Parosphromenus-Newsletter No. 100 Bielefeld (Germany), Juni 20th, 2012
Dear friends of the Licorice Gouramis, this is newsletter no. 100. That’s true: Since we started the Paro-Project in 2005, 100 issues of the newsletter have been sent out. At first we called them „Paro-Infos“, but from 2001 when we became trilingual, they received the new international name. I think, we can be happy about that development!
Today we want to talk about several points:
1. Don’t be frightened, early alert only: Our website will change, but most things remain
In some weeks time, there will be a renewal of the software used by Helene Schoubye. This affords a new configuration of the pages by Helene. But don’t be frightened: The address remains, the contents remain, the basic structure remains stabile, all log-ins of our members remain valid. The website will only look different, that is all. So please be calm. However, for Helene there is much work to do. But it is promised that many things become easier for her. Let’s hope this comes true.
2. Distribution: Make the best of the summer!
The war season has begun in the northern hemisphere. This means the shipping of our fish will be easier. We recommend: Don’t wait, make use of our distribution-service now! In autum the shipping becomes more difficult and risky. Since our distribution manager is not in office till the end of May, write to peter.finke@parosphromenus-project.org instead. Afterwards to him again.
3. We look for specialists
Quite a few friends care for or breed several species, some even many. The „godfathers“ are newly determined by our census-manager every time according to the results; this means a special responsibility for the time to come. Some godfathers remain the same for years, others change more often. And several godfatherships could accumulate by this method. That could lead to an overstrain of single persons and a disadvantage for special species.
Therefore we want to construct a second safety mechanism: an array of specialists for a single species each. We think of friends who are very successful with this species; they have always fish of different sizes. Think of Bernhard Lukiewski (Berlin/D, P. quindecim) or Thomas Beu (Frankfurt/D, filamentosus). Of course, they care for other fish, too. But we can be sure to find quindecim resp. filamentosus at every time. We want to extend this to the other species.
–> Think of the possibility to play that role for a certain species, please! And tell us. Then our list of specialists becomes longer slowly. It will be a second safety device fort he species and other forms in our tanks. Whatever you have and breed in your tanks furthermore.
You only need for this purpose two tanks, a small one for the breeding pair and a bigger one for the growing young fish from different spawnings. So, if there is a species doing especially well with you then you will be perfect for this role. When we have ten or fiffteen specialists like this, sustainment oft he species in our aquaria.
4. Approaching our first international meeting in Hamburg (D) 2013 : details
There are only 15 months and our first international meeting will take place. We very much hope for a good participation and guests from America and Asia. We work for that goal in order to achieve a fine exchange of fish and ideas. There will be at least offspring of Parosphromenus to be distributed to all who are interested.
– Date: Now you can organize your trip, the exact date has been fixed. It’s the end of September 2012, Friday 27th till Sunday 29th
– Place: Hamburg (D), but the exact meeting place will be announced later.
– Program: We try to arrange a schedule that is attractive for friends from all countries. Horst Linke (for instance) will show movies and stills of Paros’ habitats. It will begin Friday afternoon (resp. evening), the main events will take place on Saturday, and it will end on Sunday about noon.
– Language: Most speeches will be delivered in English, otherwise we will organize English translation.
– Species: You can obtain offspring of at least ten species of licorice gouramis. An installation of breeding tanks can be visited.
– Long distance visitors: We shall organize a special care of the welfare of friends from abroad. This will include proposals for further trips and sightseeing before or after the Paro-meeting.
– The next meeting: That is not yet fixed. We think of 2015 or 2016. American friends have suggested Singapore, certainly a good place. But there maybe other suggestions?
5. Some short news
– The fine form spec. Danau Rasau (from Sumatra) that is certainly relative to bintan has been brought in again by Horst Linke. This time it may not die out again!
– There is cautious hope that B. Bussler is able to propagate the last remaining pair of P. deissneri. For the first time the eggs were fertilized and larvae have hatched! Keep your fingers crossed!
– We have got knowledge about some new expeditions in the second half of 2012: Nicolas Buisson (to Western Malaysia), Bernd Bussler and Christian Hinz (to Kalimantan/Borneo and to Bangka)
– There are more and more indications that two different fish have been lumped together unter the name of „P. sumatranus“: a rather slim one displaying vertically head upright and one displaying head down with higher body dimensions.
– The international trade with Parosphromenus is in the last years entirely dominated by fish from Sumatra, especially by the forms spec. Sentang, spec. „blue line“ and spec. Sungai Bertam, but more likely other local variants of bintan-like fish too, and nearly all of them are mostly offered bearing wrong names (“sintangensis” or „deissneri“ etc.).
– Our project has three aspects that look beyond aquaristics: “rainforest rescue”/concern about the dwindling biodiversity, “threatened peoples”/support for the peoples concerned by the logging, and “citizen science”/spread and participation of knowledge). Please tell us media interested in the combination of these aspects!
All the best to all of you, your steering group.
In charge: Peter Finke (Bielefeld/Germany).