In South Africa, Zebra=Quagga

[Liaquat]

Hi,Liaquat Sain here.

I'm in Cape Town, South Africa
Allan[Scotcat] referred me here to Rob, when I beseeched ALL/sundry for H zebra!

From the land......
Where the native Khoi/San WORD for THE previously--extinct-and-THEN- RE-bred-through-selective-breeding- ZEBRA, IS...QUAGGA!!!

They , L46 and QUAGGA, share/d the same predicament...

Endangerment, near-extinction, due to over-exploitation, and popular use!!

Well, quagga, DID disappear, and still there may be SOME means of rescuing them back from BEYOND the brink of annihilation....
I admit though, the quagga, was[is??] fawn-brown, and had the stripes, fade/merge on it's rump!!!

The Zebra peckoltia/L46, though DOESN't share "subspecies status", or sufficient genetic material for IT to be reverse-bio-engineered to yield, say an L46, from ANOTHER member of the Hypancistrus "flock"

Damn, either way, I wish I am wrong..and this will not be seen as an outlet for carboncopying our "Quagga pleco"

WIth our currency ZAR7 vs $1, ZAR9 vs EU1, ZAR1 vs GBP12 ...I thought it a pipe dream.

BUT, I hope to one day SOOON, AGAIN own/host some.
Had ONE L46 around '97

I want to ignite a few spawning efforts, in the face of LOADS of obstacles...
FIRST, foremost, you can't breed what you DON'T have!

Hopefully, my TOTAL investment in 50+ Sub-adults(60-75mm), will assist me and 2 other enthusiasts.

I just hope the supplier is genuine, I've read/heard ,so much can go wrong...We'll wait and see, I expect my HERD in a week tops!!!!

Presently, I "do" discus, and coral propagation, West African Dwarf Cichlids, soon some Apistogramma...
...and the L46.....


Anyway, I hope to bounce around HERE with ideas/input/info

btw THIS is the FIRST forum, of any sort, I've posted on...for the rest, I just lurk[kinda catlike, huh?]

[mykil32]

Good day,Liaquat. Welcome and Greetings from california... I was curious what kind of discus you keep? good luck w/ securing some L046.

regards..
mike

[Plastic Mac]

Welcome Liaquat.


I hope your 50+ zebs turn up safely. You must be paying quite a few rand for that bunch lol

good luck
Plastic Mac

[Liaquat]

thanx mykil32
I have Red/White(snow) LeopardSnakeskin, RSG leopard,SuperSanMerah,PenangGold,MarlboroRed,RedPearl,RedGhost,BlueDiamond,HeckelCross,WildGreen,WildRoyalBlue Nhamunda,and more onway. I'm getting back into breeding.
Want to go through my exporter/breeder's ENTIRE CATALOGUE, to make decisions on types I feel I want to raise.
I'd KEEP ANY Discus, actually!!
The rest I pass onto[GIVE] few friends, leftover goes to the trade
SOMETHING has to cover my ass , while I get L46 project underway, hey?

plasticmac thanks....
I'm feeling awful already...in Rands, 2 years salary!!!!
I just paid,it took 2 weeks of coldsweats, sleepless nights AND days
NOW waiting for doc,waybills, and FISH...

I better not be scammed for my/suppliers sakes.

Just sorted 1.2m,[2] 0.5m cubes, and 1m for acclimation, and sorting themselves out.

IF,IF,IF or WHEN the 3boxlots arrive.

Hold thumbs for me guys.
Ciao
Liaquat

[McEve]

Hi Liaquat, welcome to the forum!

2 years salary...? You can buy a house for that here. I can imagine hubby not being quite so overbearing with my hobby had I suggested we spendt that amount of money to buy them


hmmmm I just realized, I have more than 50, including the fry. If you have a friend that will give me 2 years salary for them I'll seriously consider to sell!!

Hope you enjoy the forum.

[Liaquat]

2 years salary...? You can buy a house for that here.

hmmmm I just realized, I have more than 50, including the fry.

McEve, thanks
Jokes aside.

In South Africa, MINIMUM 10years Salary, without ANY deductions/expenses gets you a piece of land and a "house" decent enought to raise a family.
So, realistically 20 years is the norm for houses to be mortgage-bond purchased and PAID UP in full.

.Of Course, 5 years from NOW, this statement will be out-of-context.

I must inform , though, i have moved OUT of penthouse apartment I had, and INTO a SMALL warehouse/LOFT with my aquaria downstairs.

Single, no house yet!!!

What are realistic price-range for 75pcs L46, 60-80mm?

I tracked down some from Austria/Belgium/Germany and got a broker willing to collate all he could find for me.

THAT is actually what i've ordered, paid for/committed to!

NOW, maybe it seems dangerous[stupid??], but part of my hobby is the challenge...Besides my discus, now L46, and future Ball Python project...I think I need to go back to work...SOON!!!!

I have to factor in freight, packing,documentation, customs, taxes, clearing, forwarding, and delivery to me.

Maybe, i should move to Norway, or just buy a house there, LOL!

Hmmmm, you got me thinking...BUT, I don't like the colder climes very much.

Winter here is average 15-18C

Please, don't sell, I DON'T have any friends that would sacrifice as much...maybe some online friends here, perhaps?

Keep them, breed more,Perpetuate the "black & white donkey " pleco...ROFLMAO

Then I can say, it cost 2weeks salary/or a Tent +sleepingbag....??

WHEW!
Stress, about when/If/How I get the H zebra is unnerving.

Ciao4Now
Liaquat

[McEve]

Please, don't sell, I DON'T have any friends that would sacrifice as much...maybe some online friends here, perhaps?

Keep them, breed more,Perpetuate the "black & white donkey " pleco...ROFLMAO

I don't think there's much chanse of me selling my babies, but... two years of my salary would seriously make me reconsider

Interesting that you say 20 years for houses to be mortgage bound, but still minimum 10 years salary..... 20 years is the norm for paying down your morgage here too.

The L46 is now selling for 3300 - 4400 ZAR for 6-7 cm speciments in the LFS that's got them here (two that I know of)

Good luck, crossing my fingers you get the shipment safely into your possession soon!

[nesolb]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

I bought my group of zebras from germany and was certainly relieved to have them arrive safely and in good health.

I hope your zebras all arrive safe and sound, it can be a nail biting wait.

[az1]

The L46 is now selling for 3300 - 4400 ZAR for 6-7 cm speciments in the LFS that's got them here (two that I know of)

"Post Heist"

That's $883AUD which is about the price you pay in Australia. Although they would only be about the 3-4cm size. I would have thought that it would have been less expensive where you are.

Cheers

Andreas

[Rowland]

Hey Liaquat

Holding thumbs for you bud! Here's hoping they all arrive safe and sound. I forwarded you my contact details...you and I need to touch base some time. Would also love to see your discus!

Cheers
Rowland

[Liaquat]

Im BACK and I MUST be DUMB!

Well, I WAS scammed that 3-4y ago by a chronic gambler,erstwhile fishdealer, THEN con-man Frank van Vliet, in Netherlands.
After pursuing legal channels i found out he did similar, but MUCH smaller with internet offers of Apistogramma, other Lnos.
Fleecing several dealers, and hobbyists that way....
Strange thing, he had the credentials but also a very weak-minded, sicko....

Oh, well, Live and Learn...

That knock left me relatively crippled financially, and demotivated ..I haven't been able to get INTO my fish as I used to.

hope it will change
..soonish

AGAIN, I am waging ALOT on Hypancistrus zebra( I hated saying that name for 4years!!!)
SAME tanks as before will be prepared for a NICE SIZED HERD of L46.
Reported average size 6cm

I hope to get documents in a day or 3 to verify flights etc.

Are 2 *50cm cube tanks and 1.5m*50cm,*60cm H tank enough to acclimatise and observe them for 2-3weeks, or semi-permanent homes ?
(They HAVE been in holding at my supplier's premises for months already)
This is before I place them into as many 1m*50cm W*30cm H tanks needed...

BUT
I WILL acquaint myself with this community and learn the ropes while doing so

[har_eh]

Was an interesting read, I'm sorry you got scammed I hope they caught the guy who did it?
Maybe you should have registered on this forum first then build up a contact list and found
your suppliers here?
Trusting random people from websites like ebay etc. is never a good idea. At least on website
like this you come in contact with genuine hobbyists.

How many Quagga's will you buy and do you already have a reliable address sorted?

[John]

Welcome back

Hope you get a smooth deal now, sadly some ppl are in the zebra for the money or using the zebra for a scam

[TwoTankAmin]

Glad to see your are back.

However, I am not sure how many fish a "NICE SIZED HERD" of zebras is to be able to offer input on tank sizes. To a certain extent both the size as well as the sexes of the fish involved will effect the amount of space that will work. Further, it depends on your plans for trying to spawn the fish.

Other considerations which can effect the amount of tank space are decor/cover, the need to spread out the fish so no single tank crash will completely wipe one out. And then there may be issues in terms of how much space one has available.

[Liaquat]

Was an interesting read, I'm sorry you got scammed I hope they caught the guy who did it?

How many Quagga's will you buy and do you already have a reliable address sorted?

Hello, thanks for your post and concerns

It was a Belgian , of long-standing and I daresay respectable member of the fishkeeper-trade Mr Hustinx who helped track him down. It was Hustinx who also pointed out the Dutchman Frank van Vliet was a chronic gambler, and was in a downward spiral for cash to keep going and fuel his miserable addiction.He did this through an internet trade portal, before I even knew HOW to use ebay(not that I do..)
Some people ACTUALLY GOT fish around the same time, but that's irrelevant.

Got my local South African Police Service (SAPS), Dutch High Commissioner, Dutch Embassy Economic/Commercial Crime division, their Internet fraud guys...but we were TOO late.,..the sneakthief had already been bankrupt for A WHILE,and was dealing on his OLD VAT number.
His premises WAS GENUINE, it's a case of a person gone greedy and soured enough to drag simpleton, gullible, naive idjuts like myself along for a ride
I was told that I could trust a business with a valid VAT reg # in the EU.
The Netherlands govt. officials actively tried to deny that "No DUTCH citizen could never do this sort of thing! There must be an explanation!"

What a smoothie...Prepaid Fax, Mobile, etc. all disposed of conveniently..
Maybe I should post the pic of school Zebra Plec he purported to possess for Resale..Maybe it's somebody else's??
Ah, Well, it's a lot of water , AND MONEY over the waterfall...AND NO FISH!!

SO, NOPE. He wasn't caught , not to my knowledge at least...

I am looking to obtain 20-25 from an import of 50pcs due to arrive in 2 weeks(Nov 2-5)
if funds are alright, I may take upto 30pcs

I dont know if I understand the ''reliable address", My own or the suppliers?
I'm gonna go with supplier assumption..Yeah that seems to be in order. Known trade references etc.