Where to find Christmas Fulu?

I had two males that tolerated eachother and colored up, but I just sold the smaller one. Kinda just didn't want the disapointment of finding the smaller one dead one day. Ferns have showed allot of red on the belly since a young age. Looking great Fern !

A little info-- please feel free to correct me as I am going on memory of a book I read earlier in the summer.

Fulu have a wide range of features in the states which has caused some speculation of hybridization, to complicate it even more Fulu and other Victorians can morph at amazing speeds, and change greatly in only a few generations. Lake Victoria is kinda of like a very young Lake Malawi which makes it extremely interesting. Almost beyond Macro Evolution. Shall I dub it Hyper-Macro-Evolution? It has turned the scientific community on it's head to some degree about what they thought was possible, and not possible. The lake was dry fairly recently I believe 2000 years ago (help me out fern, don't have the konnings book with me). It's an amazingly short amount of time for 600+ species to evolve from just a few. They are capable of evolving in the blink of an eye, depending on diet and environment sometimes with very similar species evolving side by side (something scientists thought impossible previously). Of those 600 species which were not reckongnized till the 70's? (fern? ) in the mid 80's they were down to just 300 or so do to industry polluting water ways, and perhaps most destructive was the introduction of the Nile Perch (illegally I might add... then they said, oh well since it's already been introduced let's introduce some more ). Christmas Fulu are actually considered extinct in Lake Victoria, but can be found in near bye water ways. The saddest thing is of the fish we lost the majority were the large unique open water predatory Cichlids many of which we simply will never even know existed. They could not compete with the large predatory nile perch that likely hunted them as well. The nile perch population has declined in recent years, perhaps because of the dwindling food supply. The cichlids near the rocky shores have faired best likely because of the protection it provided.

Ad Konings has a great book about the Victoria Basin Cichlids, and it is actually quite valuable if you can find it. it's a heavy ready but worth the effort.

I agree with "me" on allot... but to play the advocate, the nile perch has brought 180,000 jobs and over 3-4 billion dollars...... And for a poor country, with people starving, thats pretty cool.... so although it has devasted the lakes native species, it has saved allot of lives and hunger.....

In all honesty though, I still think they shouldnt have introduced it. but Im some what of a hippy in that subject.

But thats all besides the point! back to the fulu, they are gorgeous! wish they kept there color long term, like apistos after spawnin for the first time keep there spawning colors on the rest of there lifes

joe i think your going to want them back lol your going to have to come check out my tank theres lots of color in it my male has been colored every day... even the one that has only 3 fish including him... but he is very camera shy... the best color pict of him is my avatar as soon as the camera flashes all color is gone

Icer711 - no no no... thank you much.... I am done with Lake victorians.... the more i read, the more I hear, and the more I see of them the less I like them..... Of course when you see a few males with there show colors on, there isnt a better lookin fish... but its just not bright like that all the time... Now, yours sound like they are bright all the time, but IDK, I still like all whole tank lookin awesome, not just a 3-5 males, and the rest silver females....

I will make a trip out there though...maybe this week.

ok just let me know so ill be around lol dont want u to drive all this way and me not be there

heh heh, One day I'm gonna invite you down to my fish Room Joe, just to change your mind

Truthfully I've had fulu males that don't stay colored constantly, but I have had some including my prime breeding male that are constantly colored. I will try not to diverge too much but one of the species I got from europe Pundamilia pundamilia Senga Point has both male and females that are a pretty blue. The males get some extra colors, but all are very cool looking.

Off the top of my head that all sounds about right.

sandnuka, the Nile perch really didn't help the locals very much. Their fishing nets were hand made and could only handle the local cichlids, the perch was introduced and ate up all the little cichlids and tor up all the locals hand made nets. They had no way to catch the perch on their own and they lost their food supply! Bad for the lake and bad for the locals!

My sp44's hold a constant breathtaking color! 2 males in there are always in full color and there are another 2 in partial color.

When I had my colony of hap ruby green the 2 males always showed amazing color....... Till the massacre.....

Me, I'm still envious of all your nice vics Put me on your fry list for all of them

Lol Fern, will do

Yeah, the pike don't seem to be a stable fish, where the large cichlids were clearly well adapted. Another quick thing to mention is the industry's (logging, fishing etc..) which brought money to the area brought the population explosion as well. So when the industries fail their is potential for much more trouble for the local people. Sorta like outsourcing to India, it created a boom and more babies, but when we pull the rug out from under them what is left for the next generation.

Sorry to keep diverging, but it's hard to separate Victorians from the plight of the lake and it's people.

Well said Me!

If anyone is still looking to pick some of these up Nolan at Sierras Fish and Pets in Renton is ordering some and should be in a couple weeks!

Icer also has some I believe. VERY NICE.

I am loaded with tiny fry at the moment which aren't ready, and a handful of bigger ones I am holding for Fern.

Once I get back from my little road trip I will send you the $ for them!