 2 ctenolucius beani to add to my 3 ctenolucius hujeta's, theyre kinda hard to find in the Netherlands, i might have to visit Germany to get them and im not even sure if i could legally bring them in lol.

Great pictures as always!

 

[duanes]

Where I find the Ctenolucius beanii, the water is quite hard, with a pH of 8.2 and sometimes higher, and significantly more mineral rich.


Very much opposite those species in Colombia, where hujeta is found, where water is soft with lower pH.
It would be interesting to know, if the 2 species are easily adaptable to such opposite parameters (especially to bacterial resistance).

Simlar to the Geophagus crassilabrus found in the same high pH rivers here in Panama, compared compared to Geo pelligrini of Colombia, eveolved to live where water much lower in pH, and mineral free (different bacterial species resistance).

Do those opposite parameters significantly effect immunity to certain bacterial diseases.