New Lungfish Finally Arrived!

[blackthumb]

Well,after a long two to three week wait my alf is finally at home in his/her new tank!
The total length is right at 28" not the 30" i was told,but it's the most beautiful i've seen in a long time. Background color is a rich gray/brown with a fully spotted belly and from the snout to the dorsal fin there are lots of small(1/4") spots kind of like an amphibious,from the dorsal back it's covered with fingerprint sized black spots.(absolutely beautiful) he/she was a little upset when i put him/her in the tank,and went to work re-arranging the tank to settle in.
There doesn't seem to be a problem getting air since i lowered the water level two inches. I made two heater covers from air lift tubes,from an under ground filter drilled with a 3/16" drill bit 1/4" apart all over and extended the length 1/2" longer than the heaters,and lightly sanded to remove burrs. The heaters come with an attaching device and two suction cups,so i added two more and cut two slots 3/4 of the way through the covers,slid them up the heaters and snapped the keepers in place and attached the suction cups 90 deg. from the other ones and bingo!! almost invisable protection from burns.
I guess you guys cannot see that i am happy with my new lungfish!
This fish is about 4" in cross section and very meaty/with no surface blemishes or hith disease or white spots.
I am considering myself very fortunate to have found such a good specimen and hope my aquarist skills are up to keeping him/her that way. Now it's time to go and watch what lungfish do best, NOTHING!

Blackthumb

 

[santoury]

Congratulations on what sounds like a fantastic fish!

First of all, your "cross section" measurement, and your description of the markings make me think it is not an annectens, but sounds more like an aethiopicus. Having what is probably the largest collection of lungs in the country, I have plenty to compare. My annectens in this size range are more chunky. Most annectens at this size are overall drab, with reduced spotting. The Aethiopicus remains ornately marked. ESPECIALLY around the fins...
How about some pictures of this sweet boy?

If it is in fact an aethiopicus, be prepared for him doubling his size. (As opposed to staying close to his current size, add a few inches.)

 

[E_americanus]

i agree! congrats on the lungfish

i would say a picture would solve any ID issues, but as jude can probably agree with, there is quite a bit of variation in the annectens species, and i have kept annectens that have retained quite a bit of pattern on the paired finnage, so it really comes down to the picture.

that and if it is an aethiopicus, if it has the marbled patterning that most have, it is most likely an P. aethiopicus congicus, in which case you are in a bit of luck as they supposedly do not get as large as the P. aethiopicus aethiopicus, which also do not have quite the striking pattern, but one that is relatively plain by comparison.

enjoy your new fish, and lets see some pics of that bad boy!--
--solomon

 

[santoury]

Solomon is right - annectens do vary quite a bit... maybe I was over-reading your comments, but you made it seem like this big guy has extensive markings, which I have yet to see in an annectens. Solomon - if you have photos of one of these "extensively marked" annectens I'd love to see 'em!

One thing I actually haven't been able to figure out as yet is how to distinguish between P aeth, and P. aeth congicus (other than size) I have heard reference to congicus (or the other) being less marked? Could we start a new thread with photos of the different subspecies (of both annectens and aethio.)

Have you tried feeding this guy yet?
Jude

 

[E_americanus]

Solomon is right - annectens do vary quite a bit... maybe I was over-reading your comments, but you made it seem like this big guy has extensive markings, which I have yet to see in an annectens. Solomon - if you have photos of one of these "extensively marked" annectens I'd love to see 'em!

One thing I actually haven't been able to figure out as yet is how to distinguish between P aeth, and P. aeth congicus (other than size) I have heard reference to congicus (or the other) being less marked? Could we start a new thread with photos of the different subspecies (of both annectens and aethio.)

Have you tried feeding this guy yet?
Jude

i think we could definitely have some interesting convos about lungfishes in general jude, and i look forward to that

i gotta run soon, but to get at the first question on extensively marked annectens, keep in mind this is a relative issue in some ways, but when mentioning markings on the paired fins, this guy definitely had nice ones. i had this guy for over 3 years, and he recently went to a fellow fish graduate student...i'll actually get to see him in his new home today here is a pic taken over a year ago (not sure if i have anything more recent) from primitivefish.com:

--solomon

 

[santoury]

Sweet annectens! I look forward to lungfish convo's as well. (Anybody, feel free to PM me) You mention graduate studies. Tell me more about that. I'm looking at places to go to, for grad school and would appreciate some input.
As for your gorgeous fish, how would one differentiate it from an aethiopicus?
Have a good one, and say hi to your fish for me! Jude

 

[E_americanus]

Sweet annectens! I look forward to lungfish convo's as well. (Anybody, feel free to PM me) You mention graduate studies. Tell me more about that. I'm looking at places to go to, for grad school and would appreciate some input.
As for your gorgeous fish, how would one differentiate it from an aethiopicus?
Have a good one, and say hi to your fish for me! Jude

annectens can generally be separated from aethiopicus by insertion of the dorsal fin being posterior to that of the annectens. pattern also goes a lot way with these guys, even when they are small. the annectens has more of a blotched pattern (as seen here, but in most specimens not quite as ornate) and aethiopicus has the classic marbled network on the body, which gets more evident as the fish grows from just a few inches to 8-9" or more. as the aethiopicus gets older, they get a sort of 'spooning' in the head/snout, which the annectens does not get.

for comparison, here is a pic taken a couple years ago of my P. aethiopicus congicus. i'm planning on taking more recent pics in the near future--
--solomon

 

[Jason]

if you ever get rid of that Ethiopian Sol send me a PM it would look really nice next to my albino in matching tanks .

Jason

PS your old slender lung is still the SHYEST lung i've ever freaking seen...not to derail just to update .

 

[E_americanus]

if you ever get rid of that Ethiopian Sol send me a PM it would look really nice next to my albino in matching tanks .

Jason

PS your old slender lung is still the SHYEST lung i've ever freaking seen...not to derail just to update .

hey jason, thanks for the update on the dolloi...and yes, he was definitely the shyest lungfish i have ever owned or observed as well. however, he didnt have the mentality of most African lungs in that he lived with some big congo tetras quite peacefully. i'll let you know about the aethiopicus, although now that he has a good-sized tank all to himself (used to share a divided tank with the annectens) i'll be hanging on to him and seeing how big i can get him

ok back to the original thread....let's see some pics of that new lungfish soon!--
--solomon

 

[Jason]

I'm curious as to how aggressive it behaves towards food. From the sounds of it nothing is passed over . Mine eats pretty much everything that comes his way. I have to get more food for him soon since he's polished off all of my frozen tidbits for him.

I'm sure you'll have fun with him though, soon i'll get mine in a proper display instead of a tank with a filter and a heater and i'll get some fresh pics up so we can compare my annectens and your lung, they are very close in size but mine is probably not as heavy since for a few months he was on a diet while i was moving tanks everywhere.

Jason