I signed up today with the intent of breaking up my tank and seeking a new home for my Malawi mbuna. But after reading posts all afternoon i'm having second thoughts again.
Here's my story: When my son was a toddler (5 years ago) he developed a passion for everything fish and sea life. So I decided to set up a tank for him. After some trial and error at the local pet store I discovered that my well water was ideally suited to Malawi cichlids. So I decided to jump in with both feet, bought a 75 gallon tank and proceeded to stock it. I have red zebra, acei, yellow labs and for a while I had demasoni, but I was never able to keep a stable population. The pride of my collection was a blue male red zebra. Later I discovered that I had another male, this one orange and equally striking. I maintained the tank for a couple years successfully with the zebras and the yellow labs breeding frequently and only the demasoni giving me trouble.
Then last year I lost both of my male zebras (no obvious cause). By that point my LFS (in Aspen Hill) had closed up and I wasn't sure where to restock. Add to that a job that had me working 70 - 90 hours a week and I was ready to pack it in. So I stopped restocking and let natural attrition carry off a few more while I dithered over whether to break down the tank and what to do with the fish. So I finally made the decision to let it go.
Now, of course, i'm rethinking it. I'm sure i'll have lots of questions as I reevaluate this decision once more but right now there's one question foremost on my mind -- is there any chance i'm going to be able to replace that blue red zebra? I know they are not common but I don't know how rare they are. And after much soul-searching today, i've realized how much I really loved that fish.
Sorry, I realize i've written a book here. But I figure you guys might actually understand my dilemma. My family thinks i'm overthinking this; after all, they're "just fish".
Thanks.
Terri
Here's my story: When my son was a toddler (5 years ago) he developed a passion for everything fish and sea life. So I decided to set up a tank for him. After some trial and error at the local pet store I discovered that my well water was ideally suited to Malawi cichlids. So I decided to jump in with both feet, bought a 75 gallon tank and proceeded to stock it. I have red zebra, acei, yellow labs and for a while I had demasoni, but I was never able to keep a stable population. The pride of my collection was a blue male red zebra. Later I discovered that I had another male, this one orange and equally striking. I maintained the tank for a couple years successfully with the zebras and the yellow labs breeding frequently and only the demasoni giving me trouble.
Then last year I lost both of my male zebras (no obvious cause). By that point my LFS (in Aspen Hill) had closed up and I wasn't sure where to restock. Add to that a job that had me working 70 - 90 hours a week and I was ready to pack it in. So I stopped restocking and let natural attrition carry off a few more while I dithered over whether to break down the tank and what to do with the fish. So I finally made the decision to let it go.
Now, of course, i'm rethinking it. I'm sure i'll have lots of questions as I reevaluate this decision once more but right now there's one question foremost on my mind -- is there any chance i'm going to be able to replace that blue red zebra? I know they are not common but I don't know how rare they are. And after much soul-searching today, i've realized how much I really loved that fish.
Sorry, I realize i've written a book here. But I figure you guys might actually understand my dilemma. My family thinks i'm overthinking this; after all, they're "just fish".
Thanks.
Terri
