Artificially hatching Ram Eggs

[joel and angie wasdyke <joel_ang@visi.com>]

As a result of this recent discussion, I would like to see a list of
qualifications to become a "serious" aquarist.  Because after 10 years,
spawning 50+ species and currently keeping 30 tanks, I apparently don't
qualify because I artificially rear rams.  Quite a lot of them by the way.
I probably have several hundred golds and german blues swimming around as
well as a few spawns in the process of hatching.  (to address another note,
I have been reliably informed that these "damaged" offspring do raise their
own young).

The other apparent no no for a "serious" aquarist is sully themselves by
doing anything that borders on commercial.  Now, for a number of years I
spawned a lot of fish that I liked that had no, or very limited, commercial
value.  So, I decided it would be nice to finally make this "hobby" at least
earn it's keep.  I thought about angels and discus and some other fish.
But, I noticed a great lack of people in the States raising rams and all
that seemed to be available was the crap coming out of Asia.  As a result, I
will probably ship out 100 this month, maybe 150 next and then over 200 a
month after that and up from there. 

As far as this question of serious goes, it seems to me that it takes a fair
amount of seriousness to maintain bloodlines, acceptable breeding
conditions, water quality and everything else that goes with longterm
maintenance of a species of fish.  I have never really been impressed with
the ability to get a species to spawn one time.  One time is luck, more than
one time is skill.  By that I mean that a species may spawn and the keeper
have no good idea what the environmental conditions needed to be other than
that they were somehow right at the correct moment.  And for a discussion
about being a "serious" aquarist, go sit down and have a talk about
bloodlines and genetics with a commercial angel breeder.

It will always amaze me how anal aquarist get about "their" fish.  It was
like that when I raised CA cichlids and it was like that when I raised
African cichlids.  

Joel WasDyke


-------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is the apistogramma mailing list, apisto@majordomo.pobox.com.
For instructions on how to subscribe or unsubscribe or get help,
email apisto-request@majordomo.pobox.com.
Search http://altavista.digital.com for "Apistogramma Mailing List Archives"!