Next Uruguay trip, who wants to go?

[Ken Davis]

Hi Guys, I am takeing reservations for my next trip to Uruguay, 10 people max, cost is $1,550 per person plus your airfare. A nonrefundable deposit is require to hold your spot. Leave November 29th and return Decmeber 12th, so two full weeks of collecting with the best guide in the buisness Felipe Cantera (http://www.aqvaterra.com/), all food, travel, lodgeing, export permits, ect are included in the price, Felipe picks us up at the airport and drops us back off and is there until the plane takes off. While in Uruguay he takes care of your every need. This trip will be going to the Paysandu area in western Uruguay on the Rio Queguay which has never been collected and then up to the north to Tranqueras in Rivera then west to Ricon de Pacheco (Rio Cuariem), Collect the road between Artigas and Salto, then on to the Lagoona at Constitucion, and saving the best for last, the Bella Union region (Rio Uruguay). We will catch many, many species of fish, more than you could ever bring back; Gymnogeophagus, Cichlasoma, Crenicichla, Astroloheros, Apistogramma, Ansistrus, Hoplias, tetras, livebearers and many more. E-mail me with any questions. fishfarm@mindspring.com Ken

[Ken Davis]

Dates have been moved back to first two weeks of Dec, Trip is almost full, just a few spots left. Ken

[Ken Davis]

Itinerary change, I think this is even better! Ken

[ewok]

hi ken,
how much fish collecting experience do you need? i've never collected before and have embarrassingly enough never cast a net (although i do love fishing ).
can you give us a sense of how many fish we are allowed to take back? obviously this depends on size, but for example sake, let's say they are all 3-4" fish. what are the limitations in terms of which species from a export restrictions standpoint?
thanks.

[Ken Davis]

You need 0 experience, there will be more fish caught than any of us can take back and after this trip! You will be a pro. The Government does limit what you can bring out, but the list is very generous, I have yet to reach my allotment on either on the trips I have been on. The limiting factor is the airlines limit you to two checked bags, and you can only get so many fish in a suitcase, I take two very large ones and bring back pairs of 3-4" fish, works very well. I only have a few spots left and more people have enquired than there are spots so whoever puts down the deposit first gets to go. Ken

[Bas Pels]

To me, the problem is actually the limit for smal fish - you are allowed 35 tera and lifebearers together. Well, as I intend to take Jenysia home, which need a large group, I should tak 15 fertisized females for 1 group - that is, I can take 2, perhaps 3 varieties of Jenysia, but no other tetra

The amount of Gymnogeophagus/Australoheros is also 35 - taking groupes of 4 that is 9 species

[Felipe Cantera]

To me, the problem is actually the limit for smal fish - you are allowed 35 tera and lifebearers together. Well, as I intend to take Jenysia home, which need a large group, I should tak 15 fertisized females for 1 group - that is, I can take 2, perhaps 3 varieties of Jenysia, but no other tetra


Bas, this is the new;....it's 40 tetras and 24 livebearers!!!

The amount of Gymnogeophagus/Australoheros is also 35 - taking groupes of 4 that is 9 species

And 24 gymnos and 18 australoheros!!!

Last season (2008-2009) it was around 170 fishes.-...much...much more than 2 suitcases!
As Ken said; the problem now is to get room for all the fishes...

[Bas Pels]

24 life bearers and 40 tetras, that is much better

just as 24 gymnos and 18 australoheros is a lot more than 35 of them in total

[RayQ]

There was NO chance to fill all the quotas in two suitcases when we were there in March! Although, I would have loved to bring home some Astyanax - we filled up on Jenysia - very cool little live bearer!

Ray

[Bas Pels]

Jenysia is on the top of my list. They are very cute, hold themselves well against the Uruguayan cichlids (not that I weould recommend keeping them with Australoheros) but they do have a certain disadvantage:

The males can only fertilize females on either their left side or thier right side, and females cna only be fertilised from the left or from the right. That means, half the males in a polulation are unable to fertilize a given female

On my first trip, I took home 5 Jenysia, 2 males 3 females. However, the bag got damaged, by the lock, and only 2 females survived the trip (this was the only bag with fatalities). I was lucky, one of them was fertilized, and gave me 14 fry

8 females, 6 males, hey, that was promising. However, the males were unable to impregnate their sisters, and I was not able to build a stock

Therefore, keep them in a large group, in order to have both left and right males (or left and right females)

[RayQ]

Very strange about the right/left sex of the fish Which type did you take home Bas? We have J. Onca - probably the nicest of the live bearers we came across in Uruguay. I keep my lone female with Apistos from Bella Union. It doesn't appear that she has been fertilized - I may have to scrounge a few more from the others on the trip

[Bas Pels]

If I rememeber correctly, they came from the Arroyo Aquas Blancas - J multidentata. I know J onca, though

When I collected them, I did not know that either, but I have joined Poecilia, the Dutch lifebearer club, and asked some questions. Jenisia and Anableps are in a separate family, Anablepsidae, also referred to as one sided life bearers

[dogofwar]

I have 2 (big) females and a bunch of males of the J. onca and have had a couple of batches of fry (some of which I distributed at the PVAS auction last weekend). The fry are relatively large but the parents will eat / kill them...so lots of plants and actual removal of the fry to somewhere else is necessary.

I even found that the fry will kill each other as well. Vicious little buggers.

I also keep anableps. Sadly I have two males who endlessly bugger each other. Anyone know where I can track down some good sized females?

[Ken Davis]

I'm bumping this up because I still have a couple spots left for this trip and airfares are great right now. Ken

[Bas Pels]

How many are we, now?

[Ken Davis]

We have 7 people, I would like 8, 10 maximum. Ken

[Bas Pels]

Thanks

just 1 more. Can I join twice?

Seriously, anyone who is thinking about joining us, Come.

It will be my third time, and I don't return for nothing.

Felipe knows where to find them, how to take care of them, and I think Ken and I will be able to tell anything you require further about keeping them

[abarilot]

This trip sounds awesome! Sadly I'd have no home for the fish I collected. Good Luck on finding more people!

[Ken Davis]

I have deposits from 7 people with 3 more who plan to go. The trip is most likely full now, I just need deposits from a few guys who say they are going but have not put money down yet, this one is going to be fun. Ken