At Aquarium Glaser not only small fish for private community tanks are stocked, but also real rarities for scientific institutions and large fish for public aquaria and zoos.
A specimen for the latter category reached us now: a gigantic Phractocephalus hemiliopterus, more than 80 cm long. We stocked the fish for a Russian customer. The animal was reared by a private keeper. Transportation of such a large fish is, however, a real quest which was solved with a special construction on a trailer.
It took some man power to net the fish and transport it to its prepared quarantine tank which contents several thousand litres of water. Here the fish will stay until it goes on its far journey to its new owner in Russia.
Lexicon: Practocephalus: from ancient Greek “armour head”; hemiliopterus: from ancient Greek “with half-smooth fin”.
Text & photos: Frank Schäfer
