neutrino
I wanted to DM you this question but it doesn’t look like you have that feature set up. I don’t really wanna create a huge emotional reaction to shared knowledge, but what are your thoughts about the different Zaire (Congo) collection points? Are they all the same fish with slight geographical variations in color etc, or is each locale a distinct species in their own right?
For example, there are many tropheus moorii color morphs. Red rainbows for instance can be collected at Kasanga & Kambimbwe and do look slightly different, but are the same fish.
Is it the same with “blue Zaire” variants?
Would it be considered a hybrid if a “moba” spawned with a “tembwe”?
Cheers
Yes, a long standing debate.
The simplest answer to me is they're all the same species and regional variant, so in that sense mixing them doesn't produce hybrids. Theoretically, I'm in favor of preserving pure collection points, but the subject is complicated.
My take is differences seem to be slight, can vary by individual fish, and aren't always apparent with each import from a particular collection point. Kapampa are an interesting case in point. Apparently, collecting from the actual original spot is costly in fuel and the fish themselves are very deep and hard to get at, so the story goes that fish later labeled as Kapampa aren't the same, originally collected fish. Some believe a similar thing about Kitumba, since they don't always live up to some of the early, very purple imports. The 'word' among some importers back in the day and accepted as common knowledge in some circles, is some collectors on the lake would simply go to a location convenient to them and label the fish as whatever was requested, saving time and fuel expense vs going to the actual spot. Or that some collectors kept an actual location secret so others couldn't find the exact same fish. I think it's moba that never actually came from Moba, which reportedly isn't Cyphotilapia habitat, but from a location kept secret by the original collectors, so other collectors went where they thought there were moba and called them "moba." So in the view of some, moba is a marketing name as much as a true collection location.
However, according to at least one diver and cichlid writer (he's French, I forget his name now, someone from cyphos.com corresponded with him and got his answer on some of this) he saw differences in the different locations. At the other end you have someone like Ad Konings, last I knew he was still insisting that all frontosa are the same and they should never have been separated into two species.
My thought is if you're not certain of where a particular import was collected, for example whether kapampa really means Kapampa, the best you can do is go with the information you have and not like it's unethical to mix collection points as long as you don't mix them and sell the fry as coming from a single collection point. Nothing wrong with selling them as Zaire Blue or Congo coast C. gibberosa except a possible marketing disadvantage if someone would pay more for a pure collection point. This was one of my arguments on cyphos.com, if you keep them 'pure' as far as you know you can ask more for your fry. Also, I've seen people complain that the whole collection point thing is nothing but marketing, but to me collectors going to more than one location rather than overfishing any particular location is a good thing.
