Re: [RML] Looking for bright Rainbows

Bjorn Straube (straube at digital.net)
Sat, 11 Oct 1997 23:33:23 -0400

Hi Cary,
You're right of course, there have been fish shows for a long time.
But, I think that senario would be self-defeating for our purposes. If
breeders strive towards an ideal and cull undesirables, then the genetic
diversity will be reduced not upheld. Unfortunately, I suspect that the
only true way to keep the gene pool viable in the long run is to bring
new material in from the wild, and that does not seem to be possible for
some of these fish :( Nobody ever said it would be easy <sigh>

Bjorn

caryho at ix.netcom.com wrote:
>
> In The Dawn of the Third Age Bjorn Straube <straube at digital.net> woke
> me from my contemplation by writing:
>
> > Sort of like a fishy AKA (American Kennel Association). Mabey the WBA
> >(World Breeders Association) ;) In a few years we could even have our
> >fish entered in the West Minster Fish Show ;) Then of course we'd have
> >to have our "pit" bows put to sleep when they attack someone <g>
> I think it would be our pit mogurndas and grunters :-)
>
> > Seriously though, I think that idealy it is a good idea, but we would
> >be setting ourselves up for a lot of politics, and trouble. Besides,
> >who is going to decide what a "perfect" rainbow is, even if I where
> >qualified, I would not want to be the one everyone asks why their
> >wonderful fish is not up to snuff.
>
> I never said perfect, I said wild type. I am a person that people come
> to all the time to look at their bows. It really hurts to tell them
> its a cross or a poor quality bow, but I would rather do that and
> steer them to some good stuff than let them think they have great
> stuff. I even have a few crosses that people have given me because
> they heard I keep bows and they couldn't think of a better person to
> give them to <G> I don't have the heart to flush them. There are often
> fish shows with local aquarium clubs, so fish get judged all the time.
> I've judged in the past myself. When I recently judged the rainbows at
> my local club's bowl show, some were not even close to being up to
> snuff. I explained to each person that wanted to know what was good
> and wrong about their fish. We also had some rather good quality fish
> show up and i explained what was right with the fish. The thing is if
> people like the fish it doesn't matter what quality it is. And often
> what makes a good fish is the same with most fish people keep.
>
> Basically it comes down to having quality bows over the long term.
> Either we pay attention to what's happening with the fish and trash
> what isn't good or let all the fish go bad. When you can't figure out
> what species a fish is anymore, you know you're really in trouble. And
> some of what comes out of Florida is already in this shape. To many
> fish keepers this the only source they have to get a rainbow. Even the
> shop owners know what they're getting is crap and would like a better
> source, but generally aren't prepared to pay a cost that encourages
> anybody to raise the quality stuff.
>
> later
> Cary Hostrawser
>
> My Rainbowfish Home Page
> http://pw2.netcom.com/~caryho/home.html
>
> Rainbowfish Study Group Web Page
> http://home.stlnet.com/~gwlange/rainbowfish.index.html