Tatia sp. "Marble"

This evening we found eggs from our Tatia sp. "Marble". Unfortunately this batch is infertile but it may lead to a fertile spawn. The eggs number right around 100-125. I did not collect them all. I would imagine a female in her prime would lay over 200 eggs as these fish are between 6-8" in length. The good news is that there appears to be another female that is gravid. Hopefully we will have fertile eggs soon! Stay tuned!

Geophagus

Recently I have really started to think about getting back into Eartheaters. In recent years, this group has found popularity all over again and with good reason. These fish come in a variety of sizes from smaller species like Biotodoma and Gymnogeophagus rhabdotus to the gentle giants of the Satanoperca and the ultra colorful Geophagus altifrons. I used to have 14 true Geophagus species along with a few other none Geos like Guianacara sp. "Rio Caroni", "Geophagus" sp. "Bahia Red", Acarichthys heckelii and even Retroculus xinguensis. A few moves required making some tough decisions and I parted with a lot of stock.

Now that all my fish are in my home. I see no reason as to why I should not go back to my roots so to speak and reacquire a few key species. I am currently keeping some rare Geos in the form of Geophagus megasema F-2 and G. mirabilis F-1. Soon I should have Geophagus sp. "Tapajos I/Redhead" back in my aquariums along with the newly named Geophagus sveni. I will certainly be on the lookout for some nice Geophagus altifrons in the near future.

With that in mind, some years ago I bought an extra copy of the Thomas Weidner book, South American Eartheaters. This is considered "the" book on Eartheaters and all things Geophagus. I bought the book in case the binding on my first addition ever gave out. The book is in very good shape minus the edge of the cover towards the bottom of the book (see photo below). I do not believe this hurts the overall value of the book as it is the content that everyone should be after.

At this time I do not think that will be as much of a concern so I would like to sell the book. The book is listed on Amazon at over $300. I do not really believe that is what people are willing to pay for this book but perhaps that is the case for someone. I know Mike Schadle sold a copy of this book recently but not for $300. Let's see what happens on Aquabid.com.

Loricaria sp. "Rio Atabapo"

A rare break in the weather is going to allow for some great shipping this week. So....how about offering a group of juvenile Loricaria sp. "Rio Atabapo" also known as the Crying Whiptail? This species is featured on our YouTube.com channel and have been one of the most requested Loricarrids in our fishroom. It is very neat lipbrooding Loricarrid found north of Villavicencio, Colombia. And now is your chance to buy some! I will offer six 1 1/4" F-2 juveniles with shipping for $100. The first person to email me at jeremybasch@gmail.com and sets up shipping before the weekend can have this fish in their fishroom for the holidays.

A Visit with Mark Sabaj Perez

The Columbus Area Fish Enthusiasts (CAFE) recently had a special guest speaker, Mark Sabaj Perez. Mark is currently studying the fish of the Rio Xingu. A worthy cause as many of the species could be endangered in the near future. This of course is home to Hypancistrus zebra, a species that likely will become extinct in the wild due to the building of the Belo Monte dam. Efforts to relocate this species have been met in vein. It is likely that this species developed due to the conditions within the Rio Xingu. Other species are also at risk such as Cichla, Teleocichla, Barancistrus, Pseudacanthicus, Pituna, Plesiolebias among many others. I encourage you to assist Mark and his efforts by donating to The Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, PA.

CAFE just had their holiday party at Smokehouse Brewing. It was a lot of fun for everyone. Congratulations to our 2015 winners, Jay Shafer for Breeder of the Year, Cory Campbell for Horticulturist of the Year and yours truly, Jeremy Basch for Article of the Year. Special mention to Tony Helwagen, Kirk Immel and Andrew McFadden for reaching new categories within the BAP.

To catch some of Mark's talk, take a look at our YouTube channel. While you are there be sure to catch our videos of Liosomadoras oncinus eggs and Loricaria sp. "Rio Atabapo" courting.

Seasons greetings everyone!