CICHLID RAMBLINGS

Transcription

CICHLID RAMBLINGS

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CiChlid ramblinGs
RickBorstein,GCCAWebmaster
Seemslikeageshavegonebysincemylastarticle.I wouldhavecompletelyforgottenthis
one, too, if Editor Mike hadn’t sent a last minute email indicating that I had two days to
submitsomething.
RoadTrip
The weekend before Thanksgiving is the Ohio Cichlid Association’s annual Cichlid
Extravaganza,a
convention,show,and
auctionmuchliketheGCCA’sownCichlidClassic.
You can usually count on ten or twelve GCCA members to make the trip and“represent”
us.
Notwantingtomissoutonagreatevent,Ipackedthecarwithourluggage,coolers,fish
16-year-oldsonSamwasgiventhekeysto
bags,pumps,heatersandsomefishtosell.My
GarminGPSandafewimpassionedwords(Trynottokillus!).Sam
pointed
theminivan,a
followingthedisembodiedvoicefromtheGPS,and
thetrip
thecartowardsOhio,dutifully
wasproceedinguneventfully.
SomewhereinIndiana,mywifeSharonnoticedawarninglightonthedashboard.Awarning
diditmean?
lightnoneofushadeverseenbefore.What
Inretrospect,weprobablyshouldhavefigureditout,butthetinythree-eighthsinchhigh
lightdidn’timmediatelyregisterwithus.
is“Tire
PressureMonitoringSystem”.Wepulled
Mywifeconsultedtheowner’smanual.TPMS
refilledthemandgot
intothenearestservicecenterandfoundwehadtwolowtires.We
backontheroad.
Less than then minutes later, with no service center in sight, the light came on again.We
limpedofftheroadintoanIndianaStateHighwaymaintenancecenterandaddedsome
wasasurprisebecausewehad
Fix-a-Flat”,butourtireswereinneedofprofessionalhelp.This
justpurchasedbrandnewtiresafewweeksprior.
GCCA’s Cichlild Chatter
January 008
Page 1
AftermashingafewbuttonsontheGPS,we
foundatireservicecenterinthenearbycityof
Angola,Indiana.Angola
isnothinglikeIexpected.There
werenosignsofarecentfamineor
civilwar.In
fact,there
wasaWalmart
andaStarbucks.
tirestorewasonlyaboutacouplehundredfeetfromapetstore!
Asluckwouldhaveit,the
SeaDwellers&Friends—locatedat1205NWayneSt—isanicelocallyrunshop.Samand
hadahuge
IgottochatwithAssistantManagerandweboughtabunchofsupplies.They
TriMacinadisplaytankandfairprices.
Twohourslater,ourvehiclewasfixed.For$38,ourvalvestemswerereplaced.Apparently,
NationalTireandBatterywhichsoldusournewtiresputbackintheoldvalvestems—a
nono!
AttheOhioExtravaganza
Fishconventionsarefun.There
areinterestingspeakers,to
besure,but
formethebestpart
istalkingtootherhobbyistsandpickingupsomeinterestingfish.By
wheelinganddealing,
Ibroughthome:
• F1Lamprologustoae—thebigeyelamp.IhavenotseenthisfishintheChicagoarea
inalongtime.
willbebrutesinthefuture
• Tilpiabuttikoferi—they’resmallnow,but
• Tilpiamariae
isaCuratorattheVancouver
Aquarium.Lee’
stalk
IdidattendonetalkbyLeeNewman,who
onSouthAmericancichlidsfromahobbyist’sperspectivewasveryinteresting.
IntheFishroom
I’msureourJanuarymeetingwillhavealotofgoodBAPfish.I’ll
bebringinginthreebags:
• OreochromisesculentusisaVictorian
basintilapiathatisnearlyextinctinthewild.It
isalsoknownasthesingidiatilapia.These
maternalmouthbroodingfisharebig—
uptoeightinchesorso—butnotaggressive.Spawns
arehugeinthehundreds.The
babiesgrowfast!
• Pundamilianyeriisanaggressive,maternalmouthbrooderfromLakeVictoria.Males
arespectacularlyredandblack.I kepttheseina75Gwiththeesculentuswhichwere
manytimestheirsize.
wasthe
• ChromidotilpiaguntheriisapaternalmouthbrooderfromWestAfrica.This
firstmouthbrooderIspawnedwheretheDaddidallthework!Veryinterestingfish
andterrificparents.
PlaySandforSubstrate?
Alwaystryingtogetbyonthecheap,I decidedtousePlaySandasasubstrateinmy125G
set-up.
Guesswhat?
Not a great idea. It takes forever to wash it and after a week my tank water still isn’t clear.
Unfortunately,Ireallydidn’thaveachoicesinceIhaven’tbeenabletofindRedFlintSand
forthelastmonth.
Page 1
January 008
Classifieds...Help!
We recently began having a problem on our Classifieds system with spammers posting
adultcontent.To
combatthis,all
adsareindividuallyapprovedbeforeposting.
Since we get thirty to forty ads per day on our system, there is some work involved in
reviewingandapprovingtheads.
needaninternet
IamlookingforsomeonetoactasAdAdmintohelpapproveads.You’ll
course.The
nicethingaboutthejobisthatyou’llgettoseeallthenewstuff
connection,of
beforeitisposted!
[email protected].
IhaveaddedtwonewcategoriestotheClassifieds—LivePlantsandMixedLots.
GCCAForumisLiveandGoingStrong
GCCA’snewonlineforumisofftoagreatstart.As
ofthiswritingonDecember31,2007,we
have1822Postsin165Topics
by95Members.
Special thanks to our volunteer Forum Admins Christ Karnuth, Radek Kowalski, and Sam
Borstein.
Checkitoutatwww.gcca.net.
SwapMeetChairNeeded
RunningGCCA’swebsite,Classifieds
andForums,is
alotofwork.For
thatreason,I wouldlike
tofindsomeonetotakeontheroleofSwapMeetChairman.
Thejobisn’tparticularlydifficultandIwilltransitiontherolewithtrainingandsupport.
You’llneedaninternetconnectionandsomebasiccomputerskillstodothejob.I doalotof
youcandoitallmanuallyandbejustaseffective.
theplanningonmyPC,but
[email protected]’reinterested,let
Tropical Fish Auction
27 January 2008
Registration @ 8:30am
Auction starts @ 10:00am, goes until everything is sold!
Sheraton Chicago Northwest, Arlington Heights, IL
January 008
Page 1
CiChlid ramblinGs
I’vebeenthinkingaboutgoingonacollectingtripformanyyears,but
untilrecentlyIdidn’t
have the opportunity. Of course, there is the cost associated and there are myriad other
arrangementstobemade.
AlthoughItravelfrequentlyforbusiness,I’vealwaysenviedtheguyswhocouldjustwalk
into the unknown. People like Ariel Bornstein who walk through quicksand and meet
apair”and
gocollecting
witchdoctorsandthelike.I’vealwayswonderedifIcould“grow
threeweeksago,my
phonerang.
somewherewild.Then,about
Mybosscalledme.Apparently,ourcountrymanagerforSouthAfricacalledourCEOand
aconferenceforthelargest
lawfirmsinJohannesburg.
askedforsomeonetocomespeakat
Theydidn’thaveanybodywhoknewthelegalmarketandneededsomehelp.Somehow,
youflyoutinthreedays?”asked
myboss?Maybe,
therequesttrickleddowntome.“Could
don’tseewhynot.”I quicklyrearranged
couldIstayacoupleofextradays?Mybosssaid“I
somemeetingsandbookedmyflighttoJohannesburg.
Almost Out to Africa
While Johannesburg is extremely cosmopolitan—at least it sure looked that way in the
Wikipediaentry!—Iwonderedifsomeoutlyinglocationswerewithinstrikingdistancefor
acollectingtrip.
IquicklyplacedaphonecalltoDr.GerhardStrömmerwhoisheadoftheNeotropicalStudies
programatUniversityofMunich-Wurstberg.I hadreadsomeofDr.Strömmer’
spapersand
knewthathehadcollectedinthatareaofthecontinent.
Imiscalculatedthetimedifference(Iaccidentallydialedhimafter10PM!),buthewaskind
isfriendswithDr.Anton
Lamboj
enoughtotakeacallfromacrazyAmerican.Fortunately,he
droppingismyspecialty!
ofAustriawhoIregularlycorrespondwith.Name
countrymanontheground),a
Rolph
Heofferedtoputmeintouchwithhis“lansman”(aka
MergenwhostudiedcichlidfishesattheUniversityofSouthAfrica.I politelyaskedifIcould
dobetterthanthat!”said
Dr.Strömmer.He
calledRolph
gethisemailorphonenumber.“I’ll
Mergendirectlyandconferencedhimintoourtelephoneconversation.
wasagoodthingIhadcalledDr.Strömmer
solate—Itwasonlyjust9in
Asitturnedout,it
themorninginJohannesburgandRolphhadjustwalkedinhisofficedoor!
WechattedpolitelyforafewminutesandasluckwouldhaveitRolphandacoupleofhis
studentsweregoingcollectingjustacoupledaysafterIwastofinishmypresentation.
is
Icouldn’tbelievemyluck!Rolphwarnedmetogetmyinoculationsbeforegoing.Malaria
aterribleproblemintheSouthAfricancountryside!
I spent a sleepless night trying to figure out how I would get everything done before
flying out. Fortunately, I remembered that Bob Matthews (former GCCA President) had
mentionedduringoneofhiscollectingtalksthatinoculationswereoftenavailablecheaply
next afternoon, I walked into the Lake County Health
at county health departments.The
weretwofor
Departmentofficeinthenearbyhospitalandgotsixpainfulinjections.There
malariaalone.
Page 1
March 008
ThenextdayIpackedallmycollectinggear—Ididn’thaveanysoitdidn’ttakelong!Ialso
madesuretotakeanextrasetofbatteriesandchargerformyNikonD50camera.
FlyingHigh
Iknewtheflightwouldbelong,butatleastitwassplitintosegments.First,therewasthe
eight hour flight to Gatwick in the UK. I had a three hour layover which I spent drinking
SoursintheUnitedRedCarpetClub.
JaegerBombsandWhiskey
companyallowsustoflyBusinessClass.I usedsome
Onflightslongerthaneighthours,my
wasworthitasthiswasafourteenhour
extrafrequentflyermilestoupgradetoFirstClass.It
flight.
firstclassseatsonBritish
TheplanetoSouthAfricawasaBritishAir777—onebigplane.The
arealotlikethosereallyexpensivemassagingreclinersthey
Airaren’tseatsatallreally!They
iskindofahood/shadewhichoffersprivacy,aTV
haveattheSharperImagestore.There
radiochannelsandapowerplugforyourlaptop.
withsixteendifferentmovies,thirty
Myseat-matewasaveryattractiveyoungblondewomanofperhapstwenty-fiveyears.She
was wearing expensive designer jeans and sunglasses and appeared to immediately fall
asleep.
Island”
Acouplehourslater,I wasworkingonretouchinganimageofPundamilia nyeri“Ruti
inPhotoshopwhenmyseat-matewokeup,stretchedandtookoffhersunglasses.Sheasked
Are
mewhatIwasworkingon.Itoldheraboutmyinterestinthecichlidhobby.“Sicklids?
saidlookingatmyscreen.Well,sure,many
ofthemare,you
should
theyallthatpretty?”she
getafewtanks!Shelaughedandsaidhertravelschedulewaswaytoocrazytohavefish.
thenshewentbacktosleep.I lookedatherforabit
Wechattedforafewmoreminutes,and
andcouldn’thelpbutthinkthatshelookedreallyfamiliar.
I later found out from the flight attendant that my seat-mate was Jessica Simpson!
Fortunately,I wasabletogetapictureofthetwoofustoprovethatitreallyhappened.She
wasreallynice,too!
Eventually,I startedtogetabittired.I closedmyeyesandtriedtochannelthespiritsofthe
Konings,Jeff
Cardwell,and
AntonLambojto
greatcichlidcollectorssuchasUweRomer,Ad
theyrepliedinunison,...andyou’reannoyingus
blessmycollectingquest.We’renotdeadyet!
while we’re eating our supper.Leave us alone!
Imadeamentalnotetodiscontinuedabblinginthespiritworld.
IburstoutofmyreverieasthewheelshitthetarmacinSouthAfrica.Imadeittothedark
continent!
March 008
Page 1
Last!
Johannesburg,at
Afterclearingcustoms,I wasmetbyaredjacketedguy(helookedlikeabellmen)holding
it.In
thicklyaccentedEnglish,he
explainedthathewasmy
upasignwith“Mr.Borstein”on
driverandwouldtakemetomyhotel.
The driver’s said his name was John. He later explained that his real name was—and I’m
explainedthathewasborninthecountryside
probablynotgettingthisright—Mitaynt.He
andthatheandhisfamilycouldnotgrowfoodsincetheironlysourceofwater—thenearby
beendivertedforahydroelectricdam.It
hadparchedthelandaroundhis
Ktangoriver,had
forthatpartofthe
villageandtheycouldnolongergrowsweetpotatoesandokra,staples
world.
Hehadwalkedwithhisextendedfamilytothecitywhenhewasnine.Histhree-year-old
brother had been attacked by hyenas on the way, and he and his father had to beat the
actuallysaid“steeks
fromtriss”).
animalsbackwithsticks.(He
ItippedJohnwellwhenwearrivedandInoticedhedashedimmediatelyintothehotelbar
andpouredhimselfabeerfromthetapwhilethebartenderwasn’tlooking.I guessyou’re
byhyenas”on
yourresume!
notlikelytobeafraidofhotelsecurityifyouhave“chased
Let me tell you, the Four Seasons in Johannesburg is first rate and very luxurious. Even
though it was only 4PM local time, I was exhausted from travelling and needed to sleep.
Ididn’twakeupuntil9AMthenextday.Iorderedroomservice—wildwarthogsausage,
potatoesandeggs—andworkedonmypresentation.Mydemoandtalkwentgreatthat
afternoonandmycolleagueswereverypleasedthatIhadagreedtomakethetrip.
Our company employees in Johannesburg took me out to what they told me was the
hottest new place in town— an Italian restaurant owned by Mario Batali, the guy on the
Springbokragoutoverhomemadepennepastawasgood!Youwon’t
FoodNetwork.The
findthatonthemenuatyourlocalItalianplaceI’dbet!
Overdinner,I mentionedthatIwasgoingcollectingforfisheswhileinthecountry.“Seeklitz?
colleagueGernasked.As
Isharedmyplans,they
becameincreasingly
Whatisseeklitz?”my
toldmethecountrysidewasdangerousandthat“ .
convincedthatIwasoffmyrocker.They
touristsgomissingallofthetime.”
..stoopid
notgoingtolie.That
wassobering.
Ok,I’m
aword.
Ihadthenextdayoff(Friday)andgottowalkaroundthecitywhichisremarkable,in
The colonial architecture in the inner circle of town stands in unique contrast to a great
skyscrapers.Unfortunately,none
ofthemuseumswereopensinceitwas
manyhuge,steel
some sort of city holiday. Apparently some guy named Bjorn Skelsruud was an early city
leader who organized a militia and turned back a huge stampede of wildebeests which
werethreateningthesettlement.Hey,that’
snoweirderthanKasamirPulaskyDay!
Although the day was hot (over 90ºF), I found enough cafes which were open.The local
brew—Krelfarz, which roughly translates from the local dialect as “lion piss”—was
remarkablytasty!
ImadeitanearlynightasthenextdayRolphwasgoingtopickmeupat6AM!
Page 1
March 008
Where’stheLandRover?
I woke up early and dressed in lightweight Safari-type clothes. My wife had packed me
aboutagallonofsunscreenandinsistedIwearahatsinceIamfairandburneasily.
Mercedes
Iwasstandingoutsidethehotelthenextdayfifteenminutesearlyjustincase.A
drove up. Not a Mercedes SUV either, but a five passenger luxury sedan. Are you Rolph I
asked?“Yes,that’
sme!AreyouRick?”Heshookmyhandandtossedmybaginthetrunkof
thecar.
Idon’tthinkitimmediatelyregisteredwithmeatthetimethatthetrunkwasemptyand
thatRolphwasbarefootandwearingwhitelinenpantsandaleathervest.
maindragout
Wechit-chattedforthirtyminutesorsowhilewedroveonHighwayA5,the
ofthecity.
asked.ItruthfullyansweredthatIwasverynervousandthatthe
“Aren’tyounervous?”he
thatIknewIhadtoseizeit.
opportunityhadhappenedverysuddenly,but
Rolph,“I
haveneverbeenpartofsuchplannings.”
“Iamverynervous,too,”said
Helitupahandrolledcigarettethatsmelledfunnyandinhaleddeeply.
Wedroveoninsilenceforafewminutes.
I asked whether he thought it would be too hot to catch fish as the local weather had
he said.Well,
predicted a high temperature 100ºF for the day. He looked confused.“Fish?”
knowwhatImean.He
lookedevenmoreconfused.“How
canyou
actuallycollectfish,you
asked.Now
itwas
thinkofthesethingsrightnow?Aren’tyouconcernedforyourfamily?”he
myturntolookconfused.
Eventually I found out that I was supposed to be a Rinke—easily confused with“Rick”
thatwewereheadingtoafarminLûdskvalwhereIwasto
becauseofhisthickaccent,and
meetmybirthfatherforthefirsttime!
Yup!Ihadgotteninthewrongcarwiththewrongguy!
doubtbecausethefunny
IttooksometimetoconvincethisRolphthatIwasnotRinke,no
smellingcigaretteactuallywaslocal—andverypotent—marijuana!
Bythetimewemadeitbacktothehotel,therealRolphhadalreadyleft.Therewasamessage
didn’thaveacellphoneforRolpheitheror
waitingformeatthefrontdesk.Unfortunately,I
anyotherwaytoreachhim.
ALessonLearned
Eventhoughitwasonlyalittleafter8AM,I wentintothehotelbarandorderedtwoshotsof
isbrewedfromtheleavesoftheBanyantree—and
thelocalmoonshine—Djernmo,which
cursedmyluck.
that
Well,atleastIwouldgetagoodstoryoutofthisforthenextissueoftheChatter.Isn’t
comingoutonthefirstofApril?
-
2008 CiChlid ClassiC May 23-25
March 008
Page 1
CiChlid ramblinGs
ManyofyouknowthatItravelforbusiness.Every
sooften,I getthechancetohangoutwith
otherfishgeeks.This
isoneofthosetimeswhenIgetrambleandseesomefish!
Sacramento,California
WhenIthinkofSacramento,I usuallythinkofPamChin.I’ve
visitedherfishroombeforeand
itisamazing.So,I
emailedPam,but
shetoldmeshewouldbeoutoftown.Rats!
Ididn’treally
knowanybodyelseinSacramento.Wait!
Idid!
Rich Birely was the Convention Chariman for last year’s ACA Convention in Sacramento.
My son, Sam, and I spent some time with him during the convention and liked him
immediately.
Ireceivedacopy
Unfortunately,Ididn’thavecontactinformationforRich.Serendipitously,
oftheSASmonthlypublicationinmyemailandfoundhisphonenumberinthemember
daybeforeleavingforCalifornia,Ilefthimamessage.Truthfully,
Ididn’texpect
directory.A
shortlyafterIarrivedinSacramentohecalledmymobilenumberand
tohearfromhim,but
wewereabletoarrangetomeet.
LocalShops
IpickedupRichfromhisjobinmyrentalcarandwevisitedacoupleoflocalshops.California
shopsalwaysseemtohaveunusualstuffatfairprices.For
example,Chocolate
Gouramisfor
$3.99eachandaboutadozentypesofarrowanas.However,theyalsohadatonofoddly
namedhybridcichlidslike“Strawberry
Severum”.
You never know what you’ll find. One shop had Bumblebee Suckermouth Catfish, which
neitherInorRichhadeverseenbefore.They
looklikeaBumblebeeGobymarriedapleco!
Aftervisitingtheshops,wemethiswifeLaurafordinner.Laurabroughtalongtheirgorgeous
one-year-old daughter. It turns out their kid was conceived at the ACA Convention in
Chicago!
That’sdedicationtothehobby
...
Rich’sFarm
Rich lives about 35 miles outside of the city in the hills way out in the country—twisting,
turningdirtroadswithnostreetlights!IwasgladIbroughtmyGPSorIneverwouldhave
madeitbacktomyhotelafterwards.
Richmakeshishomeonfortyacresofmostlyundevelopedlandonthetopofhill.There,
I saw his horses and goats, and met a very friendly one-eyed dog. I made the mistake of
heardascarytale.
askinghowthedogbecame“monofocal”and
Richandfamilyweresittingontheporchwhentheyheardaterriblehowlfromthedog.
theWonder
Dog”was
bitintheeyebyarattlesnake!Richwasbarelyabletoget
Poor“Russel
thepoorthingtothevetintimetosaveit.
May 008
Page 1
ABigFishHouse
50’fish
housewithaboutninetytanks.I’ve
seenbigfishroomsbefore,
Richhasahuge40’by
wasimpressive.
butevenso,this
Besidesfish,Richisreallyintoherps.Hehadapet
rattlesnake(eek!)andseveralhugemonitorlizards.
One of the monitors was over fifty pounds and
all of them are aggressive. Rich fed and watered
theanimalswhileIwasthere.Hehadtouselarge
aluminum stick with a forked end to push the
animalsbacksothathecouldgivethemfreshwater.
Rich participates in a monitor rescue program, so
someofthesebeastsaretemporaryresidents.
Richhasavarietyoffishandtheyaremostlycichlids.
fact,
HisfavoritefishcomefromLakeTanganyika.In
heissotakenwithTanganyikans,hevisitedthelake
afewyearsagoononeofAdKoningssafaris.
I saw several Tanganyikan breeding groups
including Tropheus, Eretmodus, Cyathopharynx
furcifer and others.
example,he
had
He’sbredsomedifficulttangs.For
fryfromNeolamprologusnigriventris,afishthathasconfoundedseveralGCCAmembers.
Heplacedapairina75-gallontankfillednearlytothetopwithrock.Onedayhesawfry!
Gofigure
...
RichshowedmehisbreedinggroupoftheTanganyikankillifish,Lamprichthys tanganicae.
arenicelookingandImade
Theseaggressivekilliscanbegoodtankmatesforcichlids.They
anotetogetsomesomeday.
Page 1
May 008
Water in California is expensive; even more so out in the desert foothills.The well on the
wellsupplies
propertygoesdown1200feetandthewaterisactuallynotgoodforfish.His
hetrucksinwaterforhisfish.Yes,his
fishgetbetterwaterthanhisfamily!
hishome,but
AGiantIndoorPond
I was so busy checking out Rich’s tanks,
thatIcompletelyoverlookahugeindoor
pond hidden behind some racking. The
pond is about forty feet long by ten feet
wide and is filled with crazy-big fish! For
example:
❖ FootlongNimbochromislinni
❖ Fourteen inch Fossorochromis
rostratus
❖ Boulengerochromismicrolepsis
❖ Oreochromistanganicae
❖ TwotypesofBathybatesoverafoot
long
Heandhiswifehavetouseaseinetoget
thefryout!
FinalThoughts
RichBirelyisoneofthenicestguysinthe
hasseveraltalksandwouldbe
hobby.He
agreatspeakerataClassic!
-
May 008
Page 1
CiChlid ramblinGs
Summerishereandthepondissetup.Sometimes,it’shardtothinkaboutmyfishroom
whenitissoniceoutside.Still,spring
hasturnedintoabonanzainthefishroom!Iamtotally
outoffryspace.I amapproaching150speciesinourBAPProgramandIstillgetakickfrom
everynewspawn.
Caquetia spectabile
My Caquetaia spectabile, a South American basketmouth predator has finally spawned.
Althoughthesefishgetoverafoot,theyarenotveryaggressivecomparedtobigCentral
Americancichlids.Ric
Perez—anexpertintankbusters—pointedouttomethatthemouth
structureofthisfishisnotasstronglybuiltasRedDevilsandthelike.Although
IknewIhad
likelypairsfromthegroupoftenwhichIoriginallypurchased,no
breedingensued.I chalkit
uptoacoupleoffactors.Firstly,I
thinkthesefishneedtobeclosetoeighteenmonthsoldto
breed.Secondly,I
hadtoomanyfishinthegroup.I winnowedthegroupfromtentothree
andaddedsomesmallTilapia mariaeasdithers.
IhadheardthatCaquetaia spectabile werenotgoodparentsand—sofar—it’stoosoonto
tell.
Thepairdidapoorjobguardingtheirfirstspawnwhichwerelaidinaten-inchflowerpot.
wereonlythirtyeggsleftfromaspawnthatmusthavebeenin
Afteracoupleofdays,there
thetwohundredrange.I snatchedoutthehugeflowerpotandartificiallyhatchedthem—
potandall—inafivegallonbucket.
parentsdid
MysonSamtookonthefishafterIgotmyfirstbatchoffryfree-swimming.The
successfullymovedaboutseventy-fivewrigglerstoaterracotta
abetterjobforhim.They
thefrywerefree-swimming,the
parents
vasewhichwassealedononeend.However,after
didn’tseemtoknowwhattodo.
I helped Sam siphon out the survivors and—voila!—he had a spawn without nearly as
medown”
muchworkasIputintothesefish!Idon’tmindbecauseIgetjustasmany“hand
fishfromhimandhiseighttanksontheothersideofthebasement.
afterthattheytakeoff.
Thetinyfrydon’tgrowmuchthefirstcoupleofweeks,but
Page 1
July 008
Aequidens pulcher
IcaughtmyBlueAcara—Aequidenspulcher—in
theact
ofspawningafewweeksago.Ikept
thesefishina90-gallontankwithsomemuchlargerViejabreidhori.Thepairdidtheirbestto
defendtheirspawn,but
myfaithinthemwaslimited,so
Ihatchedthefryartificially.The
latin
“pulcher”means
beautifulandthatmightbeastretchexceptforwhentheyarespawning.
The male’s dorsal gets very blue. Otherwise, it looks like most other Aequidens. I did find
themtobemoreaggressivethanotherAequidens,butthatmighthavebeensomething
theydevelopedwhenkeptwithmoreaggressivetankmates.
CaudoPunks!
At the March Swap Meet, I purchased six young Neolamprologus caudopunctatus from
fellow GCCA member Ray Slover. I had not been successful with thisTanganyikan in the
past.Ontwopreviousoccasions,theykilledeachotherinthesmallfiveorten-gallontank
whereIhousedthem.This
time,I placedthefishina20-gallonlongtankcontainingasand
bottomandheavilyforestedwithTempleplants.I addedseveralshells—alsofromRay.The
tankalsocontainedseveralBlueTail
Goodeidsasdithers.
Withthelimitedsightlinesbecauseoftheheavyplantings,thefishdidverywelloverthe
nextfewmonths.I noticedsomeofthefishhoverneartheshells,but
notspawninthem.I addedaverysmalltwo-inchterracottacavewhichapaireventuallyselectedandspawning
ensued.Peeringintothetinypotwithaflashlight,Isawaboutfifteentotwentyeggsand
free-swimmingfryabouteightdayslater.I leftthefryinthetankandfedlivebabybrine,but
eventuallytheyalldisappeared.
Fortunately, a couple of weeks later, I had two pairs spawn—the original pair (terracotta
cave) and a smaller pair in a shell. I siphoned out about a dozen fry after they were free
swimmingandhavethemgrowingoutinafive-gallontank.
fryhardlyevermove.There
entiremodusoperandiseemstobetositonthe
Curiously,the
manyTanganyikans,they
growsloooow!
bottomandblendin.Lake
ARedTail
ShellerfromLakeVictoria
It’sgreattohaveasonwhoisnotonlyacichlidnutbutworksatapetshop!MyFathersDay
giftfromsonSamwasatrioofPlatytaeniodussp.“Red
TailSheller”.LikemanyVictorians,it
is
aprecociousbreederanditwasn’thardtogetanicespawnoftwenty-twobabiesfromthe
littletwo-inchfemale.The
frygrowfast.
Thereisanicewrite-uponthisspeciesbyVictorian
expertGregSteevesifyou’dliketolearn
moreaboutit:
http://www.cichlidae.com/section.php?n=ff&id=142
IfirstmetGregattheDenverACAConventionandheknowsatonaboutVictorian
cichlids.
MaybewecangethimtospeakatournextCichlidClassic.
AnACAWinning
Fish...from
frytospawn!
Protomelas spilonotusisalargeMalawianmouthbrooderthathasaconfusingbackground.
The Tanzanian variety which has a Fish of the Month profile on the GCCA website may
be misidentified. The fish that won the 2005 ACA Convention“Best in Show” was Ron
July 008
Page 1
Georgeone’s Protomelas“spilonotus tanzania” (insignus blue orange). This is a gorgeous
fish.Infact,Ilikeditsomuchitbecamethe“cover
fish”for
allofourmaterialsforthe2006
conventionwehostedinChicago.
ascant
IobtainedmyfishaboutayearagofromourboxswapwiththeDesertFishClub.At
malecoloredwithblueflanksandimpressiveorangethroat.I movedthese
1.5inches,the
fishintoa125forgrowoutandwasrecentlyrewardedwiththree-inchfemaleholding.The
eggs are huge and the female only had seven babies. At free-swimming, the babies are
alreadyone-halfinchlongandgrowingfast.
AWeird-looking
MalawianPredator
LichnochromisacuticepsisknownastheMalawiGar.Thisslenderpredatorapproachesafoot
inlength.Malesareblueorbluebarred—dependinghowtheyarefeeling—andfemales
aretan-graywithspots.
IobtainedagroupfromGCCAmemberMikeHelfordwhoalwaysseemstohaveMalawi
oddballs.Unfortunately,Ididn’tcatchanoutbreakofIchintimeandlostthreeoutofthe
fourfishIhadleavingmewithsinglefemale.
sonSamspottedapairatKingCoralPetShopandbroughtthemhomeforme.
Luckily,my
Thetriohadanentire90-gallontanktothemselvesandinjustacoupleofweeksIfound
oneofthefemalesholding.
Iletherholdforthirteendaysandthenstrippedherofaboutfiftyverylargefryattheheads
andtailsstage.Aboutaweeklater,thebabieswerefreeswimmingandoverhalfaninch
long.
Aequidenssp.“Rio
Inrida”
Iobtainedthesefish—ifmemoryserves—fromfellowGCCAmemberDebbieKeeling.This
fishisabitofanenigma.
There’s virtually nothing on the internet about this fish. From my internet research, I
did discover that Rio Inrida is an Amazon tributary river in Columbia that is home to
Apistogramma inridae. Curiously, I also found reference to a Rio Inrida in Ecuador where
AltumangelsarefoundwithanominalpHof4.8!Itiscertainlypossiblethattheriverspans
bothcountriessincetheyshareacommonborder.
Regardless,thesefishgrewandspawnedformeinChicagowater.Like
othermembersof
thegenusAequidens, theyarethickbodiedfish.Males
haveadarkhorizontalstripeanda
goldensheenontheflankwhichextendsintothetail.Females—when
feelingfrisky—have
adark,nearly
checkerboardpattern.Compared
tootherAequidensIhavekept,these
arenot
nearlyasaggressive.
The pair spawned for me on a small piece of slate in the rear corner of a forty breeder.
They turned out to be very good parents, raising their brood of about one hundred fry
anddefendingthemagainstothertankmate.The
fryareverytinyandcanjustbarelyeata
freshlyhatchedbabybrineshrimp.Ihadbestresultsusingmicro-sizedbrineshrimpeggs
whichareabout30%smallerthanUtaheggs.
Page 1
July 008
Metriaclima patricki
AccordingtoLaifDeMaisonofOldWorld,this
interestingMalawianmbunare-enteredthe
hobbyin2004manyyearsafterfirstbeingimported.The
latestspecimenswerecollected
nearJaloReef,althoughtheyarealsofoundatNkhomoReef,MbenjiIsland,MaleriIslands,
andChidungaRocksaccordingtothisreference:
http://www.malawimayhem.com/articles_patricki.shtml
Ihadheardthatthisisadwarfspecies,but
otherinternetsourcesindicatethatthisspecies
getsupoverfourinches.Atanyrate,Iploppedtheseguysinmy125andthefemalewas
holdingshortlythereafter.The
fry,I’ve
noticed,are
veryshy,but
growingwell.
OutinthePond
Withalotoffish,and
notaplaceforthem,I neededtofreeupsomespace.Spring
didnot
springearlythisyear,and
ittookalongtimetogetthewatertemperatureupto70F.Once
itgotthere,the
two-inchspecimensofAmphilophus amarillo wentintothepond.This
close
relativeoftheRedDevilisanicelycoloredfishwithayellowbackgroundandblackbars.My
sonSam’swildpairweretheparentsofthefryIgrewupoverthewinter.They
seemtobe
doinggreatinthepond.Within
aweekafterputtingthemin,there
waszerodaphiniatobe
found!
-
July 008
Page 1
CiChlid ramblinGs
Yikes!Summerisalmostover.That
isdepressing.In
justafewshortweeksIwillhavetobreak
downmypond,whichisalotofwork.Well,
atleastafewgoodthingshappenedoverthe
Summer.
Takethat!IbredRams!
RegularreadersofthiscolumnhaveheardaboutmymanytravailsbreedingMicrogeophagus
ramirezi,more
commonlyknownasRams.Sure,I’ve
hadnumerousspawns,but
thebabies
alwaysdied.This
hasledtosomeongoingcommentaryinmyhousehold,particularly
from
onesonwhoshallremainnameless.However,his
initialsareSAMBORSTEIN.
Intruth,RamsarenotsupposedtobeallthathardtobreedandIprobablydeservedthe
ribbingbecauseIfailednotonce,but
threetimeswiththisfish.
WhenSambroughthomeapairofRamstobreedforhimself,the
verbiageescalated.I had
nextweekIhadhimbringmeapairfromKingCoralPet
todefendmycichlidiothonor.The
Shopwhereheworks.
spawnedformetwodayslater!
Hey,they
Iraisedthebabiesartificiallybysuspendingtheminaroundglassfishbowlinsidemy125.I
addedmethyleneblueandanairstoneandhadagoodhatch.
ThechallengewithRamsisthatthebabiesarereallytiny,infacttoosmalltoeateventhe
smallest baby brine shrimp. I decided to go the natural route by placing the forty or so
babieswereableto
babiesintoa5-gallontankfillednearlycompletelywithJavaMoss.The
takeinsomeofthemicroscopicfoodfromtheplantsandaboutthreedayslaterwereable
areaboutone-thirdsmallerthanthe
toeatSanFranciscoBayBrandartemianauplii,which
UtaheggsIusuallyhatch.
areapproachingone-halfinch.
Abouttwentyorsosurvivedandtheygrowslowly,but
IlaterfoundoutthatGCCAmemberLeonidFlimanhadsuppliedthefishtoKingCoral.He
hasreallyniceRamsifyouwanttotrysomeforyourself.
OtherStuffintheFishRoom
Thingsalwaysslowdownabit
overtheSummer.Ididhavesuccesswith
Harpagochromissp.
“PalisaBlackSlick”
,aVictorianpredatorIobtainedasfryfromGCCAmemberTomChristensen.
Whenspawning,males
getnearlycompletelyblack.Females,like
manyVictorians,are
drab,
but excellent holders. I have noticed that the predatory Victorians take a lot longer, and
needtobealotbiggerbeforetheywillbreed.
Today,I strippedafemaleDimidiochromis dimidiatus ofaboutfourteenfry.This
uncommon
fishisanelongatedMalawianpredatorandaveryfastswimmer.I obtainedthesebeauties
fromGCCAMemberMikeHelfordwhoalwaysseemstohaveunusualMalawiansinhisfish
room.
September 008
Page 11
toSanJose
AVisit
I frequently travel to San Jose, and I always make it a point to hang out with my cichlid
friendswhenIamthere.
WhileinSanJose,I haddinnerwithJimEllenbergerofMainlyCichlids(www.mainlycichlids.
com)andChuckRambo.IpickedupsomeCallochromispleurospilus,Aequidensamazonarum,
Mustardi”and
someMylochromis lateristrigafromJim.
Metriaclima“OB
Besidesfish,I alsopickedupaninvertebrate
...
CarnivorousSnails
multiplelike
ManyofushavealotoftroublecontrollingMalaysianLivebearingsnails.They
onlytherewasnaturalwaytocontrolthem
crazyandplugupfilters.If
...
Youknowyou’vehitrockbottominthehobbywhenyougetexcitedaboutasnail.
snails”
JimhadrecentlyorderedinsomeKillerSnailsfromabreederinHolland.These“killer
hewasniceenoughtogivemeone(they
weredestinedforMr.Rambo’
soverruntanks,but
runaboutsevenbuckseach!)andItookthelittlebeasthomeinapilljar.
Killersnails—usuallycalledAssassinSnails(Anentome helena)–arethenaturalpredatorof
asnail,they
arenicelookingwithalternatingtananddark
MalaysianLivebearingsnails.For
arecarnivorousanddonoteatalgae.
brownbands.They
some oF the Fish Found at dave’s rare aquarium Fish
Page 1
September 008
Thesesnailsareabitofaninternetphenomenarightnow.There
isevenaYouTubevideo
ofthematwork:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vV1JechYgeo
Iputtheassassinsnailinaninfestedtankanditwasinteresting.Idon’tthinkthelittleguy
hadbeenfedinawhile.After
puttinghiminthetank,he
immediatelyattackedoneofthe
movefasterthanothersnails,plowing
throughthe
MalaysianLivebearingsnails.Cool!They
sandatagoodclip—atleastforsnail.
the little
The killer snail has lance containing toxin which he injects into prey snails.Then,
killerextractstheinsidesofthepreyandeatsit.
Awesome!
InamedhimHercules.
Rockbottom,I know!
And,in
SanAntonio
SanAntonioishometotheHillCountryCichlidClubandDave’sRareAquariumFish(www.
davesfish.com).I metDaveSchumacher—theowner—attheAtlantaACAConventionand
hewasniceenoughtoletmevisithisshop/shippingfacility.
Daveisaseriouscichlidhobbyistandhisshopshowsit.Alltanksarelabeledwithspecies
and location/color variety—and, of course—I couldn’t leave
without buying some fish! I picked up some Neolamprologus
mustax,somewildTexascichlids,andafewfishformysonSam
includingCtenochromis horei.
The Hill Country Cichlid Club has a bit over fifty members.
candoaboxswapwiththeminthefutureandget
Hopefully,we
someoftheirgreatfishuptoChicago!
Seeyouatthepicnic!
-
September 008
Page 1
CiChlid ramblinGs
Fallishere.With
moretimespentinside,I usuallyspendmoretimeonmyfishandspawning
activitiesusuallykickupanotch.
Viejabreidhori
Vieja breidhoriisthetypespeciesfortheViejacomplex,butyoudon’tseemthemaround
much.This
relativeoftheBlackBeltCichlid,isn’t
verycommoninthehobby,so
Iwasquickto
snapupafewatthe2007ACAConventioninSacramento.
The 1-1/2 inch juveniles I purchased were placed in a 90G tank to grow out.Tankmates
wereagroupofBlueAcaraandsomePungu maclareni.Like
otherViejacomplexmembers,
Iexpectedthemto:
❖ Growfast
❖ Bemean
❖ Begoodparents
overallIdidn’thavemanyissues.The
fishatewell
Ilostacoupleoffishduringthistime,but
andlookedgreat.
After about sixteen months, the largest male was about eight inches long and that was
thingsstartedtogetprettynasty.
First, the Blue Acara started
disappearing. I’m not sure if
theViejagottothemorifthey
didthemselvesin.Fortunately,
the Blue Acaras had already
spawnedandIhadfry.
Next,thedominantmalekilled
offthesub-dominantmalesin
shortandspectacularorder—
fins shredded, scales stripped.
Yikes.
Aboutaweeklater,Iobservedthedominantmaleandthelargestfemaleacting“spawny”
.
Members of the Vieja genus undergo striking color changes during spawning, with the
tophalfofthefishbecomeswhite/grayandthebottom
femalechangingdressfirst.The
femalelaidabout150eggsonapieceofterracottatilethatIhadinclined
halfisblack.The
againstthebackofthetank.
Aboutfivedaysafterlayingtheeggs,thefemalemovedtheclutchtoanewlocation.The
thispoint,the
malechangedcolor.
pairdugseveralpitsinthesand.At
Ihaven’tseenthemyet.With
someluck,I canBAPthem
Thepairkeepthefrywell-hidden,so
inJanuary.
apairbondwiththeselarge
Ifthisspawndoesn’tworkout,I willbeconcerned.Maintaining
malecanturnonthefemaleatanytime.
cichlidsischallenging.The
Page 1
November 008
WhynotTilapia?
reallyshouldtrytheblackenedversiononawholegrainbun
Iadmitit—IlikeTilapia.You
withabitofchipotlemayo.Delicious!
IalsolikekeepingTilapiaandrecentlyhadsuccessspawningTilapia mariae.
Tilapiagetabadrapinourhobby—deservedly—butthatdoesn’tmeanweshouldn’tkeep
canbeaggressive,messy,andferalpopulationsarearealproblemaroundthe
them.They
world.
better,
Ontheplusside,theygrowfast,looknice,eatanythingandaregreatparents.Even
youcangetthefryabouttoaboutaninchinjustaboutsixweeks!Tilapiaarehardtokilland
can survive beatings from larger tankmates— a great target fish for large cichlids. Tilapia
alwaysseemtomanagetojustgetoutoftheway.
oftenandarealwayshungry.Most
fisharequiteshyonceyoumove
Tilapiaeatanything,eat
them to a new tank—not Tilapia! I recently netted out some young Tilapia and moved
themintoanewtankforgrowout.Iactuallytimedthis—theywereeatingwithintwenty
seconds!Iamnotmakingthisup
...
theywereabout1-1/4inchesat
Idon’trememberwhereIobtainedmyTilapia mariae,but
grewtosix-inchspawningsizeinabouteightmonths.Duringtheprocess,
thetime.They
theywereusedastargetfishforalargegroupofCaquetia spectabilus.
Tilapia mariae are attractive having a golden background with several dark vertical bars.
During spawning, the background color intensifies, especially in the female. My pair
laid about 100 eggs on a piece of terracotta tile.The eggs are quite large for a substrate
spawningfish.
Theeggshatchinfourdaysorsoandtheparentsoftenmovethemtootherlocationsin
largefryare
thetank.I observedthefemalemovingthewrigglersintoaterracottatube.The
robustandcanimmediatelyeatbabybrineshrimp.I siphonedsomeoffsomefryforgrow
two-dayoldfrywerepickingatflakefoodthenextday.
outinaten-gallontank.The
havetobecareful
Tilapiafrygrowfastandyoucanreallypoundthefoodintothem.You
with African fry which are easy to“pop” if you overfeed baby brine shrimp. No worries
canfeedthebabiesuntiltheylooklike
here—Tilapiawillkeepringingthedinnerbell!You
marblesandtheywillefficientlyconvertthattofishflesh.
frydeveloptheverticalstripesoftheadultsandlookdarncute!
Atthreeweeks,the
dsuggestbuying
Ifyouhaven’ttriedkeepingandbreedingTilapia nowisthetimetostart.I’
are
agroupofsixtoeightjuvenilesandgrowingthemup(whichwon’ttakelong!).Tilapia
mucheasiertohandleandbreedbeforetheyreachfulladultsizewhichisinexcessofafoot
big,they
havehugespawns,and
equallyaggressivetemperaments
inmanyspecies.When
andappetites.
Sidebar
My son Sam pointed out an interesting fact about egg size in Tilapia. Mouthbrooding
haveverysmalleggs.Substrate-spawning
Tilapiahavelargeeggs.
Tilapia(e.g.Oreochromis)
Itwouldbeinterestingtocomparetheeggsize,butIwouldguesstheywouldbepretty
close.
-
November 008
Page 1

CICHLID RAMBLINGS

Transcription

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