Aquafish Northeim: large-scale order for P. ornaticauda possible

[Christian Neick]

Hello,
I have to agree with martin’s reply/opinion. Paros shouldn’t be imported commercial anymore. I guess that’s the opinion off mostly all members of PP.
We should only import Paros in small numbers private by our own during vacations or with the help of native paro friends there. Then we have to breed how much as we can. But about several problems we have/had with that we discussed a lot of times. Sometimes we need more or new fish to get a feeling for breeding and of course for fighting against inbreeding.

When I recognized Parosphromenus the first time about 10-15 year ago I had my first chances to get them in the igl’s forum. I still happy about that Plattform! Nearly the same hardcore people were active like in the PP today. At this time, comparing to today, I had the feeling that Paros were more available in commercial trade. The paro friends were happy if they found some species in trade but also angry and sad about the same problems we talk about today. Most of them died in the tanks because nobody was interested and they lived in wrong water with wrong food.
Therefore it would be the best if it’s not allowed to deal commercial with Paros anymore! It should help to keep the last individuals of rar species in their more and more destroyed habitats.
But that’s only one point of the problems to keep alive this fishes.

On the other hand we all know about the damage of the habitats.
To my mind that’s the other point martin is talking about.
What could we do if the habitats and species are lost completely? Maybe we will have some individuals in our tanks and go on breeding them. It’s the same with a lot of rar Bettas. We will never know when will be the last chance to get some individuals of a rar species from the small habitats. Maybe we think we should protect all fish there but one day there will be no more fish anymore to catch again for breeding.
But what will be the aim of PP then? I was not into that topic a lot of years and don’t know what ideas were discussed in the PP.
To my mind we don’t have a real symbol like Orang Utan or Panda. Nobody knows about this fishes and the problems. That’s a real problem!
Bernd told about a meeting with sealife for trying to arrange a exhibition about Parosphromenus. What happened to that? That’s a good way to make this topic more commercial. But for most of the humans Paros will just be a “fish” like thousands of others. They don’t look cute and seem to special like Orang Urans.
I don’t know, but did we try to develop relationships with zoos to start breeding Programms with exhibition tanks?
Maybe it sounds a little bit naive but most breeding Programms started like that. Will be a aim cultivating offspring of lost species in new habitats?

A lot of questions, opinions and ideas
just for discussing.

[helene schoubye]

I would like to just answer shortly regarding Sea life and other attempts at engaging Zoos in breeding programs. Sea life is as far as know still happening and is under planning just now. There will be some more information about this in Hamburg in September.
There has been some contact with Chester Zoo, UK, which originally was very promising, – and it may still be, but at this moment there is really nothing very concrete, and it does seem to me to be a proces which really takes a long time, and is difficult. But we have certainly experienced some positivity from different institutions.

You mention about ‘symbol’ – as the orangutang etc. This issuse we have also been talking about, and it is true, it would be helpful.
What has been talked about, and introduced by Christian Koppitz, and some fellow university students, who also will present their thoughts in Hamburg, – is that it may be helpful to link the situation of the parosphromenus species to the whole problem and tragedie of the peatswamps in southeast asia, borneo.
This whole situation is globally known, and many people are aware of it, and need to become aware of it. The paros, and the ‘fight’ for the paro species could be seen as very closely linked to this situation. By linking these together the seriousness of the danger to the paros, could become more clear in many ways.

[Christian Neick]

Hello Helene,

thank you very much for your explanations. As you mentioned connecting the problems of loosing Parosphromenus with the destroying of the habitats in Borneo with all their rar species can be the only way to protect our Paros.
That it will be a long way working together with zoos and more commercial companies like sealife I agree. I’m excited what will happen to this idea with sealife.

Chris

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