Uaru Fernandezyepezi

[caribemob]

Please be aware that I got F1 fernandezyepezi from Rapps when he offered them a couple years ago, and despite all the water changes, heavy filtration, varied diet, etc. they still got bad HITH and nothing I did seemed to slow it down. We treated them for hex but it did nothing. The fish grew, were very active, ate well, and were otherwise normal, but the pits on the face continued to grow and spread. The only thing I did not do was soften the water or lower the pH. I kept them in the mid 7's. I don't think I'd try the fish again unless I had soft, low-pH water.

I have no doubt that the F1 stock was healthy, it just didn't appreciate my water.

I wouldn't even touch the wild stock, and almost every fish in my house is wild-caught. I've heard too many horror stories. They are similar to altum angels... the wilds tend to crash and are very sensitive when acclimating.

Where did those wild Panda UARU's(horror stories) come from? what vendor was it Rapps or another vendor?

 

[NorCaliCichlids]

Well Don sells to me and our group directly. I've ordered from him about 4 times now. But we do tend to spend a lot of $$ when we do order. I dont want this to turn into a 'who is cheaper' thread please. Some good info so far..keep it coming.

 

[caribemob]

Well Don sells to me and our group directly. I've ordered from him about 4 times now. But we do tend to spend a lot of $$ when we do order. I dont want this to turn into a 'who is cheaper' thread please. Some good info so far..keep it coming.

cool, I just want my question answered or maybe someone could shine some light on this for me , I'm pretty sure people know

 

[NorCaliCichlids]

Caribemob. To try to answer your question..My buddy was working with a seller out of texas (I dont know who) that brought in a group of 10 wild adults and they all died there at his facility. No reason they just kind of rolled over and died. I'd assume the water there did not agree with them. That's a big reason why I'm not sure if I want them. But I'd like to know how juvies ship. Don said his 4" ones sold fast.

When I told Don I'd heard a lot of these same horror stories he literally said that's BS. His water is hard as a rock and he wouldn't even bother bringing them in if they were that touchy. But like I said earlier he did say he'd only had them for a week or so but that they were doing really well.

I wonder if they are comparable to H. Psittacus in terms of needs. If that's the case then they should be no problem. I had a group of 5 wilds that did very well and grew to over 14" with no HITH.

 

[peathenster]

I don't know if you guys remember, but a few weeks ago Grey (wetspotcx) listed fernandezyepezi on aquabid for $40 a piece. I think they were 3-4". I asked him to ship me a group but he told me they came in rough, and that I should wait for week or two. Well, they all perished.... but that's what I like about Grey!

I somehow got the impression that fernandezyepezi and altum are similar in terms of difficulty, although I haven't kept either.

 

[ryansmith83]

I just think that if they were as tough as Don claims, more people would be keeping and breeding them. The wilds have been available every year for the past four or five years, and I still rarely see F1s anywhere. I started researching fernandezyepezi several years ago when I was almost exclusively keeping discus and angelfish, and I heard the same stories over and over: the wilds were touchy like altums on import and usually didn't make it through the acclimation process. Those that did often developed HITH, but people never could pinpoint why (water quality, foods offered, stress, a combination?). You can read about this in articles and on forums. It wasn't just from one source; many people experienced similar problems.

I'd love to see them and follow their development if you do get them. I've posted my F1s here many times. I kept them for about 8 months and raised them from 2" to over 7", then had to get rid of them because I couldn't stand to watch the HITH get worse. My friend tried them in softer water but could never get the pits to close. I haven't asked him what became of the fish.

I would definitely try again if I weren't afraid that I was just throwing away money. I'm growing out psittacus and spawning wild Heros notatus right now and they're all doing really well. If people have better luck with Don's wilds, maybe I'll try wilds.

 

[jgentry]

Caribemob. To try to answer your question..My buddy was working with a seller out of texas (I dont know who) that brought in a group of 10 wild adults and they all died there at his facility. No reason they just kind of rolled over and died. I'd assume the water there did not agree with them. That's a big reason why I'm not sure if I want them. But I'd like to know how juvies ship. Don said his 4" ones sold fast.

When I told Don I'd heard a lot of these same horror stories he literally said that's BS. His water is hard as a rock and he wouldn't even bother bringing them in if they were that touchy. But like I said earlier he did say he'd only had them for a week or so but that they were doing really well.

I wonder if they are comparable to H. Psittacus in terms of needs. If that's the case then they should be no problem. I had a group of 5 wilds that did very well and grew to over 14" with no HITH.

Psittacus are a very durable fish. Nothing like Panda's. As long as your water in not real hard and high PH all you have to do is keep the nitrates down and they are no issue at all. The Rio Negro psittacus are a little more sensitive but they are not what is commonly available.

As far as keeping sensitive CA cichlids. Panda's are a different world in my opinion. A sensitive CA is a fish that gets bloat. A sensitive SA cichlid is a fish that requires perfect water, low PH, soft water, good food. In other words everything has to be perfect. There is a reason they cost so much and that they are not available in the current market.

Don't get me wrong. They are a stunning fish and a great oppurtunity for an advanced hobbiest looking for a real challenge. But no one should fool themselves with what they are getting into.

caribemob, Rapps sold some wild stock a few years back. I have a lone male from the importation. There are still a few of them around. People that provided them with the right water and worked hard to keep them had some success. To many people foolishly bought them thinking they could dump them into any tap water and they would be fine. I believe Jeff has even still had issues with some of the F1's in the past as well. They are just extremely sensitive to any illness and do not recover well. If you start with healthy fish, provide them proper water and care you have a good chance at success with them.

 

[NorCaliCichlids]

Thanks jgentry. I'm looking for as much info as I can get. The only reason I even mentioned Psittacus is I've seen a number of youtube videos with them with the pandas. I freely admit that I'm more of a CA guy thus my quest for info. Do they need weekly water changes or more? Strong current? What's there diet like? I've been told they'll even nibble on driftwood. If I do get them I'll make sure to test all my water parameters to see what I need to adjust to make it work. If it's waaay off maybe I'll wait.

Psittacus are a very durable fish. Nothing like Panda's. As long as your water in not real hard and high PH all you have to do is keep the nitrates down and they are no issue at all. The Rio Negro psittacus are a little more sensitive but they are not what is commonly available.

As far as keeping sensitive CA cichlids. Panda's are a different world in my opinion. A sensitive CA is a fish that gets bloat. A sensitive SA cichlid is a fish that requires perfect water, low PH, soft water, good food. In other words everything has to be perfect. There is a reason they cost so much and that they are not available in the current market.

Don't get me wrong. They are a stunning fish and a great oppurtunity for an advanced hobbiest looking for a real challenge. But no one should fool themselves with what they are getting into.

caribemob, Rapps sold some wild stock a few years back. I have a lone male from the importation. There are still a few of them around. People that provided them with the right water and worked hard to keep them had some success. To many people foolishly bought them thinking they could dump them into any tap water and they would be fine. I believe Jeff has even still had issues with some of the F1's in the past as well. They are just extremely sensitive to any illness and do not recover well. If you start with healthy fish, provide them proper water and care you have a good chance at success with them.

 

[caribemob]

I just think that if they were as tough as Don claims, more people would be keeping and breeding them. The wilds have been available every year for the past four or five years, and I still rarely see F1s anywhere. I started researching fernandezyepezi several years ago when I was almost exclusively keeping discus and angelfish, and I heard the same stories over and over: the wilds were touchy like altums on import and usually didn't make it through the acclimation process. Those that did often developed HITH, but people never could pinpoint why (water quality, foods offered, stress, a combination?). You can read about this in articles and on forums. It wasn't just from one source; many people experienced similar problems.

I'd love to see them and follow their development if you do get them. I've posted my F1s here many times. I kept them for about 8 months and raised them from 2" to over 7", then had to get rid of them because I couldn't stand to watch the HITH get worse. My friend tried them in softer water but could never get the pits to close. I haven't asked him what became of the fish.

I would definitely try again if I weren't afraid that I was just throwing away money. I'm growing out psittacus and spawning wild Heros notatus right now and they're all doing really well. If people have better luck with Don's wilds, maybe I'll try wilds.

The people you spoke to probably got that bad batch from Rapps that were wild fish and all of a sudden it seems like everyone draws conclusion, me personally I'd like to see how these Don Imports hold up because it seems like we are going off the wild fish Rapps was selling a while back. Don't get me wrong they are nice fish, but like I said previously sombodies robbing sombody

 

[jgentry]

Thanks jgentry. I'm looking for as much info as I can get. The only reason I even mentioned Psittacus is I've seen a number of youtube videos with them with the pandas. I freely admit that I'm more of a CA guy thus my quest for info. Do they need weekly water changes or more? Strong current? What's there diet like? I've been told they'll even nibble on driftwood. If I do get them I'll make sure to test all my water parameters to see what I need to adjust to make it work. If it's waaay off maybe I'll wait.

I don't want you to get the impression that they are impossible, because they are not. But if you do not have soft water that you can easily keep at least below 6.5 then I would tell anyone not to even bother. In most cases this is going to require and RO drip system. Otherwise you end up never being able to keep your water consistantly as low as you need it. From my personal experience which is limited to ones fish (so take it for what it is) they eat well and eat almost anything. They like slower moving soft water with a low PH. Psittacus like similiar water but are much more adaptable to other conditions.

Even if you do everything right you can still loose these fish in the first few weeks. If you can meet there needs and get through the initial acclimation they can be pretty tough fish. Just be sure to never add another fish to that tank without extensive quarenteen or you will be very sorry.

Good luck if you decide to try them.