No personal agenda again Conkel on my part - I've just been around long enough to know that a lot of what he says doesn't check out under scrutiny....that there have been unintentional hybridization issues at his farm in the past (especially among Vieja and Paratheraps)...and that (because of this) I try my best to steer clear of his stock. He spoke at my local club meeting last year and my perspective has not changed...
The best way to clear this up is transparency around where and how Conkel / Gage source their "wild" stock.
- Who is (or are) their sources of wild (not "wild") fish from Mexico? Do they also import pond-raised fish (from Central America)?
- Are there any RECENT pictures of people collecting from the wild (not recycled '90s-era photos or the same photos that are on his website)?
- Can they produce any import statements, permits or other documentation of wild import from Mexico?
- Have their suppliers ever seen piebald or other unusually-colored zonatum in the wild? It would seem that with regular collecting activity going on that Conkel and his suppliers would have a better idea than just about anyone of the natural variability of this species...
- Macracanthus and Trimacs are also found in the Rio Tehuantepec (Mexico). Given that zonatum is (allegedly) being collected from the wild, are the suppliers also collecting these species at the same time? Relative abundance of each? Conditions in the river? What the habitat looks like? Other fish found with the cichlids?
I could go on....and I'll probably hear the same stories of secret collection locations (so that "the others" won't travel to Mexico and take all of the "special" zonatum)...
In closing, I'd be a lot less skeptical of Conkel-sourced stock in general...and this guy's fish in particular...if all of what I've described above wasn't so shrouded in mystery (or coated in BS).
Providing this kind of information could both go a long way in demonstrating the authenticity of the stock they're selling but also provide valuable information and insight for hobbyists and scientists...
Matt
Rather than gossiping behind a computer screen about this situation, I simply called Gage this morning when I saw the thread. Not to speak for him, but he just said (paraphrasing) "We imported the fish as wild from our supplier, then pulled them and shipped them once the order was placed. Don and I have never heard of a piebald zonatus, so we don't know what's going on. The parents appear to be what we shipped and haven't heard this from anyone else with that fish"
If you have a personal agenda against Don, fine. Don't buy fish from him then. I haven't heard of a single vendor around who hasn't had some issues and complaints. Don has had years in the hobby where he's done more than most of us will probably do in our whole lives. Take that at face value, and like I said if you don't like him, buy from someone else.
There's a lot of things that can happen in the chain from a fish being pulled from the wild to ending up at a large wholesale facility. Who knows? Unless you're collecting yourself in small numbers you really won't 100% of the time. You can place trust in your suppliers but who knows what goes on day to day with new employees going in and out? These are small, poor countries after all and we're talking about relatively large sums of money. And, sorry OP, but the magnifying glass also falls over you as well.
To conclude, simply jumping on the bandwagon and bashing Conkel just seems a wee bit trite to me. I've never been to DCT, have you? Personally I don't like to judge a person unless I see everything for myself. My what some of you would think about me if you were only to get your information from ex girlfriends...
Like I said, think what you want and buy from who you trust. I'm not here to tell anyone what to do, but I'd hope this thread could be a little more civil.
