I've been keeping Angelfish for the last year or so and have several different types but lately I've been wanting to try Altums. Does anyone have any experience with these fish and know of a vendor to buy them from? I want to place some in a 125 gallon and devote the tank to them only.
Anyone keeping true Altums
- Thread starter driftwood
- Start date
I would caution you. I am a pretty experienced fish keeper and have had just about everything under the sun in my tank at one point or another, but a few months ago i purchased 12 Altums from a reputable supplier in Houston TX and only 2 survived. Everyone that I have talked to has a similar story to mine. They come in with damaged fins and get infections that are really difficult to clear up. I would definitely recommend that you purchase some TMP Sulfa from this website http://nationalfishpharm.com/ and begin treatment as soon as you acclimate them. This is the only thing I found that clears up the baterial infections. Also turning your water temp down between 72 and 75 degrees will help more than anything. I know it sounds low, but the fish will be fine.....the bacteria will not be able to multiply at these temps. Good luck to you.
PB2010;4762851; said:
Thanks for the reply. Jeff Rapps is getting in some tank bred Altums in a few days if all goes well. What type of water Parm. are you keeping for your Altums? Are you using any RO? My hardness is running at around 7.2 with just peet and driftwood and I have read that even that is going to be too high. Thanks for the heads up on the medication and I will be getting some if this and I really like that website. I was thinking pf keeping these fish in a 50 hex for a while until I get the hang of them if i do at all lol and then moving them into a larger tank once they start to get some size on them.
Who is spawning altums? I'd love to see the documentation on it. That's one of those Holy Grail moments in fishkeeping, similar to breeding heckel discus to heckel discus. I know a lot of people have claimed to spawn altums, but I'd just like to see some videos or something. Are these fish coming from Japan? The only videos I've seen of spawning altums were from there, I think.
i highly doubt they are captive bred. from my knowledge and research altums were only successfully bred in captivity a few times. in germany or taiwan or something. however, if they are indeed captive bred then in my opinion your a few steps ahead. and no need to treat them for parasites and what not. and should be as easy as domestic angels. i currently have 9 true altums. had them for 2 months now.
nikond70s;4764483; said:
I was doing my research and true no one has successfully bred this fish but it does say on Rapps site "tank bred" so I am assuming someone has acomplished this task. I haven't actually spoken to Jeff yet, fish are supposed to arrive on the 5th. Can you tell me about yours? How difficult are they to keep and what kind of water p. do you have? PH etc... Thanks
be careful. there are some sellers that will send you angels called scolare altums or leopoldi altums. they are not true altums. I highly doubt you are buying tank raised true altums. I have a trusted lfs near me who used to get altums in every year but finally gave up because customers were complaining that they would die within a few weeks. I would love to have altums but it seems that about one or two will make it thru acclimation for every ten that you buy. with the cost of these fish I just won't do it.
3dees;4764892; said:
Did you happen to see the post above where he said Jeff Rapps is getting these? Have you dealt with this particular seller before? If Jeff says they are Orinoco I would believe they are Orinoco. He would not be the one selling lemons.
I contacted Jeff and he mentioned that these are coming in from overseas (my guess is from Europe, where there have been reportings of altum breeding). He is not going to use RO water to acclimatize them, but instead they will be kept in well water with neutral pH. This means that by the time they are ready to be shipped off from his hatchery, chances of you keeping/raising them successfully are higher than wilds.
I would not hesitate to buy some from Jeff if he thinks tap water would be OK for them.
please don't misunderstand me. I did'nt say Jeff would lie to anyone. I will wait and if this is a fact, I'll be in line for a few. I only mentioned fasle altum's being sold because I know people who have fallen for this ploy. they were not bought from Jeff. I bought my wild discus from a sponsor here and would trust any of them.
3dees;4765747; said:
Well sounds like the real deal to me. I am going to get some if they aren't too expensive meaning I have to take out a second on my mortgage lol. Anyway if Jeff says they are the real deal I believe him.