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Fishes of Burundi - Interview excerpt - Pondraised Tropheus

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  • #16


    Click on the link "Tanganyika Extreme!"

    An interview with Mark Young by Fredrik Hagblom

    Here is a little chip from the interview you guys might find interesting.


    "There is always lots of talk in the hobby about wild caught fish not being wild caught. Do you think there are a lot of cichlids arriving in Europe and the US as wild caught that are actually pond bread?

    Hmm are you trying to get me shot? hehehe that’s a political question. But I’ll be Honest. Understand if I disappear one night out on the lake you know why. Of course. And any one in the know will now who is doing this. Lets just say there’s been lots of unrest in Burundi and it’s hard to get out and collect fresh stocks. Down south, well the borders are not terribly well policed..Who knows what goes on AROUND THE BORDER area especially, say the Kalambo area……


    Do you think there are dealers selling F1 as wild caught?


    Hmm do you think I have a death wish? I would say yes but I have no hard data to back that up."
    I ate my fish that died.

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    • #17
      Glen (jeebus),

      One of the great joys of keeping Tropheus is the variety of color that mother nature has provided by keeping them isolated on their own reefs and locations.

      It has nothing to do with elitism it has to do with respect. The difference in those other fish, is simple one thing...they have been hybridizing SA's (discus) and other cichlids for 50 years or more. They've been hybridizing Dogs and Cats, and other animals since being kicked out of the Garden of Eden. With Tropheus, it has only started in the last 10 years.

      People are very adament about how they keep these fish. People dont mix them with others, they want the fish just like its pictured from the wild. It is that desire to have them unique and respecting them as they exist in the wild. This is true wether I have read them in German, Austrailan, Turkish, French, Scandanavian, Spainish, and here too in the US. The people that have been keeping these fish, and even the new people all want the fish to remain pure. Yes, there are some selective people that are making the hybrids, but why is that? Well in my opinion it is because they lost the respect that once was shared by the explorers and pioneeers in this hobby of keeping Trophs and other Tanganyikan fish. In order to meet demands for more colorful fishes, they have made hybrids for those people that desire them. They have made the Caramba more red, they have made a Solid Yellow Kiriza, on and on...they have done this and some people in the market who dont care, will buy them.

      I might be old school in my thinking, but I bet if you could poll the people in this club, the 30,000 members of Cichld Forum, and the members of Tropheus only forums...I bet that the vote would be 85% for not making hybrid Tropheus.

      I cannot change what others have done in all the generations of man, and in the last 50+ years to parrot fish and discus, but If I can make a difference with Trophs then I will. Call me a elitist if you want, I really dont care. All I care about is giving these fish, the fish that have been my passion for almost 12 years now, the absolute best respect that they are so much more deserving of than me.
      380G For Sale $3000 Acrylic tank & stand
      300G Petrochromis Trewavasae and Tropheus mpimbwe Red Cheek & Duboisi
      180G For Sale $1,100 Oceanic Cherry with Stand, T5HO Lights, (2) Eheim 2262
      150G Tropheus Annectens Kekese & Ikola

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      • #18
        Here is a link to the thread in Cichlid Forum, where Mark talks about his adventures and the things he has seen and experienced while on Lake Tanganyika that has been running for almost 5 years now.

        It is one of the most interesting threads I have ever read.

        Enjoy...

        380G For Sale $3000 Acrylic tank & stand
        300G Petrochromis Trewavasae and Tropheus mpimbwe Red Cheek & Duboisi
        180G For Sale $1,100 Oceanic Cherry with Stand, T5HO Lights, (2) Eheim 2262
        150G Tropheus Annectens Kekese & Ikola

        Comment


        • #19
          dang Geoff...now im gonna be reading this all day!!! on page 4 now
          250gallon-Wild Angels, community

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          • #20
            wow...finally finished reading of all the thread Geoff posted a link for...really amazing stuff to say the least...had no idea all the work it took to setup life in Africa. Hope that thread keeps going strong. Anybody know who here gets shipments from him?
            250gallon-Wild Angels, community

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            • #21
              Mike might be able too. Mark had good collection of fishes ready to be shipped out some time over the summer. But he had to leave on an emergency and left the care of his fishes to a friend. Needless to say, somehow most of the fishes died.

              It's actually kind of wild. His friend put covers over the vats so no sun light came in at all. When Mark got back, he notice the fishes' scales would fall right off just by touching them. They soon recover under his care and he shipped them off. There was an idea that tropheus needed light the same way humans do to product certain vitamins. Anyways, kind of off topic.....

              Because most of the fishes died, Mark had to collect more and was backed order for his European importers. Bet if Mark fills those orders and if Mike wanted to Mark would do it. Mark also goes to the Congo (but only once in a long while) to collect so we might be able to get some rare fishes out of it.
              I ate my fish that died.

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