I wish I was like that! It would be nice if I could stop cutting up that python tubing for my tanks.

Welcome DeeSeven. I really like the direction that you are going with fish. I love my Xenotoca and they are easy fish to keep breeding, at least in my water. I have put all but a pair into my summer pond, they always look better after spending the summer camping out. The pair of juveniles that I held back must have gotten lonely as they have decided to refill the tank themselves rather than wait for the others to return. I also have a couple of different Ilyodons and I favor wild type fish over he highly developed kind. So far I am not having much luck with wild type swords which is a puzzler as I always did well with domesticated swords. My present focus is on the various goodeids as many of them need someone to help preserve them and they are within my ability to help.

I like the way you think oldman I purposely picked wild fish to help preserve whats in the waters instead of getting all crazy with genes and what not.

Howdy everyone.

I've been lurking in these forms for quite a while now, so I guess it's well past time to get all sociable and introduce myself. My wife told me the other day that lurking is akin to stalking, so I decided it was time to stop lurking. Also, I just joined the ALA yesterday (Thanks Timothy...or is it Tim?). My real name is Dan Hodnett...my user name, both here and on AquaBid, is Fishkillie, partly because I've killed my share of fish as I've progressed in this hobby, but mostly because I like killies. Actually, I like all small freshwater aquarium fishes, but I started this hobby with killies, so I tend to always have a few around.

I'm a hobbiest, pure and simple. I enjoy breeding fish and I usually don't keep anything unless I'm trying to breed it. I do this because it is fun. If it ever stops being fun, I'll stop, but it has been fun for about 16 years now, so I don't anticipate the fun stopping any time soon.

A while ago, I got sick of heating my tanks. I've been keeping a lot of temperate species (or is the correct term "subtropical"?). It's been a whole new world for me, but I'm learning quickly. I absolutely love not paying the heating bill. The only drawback is that in the winter, your hands get real cold when you are messing around with the fish.

I am working on my PhD in theater (yes, their is such a thing as a PhD in theater!)at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and the weather here is ideal for temperate species. We do get a few hot days a year, but it is generally nice and cool. I've also got a wife and two little kids, so I don't have time for a big operation. I just have one rack in the house with 20's, 5.5's, and 10's and 2 racks out on the patio with 40, 55, 60, and 100 gallon tanks. I think I have 22 tanks in total. Most of them are used for growing out fry. I like to raise LOTS of whatever species I'm working with. Right now I am breeding:

-Fundulopanchax gardneri "Makurdi" red-nice, big, colorful gardneri.

-Fundulopanchax gresensi-my "Godfather Jim Forshey fo the Aquatic Bookshop gave me a few pairs of these when I was 14, so I got them again for sentimental reasons.

-Fundulus catenatus-also called the Northern Studfish. These are BIG, beautiful, awesome fish. I don't for the life of me know why more people don't breed them. I collected 40 eggs from them this morning. Did I mention they are beautiful...I guess a lot of killie people only have small, poorly filtered tanks, or just mason jars, so the Fundulus are out of the question for them. Obviously, I love them. I've attached a pic for your enjoyment (at least I tried to...you'll know if it shows up or not!).

-Rainbow Shiners, Cahaba strain-If you've ever seen these, you know they put cardinal tetras to shame...they are that stunning.

-Scarlet Shiners (Lythrurus fasciolaris)-Big, beautiful shiners...I haven't got them to breed yet though, any advice?

-Aphyosemion striatum-I have a million babies growing out. They are pretty, but I can't wait until I can sell them all to make space for something else.

-Orange Throated Darters (Etheostoma spectabile)-Awesome personality, awesome color, tons of fun. They breed like rabbits, well, they would if rabbits were egg-laying fish.

-Girardinichthys multiradiatus-After a long search, I finally found a source for these, our own Webmaster Earl. I don't have them yet, but I can't wait. I think they will be very happy out on my cool, shady patio. I'd love to hear anyone's experiences with them, as this will be my first crack at this awesome fish.

I also have an unidentified livebearer my friend John Niemans (owns The Fish House) collected on a trip to Uraguay. One of these days I'll get a pic on this form to get it identified.

I also have some unidentified hillstream loaches I got about a year ago, a few Characidium rachovii (awesome fish!), and some white clouds that I use as dithers. That's about it, except for a few bags of peat moss with some Nothobranchius rachovii "MOZ 09-4 Quelimane" (My favorite rachovii) and Simpsonichtys flammeus "Nova Roma". I also have a few crystal red and cherry shrimp that I use to keep incubating eggs from fungusing and fry tanks clean.

That's about it folks. Glad to finally meet you all.

Dan Hodnett
"Less drama, more theater."

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"My wife told me the other day that lurking is akin to stalking, so I decided it was time to stop lurking"

HEHE, I think in one way she's right.

Welcome to the forum officially.

I love that fish in youtr photo. You said yo live in Santa Barbara. Well I am not far away I live in the heart of San Francisco.
I raise veiltail mollies, guppytail mollies Lyre Veil, and Ribbon tail mollies. I am working on improving the characteristics and color and working on producin an albino buppytail no success yet.
gerard94114@yahoo.com

Hey Dan, I would love to see a picture of a Rainbow Shiner.I've never seen a fresh water fish that could put a Cardinal Tetra to shame.
Have dabbled with Killies from time to time.Have a friend who ownes a LFS that only sells Killies,Fred Behrmann(Athens Aquatics).He has around 200 tanks that house only Killies.He's a real good guy ,I like to go and see him every once and a while, because it's like going to the candy store,everytime I leave I leave with a few bags of fish.LOL
Below is Aph.bualanum

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Hello copper,

Sorry it took me so long to reply to your post. I started a new job this past Monday, and it has taken all my available time. Anyway, here are two links to Rainbow Shiners. A lot of pics don't do them justice, as their metallic brilliance seems to get lost. These two vids are as close as I could find to the real thing.

There are two major varieties of Rainbows...those that are pink/purple and the Cahaba strain, which is bright blue. The pink/purple ones are beautiful all the time, but only really stunning when they are fired up to spawn. The Cahaba strain, on the other hand, is colorful even when it is not spawning. Both strains color down for the winter, but they spark right back up in spring and the Cahaba stays brilliant until the next winter.

Pink/Purple strain: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATVV2CFO2dY&feature=related

Cahaba strain: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7R3OgaGOYQ

Don't get me wrong...I love most all fish and a good school of cardinal tetra's glowing in a dark tank still takes my breath away even after all these years. In my mind, however, it is just hard to beat a group of rainbow shiners.

Cheers,
Dan Hodnett

Hey Dan,That's what I love about this hobby,You never stop learning.There is always somthing new. They are beautiful!!!!

cool. some of our local members did a collecting trip on the cimarron river recently and brought some of those home. I really hope they get them to spawn and they start showing up in club auctions. How are they in a commnunity tank?