new on forum - getting back into the hobby

[richgarrettt]

hello,
I have been out of the hobby for about 15 years. Plan to get back in a small way - not the 44 tanks of apisto's I once had!

Will probably start with my old friends, trifasciata and borelli, before
getting into the newer species in the hobby.

a couple of questions for the group.

are the elizebethi that are around now, the almost mythical fish that
we dreamed of 15 years ago?

what new books on dwarfs have come out in the last decade. still have all my old ref books, but would love to see what is new.

is kurt Zadnik (spelling) still in the hobby? and another guy in the Oakland area ( who could get any species to spawn) whose name excapes me.

anyway, looking forward to getting a couple of tanks going.

Rich Garrett
Apache Junction, AZ

 

[Neil]

richgarrettt,

WELCOME TO THE FORUM

are the elizebethi that are around now, the almost mythical fish that
we dreamed of 15 years ago?

Yes, there are actually several color-forms that are now (sometimes) available. They can be had, but still carry a pretty high pricetag. And they still (and will probably continue to be) rare, because of collection and breeding difficulty.

what new books on dwarfs have come out in the last decade. still have all my old ref books, but would love to see what is new.

I am assuming that you had the L&S book back then, but the most easily acquired books (in English) now are the Aqualog- South American Cichlids II and the Cichlid Atlas by Uwe Romer. There are others, but those are a good place to start. for more info on books in general, run a search here. Tons of info!

is kurt Zadnik (spelling) still in the hobby? and another guy in the Oakland area ( who could get any species to spawn) whose name excapes me.

Yes, Kurt moved back east (I think) and reduced his involvement significantly in the hobby, but still attentions conventions now and again. I am not sure of the other person.

Good luck with your return. I am sure that you will find that alot has changed with availability and a myriad of new species.

Neil

 

[Mike Wise]

Welcome back into d.c.s Rich. It's been a long time. You'll be shocked at the number of different forms/species of apisto out there - somewhere between 150 - 200 right now!

The other guy that you asked about is Brian Wolinski. He has moved from Alameda to Florida & is now basically out of the hobby. Too bad, too, because he was absolutely the best breeder of apistos I've ever met. Still, there are several good ones out there now.

I have a question for you that's been bugging me for the 15 years since you left for the South Seas. Did I pay you for the Rotstrich you sent me in the mid-80s???

 

[JG]

Hahahaha.

 

[richgarrettt]

Mike,
No, I think you owed me lots o $$ Plus interest for 20 years. ;^)

Nah, anything that long ago, is best forgotten.

brian Wolinsky - completely blanked out that name. quite the guy,
too bad his wife was not so much into his hobby (obsession).

are you still in Denver area.
give me a buzz at [email protected] and we can chat offline.

rich