whats the difference between columbian altum and peruvian altum other than the region they are from? my lfs has a big group of peruvian altums and they are cheap ($15) each. when i purchased my columbians they were $45 each @ half dollar size. which one is more rare??
altums
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Altums are more difficult to find , as they are only available yearly at that kind of size , and its a real challenge keeping them !
Peruvian altums are not yet classified as altums. They still fall under scalare. It is thought that some altums kept at a facility in the area were inadvertantly set free when the facitlity flooded one year.
Columbians are true pterophyllum altum. They are harder to care for and require warm water that is soft. Aclimatizing them needs to be done slowly. They also comand a MUCH higher price as they are almost exclusively wild caught.
Columbians are true pterophyllum altum. They are harder to care for and require warm water that is soft. Aclimatizing them needs to be done slowly. They also comand a MUCH higher price as they are almost exclusively wild caught.
^^^yeah this, peruvian altums are still considered scalare and they dont have quite the same characteristics as the "true altums" they are like scalare but with more of an altum look without getting the hard to take care of altum finickiness
True altums are much taller and have different coloration. They usually have a deeper brown/gold body color with thick, dark brown bars. Peruvian "altums" are actually just Peruvian scalare. They have most of the scalare characteristics -- lighter silver body color, thinner black bars, and don't grow quite as large (true altums get to be very tall fish!). The only thing that really sets them apart is the notched nose, which is what makes them similar in appearance to altums.
For comparison:
Adult altum
Adult Peruvian scalare
Juvenile altum
Juvenile Peruvian scalare
After looking at them for a while the difference becomes really easy to spot. The Peruvian scalare tend to look a bit thinner and daintier, with very long trailing fins. The true altums seem much more tall and the stripes are way broader.
I've always loved the long, curved ventral fins on the Peruvians. The way they curl around and hook backwards toward the tail is really attractive. They make great crosses with domestic angels if you like impressive fins on angels.
For comparison:
Adult altum
Adult Peruvian scalare
Juvenile altum
Juvenile Peruvian scalare
After looking at them for a while the difference becomes really easy to spot. The Peruvian scalare tend to look a bit thinner and daintier, with very long trailing fins. The true altums seem much more tall and the stripes are way broader.
I've always loved the long, curved ventral fins on the Peruvians. The way they curl around and hook backwards toward the tail is really attractive. They make great crosses with domestic angels if you like impressive fins on angels.
ryansmith83;4467739; said:True altums are much taller and have different coloration. They usually have a deeper brown/gold body color with thick, dark brown bars. Peruvian "altums" are actually just Peruvian scalare. They have most of the scalare characteristics -- lighter silver body color, thinner black bars, and don't grow quite as large (true altums get to be very tall fish!). The only thing that really sets them apart is the notched nose, which is what makes them similar in appearance to altums.
For comparison:
Adult altum
Adult Peruvian scalare
Juvenile altum
Juvenile Peruvian scalare
After looking at them for a while the difference becomes really easy to spot. The Peruvian scalare tend to look a bit thinner and daintier, with very long trailing fins. The true altums seem much more tall and the stripes are way broader.
I've always loved the long, curved ventral fins on the Peruvians. The way they curl around and hook backwards toward the tail is really attractive. They make great crosses with domestic angels if you like impressive fins on angels.
cool