please help me id this guy my lfs says that he's a vatf, i just need some assurance. Thanks
Atf id need urgent help!!
- Thread starter .C.J.
- Start date
Looks like a big eye atf also called a Tanzania atf. Im not 100% on the vatf species since i keep a big gatf instead. Very nice looking atf. Def not a vittatus.
Thanks man! Is tatf much more harder to get than vatf? If so then im lucky hehe.
Btw
How big does this guy grow up to?
*sorry for the double reply i accidentally pressed enter
Np def not a common specie but can be more aggressive then vatf are. Get about the same maybe slightly smaller. There is an atf thread under other characins in the adv discussion section. Could be helpful for u. GL
Definitely Hydrocynus cf. "big eye".
This fish was formally called H. tanzaniae in the hobby until reliable collection location data became available a few years ago, which made it quite clear that this was something new, likely representing an as yet undescribed sixth species of Hydrocynus (an idea supported but not proven by mitochondrial haplotypes).
This fish was formally called H. tanzaniae in the hobby until reliable collection location data became available a few years ago, which made it quite clear that this was something new, likely representing an as yet undescribed sixth species of Hydrocynus (an idea supported but not proven by mitochondrial haplotypes).
Awww i was hoping it was a tanzy cause i just like how a tanzy looks
+ ive been researching about tanzies but it turns out ive been researching about the wrong atf.. anyways are big eyes just the same as the normal vittatus in size or smaller? Ive read the sticky that big eyes have only been recorded at 12" in captivity or maybe i read that wrong. Im hoping it can grow up to 15-18"Awww i was hoping it was a tanzy cause i just like how a tanzy looks
If you've been researching tanzaniae in fish tanks, you've been looking into big eyes. Tatf and big eyes are extremely similar fish, which led to the confusion; the big eyes match the scale counts and other less obvious diagnostic traits for tanzaniae, but are not from Tanzania so they can't be (as we currently understand it anyway) tanzaniae. It isn't impossible that they could be tanzaniae, but it is more likely that they're one of the seven unique and as yet undescribed genetic haplotypes known to exist within Hydrocynus. Which is, in laymens terms, undiscribed species or subspecies.
In other words, you were researching the right fish, you were just calling it the wrong thing.
And I have no doubt that they'd get over 12" in total length with proper care. But we don't see big eyes get over 12" on a regular basis for the same reason we don't see any other atf (to include GATF) get over 12" on a regular basis very often: they have a tendency to die. For some reason, 12-15" seems to be the max for these guys for most keepers.