nwaas.com

What is an SMP?

A club Species Maintenance Program establishes breeding space for threatened, endangered, and/or extinct-in-the-wild species of fish in participant's home aquariums.

There are different rule sets for different types of SMP's. As we refine our club's program, we will decide on specifics as the need arises.

To give the program a jump start, I'm polling the club to determine who would be interested in participating in our program. Before you commit, there are some known prerequisites:

• You must prepare and dedicate suitable tank space in your home exclusively to the program for a minimum of one year.
• You must steward the stock you receive and their offspring. You will not "own" SMP fish.
• As your stock grows in number you may be required to supply new participants or replenish current specimens for the program.
• Rotation of stock with other participants may be necessary for genetic health.
• You'll need to keep records on where you got your stock, how long you've had your stock, changes in your stock, et al.
• SMP fish are typically not eligible to be sold for profit.

Sound like fun? Please post a short reply to indicate your interest in joining the program.

It's good to see this activity. Let's keep it up, and everyone who might be interested let Sundance know of your interest. Denny

Let's do sticklebacks!!!!!

I do not know if this fits in your SMP. I saw a presentation at last year's MASI show and have been become interested in the plight of the cichlids of Lake Victoria. I am attempting to spread interest in Lake Victorians due to their plight in the wild.

I have fry that should be juvies of the following Lake Victorian's that I am willing to bring down when I come to the auction provide free to NWAS member for the SMP. If the NWAS club would like to select a recipent member for each species at your next meeting or via discussion who would like to devote some to the raising and spreading these species, I can bring one bag of 8 juvies to the auction of each species if someone there can get these fish to the appropriate NWAS member.

Astatotilapia aneocolor ACA - CARES program - VU priority
Haplochromis sp. Ruby Greens ACA - CARES program - CR/VU priority
Lipochromis sp. Matumbi Hunter ACA - CARES program - EW (extinct in wild) priority
Mbipia cf. lutea Yala Swamp 'Spot Bar' ACA (not sure if listed)

If these fish fall in the realm of this program, as a club decide who the recipent will be and I will bring one bag of each species to donate to the SMP.

I will also probably be bring one bag each of the above to the auction for donation.

KingLucky

I like the idea of lake victoria cichlids!

Thanks, KingLucky. We'll consider that.

So we have for sure:

Gaines
Kevin
Sundance

and aulo if we go with Cichlids? And Corey if we all want to get busted by the Stickleback Police.

Ok questions. Does it need to be a species only aquarium? What size tank required I have no clue on this stuff so all info helps on whether ill be able to participate this go around.

Where would we be without questions?

We won't know exact tank sizes until we decide on what species we'd like to maintain. The current Tequila Goodeids are recommended to be in a 15 gallon or larger.

Species-only is generally recommended for the program since we will be trying to breed them and tank mates are always hungry.

When/if enough people voice interest in this thread, those people will decide on a list of species we'd like to keep. Then, we will attempt to acquire starter populations.

I guess I should be clear. Voicing interest in this thread is not a commitment. We're just gathering info at this point.

Commitments aren't made until we place an order for fish.

When we get closer I will let you know if I can. As it is right now I won't be able to with the small tanks that will be available. My attempts at convincing I need more tanks hasn't work

In the name of science!

I'm going to motion to discuss at the April meeting.

Would wild bettas fall under this category if they are endangered?

It's likely. Do you know the species' scientific name?

Betta picta I'm pretty sure they are endangered, it's so hard to fing info about them

I just checked the IUCN. It lists Betta picta as "Least Concern," and "[a] taxon is Least Concern when it has been evaluated against the criteria and does not qualify for Critically Endangered, Endangered, Vulnerable or Near Threatened. Widespread and abundant taxa are included in this category. "

In other words, this is the farthest possible category from being at risk and it would not be eligible for the SMP program.

No picta would not however true splendens would.

Several other wild Betta species would too.

However just because you want them does not mean you can't have.

It just would not be recognized by your club as an SMP fish.

I have been looking to start a project like this with a medium sized CA/SA cichlid but the idea of the Bettas is very interesting also. Hard to get just the right fish so i guess you just pick one and go for it.

Jack

It helps to have more than two members interested, too.

Sundance wrote:It helps to have more than two members interested, too.

I was interested, but in the interim God's Creatures gave us that offer to bulk order at a discount. So I ended up swapping the intended aquarium over to keeping nano fish, mostly dwarf rasboras. Now the species being discussed in the SMP are too big to mix safely in the community. If we decide on a species that stays tiny, I'll jump back in.

Depending on the fish that we chose, I'll be interested... If it needs more than a 20 gallon, then I'm out...

I've only kept Splendins, so I don't know much about any other Betta species, but if we chose a species, I think I could research them really good, and if I think I can handle them, then I will jump in...

I just ordered some yellow labridens for the HAAS club to start our SA/CA SMP project. Would stil be willing to get in on some other type of fish depending and will be happy to share these with NWAAS if we get them going.

Jack

Appreciate the offer! Those Labridens look big!

So how is it going?

Apparently no one is interested enough right now to step up and run with the program. We'll support it if anyone wants to take charge. Denny

We kind of crapped out with our attempt with some of the fish here in HAAS. We have a few people who are keeping and spawning some of the endangered fish but no real quote program in place club wide. The Labridens were not successful in our tanks. We have some Bartoni in the club but no babies from those yet. Some guys have some livebearers going that are threatened or endangered species. Jack

I know how it goes. Its a crap shoot with everything and interest has been waining on a lot of fish stuff.

IM INTERESTED IN BREEDING VICTORIANS IVE RECENTLY BROKE DOWN MY 100 GL. ITS BEEN UP LONGER THAN A YEAR
PH AT 8.6 NIT 0 PHOS O AMON 0 LG. CASCADE CAN FILTER AQUA CLEAR 110 HOT MAGNUM PRO HANGON
MORE THAN ENOUGH FILTRATION FOR LAKE VICTORIAN OF ANY SORT
I WAS GOING TO SELL IT BUT IF I CAN HELP KEEP SPECIES FROM GOING EXTINCT IM ALL FOR IT
AND DONT MIND DEDICATING IT TO ONE SINGLE SPECIES
ITS BEEN A MALAWI BIOTOPE WELL BESIDES THE CALVUS AND OBLIQUIDENS ZEBRA AND FLAME BACK THEY ARE NOW IN
SEPERATE 55 GL WITH COLONYS OF 2 MALES AND 6 FEM OF EACH SPECIES
CAN I HELP PLEASEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE?

Our only problem with the SMP was that we couldn't decide on a species, and recently no one has stepped up to do the work to keep the program active. Victorians may be a good choice, but it may be very difficult to get wild caught specimens. They are very prone to hybridizing if kept in a mixed tank, even assuming you can get the WC (and supposedly pure) breeding stock. No reason you can't pursue this even if it's only on an individual basis. Good luck. Denny

THANK YOU DENNY ILL CHECK ON WHAT IS AVAILABLE AND GET BACK WITH YOU GUYS

I do this with the ALA and it's a very nice project to have no matter what the species. I need to get one going for HAAS as we have talked about it on and off for some time. There are a lot of fish on the redlist, something for everyone I would think, as that would be important in a mixed local club. I think it would work better to offer a few different family's of fish so more may participate in the program keeping something they enjoy. Everyone has a space for one tank holding a group/colony of endangered fish

I keep a lot of my own stuff just out of personal preference.

The great thing had with the Tulsa Zoo is that we could help each other but their fish were quite limited so it was mainly me helping them.

I keep mainly livebearers in that category but have a few other odds and ends too.

Some of us in the OKAA do keep these but I never even attempted a SMP with them because I know how that would go.

On the lateralis I have two strains with local data so the original strain I want to sell off since there was no local data with them.

If you are referring to the strained were using for the smp then those were Los Berros. I currently only have males of those. I have a good group of Los Pinos though.

I will have a female for you at Aquapolooza or even better, you can have whats left of my colony!

Cool, thanks.

Not a problem;

I have two locations for them and cave mollies so I am good.

Hmm maybe try the Arkansas darter or Least darter. Those are both local species of concern. It's what the Sams club reserve thing is intended to protect.

Both would be fairly difficult for the average hobbyist to breed. Also, the Arkansas Darter is a candidate for listing as a Federally Endangered Species so it will likely become illegal to keep them in the near future.
Michael

I just saw this thread and would like to participate. I was also wondering if the ringed salamander would qualify? I was out picking up boards and rocks looking for earthworms to feed my pair of Oscars and found this, I assume; female.

Man, at first glance, I thought that was a big ol' coolie loach! Beautiful animal!

I am not actually a fish keep but... We are hoping to have a 65 cold water tank going in the next month or two. As well as completely freeing up a 35. I love researching so this may very well be something I am interested in.
Anyway, I was unaware there was a program such as this, and much less that our club offered it. I would assume that we have had a pretty good influx of new member who are also unaware of this. Perhaps we can talk briefly about it at tonights meeting? I know we seem to have gained an abundance of young member foaming at the mouth to spen money on their new found hobby. Would be a great time to get them focused on producing healthy, genetically pure fish that are endangered... Sound like all great lessons for young people, and us adults.

I still have not received anything back from cares. I will reach out again tonight. Anyway, April and I will be out on Vacation for the next meeting. While waiting for the next meeting I will try and get in contact with someone who runs the SMP for another club. I will also see what I can find in other forums to try and educate myself more on the matter. Fingers crossed maybe for our June meeting I will have something worth discussing.

Interested and can donate fish to the project.

Brooke, you have X. tequila ?
I would be interested in some if you do.