Another Successful Trip/Convention

Well, I returned yesterday from another trip to Cleveland, Ohio.... not the most exciting city to visit but once a year it becomes a hotbed for fish enthusiasts ..... The OCA (Ohio Cichlid Association) holds an "extravaganza" each year (next year will be their special 20th anniversary edition) and it is a fantastic time. They get amazing speakers in (this year my favorite was Shane from PlanetCatfish, last year Hans-Georg Evers, editor of Amazonas magazine) from around the globe and there is a great collection of cichlids and catfish to see and buy..... The event attracts hobbyists from the North Eastern USA - Michigan, Pennsylvania and other fish clubs are well represented. there were people from Kitchener, Ottawa, Hamilton and Durham clubs as well. Also, many people are selling fish from set ups in their hotel rooms and there are all kinds of fish to find.... even rare livebearers and killies. I came back with 23 species of fish, including some rare livebearers (one that is extinct in the wild) that I had shipped to the hotel from Florida. The border crossing coming back this year was the easiest one yet and all fish survived the trip. I ended up with a nice selection of Apistos and several Central American cichlids that I have not kept yet. I am hoping that I will have lots of fish to sell and trade with others when spring rolls around.

I suggest that people look up this event and consider putting it on their calendar for a visit.

Great achievement s4p !
That is impressive to bring back 23 species into the canadian hobby ! Well done. 

I guess you are now acclimating the group and getting them settled in. Looks like a fantastic way to start the winter colony building. Looking forward to future updates. Excellent job bringing home some exciting new species.

Congratulations! Is it too much asked to get the names of the new species that you got?

Very exciting. I'm glad everything went smoothly. What species of apistogramma did you get?

Well, as far as livebearers that made it home with me there were:

Micropoecilia picta, Xiphophorus malinche, Xiphophorus couchianus, Heterandria elegans, Heterandria Formosa the Gold Form and Phalloptychus januarius

Apistos were veijeta, inirdae, pandura, paulmuelleri alacrina and gephyra

I brought home several Central American fish, a few Rift Lake, some nice West African Benitochromis nigrodorsalis but the find of the trip may be a killie that is actually in the Goodeid family - Crenichthys baileyi

sucker4plecos wrote:Well, as far as livebearers that made it home with me there were:

Micropoecilia picta, Xiphophorus millaerche, Xiphophorus couchianus, Heterandria elegans, Heterandria Formosa the Gold Form and Phalloptychus januarius

Apistos were veijeta, inirdae, pandura, paulmerelleri, alacrina and gephyra

I brought home several Central American fish, a few Rift Lake, some nice West African Benitochromis nigrodorsalis but the find of the trip may be a killie that is actually in the Goodeid family - Crenichthys baileyi

Some rare fish there s4p: Crenichthys baileyi, technically critically endangered and the Monterrey Platyfish, endangered. As well I am a distant admirer of the swamp guppy. Again, well done and quite an achievement !

Some cool fish. I can't seem to find anything on the Apistogramma paulerelleri. What do they look like? What is unique about them? You have some gorgeous fish.

Sorry, wrong spelling... trying to read my writing after the weekend...... they have been recently renamed but I'm sure you will find info on them now....

I did not realize at the time that the baileyi were federally protected in the USA.... and that I was not actually supposed to be in possession of them.... I know people in the fish world and sometimes you find things that you aren't supposed to..... the X. couchianus is now considered extinct in the wild according to CARES......

Thanks..... if all goes well, I will have fish to share and trade in the spring... there are already a few people here that I've done so with and we are looking forward to the new season....

That is an impressive list with some nice rare fish! Hopefully you are successful in breeding them.

I kept couchianus for a few years, but have lost them now. They have an interesting status as one of the few reintroduced extinct fish. They were technically and probably physically gone from nature as their habitat had had a hotel complex built over it. However, there are thorny plant areas around there, and there has always been hope that there is enough water somewhere in the thickets for a population to be clinging to life.
The Mexican government set up a big show a couple of years ago and reintroduced captive stock into a restored habitat for them. I have heard no reports on whether the experiment took or not.
Either way, their status is really shaky.
C baileyi is red-listed as vulnerable, but not highly endangered. It's a curious fish.
I don't know the mystery Apisto, but alacrina is not a soft water species - all the others are.
I love Benitochromis. That is a great find. They get a bit big, but they are nice fish to keep.