Virus? What virus? I ain't got no stinkin' virus! Or...do I?

["Scott Olson" <olson7@hotmail.com>]

I noticed my first symptoms in 1982.  Instead of studying, as I should have 
been, I was looking through aquarium reference books at the University of 
Montana library.  They had the Innes book, the Frey book (think?) and an 
early TFH book or two.

The pictures of apistos were few and far between, and not very good, to tell 
the truth, but I was very interested in these (at that time) rare and 
hard-to-get little beauties.

My wife first noticed my illness when I:

- Began to haunt all three of the local fish stores hoping, asking, begging 
for some apistos.

- Joined strange organizations like the Apistogramma Study Group, the 
American Cichlid Association and the Pacific Coast Cichlid Association.

- Talked about apistogramma in my sleep.  At first my wife thought I might 
be straying, until I explained that apistogramma is not a spanish lady's 
name.

I ordered some apistogramma cf caetei and a. Steindachneri from one of the 
two people that advertised apistos at the time in the Buntbarsche Bulletin.

About the time these fish came in, I found one lonely little apisto at the 
lfs hidden among some wild-caught rams.  I asked about him, and was told 
'six bucks', which at the time seemed a little extraordinary for a juvenile, 
unidentified contaminant, but I bought him anyway!

I didn't know what I had, so I drew a sketch of this little guy and sent it 
to Mike Wise, who kindly identified it as a probable viejita or possible 
McMasteri.

The cf. caetei spawned like mad in our Montana tapwater - quite a remarkable 
feat in and of itself.  I started hatching brine shrimp eggs and doing very 
frequent water changes.  It's been downhill pretty much ever since.

After a few years of severe infection, I was able to fight off the disease 
for about seven years (I believe my young son was an effective anti-body at 
the time; he has since mutated into a teenager).  Now it's back with a 
vengeance.

Have not as yet consulted my physician, as I fear any cure may be worse than 
the disease!  I have not heard my wife mention the word lobotomy with any 
frequency for years, but the word is beginning to float about the house 
again....

Best,

Scott
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