Tilapia louka

[Jeep318]

Anyone seen these available in the USA?

 

[Nebraska_cichlids]

I haven't seen any in the US, but believe that Joop Clement in the Netherlands keeps them in his tanks. Joop is a very knowledgable and generous guy. He is a forum member, but does not stop by very frequently. You could contact him via PM, but would still need to find a way to get the fish into the US. Good luck!

 

[Jeep318]

I've seen them on one of the lists out of the Netherlands along with some other interesting fish, but like you said importing them is a whole other matter.

 

[Nebraska_cichlids]

Yes, getting them into the US is the sticking point. It is a shame, because the European stock lists are full of very rare West Africans. I am fortunate in that I go overseas for business trips fairly regularly and always manage to bring back a few fish. Without an importer's license, I am limited to eight fish. Some forum members have an importer's license and might be able to help you out. It is a hassle coordinating these transactions and can get very pricey.

 

[aquaticclarity]

It's the custom's fee on the US side that makes small "commercial" imports unrealistic. $250-$300 a pop each time just in fees. Then add in the airfreight costs and the time involved.

 

[viejo]

I'm thinking that some of this stuff may possibly be available from Ruinemann's in Miami if they still do any importing from Holland ( I suspect that it is mostly the other way around these days). They are a strictly wholesale operation with a hefty minimum order however so it is extremely unlikely that your LFS would be able to order anything directly from them.

 

[Nebraska_cichlids]

Jeff and Larry,

I basically agree with your comments. However, friends of mine and I organized imports from Europe twice before. It is a matter of how many fish you bring in and the rarity in the U.S. (price per fish) that determine whether you want to jump through all the hoops that come with importing fish. And, yes, Joop has been bringing up Ruinemans in the past. As Larry is saying they are wholesalers. In addition, i am not sure whether they are allowed to work with tilapiines, considering they are based in Florida. As for myself, I am fine with the occasional bags of small number of fish in my luggage.

 

[aquaticclarity]

Yep, no Tilapia in Florida. One farm down there I deal with was willig to import a few things from Europe for me but when they found out they were Tilapia they had to back out. Florida is very strict on the importation of Tilapia and it sounds like the fines are hefty if you get caught with them coming in.

Janos-yes, the rarity/demand of the fish can sometimes carry the costs but I just wanted to through the numbers out there. You would need at least 30-40 fish coming in to get the fees down to a reasonable per fish cost along with freight and the upfront cost of the fish.

 

[Nebraska_cichlids]

Jeff,

I guess I was hoping that Jeep318 would take a stab at it.

Janos

 

[aquaticclarity]

Sorry!

 

[Nebraska_cichlids]

Just kidding. The louka look great, but I am not sure I would want any. In the past, I almost always had a tough time passing tilapia spp. fry on to other hobbyists. For some reason they do not seem to be all that popular.

 

[viejo]

Yes, I spaced the Florida/tilapia thingy even though more than familiar with it having sold tropical fish on a wholesale level there for a number of years.

 

[Jeep318]

Like everyone said, no way to justify the cost for just a couple of fish. For what it's worth these are the tilapia they had listed as available:
Tilapia brevimanus
Tilapia deckerti
Tilapia louka
Tilapia sparrmanii
Tilapia sp. Mamfé
Tilapia snyderae

 

[joop]

Hello,
I read your question. In the Netherlands are some Tilapia species to get now.
Tilapia louka maybe a few. I don,t have these fish no more. Tilapia deckerti,Tilapia brevimanus, Tilapia sparrmanii, tilapia discolor,Tilapia snyderae,Tilapia sp Mamfe are still in the Netherlands.
If you can manage a import i will help you to get these fish together if possible.
Regards
Joop

 

[Nebraska_cichlids]

Hi Joop,

Great to hear from you again! I still have a group of your deckerti. I do not have the time to organize an import right now, but will check with a friend of mine who is just re-stocking his fish room after two years of job-related absence from the hobby. Both louka and discolor sound very tempting. Will check back with you. I just brought back two neat species from a trip to Berlin, Germany, and there is the remote possibility of traveling to Europe again in the not too distant future. I will keep you posted. Happy New Year!

Janos

 

[Jeep318]

Those Tilapia discolor do look interesting, can't say I've ever seen those before. Heterochromis multidens also seem to be at a much more resonable cost compared to what they go for here in the states.