Re: Laetacara bonanza

[mengerin@cs.utexas.edu]

> My first inclination at reading Pete's outstanding success with
> Laetecara was to congratulate him - it is impressive. Reading on, I have
> to ask how many of us are in the same boat. I've slowed down or stopped
> breeding some desirable fish (N taenia, A veijita ) because I couldn't
> move them. 

Are you insane???  I can help you move these two fish!  A. veijita in
certain color morphs is an excellent fish.  Its personality is fantastic.

> They're too rare - no one knows what they are. It's frustrating to raise
> Nanochromis and get $1.00 a pair in a club auction.  

Them's the breaks so to speak.  However, here in Austin, Texas it is
the same thing with African Cichlids.  You'll watch Electric Yellow's
(L. caraeleous (sp?)) going for $2-4 for a bag of 6 or more.  Same
goes for many rare central american cichlids.  In another case, someone
sold a pair of spawning oscars for $15 or so.

> I guess I'm wishing hopelessly, but too bad we can't trade like we can
> with killies, eh? You know, "Beam me up, Scotty, and while you're at it,
> Pete has these buckelkopf..."  Gary

Actually, I have and do trade apistos like killies... largely with other
killiefish breeders.  However, I can say first hand that this trading
rarely yields a profit.  Most of my trades are for other fry/eggs/cultures
or for the future trade of something the other guy has got.  I'm probably
$20-30 in the whole with trades which may someday yeild something
interesting.

On the other hand, people are encouraged to put forth available list
on the killie list and I think others should do the same here.  I've
found that the dwarfs ship fine (I've sent or had sent to me: A.
macmasteri, A. standachneri, & A. nijsseni, A. borelli, A. trifascita,
L. curviceps, P. altispinosa, and others) in the same conditions as
killies: insulated box, bit of water, bit of Amquel, Priority mail. 

				Cheers,
				Matthew