ID this hoplo please

[bsfoord]

Hi there,

I believe this is a thoracatum, could you confirm.
It was being sold as Callichthys.

By the was does anyone know where in the UK I can source Callichthys?

Regards,
Barry.

[sidguppy]

Megalechis personanta (M thoracata has a very conspicious black and white band in the caudal fin, smaller dark spots and diagonal bands on the body)

formerly known as H thoracatum.

confusing, because the fish now known as M thoracata was usually sold as H thoracatum var Magdalenae or just as a variety of H thoracatum.

[Chrysichthys]

For Callichthys, try Wholesale Tropicals in Bethnal Green, London. (It's a retailer, despite the name). They like hoplos, and usually have two or three species in stock. I got some Hoplosternum littorale there recently.

[sidguppy]

LONDON????

I'm planning a UK visit in spring; and I'm looking for Callichthys a loooong time.
it would be nice if I can get some and bring 'm home to my place.

It's in the city, or do you need to rent a car and search the countryside?
can you get there by bus, underground, walking or a combination of those?

[MatsP]

Here's a map of E2 0AA, which is the postcode for the Wholesale Tropicals. Complete address is 220 Bethnal Green Road, Bethnal Green, London, E2 0AA. Phone number +44 (0) 207 739 53 56.

There's two train-stations not far away, Brethnal Green and Shoreditch. Looking at a larger scale map, it's about 10 km or so from London centre, so shouldn't take more than half an hour or so to get there with public transport.

By using this I found that it would take about 30 minutes from Oxford Circus. Whether you take the bus or walk the last bit is up to you. It doesn't seem to be much more than 500 meters to walk, but then that's the middle of that postcode. Postcodes in the UK are usually pretty small (one small street or so), but I can't say what the distance is from middle of postcode to the shop itself.

--
Mats

[sidguppy]

Thank YOU very much


the last time I asked a similar question, people pointed me to shops "out there" where you'd need to drive the "M' whatever to Icannotfinditstan etc.
all helpful, but a bit of a drag with no licence and hence no way of renting a car.

that's being remedied however; today I passed my theory-license with bells on; onwards to the final exam, and I'll be much more mobile.

although driving in a place where everybody uses the wrong side of the road will be tricky, though....

[MatsP]

Congratulations on passing the theory test... Best of luck with the pracical bit.

As to wrong side of the road, actually it's the rest of the world that got changed by some french king. It's just that the french at this time had a bit more to say about things than the English did. This based on horse-riding. If you think about it, it makes sense: When riding a horse, in a place where you're not sure who's your enemy and who's not, you'd better want to have your right-hand towards the passers so that you can use your sword on anyone trying to do harm to you, rather than having the right hand towards the "forest". So the english are using the historically correct side, it's just that this particular french king didn't want to do anything like the English, so he changed the rules for that purpose.

I was born in Sweden, where traffic nowadays is on the right-hand side, but before 1967, the traffic was on the left-hand side [as it had been since people started using horses enough to have a rule about it]. The change was made because all neighbouring countries (norway, finland, denmark, etc) were driving on the right-hand side.

Sorry for the off-topic.

--
Mats

[bsfoord]

Hi there,

Terry at Wholesale Tropical hasn't got any Callichthys at the moment, I visit him regularly and will post when he has.
Monty at Trimar.co.uk had some about a month ago, but I just missed out!, once again if I hear of any in stock will post.

To continue the subject of Hoplos...does anyone know where I can get Lepthoplosternum pectorale? I have 5 males and NO females.