Re: [GSAS-Member] Sad and Hot week

[matt kaufman <igotadose@hotmail.com>]

Coming in a bit late to the 'pure strain mbuna' discussion, but as always 
willing to loudly share my $.02 and rant.

 

If you buy any fish from a pet shop, its genetics are always suspect. Except 
for perhaps killifish with a known location and collecting code, everything 
else in a shop should be assumed to be 'aquarium strain'. Mbuna are bred in 
ponds in Florida and the far east, and are 'selected' for ease of breeding and 
grow-out.

 

I'm not sure how you're determining your fish aren't 'pure strain' (doing a DNA 
test?), but unless you start with wild collected fish or have access to 
offspring from such that you are certain aren't hybridized, this is tough to 
do. What makes 'a species' is still open to debate.

 

The American Cichlid Association, one of the worst run national associations in 
the country in my opinion (pathetic web presence...no reliable magazine...big 
time tie-ins to manufacturers and fish mass producers), *does* have reputable 
members who regularly import and breed wild fish. They're probably your best 
choice. And lots of their members have web sites and sell fish.

 

<flamebait> But, also, it's mbuna. They're just big dumb blue african cichlids 
:-) New world cichlids are far more interesting </flamebait>

 

Matt

 

 

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