A Definitive Key to Identify African Tiger Fish (Hydrocynus)

[fugupuff]

1999, there were 2 large african tigerfish on display at Steinhart Aquarium, S.F., at first it was a very typical looking vittatus, about 2' long, later it died, and was replaced with another fish of the same lenght, but it had a noticeably shorter snout. Unfortunately I do not have pictures of them, but I use to go there every week and looked at them all the time, eventually both died. but I got to meet the senior curator there and got to know him after that.

 

[fugupuff]

there was also one for sale at a local store in souther california. anyone remember that store that was open for just a couple of years, at the corner of fullerton and gale in the city of Industry ? they had a 500 gallon display tank, with 12-14" clown loaches, and a 16" tiger fish, most likely a vittatus. at that time it was not for sale or for 500 bucks. the guy that owned the store later bought fish from me, and the guy that worked there, Matt later worked at Tong's on Azusa.

 

[Chicxulub]

Wes,

I would agree with you that the fish you posted from 1999 is a forskahlii.

I must say, I really enjoy reading about your vast experience with these fish. It has been instrumental in my learning about them.

 

[fugupuff]

if people like reading about it, or you do.

starting from 2000-2002, sporadic shipments of hydrocynus came out of the Congo, exported as vittatus and sometimes goliaths, but about 99% of them were vittatus, almost no true goliaths. I only heard of a sporadic few picked out of thousands of vittatus were goliaths. My friend, tigerfangs (Javier) from SD's fish, one goliath he picked out, grew big until it was over 20" in a 900 gallon custom tank, with a tank full of vittatus. Here are some pictures I took of it back in 2005 or so.

 

[fugupuff]

around 2005, I started to import direct from Congo, and Nigeria. the first shipment, all goliaths imported were again, vittatus, and vittatus were also vittatus, but I was able to pick out about 5 goliaths out of about 400 tigerifish total. Here are some pictures of the shipments, one after another.

 

[lix.ma14]

official ATF sticky?

 

[Slippery K]

official ATF sticky?

Sounds like a good idea.

Great informative thread.

 

[Chicxulub]

Tigerfang's big tigers were in large part what sold me on wanting ATF. They are stunning!

I love seeing that big wad of tigers you had in your tanks, Wes. That's a dream come true! lol

official ATF sticky?

Sounds like a good idea.

Great informative thread.

Thanks guys!

 

[scott s]

Good work.

 

[fugupuff]

here are some that I consider as forskhalii, also compare to the one that guy is holding.