Badis and Dario species group

**Diapterondave** · 2nd May 2006, 21:07

Hey Apisto nuts, I wanted to invite everyone to the Badis badis and Dario ( red scarlet badis) forum. We have over 225 members and have been around for over 3 years now. There have been over 15 new species of badis and dario discovered in recent years and this is a cool place to find out more about them. We have picture gallery as well as an identification guide. We also have some expert breeders whom you can get stock from. We welcome you all. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/badisbadis

Dave Sanchez
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/badisbadis

**stormhawk** · 4th May 2006, 00:34

Hey Dave, I'm a subscriber on that list but I don't see many Asians partaking in the discussions via email. Too bad we folks in Asia can't help you out with the Dario.

I sent some to a guy in NY before, but the second shipment was returned back with a warning letter from the postal service. So no more outgoing live fish shipments from me. I'm not sure if he managed to get them going. He's a member in one of the NY fish clubs.

**islandangels** · 28th Oct 2009, 14:06

Hi Stormhawk,
Why were they sent back by postal service ? Where can I get some I am in NY also ! I saw your pictures . Nice looking fish. I want to try and breed rams also. not many females for sale here. I guess they dont want anyone moving in on thier business. Thats not what I want to do, I dont need a business. I need the enjoyment of it. I am not looking to sell fish just breed for the fun and trade for supplies when i can. Anyhelp with where I can get Badis and Darios would be nice. I a new guy here only been here a few days but I have been here reading post for a while before joining.

Tom,

**stormhawk** · 29th Oct 2009, 14:41

Hello Tom,

It's illegal to ship live animals in the post. I used breather bags but apparently one of the bags burst in transit, and the water spilled, so the leak caused them to check the box for the contents. My first box that I sent had 4 or 5 pairs, but 1 of the females died in transit. Other than that, the rest arrived fine according to the guy who received them in NYC. This was 2-3 years ago. Whether he managed to breed them, I don't know, because he was fairly upset the 2nd shipment never made it. In any case, I dislike dealing with whiners like him, when my hands are tied by mail restrictions. I didn't want to risk another warning from the postal service for a 3rd attempt so yeah.

It is impossible at this point of time for me to ship Dario overseas. Furthermore the stores here NEVER sell females. Almost all the "females" in the shops are either juvenile males or just sub-dominant males. So I've given up finding more pairs.

Your best bet is to contact your local aquarist society, or find a wholesaler/farm/importer to help you ship a big bunch of Dario from sources in Singapore or Thailand. Just remember that 99% of the time, you will never get any females. They tend to ship only the colourful red males.

**islandangels** · 30th Oct 2009, 10:58

Thanks again Storm. Not having much luck here finding them but I'll keep trying.
Im having some trouble with " BEARD Algae " Had it once before in a small tank years ago and couldn't get rid of it so I took the tank down. I'm starting to get it in my 90 gallon tank that I have had set up for about 9 months. Any ideas on killing it or getting rid of it ? I only see small amount right now . I pick off what I can see. None f the chemicals seem to work. Shrimp get eatin by my discus and angles. This stuff can go crazy if not taken care of.

Tom,
Tom,

**stormhawk** · 30th Oct 2009, 12:00

Are you referring to BBA? Black Beard/Brush Algae? It's blackish, short and fairly wiry in look.

I got those too and they are difficult to eradicate. You have to manually pluck them out, but it's hard to do so. There's a fish called an SAE - Siamese Algae Eater, that should eat that algae. However, there's many fishes in the trade that look like the true SAE and are sold as the SAE. The other species don't seem to touch it.

If you're in the US, try to get a hold of some Jordanella floridae aka American Flagfish. That fish should eat some of the algae.

**islandangels** · 4th Nov 2009, 13:01

Storm ,
Have you ever shipped UPS ? Probably your best bet, double or triple bag the fish or plants use styrafoam containers lined with thick mil black plastic bag with heat packs if temps require and pack with newspaper so things dont move around so much. The paper helps insulate also. Works best and UPS isn't so picky like USPS.
Just a thought.

Tom,

**stormhawk** · 4th Nov 2009, 19:30

Hi Tom,

Nope I've never used UPS before, but they have regulations on exportation of fish overseas. We don't have commercial sources of heat packs here, but it is possible to find them.

In most cases, the important part is having the proper documentation. Sending live fish through the freight services like UPS/Fedex etc still requires permits and whatnot, especially to the US and EU. Too much hassle so I stopped altogether.

JY

**islandangels** · 5th Nov 2009, 20:25

I hear ya storm. I bet the fines for it are pretty costly.

Tom,

**stormhawk** · 15th Nov 2009, 08:20

Hey Tom,

If you're still looking for Dario dario, there's a supplier in the US that is selling them here:
http://www.aquabid.com/cgi-bin/aucti...oid&1259321480

Note that the seller cannot guarantee females. The price is fairly steep though, at least to me, but that's probably due to shipping costs since they have to import these Dario from Thailand and Singapore. They cost roughly 72 US cents per fish in Singapore.

**islandangels** · 15th Nov 2009, 20:21

Thanks again Storm. I'll check it out now. Danm, fish are cheap there. Yes the shipping is expensive. Its because of the water weight i guess. Have you ever used that site to purchase fish before ? Thanks again.
Tom,

**stormhawk** · 15th Nov 2009, 23:08

Nope. They seldom ship overseas from the US. Besides, I can get those fish for much less here. I only use Aquabid when I wish to get certain books, supplies that I can't find here, and killifish eggs, whenever the urge hits me.