Centerfold models…

[Magnum Man]

So do you ever feel like you’re looking at centerfold models, when shopping for fish on line??? almost all sellers post pictures of Males in breeding colors, to draw your attention, a few will post a picture of what they look like at the point of sale… but on some fish, it can take years, before your fish reaches “GQ” status… this hobby is definitely not an “instant gratification” hobby, unless you are lucky enough to have a local seller, that does carry mature fish, and where you can hand pick your fish…

Patience is a virtue, however humans are not naturally virtuous…

 

[Magnum Man]

Sorry, I’m drinking my morning caffeine, and wondering when some of these fish are going to finally color up, to at least somewhat resemble the fish I ordered, and of course, yours could be the plain, silver, female, and never match that gorgeous male, in the picture..

 

[Back in the fold]

Let me tell you something . I have an interest in the Nothobranchius species of annual killifish and things I’ve learned recently inform me that they might be called an instant gratification fish . Can you even imagine a fish that goes from egg to adulthood and spawning and finally death in 6 months or less ? Blows me away what I’m learning about Nothobranchius .

 

[GaryE]

A lot of these fish take well over a year, and sometimes 3 to get to their full beauty.

But hey, I'm 66 and I'm just about achieving my own levels of good looking.

Well, okay, bad example...

 

[emeraldking]

This is like my empire gudgeons... It takes so long before the sexes are clear. And specifically the males. For young males tend to look like females which are way duller in color. It takes about 2-3 years before the males are really beautiful in color.

 

[emeraldking]

But hey, I'm 66 and I'm just about achieving my own levels of good looking.

That's why we don't get to see your picture... For you're too good looking that all of us male members become envious...!

 

[Back in the fold]

That's why we don't get to see your picture... For you're too good looking that all of us male members become envious...!

He’s just a young whippersnapper at 66 . Hasn’t got his wrinkles yet .

 

[gwand]

I wonder which one of us is the oldest on the forum. I think I may be the second oldest member based on intuition. Gee I just can’t win a contest on the forum.

 

[fishorama]

I actually like buying younger fish, watching them grow up & maybe get prettier with age. Some fish don't, I'm not a big fan of the "hump back salmon" look some cichlids & rainbows get. Beautiful breeding colors can be of short temporary duration. My 2 stiphodon gobies don't have conspecifics to flirt with or fight with but they are still pretty to me, when they are in view.

I have a (very slightly) younger husband & he's aged rather well , although he has more silver/white hair than I do. Let's just say we're at full Social Security age. I know I'm not the oldest here, lol, but I will admit to being 1 of the older females.

 

[GaryE]

One of the reasons I enjoy breeding generation after generation of my Aphyosemion killifish is I never get tired of watching how the beige juveniles develop their colours. A few lines in the dorsal, then spots on the body, then suddenly blues and reds and yellows appear over a week or two. It never gets old.
That's quick enough though.
I've had the opportunity to keep unknown species a few times, and while I've brought home many a grey Apistogramma or killie that stayed colourless, I've had some lovely surprises too. I figure if you need instant gratification, there are glofish or linebreds for that. If you're patient and willing to wait and observe, nature will take care of you. Someone has to buy the ugly ducklings to discover the swans.

But yes, digital photos can be enhanced. I imagine AI technology will improve our ability to doctor reality. I always have a good laugh at the hand shots of new species, when the hand is fluorescent from the photographer playing with colour saturation.

 

[Magnum Man]

Well I’m guilty… in as bad as my picture taking abilities, my cell phone has a few filters, and I often flip through a few, trying to make the picture match, what I see, with my eyes ( usually a failed attempt )

 

[gwand]

GaryE, You possess a wealth of knowledge in this field. I hope you document this knowledge in some form so it can be passed on when you’re no longer a corporeal being. It would a shame to lose what you learned over a lifetime.

 

[Magnum Man]

@GaryE speaking of which @gwand ‘s post above, did you ever start writing for Seriously Fish???

 

[GaryE]

GaryE, You possess a wealth of knowledge in this field. I hope you document this knowledge in some form so it can be passed on when you’re no longer a corporeal being. It would a shame to lose what you learned over a lifetime.

@GaryE speaking of which @gwand ‘s post above, did you ever start writing for Seriously Fish???

I never found an "in". Seriously Fish looks like a closed shop.

I'm hoping that when I'm gone, I can haunt the fish forums anyway. I don't believe in souls or afterlives, so it kind of ruins my ambitions to be a ghost someday, but we're all a mess of contradictions in how we think anyway!

I am the ghost of water changes missed... now there's an ambition, he said, rattling plastic chains that could double as bio-media.

@gwand - your background as a medical research doctor carries a bit more weight than a guy who just likes fish... When I get into conversations with the real heavy hitters in this hobby, I feel like a newb. There is a core of really good, entertaining minds out there who truly know the stuff people like me dabble in. It's a delight to listen to them and read them. Ours is a knowledge based hobby.

 

[gwand]

But that’s your niche- Appealing to the hobbyists who will not seek out the techno mombo jumbo of the heavy hitters. And this comprises a large international group of people. Look at me. After 40 years as a researcher with 185 peer reviewed publications and 30 book chapters that at best interest about 50 other specialists in the world. Your appeal would reach a much larger audience. I’m jealous.