# Arapaima Giga



## CROCypoo (Sep 23, 2009)

Are arapaima gigas illegal to import into this country?


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## Morgan Freeman (Jan 14, 2009)

Why are you thinking of getting one?


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## spinnin_tom (Apr 20, 2011)

i don't think it's illegal
just a very big expense
you'll have to go private, you'll need a huge public aquarium sized tank or an indoor pond.
it'll be a boring fish.. this sort of amazing, beautiful fish is best in the wild imo


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## CROCypoo (Sep 23, 2009)

Morgan Freeman said:


> Why are you thinking of getting one?



To sell yeah, Looking at importing 6 6" ones. As ive found a supplier, which is all part of a new business we are about to start.


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## spinnin_tom (Apr 20, 2011)

CROCypoo said:


> To sell yeah, Looking at importing 6 6" ones. As ive found a supplier, which is all part of a new business we are about to start.



oh right.
be careful if you do this though, you won't sell these fast, if you educate people.
i suggest getting a single Arapaima to start, just to see if it works out :L


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## CROCypoo (Sep 23, 2009)

spinnin_tom said:


> i don't think it's illegal
> just a very big expense
> you'll have to go private, you'll need a huge public aquarium sized tank or an indoor pond.
> it'll be a boring fish.. this sort of amazing, beautiful fish is best in the wild imo



They are amazing yeah, Them along with the aligator gar are some of my favourites though i wouldnt even try to keep them in a tank...


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## spinnin_tom (Apr 20, 2011)

CROCypoo said:


> They are amazing yeah, Them along with the aligator gar are some of my favourites though i wouldnt even try to keep them in a tank...


alligator gar :mf_dribble:
wow, i saw some from above, when i went to the states last year.
prehistoric or what?


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## CROCypoo (Sep 23, 2009)

spinnin_tom said:


> oh right.
> be careful if you do this though, you won't sell these fast, if you educate people.
> i suggest getting a single Arapaima to start, just to see if it works out :L


Well we have had alot of interest already from people with huge tanks, especially from america, the only problem is i dont really trust the couriers taking a single fish that far, especially with the price, but thats through past experiences.


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## spinnin_tom (Apr 20, 2011)

CROCypoo said:


> Well we have had alot of interest already from people with huge tanks, especially from america, the only problem is i dont really trust the couriers taking a single fish that far, especially with the price, but thats through past experiences.


i wouldn't risk it.
they could get one exported for less anyway, from breeders in and around the amazon basin, or even WC specimens


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## CROCypoo (Sep 23, 2009)

spinnin_tom said:


> alligator gar :mf_dribble:
> wow, i saw some from above, when i went to the states last year.
> prehistoric or what?


Brilliant arnt they, we did have some 7" ones but after seeing the larger ones i wanna try get hold of some haha


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## theyoungaquarist (Jun 28, 2011)

I had 2 alligator gars  However, after going on holiday to Dubai for 7 weeks and they had no one cleaning the tank they died  I got mine delivered from KDC aquatics


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## CROCypoo (Sep 23, 2009)

theyoungaquarist said:


> I had 2 alligator gars  However, after going on holiday to Dubai for 7 weeks and they had no one cleaning the tank they died  I got mine delivered from KDC aquatics



Too bad, what size tank did you have them in?


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## spinnin_tom (Apr 20, 2011)

CROCypoo said:


> Brilliant arnt they, we did have some 7" ones but after seeing the larger ones i wanna try get hold of some haha


this is the sort of amazing animal that has been so perfect for thousands of years, has had no need to change and won't need to evolve/adapt for a very long time.
much the same as Arapaima, lungfish and Channidae. if i had space, i would have a few of each.. and i mean space as in a private swimming pool


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## CROCypoo (Sep 23, 2009)

spinnin_tom said:


> this is the sort of amazing animal that has been so perfect for thousands of years, has had no need to change and won't need to evolve/adapt for a very long time.
> much the same as Arapaima, lungfish and Channidae. if i had space, i would have a few of each.. and i mean space as in a private swimming pool



Ha wouldnt like to heat that up, We do have some 2" giant snakeheads coming in, and im gunna keep two for myself to grow on, snakeheads are great


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## theyoungaquarist (Jun 28, 2011)

CROCypoo said:


> Too bad, what size tank did you have them in?


5 inches in a 300 litre tank (I was waiting for them for them to hit the 12'' mark so they can go to one of my dad's indoor ponds


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## CROCypoo (Sep 23, 2009)

theyoungaquarist said:


> 5 inches in a 300 litre tank (I was waiting for them for them to hit the 12'' mark so they can go to one of my dad's indoor ponds


That would of been good, we have a spotted gar atm around 5" :2thumb:


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## spinnin_tom (Apr 20, 2011)

theyoungaquarist said:


> 5 inches in a 300 litre tank (I was waiting for them for them to hit the 12'' mark so they can go to one of my dad's indoor ponds


don't rub it in 
how big's the pond?


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## theyoungaquarist (Jun 28, 2011)

spinnin_tom said:


> don't rub it in
> how big's the pond?


His house had an indoor pool (roughly 15m x 10m) (we are not rich, it is in a green house thing and it is a farm house so it's not a big inner city house) and he made a concrete wall in one half for turtles and the other for fish, filtration came in the pond and we don't add chlorine so its all cool


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## theyoungaquarist (Jun 28, 2011)

CROCypoo said:


> That would of been good, we have a spotted gar atm around 5" :2thumb:


They are most 'lively' at this age lol


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## spinnin_tom (Apr 20, 2011)

theyoungaquarist said:


> His house had an indoor pool (roughly 15m x 10m) (we are not rich, it is in a green house thing and it is a farm house so it's not a big inner city house) and he made a concrete wall in one half for turtles and the other for fish, filtration came in the pond and we don't add chlorine so its all cool


sounds good
i have to buy a koi vat when i move out..
indoor fish pond/turtle pond maybe FTW


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## theyoungaquarist (Jun 28, 2011)

spinnin_tom said:


> sounds good
> i have to buy a koi vat when i move out..
> indoor fish pond/turtle pond maybe FTW


Large Kois get along so well with large fish!!! Glad you like turtles :lol2:


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## Morgan Freeman (Jan 14, 2009)

theyoungaquarist said:


> His house had an indoor pool (roughly 15m x 10m) (we are not rich, it is in a green house thing and it is a farm house so it's not a big inner city house) and he made a concrete wall in one half for turtles and the other for fish, filtration came in the pond and we don't add chlorine so its all cool


That's huge. I was about to ask how on earth you had the space for a fish that large!


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## theyoungaquarist (Jun 28, 2011)

Morgan Freeman said:


> That's huge. I was about to ask how on earth you had the space for a fish that large!


I would never keep an aripiama though, if it jumped out I would be screwed lol. I never got gars after that though


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## Mynki (Mar 24, 2010)

CROCypoo said:


> To sell yeah, Looking at importing 6 6" ones. As ive found a supplier, which is all part of a new business we are about to start.


I'm curious...

Why would you want to import a fish that can grow to four and a half meters to sell on?

Do you think there are many people here in the UK that could house such a fish ethically?

In answer to your original question, they can be. It depends on their origin. Wild fish are CITES protected. Farmed fish are legal. Thankfully when you find the true cost of importing then with paperwork, you'll realise that it's not a very clever idea.

The fact that you can't even spell Arapaima giga*s* correctly and are asking about the legalities of importing such a specialist species on a reptile keeping forum does also sound a few alarm bells to be honest.


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## Morgan Freeman (Jan 14, 2009)

Bet they taste nice.


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## spinnin_tom (Apr 20, 2011)

Morgan Freeman said:


> Bet they taste nice.


as most aquarium fish do :devil:
my personal Favorite is cardinal tetra

(that was a joke)

but i bet A. gigas is quite meaty.


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## Mynki (Mar 24, 2010)

Morgan Freeman said:


> Bet they taste nice.


They taste OK.

The reason that they can be obtained is that they are now farmed as a food fish in South America. Unfortunately this has resulted in a few wannabee importers trying to get them into the UK. Check old ads on Aquarist Classifieds (if they are still there) and you'll see what I mean.


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## theyoungaquarist (Jun 28, 2011)

spinnin_tom said:


> as most aquarium fish do :devil:
> my personal Favorite is cardinal tetra
> 
> (that was a joke)
> ...


When I went to South Mexico I tried Wild Oscars and Pacu's which were SPLENDID!!!!! :lol2:


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## Morgan Freeman (Jan 14, 2009)

Yeah I heard they are quite fond of Araipama in SA. It's a big old meal.


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## theyoungaquarist (Jun 28, 2011)

Morgan Freeman said:


> Yeah I heard they are quite fond of Araipama in SA. It's a big old meal.


Christmas Aripiama Gigas?  LOL


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## Morgan Freeman (Jan 14, 2009)

Better than pheasant!


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## Moogloo (Mar 15, 2010)

I know someone who went to a LOT of hassel to import at 1ft Arapaima that he specially designed his... pool for! Viewing glass and all ***sighs jealously***.

It cost hime hundreds of pounds to import that single fish, aparently the cost of just importing it, the freight etc cost 4 or 5 times what he paid for the fish and tbh i think his fish was well over priced LOL.

Actually... i know two people with Arapaimas they imported, the first person then imported a second fish too.

Dont think there is any need to pick up on anyones spelling, but i get a horribly uneasy feeling about this post, there is no market in the UK for this sort of fish, if anything, there are more people trying to ban the import of tank busters.... and tank busters are generally about 2-3 meters SHORTER than these guys get to...

Would be an epic fail of a business plan tbh, nice idea but... a dream.

EDIT: Unless you want to farm them for food  people eat some weird stuff these days. Was offered Zebra steaks a while back... bleurgh!


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## theyoungaquarist (Jun 28, 2011)

Morgan Freeman said:


> Better than pheasant!


Turkey for the win!


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## Mynki (Mar 24, 2010)

Moogloo said:


> I know someone who went to a LOT of hassel to import at 1ft Arapaima that he specially designed his... pool for! Viewing glass and all ***sighs jealously***.
> 
> It cost hime hundreds of pounds to import that single fish, aparently the cost of just importing it, the freight etc cost 4 or 5 times what he paid for the fish and tbh i think his fish was well over priced LOL.
> 
> ...


 
Lets see some pics of this pool then please....

Ordinarily I'd not "pick up on someones spelling" but it's justified in this instance as it highlights the lack of understanding of a species that someone wants to make money from.

It just so happens to be the least suitable freshwater fish species there is for keeping in captivity. 

P.S I'd need to see photos and or video evidence of a pool large enough toproperly house such a fish before I believed it justified. Look at the ads on AC for tankbusters, it's ALWAYS must be small (In comparison to their potential size). Now why is that? You never see 'Wanted, 4' RTC' do you!


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## daz30347 (Aug 30, 2007)

Morgan Freeman said:


> Yeah I heard they are quite fond of Araipama in SA. It's a big old meal.


Yes,over fished for now,also the larger mature specimens are slowly being wiped out leaving smaller sub-adult fish not yet mature enough to breed
These are among the few fish that should never be imported along with African Tigers,Redtailed Cats etc....


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## caribe (Mar 21, 2010)

Remember if there is no pics it never happened......

But when you post pics it still never happened ;-)

I wouldnt touch something like that, I classify a tank buster as 2-4 feet...

These are in a different league. Dont think there is any market for them. I have seen very large tropical ponds but even they would not be big enough. You would need a swimming pool to house one.

Not worth it.


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