SAVING THE PUPFISH.

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In a world where the US lost a stealth fighter overboard, and the thing had cost $100 million...

It's costly, but we're dreaming if we think we're going to save these things as aquarists (we'd sell them, lose interest or die of old age before the project had barely begun).
 
@GaryE I think you're right. The AKA has its Killifish Conservation Committee and the Livebearer people have something similar for Goodeids but I think it's like fighting a forest fire with a squirt gun. It's a feel good endeavor only.
 
No,no,no there are hobbyists who are dedicated to raising Pupfish. Its on YouTube of a fish room mostly about them. He then takes what he raises and they are either put in desert springs or given to public aquariums for public awareness
 

No,no,no there are hobbyists who are dedicated to raising Pupfish. Its on YouTube of a fish room mostly about them. He then takes what he raises and they are either put in desert springs or given to public aquariums for public awareness
There are a number of pup fish species, Most in hobbies tanksre not the devis hole pupfish. Tere are a number of spring filled small ponds near devilshole with different pupfish species in them. The population in devils holedropped down about 30 about 15 years ago. The population has climbed a bit since but it is still criticallyendagered. Prevoiuse attempts to raise them in aquariums have failed. The aquarium built for the devils hole fish is designed to be almost identical to upper portion of the hole in which they live. They also use the same aquifer water that is in The hole. It is actually a small opening of a water filled cave and it is very deep.

i personally think the reason for the population drop that started in the 70s is the sense they put around it to keep people out. I also keeps animals out. Prior to the fence it is likely that animals requenclty visited the hole for water and some probably died there. These animals provided much of the nutrients the algae in the hole needs to grow. and the algae is the only source of food for the fish.
 
The hobbyist was working with various pupfish- Obvious that this particular Pupfish one is too few to chance with a non scientist. Might mix the wrong DNA- to killing the fish with the wrong food.
After 50 years I need my Aquarium to look great and fish that look fantastic.
No room for boring things these days.
 
The whole idea of working with endangered or extinct in the wild fish should be attractive to aquarists. We could actually do something.

But we are much better off pushing for funding for institutions doing this. Why?

We're looking at ourselves, as creatures with short life spans, keeping creatures that have been around for millions of years. We're like fruit flies wanting to keep elephants. We have illnesses, divorces, moves, deaths - and we have a very hard time keeping organizations together for more than a few decades. These have to be collective efforts, and we have a lot of people who really oppose the idea of doing things collectively.

There's no guarantee institutions won't lose their funding, etc. That's all political. But chances are better. We should be protecting habitats, but if you put cities in deserts and provide them with golf courses and fountains? We aren't serious.

If we were, stage two of really getting into the hobby would be keeping some unattractive little fish we want future generations to be able to look at. We'd have stud books, report to central groups, exchange species, etc. Frankly. most fishkeepers would rather keep blood parrots, GMOed Bettas, Glo-Fish, fancy guppies and other fish never found in the natural world. There are thousands of fancy guppy breeders for every breeder keeping something endangered.

For the record, I have one killie and two livebearers that are considered in danger, but I have no access to any breeding organizations, and while I distribute my fish as much as I can, none of the people I've gotten these fish to have seen them as anything other than novelties, although a few have passed them along to others.
 

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