Social media and The Cichlid Stage

If you read the blog and you like it, please share it on your preferred social media sites. If you’re a member of any cichlid Facebook groups, please don’t hesitate give the blog a shout out. I always welcome more readers and love to meet new cichlidophiles.

As I’ve stated before, this blog is nothing more than a virtual personal journal if there aren’t any readers. And I don’t need a blog platform to write for myself. So please feel free to share the site with others. Also, feel free to comment or contact me. I welcome that too.

Thanks for reading!

Lisa & Martin Hoeber interview

Super Cichlids logo courtesy of Lisa Hoeber.

Just over two years ago, I interviewed Lisa Hoeber of Super Cichlids. At that time, Super Cichlids was an online-only retail store. Fast forward to this summer and that changed in a big way. Lisa and her co-owner husband, Martin, opened a physical store with the same name in their hometown of Dover, Delaware. Shortly before their opening, I e-mailed Lisa and Martin asking if they would be interested in doing another interview. Thankfully, they happily agreed.

If you’re in the Dover area or within a reasonable driving distance, I would encourage you to visit their store. I haven’t been myself, but I have seen numerous photos. The place looks amazing! I know Lisa and Martin, and they’re first class. If you visit, I would expect that you will experience the same unbridled friendliness that you’ve experienced interacting with them at their vendor booth during fish shows and conventions. Even if you can’t visit their physical store, certainly go to their website. They have great deals all of the time.

Continue reading this post…Lisa & Martin Hoeber interview

Feeding cichlids while away

Plastic medicine cup. Photo from walmart.com.

With the holidays upon us, I thought about how many cichlidophiles will be traveling. Many of those will be gone long enough to need their fish fed while they’re gone. This sometimes creates problems. I was recently reminded of how often cichlid keepers return home only to find a tank with dead fish.

Continue reading this post…Feeding cichlids while away

A cichlid Thanksgiving!

Every year I try and make it a point to give thanks to folks who have contributed to making The Cichlid Stage the best cichlid blog on the Web. All of the people listed below played a part this year – directly or indirectly – and I send you my heartfelt thanks. There are probably some that I am forgetting. I’m sorry for that, but you know I’m thankful for you.

Continue reading this post…A cichlid Thanksgiving!

In memoriam – Don ‘Z-man’ Zilliox

Don Zilliox.

Just before the awards ceremony at the OCA Extravaganza this past weekend, two members from the Tropical Fish Club of Erie County (TFCEC) made a short presentation.  They presented a $100 check to the Jim Smith Fund in memory of long time TFCEC member, Don Zilliox, who passed away last month.

The cichlid keeping community has lost a great treasure, and I am very saddened. Though I never had the privilege of meeting Don in person, I know he was an outstanding fish keeper and a great guy. How do I know? Keep reading.

Continue reading this post…In memoriam – Don ‘Z-man’ Zilliox

OCA 25th Extravaganza, day 2

Day two (Saturday) of the Extravaganza was outstanding….well, at least for me.

The day began with several talks – Hans George Evers, Oliver Lucanus (his 2nd talk of the event), and Ad Konings, I didn’t attend Evers’ talk but I did Lucanus’ and Konings’. Both are excellent speakers and their presentations were very informative. Below are the talk titles:

Continue reading this post…OCA 25th Extravaganza, day 2

OCA 25th Extravaganza

The previous post mentioned seeing Sam Scalz and Mo Devlin. Not long after I ran into those guys, I went by Jodi and Brantley Berry’s booth in the vendor room. The Berry’s are the proprietor’s of Pleco Caves. If you need some ceramic caves, you have to go to their website and see what they offer. I have posted more than once about their business, and they have made custom caves and tubes for me. They also have a Facebook page. I can’t recommend them highly enough.

Continue reading this post…OCA 25th Extravaganza

Free blog t-shirt at OCA Extravaganza

Cichlid Stage t-shirt. Photo by author.

We’re just a few days away from the start of the 25th OCA Extravaganza. As I posted earlier this month, the first three attendees of the Extravaganza who introduce themselves to me and tell me they read the blog will receive a free Cichlid Stage t-shirt, just like the one in the photo above.

Don’t miss out on a free t-shirt! You can’t buy them, so this is your best chance to get one until at least the upcoming ACA Convention in Sacramento July 2020.

Additional evidence of chemical cues in cichlids

Chemical structure of uric acid. Image from https://chemspider.com/.

Back in October of 2018, I posted about how water changes can upset hierarchical dynamics of cichlids. That post was about a recent scholarly journal article focusing on angelfish. The premise was that the removal of tank water and the introduction of fresh water during a water change dilutes the chemicals that angelfish expel and depend on for social status reconciliation.

A couple of days ago, while looking for some additional information on chemical cues, I found a very interesting article published in 2015 titled “Chemical communication in cichlids: a mini-review“. This article covers chemical communication in cichlids within multiple contexts (e.g., reproduction, social hierarchies, recognition). I would encourage you to read it when you get an opportunity.