Fundulopanchax gardneri .

[OldFishKeeper]

Golden wonders versus natural lineatus are informative.Not long ago, wild type lineatus were common enough, as killies go. I've been watching for a good gardneri/nigerianus and what do I see? Albino, long finned and gold mutants, but I haven't seen gardneri with a location available around here. I'll eventually find them, but the warning flags are up. Platys? They're to me what lineatus are to @Back in the fold . I've looked for a few decades.

If you like a fish and can breed it, then you are the only person who can ensure you can have it. Fishfarms don't conserve. Corporate doesn't conserve. If a glofish or hybrid is more profitable than a natural fish, good bye nature. If a chain can eliminate species from their stores but sell cheaper hybrids in their quest to monopolize a lucrative market, they will. If hobbyists work together to maintain species, then we'll have access. If the AKA had 5000 members, lineatus would be available. But there are a couple of hundred - fewer potential killie breeders in a country of 300 million plus than there used to be killie species and locations in the hobby.

Hobbyists rarely conserve. There's a place for conservation and just fun with learning about nature in our society. But right now, that place is somewhat empty.

Either we rebuild our networks, and learn to work together without being passive consumers, or we add to the list of things we, and future generations of fishkeepers will never see. Our hobby is miniscule in the grand scheme of things, but if we like it, we may have to work to keep it, sooner rather than later.

I've shared these thoughts with my fish and haven;t heard a word of disagreement from any of them.

Yes...and I have heard the GloFish wish they were back in the "Old Days"...

 

[WhistlingBadger]

I've shared these thoughts with my fish and haven;t heard a word of disagreement from any of them.

Your fish are uncommonly wise.

I'm afraid I'm more in the "just enjoying nature" camp. I just don't have the time and space to get into breeding, though I love the idea. I have to stick to the more common species (or at least what I can get from TWS).

 

[GaryE]

Yes...and I have heard the GloFish wish they were back in the "Old Days"...

Ah, a fellow fish whisperer. They have things to say, don't they....

I don't think there were good old days, but I do think we had taken a few tiny steps in the right direction before we gave up and ran back. A lot of factors intervened, and here we are.

 

[Back in the fold]

Golden wonders versus natural lineatus are informative.Not long ago, wild type lineatus were common enough, as killies go. I've been watching for a good gardneri/nigerianus and what do I see? Albino, long finned and gold mutants, but I haven't seen gardneri with a location available around here.

If you like a fish and can breed it, then you are the only person who can ensure you can have it.

Either we rebuild our networks, and learn to work together without being passive consumers, or we add to the list of things we, and future generations of fishkeepers will never see.

These are excellent thoughts and totally true . A lot of you guys buy from mail order outfits but I like to see what I’m getting before I pay and the dearth of unusual fish in my little burg is a crying shame . I saw more rare and unusual fish decades ago . The Frankenstein fish from the laboratories are getting more traction every day because that’s what the casual fish keeper wants and the casual fish keeper is who spends the money . So breed your fish and share them for crying out loud !

 

[Back in the fold]

Here’s what happens when you pull your mops and pick eggs . You have to look at this picture closely . I have about two dozen gardneri fry here . If I raise most I’ll have plenty of fish to give away .