Hey all I was at the toledo zoo last weekend and in the aquarium there is a Victorian Hap tank with a bunch of synodontis in there. It says the fish are endangered in the wild due to the Nile pearch. All of the cichlids looked weird with crooked bodies and such. There seemed like about 50 in there. Is this what they look like normally in captivity or was this tank sick? Incidently all of the synos in there looked fine. Anyone see this tank?
Toledo Zoo Vic tank.
- Thread starter Allan01230
- Start date
Sounds like a group of poorly kept fish. I have seen this more than once. Vics are beatiful fish. I wish I still had some.
Pharaoh;3257660; said:
I believe that the Toledo Zoo was a part of the Lake Victorian Species Survival Program (LVSSP) as is/was the Columbus Zoo. I got a behind the scenes tour of the Columbus Zoo a few year ago with the local fish club. The species that are a part of the program are not allowed to be put on display and I was not even allowed to take a picture of them. The tanks were all labeled F-14 through about F-22. The zoo employee indicated that they are starting to see some deformities and having fewer and fewer spawns.
The ones you see on display are likely experiencing the same thing. But with limited wild exportation, I wouldn't be too critical of the efforts made by the Toledo Zoo.
Kevin
is it possible that they got some vics with deformities or poor gene pool and the genes are degenerating with each spawn?
Naw I actually love The Toledo Zoo and applaud them for their efforts. I didn't realize that Lake Victoria's fish were in such trouble.KevinB;3260829; said:
next time visiting that exhibit tank please take some pictures... very sad to hear that the genepool is going down
Yes, some pics would be nice so everyone can provide some input. I have seen these fish many times & thought that possibly they are suffering from Malawi Bloat? It is true that they do look in poor condition, however I also applaud TZ for their efforts in rearing this endangered species in captivity. I am no expert on the disease, but from what I understand it kills rather rapidly, so this may not be the case.
Hi folks,
Just to clarify things - the Haps on exhibit are geriatric, non-program fish. The breeding program are kept behind the scenes in a large system because they need to be manipulated for breeding events in order to protect their genetic diversity. FWIW: the Toledo Zoo maintains the studbook for ALL of the public aquarium Victorians in North America....
J
Just to clarify things - the Haps on exhibit are geriatric, non-program fish. The breeding program are kept behind the scenes in a large system because they need to be manipulated for breeding events in order to protect their genetic diversity. FWIW: the Toledo Zoo maintains the studbook for ALL of the public aquarium Victorians in North America....
J
Neogenesis;3670178; said:
Scott, please take some pictures! I would also like to know the species being kept there.