Brazil Apisto interest? (and a few Colombian species)

[Christople]

What do i have to do to get my importer license, and how much did you pay for one aggie 'tefe'

 

[aquaticclarity]

Keep in mind to bring an order in through customs will run you in the $200-250 range regardless of the number of boxes or fish. That is each and every time you bring an order in. Direct orders will normally be in the 10-15 box range as a minimum (some exporters are more and some are less). Shipping per order (not including the cost of the fish) will run you another $1000-$1500 depending o the country and city the fish are coming out of. So as a recap:

$200-$250 to customs
$1000-$1500 in freight as a minimum

So $1200-$1750 in costs BEFORE the cost of the fish which will depend on what you bring in and how many of each type you are required to buy. And don't forget box charges which are all over the place in terms of cost depending on were the fish are coming from. There is also no guarantee of live arrival. You MIGHT be able to get credit if the fish come in DOA but you are still out the shipping and box charges.

And this would be the low end of the costs for bringing an order in. So figure you need $4000 on hand if you can find someone willing to ship out a small order and $6000-$8000 if you can only find someone that ships medium to larger orders. (Assuming you can find the fish you want!)

An import license can be applied for with the US Government. It's a early license and isn't overly expensive...somewhere under $200.

 

[aquaticclarity]

Oh, I forgot the cost of a single A. cf. agassizii Tefe. Well...the ones I have swimming in my fishroom yet cost me around $100 each not including the meds I used to try and salvage the tank of fish.

 

[Mike Wise]

Excellent response, Jeff. The average hobbyist doesn't understand how the aquarium import business really works or the costs involved. In truth, you might as well take a vacation to the Amazon and collect a few fish for yourself. You're more likely to get the fish you really want, fewer dead on arrival fish, a once in a lifetime experience, and it will cost about the same!:biggrin:

 

[ste12000]

I also enjoyed the response.. Heres a job i had to do today after receiving a box of fish from Peru.. DOA claims are not fun

 

[aquaticclarity]

atahualpa? That fish NEVER seems to come in good for me!

 

[aquaticclarity]

We should start a new section...Dead Apistogramma Identification! Sort of a guessing game...It would be fun!!! I have TONS of pictures I could post!

 

[ste12000]

Spot on.. A.atahualpa, i did think they may be huascar but its now pretty douptful. There were 4 left alive after 24 hours and luckily it looks like two pairs. They will stay in the fishroom now for a long recovery. There are also a few A.norberti and cacatuoides amongst the deads. As a very pleasant change my ordered A.barlowi came in at a decent size, good split of sexes and all in good condition, barlowi is the fish that never seems to travel well for me.

 

[Mike Wise]

I actually find dead (well, not dead too long) apistos easier to identify than live fish. They don't move, fins can always be spread, and they don't have all those darn bright colors hiding the dark markings!:wink:

 

[aquaticclarity]

I'll right the gephyra ($15 each and I'll do my best to sex them but most of them are just on the edge of sexable) are looking good as well as the caetei Catae ($30/pr 6/$75). I'll get pictures up in the next day or two (finishing up taxes right now!) The gephyra are looking more like gephyra but hopefully Mike Wise can let us know what they actually are. I also have a few true pertensis and some Brazil agassizii (nice orange form) left for sale. Here are pictures of the last two taken shortly after getting them in: http://www.apistogramma.com/forum/showthread.php?12327-Real-pertensis-nice-agassizii-type-and I can sex the agassizii ($25/pr) and can take a shot at sexing the pertensis (the smaller ones can be tricky though) $25/pr 6/$60

And just to keep things interesting I have more Peru Apistos (and a couple of odd ball tetras) coming in next week.

 

[Ekona]

Hi Jeff,

Just wondering if you have any updates on the A. gephyra? I you have a chance to get some pics that would be great.

Thanks,
Dave

 

[aquaticclarity]

The pneumonia seems to finally be under control so I can get back to business! I'll get pics for you of the gephyra very soon! But don't expect to much yet as they are younger fish and not very flashy yet.