# Keeping fish that are Extenct in the wild



## henningc (Apr 17, 2013)

I know Skiffia1 gets this idea of conservation, I wanted to know if others did as well? I am starting up a C.A.R.E.S. tank with livebearers that are extinct or critically threatened. Is anyone else interested in doing this? I ask because I plan to distribute fry to people who like me will dedicate a tank to keeping these guys going and hopefully will distribute them just as I plan to do. So if interested drop me a line. I think we owe it to the hobby to keep these animals alive for the future.


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## Goby (Mar 21, 2012)

henningc said:


> I know Skiffia1 gets this idea of conservation, I wanted to know if others did as well? I am starting up a C.A.R.E.S. tank with livebearers that are extinct or critically threatened. Is anyone else interested in doing this? I ask because I plan to distribute fry to people who like me will dedicate a tank to keeping these guys going and hopefully will distribute them just as I plan to do. So if interested drop me a line. I think we owe it to the hobby to keep these animals alive for the future.


Are you a participating support team member? It was so nice to see this post! I've attended several CARES national conventions and have been an active conservationist for as long as I can remember. My heart leans less towards pet education and more towards game but both efforts are equally important! In recent years a group of us have become active in state specific conservation efforts and have become all but consumed during spring-fall months with student angler programs designed to bring conservative-minded young people into the hobby. 

Great post!


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Yep! One of my main goals is conservation. One of the species I keep is on the IUCN list of endangered species, and I have a feeling they will be dwindling even more since the area in Borneo is being mowed down. 

Conservation is something that many of us should at the very least look into. it helps to keep these wonderful creatures in our lives one way or another.


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## hotwingz (Mar 3, 2013)

I keep ilyodon cotezea and ameca splendens. My local club is actually registered as a C.A.R.E.S group. Most of us have some of the fish on that list and breed and share them amongst ourselves. I love to see more people in the hobby trying their part to help conserve these animals.


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## skiffia 1 (Oct 3, 2012)

It is good to know some of you are considering keeping goodeids ‘I’d like to point out it is best to keep speciesism’s with collecting data and to keep all species separated to prevent any hybrids. I started off keeping goodeids many years ago an old fish keeper friend said to me at the time anyone can keep fish but can you keep / breed and maintain a species long term I soon learnt what he meant. Soon after I see many new species of fish come and go it seems that when a new species is available to the fish hobby everyone wants to keep them. When the novelty wears off many people get rid of them move on to different species of fish, and then the once popular fish almost disappears from the fish hobby making it almost impossible to find anyone still keeping them.
This is one of the reasons i keep and maintain the goodeid family they can be a very hard species to find in the hobby and many of them can be very difficult to keep / breed. Example I have kept and had success with Allotoca zacapuensis for eight years and for many fish keepers in the UK including myself have found this species seems to produce mainly females than males if you get the chance to keep this species they don’t breed regularly both male and female have the same coloration you need to keep on top of this species, keep a check on the sex ratio they do well at the temperature of 70f. live foods should be fed in the diet this in turn would encourage them to breed


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## hotwingz (Mar 3, 2013)

Ya you also make sure not to mix lines. I have original R.R. Miller line or ameca splendins. As a registered keeper in not supposed to mix them with any other splendins at all. They say not to because certain fish were taken from specific areas. And are wanted to stay that way so when number are up to release them back. They are all correct to original collection.


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## henningc (Apr 17, 2013)

Thanks to everyone for responding. I have decided to just start with one type of Goodied and revisit space issues later. Just a few questions since I have your attention, what size tanks do you use for colonys of these guys? I have bred Amera Sp. in a 15gal, but it just looked crowdned. My other two options are 20L or a 55gal. I also want your opinion on aquascaping or lack there of? I generally don't use bottom substrat. My plants are typically java moss, duckweed and hornwart. Hornwart is planted in a small pot or weighted down so it stands up. I have a ton of driftwood, flower pots, PVC sections and natural flat landscaping stone. I am planning to secure java moss to a multiple branch root wad so there will be hiding places in the mid-water region. As for food, I use a combo of flake-Ocean Nutrition- live brine shrimp and fish fry. Depending on tank size I plan to add enough Least Killies to get a major food supply going. I have well over 100 females from summer pool breeding. If you have any suggestions on additional tank mates let me know. I was thinking shrimp or CPOs for the bottom.


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## JoeH (Nov 13, 2013)

ok im new to this stuff and might be a dumb question but what is cares and do they have a site?


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## JoeH (Nov 13, 2013)

never mind I found their site man I would love to breed and raise some Ancistomus cf. sabaji (Rio Xingú) pretty fish and I love plecos


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## henningc (Apr 17, 2013)

Hopefully the posts here keep coming. I'd be thrilled for more people to figure out the necessity of preserving our endangered species. Most of the high color fish we enjoy today came from dull colored wild stock that was selectively bred over years and years. My best acknowledgement is we are all too spoiled.

With the Goodieds, their behavior is very interesting. Unlike the livebearers commercially available, Goodieds are territorial, demonstrate dominant male peeking orders and can hold their own with more aggressive fish. Fry are large and hardy if you get them seperated from adults. Many types don't eat fry, one batch of fry and you'll see why. Most are bottom dwellers and like cichlids stake out a turf. 

I plan to breed the two pairs I have and in spring, will set up mature fry in a kiddie pool to breed them this summer. My plan is to put it in a semi-shade area on the woods line of our property. I'll likely add 24 Least Killie females to provide a live food source until the misquitos kick in. Last year, my pool fish fed on natural live food at least 80% of the time and likely when I did feed them it was to make me feel better rather than a need to do so.

Skiffia1, I read that the A. Zacapuensis need a constant food source in order to condition and breed consistenly. Just a thought.


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## JoeH (Nov 13, 2013)

yea would be cool to get a group going and swap fiash around but everyone seems to be into cichlids and their type I'm more into plecos and tetra type hehe.

I do see online sometimes fish from the list on sale on ebay and the like but man they are costly one I saw they wanted 400 bucks for. at those prices you have to have some serious money in order to get them. 

t5o me that goes totally against what cares is for. these rare species need to be preserved and like i see so many other groups do they swap them around and stuff so more ppl can contribute. if you charging 400 a fish how do you expect ppl to help the effort.

at least that's my opinion on that


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## henningc (Apr 17, 2013)

I hear you on the explotation for profit thing. P.M. me in six months regarding Aurdox and I'll give you a pair if you will take care of them.

On a side note, mine are chasing some small convict fry around and have them living behind the sponge filter. They are tougher than any livebearer you typically see.


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## JoeH (Nov 13, 2013)

what is an aurdox is that a tetra catfish or cichlid?


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## henningc (Apr 17, 2013)

Audox is a goodied. Sometimes people call it the black prince. Goodieds may be livebearers, but that is where their similarity to the common livebearers ends. Fry are large, fry batches are small, and their behavior is more like a mini-cichlid. Males are territorial and a small shoal is in consistent motion chasing each other and generally displaying. They are very interesting to watch and like I said the action is nonstop. I keep mine with corys-that just drives the Audox insane. I also have a pair of redtail goodieds X. Eiseni and they live with a breeding pair of convict cichlids in a 30H. The goodieds hold their own at just under 3".


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## JoeH (Nov 13, 2013)

ahh ok they prob wouldnt get along with anything im gonna have I am more a tetra pleco type guy peaceful fishys lol


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## skiffia 1 (Oct 3, 2012)

It is not a very good idea to keep corys with goodeids, adult goodeids will eventually attack and kill corys.
A. Zacapuensis need to Be fed on good variety of live foods to get them in condition for breeding. a few months resting period is beneficial a temperature of 64f-70f suits them well. I have found this species not to breed regularly nevertheless still a very nice looking fish to keep


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## henningc (Apr 17, 2013)

Mine are only about 1/2 inch now so the corys are safe for the time being. I realize they will have to go. Once I get them moved to a 55gal, I plan on introducing a very large colony of RCS , 6-8 Least Killie females, 4 Endler females to form a natural food source. I will also feed live brine shrimp, mosquito lava, crunched up snails and various fry from other breeding projects. Flake foods, especially veggie matter will be fed as well. 

The top of the tank will have floating plants and the bottom hornwart and a ton of java moss. The substrate will be a mix of sand, fine gravel and flat stone. I will aquascape the bottom to make rock formations and use several pieces of driftwood. I think with all the contrast in the aquascape it should provide enough cover to keep the food producing fish and shrimp going. I plan to keep te total population of Goodieds between 10-12 adults and will fish out the fry to rear seperately. If I can get 6-8 extra females I'll set them up in a kiddie pool in spring. I plan to pass along to other members the fish produced in the kiddie pool. During the summer when a lot of my fish go outside, I plan to get another line of Audax and start a project with Skiffia Francis. 

I like working with these fish and want to get them out to people who are interested in them for conservation purposes. Some people never think about the fact that some of the early aquarium fish are disappearing. I figure if I can get at least a dozen new folks interested and raising them I will have done my part.


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