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| Welcome to the summer issue of Cichlid News. This issue marks the conclusion of my first year as editor of this esteemed publication. I thank Ad and Laif for adding me to the editorial roster and their help and patience as I gradually got my ‘cichlid fins’. I thank our wonderful contributors for supplying the latest and most complete information on cichlids of the world, and of course you, our faithful readers as well! It has been my privilege and pleasure to contribute in this small way to the cichlid hobby. As usual, this issue sees an interesting mix of New and Old World cichlids, as well as science and cichlid systematics, collection and exportation, and captive husbandry. Importer and adventurer Oliver Lucanus reviews the recent importation of several rare cichlid species from the Colombian Andes. These beautiful creatures, some of which have been absent from the international cichlid hobby for decades as a result of the inaccessibility of their collection sites due to war, drug cartels, and other political interference, have appeared recently thanks to the efforts of several exceptional cichlid importers like Lucanus. Another of these importers, Jeff Rapps, offers his shortlist of ‘my favorite six cichlids’ at the magazine’s end. Ted Judy shares his recent experiences collecting with Anton Lamboj in Gabon, West Africa. His field observations on two sympatrically-occurring Chromidotilapia species raise questions concerning how they can successfully live together and share nearly identical niches as they do. These field observations also inform strategies he suggests for maintaining these species in the aquarium with the hope for future spawning and distribution of both C. kingsleyae and C. regani both of which are rarely exported, only sporadically available in the hobby, and which have so far proven difficult to propagate in the aquarium. Two articles on Tanganyikan cichlid species cover both the science and husbandry of two very different groups of fish. One of these is by regular contributor Patrick Tawil who reviews the status and aquarium maintenance of a group of underappreciated ‘tropheine grazers’ of the genus Simochromis including some intriguing ‘dwarf’ forms. In another article, Clay Neighbors shares his experiences maintaining and spawning two featherfin species, Cyathopharynx furcifer and C. foae. His detailed article shares his secrets and dispels some myths surrounding the captive maintenance of these stunningly-beautiful cichlids. Finally, Ad Konings rounds out the issue with his account of the mbuna and non-mbuna cichlids from Kachedza Island, a small island in Chirombo Bay. As usual, Laif DeMason finishes off with his update on recent arrivals to the cichlid scene. I conclude, as Ad usually does, with an entreaty from all three of us to “enjoy your cichlids”. Hopefully, this issue of Cichlid News will contribute in a significant way to that enjoyment. |
Wayne S. Leibel, Editor  |
