***FREE Presentation*** Rainbowfish - Gary Lange - Tuesday March 11th

Hi GSAS members, Gary Lange here.  I’ll be at the Sunday Members Only Event on Sunday March 9th at 5 pm to talk about collecting rainbowfish in Papua – “Extraordinary New Rainbowfish From Papua, Trip #4”, even more amazing fish, miserable collecting conditions and a money sinkhole”.  You can decide whether the hours on an outrigger to go over the ocean and up the winding rivers was worth it when you see our fish.  Was I worried on this trip when I realized the captain and his boat were gone when we got back to camp?  Even more worried when sundown was less than an hour away and we still hadn’t found the boat?  Yep.  But they were some of the prettiest fish to date that we’ve collected in New Guinea and at least 3 new species to boot!  But you can’t go if you aren’t a member!!  If this doesn’t convince you to become a member I guess nothing will.

I will also be doing a primary talk on “Rainbowfishes from Australia and New Guinea” on the regular Tuesday meeting night March 11th.

I will also try to bring egg kits to BOTH meetings, Sunday night and Tuesday night.  Won’t you be sad if the fish eggs you really wanted were at the Sunday meeting and YOU WEREN’T THERE???  They WILL NOT be these brand new fish offered below so if you want those fish you need to email me and request them.  I have no idea which fish will be laying eggs so don’t ask me if I can bring xx species.  I get them all ready by changing lots of water and feeding heavy and then start picking eggs!  Egg kits have exacting instructions so that even a cichlid person can raise them from eggs :-).  First fry food is included and you’ll be expected to hatch live baby brine shrimp for them for their second week food source.  Get some 5 & 10 gallon clean bare tanks ready with heaters set at an accurate 82 degrees F.  One tank per species as one will outgrow the other and the smaller ones will get eaten. See this forum for the hatching instructions and some pics

http://www.missouriaquariumsociety.com/FishHeads_Forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=1396]http://www.missouriaquariumsociety.com/FishHeads_Forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=1396

See your shortly!

RAINBOWFISH FOR SALE –CUTOFF ORDER DATE IS THURSDAY MARCH 6TH!  I arrive at the airport at 9:15 pm Saturday.  If you order fish from me it would be helpful if you arrange to pick them up actually several days before the Tuesday meeting because that is a long time for them to stay in the bag.  I think we are going to Cory’s “Fish Co-op” sometime on Sunday and I think Steve Waldren’s new business too so perhaps you can plan to meet us at one place or the other.  Hey or another good reason to make the member’s only meeting!  Make sure you let us know ahead of time though so we have the fish in tow!

Below is a list of Rainbowfish I currently have available.  There are also some posters available too, see the bottom of the list.  Some fish I only have a few of left at the moment so first come first served.  If you want them send me an email ASAP – gwlange sbcglobalnet I’ll send back a confirming email.  I won’t bring these with me unless they are requested ahead of time.  Pay me when you get the fish, cash please.  Yes some of these are little pricey, but they are also new-to-the-world rainbowfish, some even still unnamed.  They are still certainly a lot cheaper than what some 3rd and 4th generation African Cichlids are going for.  Most of these I have collected myself in New Guinea so you aren’t going to be finding them at your local pet store!  These are fish that don’t show up on the wholesale list and you really can’t go get them yourself. If you could it would cost you over $5,000 to collect them, yeah I’m that crazy about my bows!  

I miss PM's so better to do email.  Email me at gwlange(at)sbcglobal.net


Melanotaenia sp “Wapoga Red Laser” – 2 pair $90 4 groups available

3/4- 1.25 inch.  Juveniles from this tank are now producing viable eggs.

The “Wapoga Red Laser” is a brilliant neon blue on the top portion of its body with a hint of electric violet near the head.  But what truly makes this fish remarkable are the three bold red laser stripes that rip through the blue field showing that it is indeed a very unique rainbowfish.  You might recognize it as a fish that appeared on the front cover of the Rainbowfish Aqualog as M. praecox.  However DNA results have shown that it is a completely different species.  To obtain these fish we went by outrigger along the coast for six hours and then almost another 7 hours up the rivers until they became too narrow to go any further.  At daybreak we started our walk to the collecting area while our boat captain broke camp.  Little did we know that the river at camp had rapidly dropped and captain made the decision to move the boat before it would become hopelessly stuck.  He moved it many miles downstream!  After we got back to our abandoned camp we had to walk 5 hours through a jungle with no paths to rejoin the boat, arriving just minutes before sunset.  I think when you see this fish for yourself swimming in your aquarium you will know that the effort was worth it.  

https://2img.net/h/i179.photobucket.com/albums/w313/rainbowfishes/AB-Rainbowfishes/Mel%20sp%20Wapoga%20Red%20Laser/Mel_sp_WapogaRedLaser_AB_1700.jpg
https://2img.net/h/i179.photobucket.com/albums/w313/rainbowfishes/Mel_sp_Wapoga_StP_CW_M_0939.jpg
https://2img.net/h/i179.photobucket.com/albums/w313/rainbowfishes/Mel_sp_WapogaStP_CW_0890.jpg

CHILATHERINA ALLENI “WAPOGA RIVER” – 8 unsexed F-1 fish 1-1.5 inch $75 also Juveniles 1.5+” 2 pair for $80.

You will get both boys and girls in the mix with the unsexed fish.  While we were sloshing through the tiny mud creeks to collect our prized “Wapoga Red Laser” Melanotaenia rainbowfish we were also collecting this beautiful yellow with red finned Chilatherina alleni.  This fish also appeared on the front cover of the Rainbowfish Aqualog and has been lusted after by rainbowfish enthusiasts for almost 10 years.  Our wild caught fish are just getting big enough to start showing some of the amazing colors that we saw on the too large to keep adult fish.  The larger adults in addition to a brilliant yellow body and red tipped fins also had a sort of “red-dyed” look on portions of their body, like they had been red-stained just below their dorsal.  You can see it in some of the photos posted but doesn’t show up on the fish until they get much older.  Like their bluish cousins from Siriwo these alleni from Wapoga are extremely active and in constant motion.  They are just amazing to watch.  Just like most other rainbowfish they are easy to keep and breed, just perform quality water changes and feed them well.

https://2img.net/h/i179.photobucket.com/albums/w313/rainbowfishes/AB-Rainbowfishes/Chil_alleni_Wapoga/Chil_alleni_Wapoga_Mcw_0943.jpg
https://2img.net/h/i179.photobucket.com/albums/w313/rainbowfishes/AB-Rainbowfishes/Chil_alleni_Wapoga/Chil_alleni_Wapoga_0535.jpg

MELANOTAENIA SP ( LUBAN VILLAGE) – 6 unsexed F-1 fish ~1.5 inch 6/$50     4 groups available.

These fish are somewhat related to Mel. vanheurni but DNA is different enough to again be a new species.  Every time I go to Papua our missionary pilot friend brings us a new fish from an area where we aren’t collecting.  This is a fish from the Mamberambo river drainage on the north side of Papua, Luban Village.  My breeders are only 2.5 inches and look nicer every day.  When chasing the females the males get a very intense orange.

https://2img.net/h/i179.photobucket.com/albums/w313/rainbowfishes/Mel_sp_LubanVillage_0227.jpg
https://2img.net/h/i179.photobucket.com/albums/w313/rainbowfishes/Mel_sp_LubanVillage_0695.jpg https://2img.net/h/i179.photobucket.com/albums/w313/rainbowfishes/Mel_sp_LubanVillage_0685.jpg

Chilatherina species (Upper Tor) – ~2 inches and producing viable eggs 2 pr/$80 3 groups available

We collected these on our third trip to Papua.  They get to about 4 inches and are very bright yellow.  Picture isn’t that great you’ll just have to trust me on this one, it’s really cool.

https://2img.net/h/i179.photobucket.com/albums/w313/rainbowfishes/Chil_sp_Upper_TorRiver_1301.jpg


Posters

Our poster $10 – Pictures of some but not all of the fish that we’ve collected in 4 trips to Papua.  I only have six of them left so if you want one holler!

https://2img.net/h/i179.photobucket.com/albums/w313/rainbowfishes/VERYsmallPoster.jpg


Gerry Allen’s poster – Rainbowfishes of Australia - $10 unsigned, $15 signed.  Get them before they are all gone!

https://2img.net/h/i179.photobucket.com/albums/w313/rainbowfishes/Posters/Allen_OzPoster_0955.jpg

If you want any of the fish above email me   (gwlange sbcglobalnet) right away.  I don’t always look at the PM’s so send an email.

Gary Lange

Seattle_Aquarist wrote:
I got my eggs yesterday evening and this evening I already have 12+ fry of Melanotaenia boesemani “Aytinjo” happily swimming around in my 10 gallon with probably 40 more eggs that still need to hatch.

Betty wrote:I'm sorry I missed it.  I haven't been to a meeting in a while and wanted to make it to this one.