Re: show fish

[Mike & Diane Wise <apistowise@bewellnet.com>]

John,

Having judged a few shows, including at a couple of ACA Conventions, my
suggestions are the following:

1. Size: Males should be large & mature, not old; no humped backs or big nuchal
humps. Obese fish are a no-no. So are fish with "lumpy" bodies that aren't shaped
correctly.
2. Deportment: Make sure it deports itself well in a bare tank. Judges don't
grade fish very high is it huddles in a corner in its fright pattern or if they
have to dig it out from behind a filter. You can train your fish to be more
"outgoing" by keeping it in a bare glass tank, in a "busy" location, for several
weeks (or months) before the show. Every time you feed it carry a clipboard with
you. Most small cichlids are not particularly stupid. Given time they seem to
associate the clipboard with food and come up to the front to be fed. When the
clipboard-carrying judge sees the fish rush toward him, he can't help but be
impressed. Some species seem to be more outgoing than others. Among apistos,
species of the macmasteri-group and steindachner-group do well in this regard. If
you have a fish that won't respond to these tactics, it's unlikely that it will
show well enough to impress a judge. Try another. Believe me, the perfectly
formed fish will always lose out to one not quite so good but deports well for
the judge.
3. Color: - or lack of color is important. In highly colorful fish it is
important that they show their colors well - no fright patterns. In less colorful
fish (like pertensis- & gibbiceps-group species) their colors aren't as bright.
If the judge is experienced, he won't mark down for lack of non-existent color -
as long as the fish doesn't show its fright pattern. Inexperienced judges, well
that's another problem.
4. Finnage: Check fins - no fraying, splits, or deformities allowed. Paired fins
should be equal in length, same for caudal extensions.
5. Scales: Check scales - no loose or missing scales; no lateral line erosion
(same for eyes, obviously, but I've seen fish with missing eyes in shows. They
are usually next to impossible to get to turn around.)
6. Mouth: Check mouth - should be symmetrical and not downturned on most species.

7. Gill covers: Check operculum - no missing or deformed gill covers.
8. Judges: Check the judge(s) - if you know their experience and likes and
dislikes, you can adjust your entries to their preferences. If you have an
experienced d.c. hobbyist judging, he may have a preference for certain species
(maybe he hates domestic color strains or actually hates 'ugly' (non colorful)
apistos, or can't stand seeing commonly available fish but goes nuts over rare or
new species). Judges with no experience or interest in dwarfs (all too common in
shows) will often pick the most colorful fish regardless of its less colorful
competitors qualities. (Pick a group of fish that you are not particular
knowledgeable about or interested in. Then ask yourself how do you judge such
fish without additional information?)  The ideal judge is one who is experienced
with the species he's judging and experienced in judging fish in general. This
type of judge is usually the most fair. He is also very rare in the cichlid
hobby. Maybe we need training sessions for judges like those put on by the IBC
(International Betta Congress).
Of the 8 factors, this last one is probably the most important - and least
utilized.

My personal experience has shown me that apistos aren't the best show fish among
dwarfs, but with some time and effort can easily compete with other dwarfs. Among
Neotropical dwarf cichlids Dicrossus filamentosus and Rams do especially well.
Checkerboards seem almost fearless (actually, dumb as posts) and stay more in the
middle height of a tank (easy to judge). They don't lose a lot of color either
and the lyre tail is very impressive on such a slender fish. Rams, being open
water fish, seem to be less shy, too and their color tends to stay put.


John Wubbolt wrote:

> Hello All
> With the upcoming Ohio Cichlid Associations Cichlid Extravaganza, I was
> wondering what or if any special things I should look for when deciding
> whether a fish is show quality or not.   I have some nice males that I
> think are fine looking specimens and was thinking of entering them in
> this show, but was looking for some pointers that might help me decide
> what are things that judges look for in the Dwarf Cichlid Classes.
> Any help here would be appreciated.
>
> John
>
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