Re: Species Maintenance Program

[Randy or Deb Carey <carey@spacestar.net>]

Julio,

I've been thinking about how to properly encourage and and reward such an effort
for the local club.  Here are my current thoughts:

With every publication, post each species maintenance registration.  This
information would be the maintainer's name, the genus-species name, and the date
when this maintenance began.  However, a listing will be made only after the
person has successfully maintained it for a set amount of time (6 months, 1 year,
whatever).

For a club like the Apisto Study Group, you might want to add a date for when
this line began (and possibly the original or previous maintainer).  Contact info
would be appropriate.  This would reward the maintainer with other people
contacting him for a supply of the species.  I'd add a requirement to
participation that the person cannot ask over a set dollar amount per fish, the
rate based on fry-juvenile-adult stages.  Afterall, the intent is to keep them
available to fellow hobyists.  The maintainer should be able to make some money
for his/her work, but the acquirers should be able to afford them.

The longer someone is listed, the deeper the incentive for this person to
continue--an older date is hard to acheive and can be impressive.  I mean, if I
have been listed for 5 years as the maintainer of some species, I would have
incentive to continue as it might be hard to let this listing be dropped.

Also, I would not include species which are considered commonly available.  If
someone is to register, they need to work with something that is not commonly
seen.

Such are my thoughts.

I'd register something, but I'm already looking at maintaining 3 rare tetras and
a "threatened" livebearer.  Surely the ASG has enough members to do its share for
the Apistos.

- --Randy