pfk cardinal_piaba aug 2013

7/27/2019 PFK Cardinal_piaba Aug 2013

1/5sponsors PFK fsh o the month

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Fishofthemonth

Barcelos,Brazil

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Cardinal tetras arestrictly South Americanfsh, hailing rom the RioNegro and Rio Orinoco.Project Piaba is basedaround the Barcelosregion o Brazil, romwhere huge numbers otetra are exported.

Cardinalsanswer prayer sNathan Hill reveals a fsh thats a symbol o

sustainability, bringing hope and fnancialsupport to the very people who need it.

One defnition o the wordcardinal is: paramount, or ooremost importance. For theindigenous peoples o the Rio

Negro its patently clear just how importantthe Cardinal tetra really is.

This fsh provides them with incomewithout overexploiting natural reserves,which helps to retain the unspoilt nature otheir homeland and cultural heritage.

The Cardinal tetra, (Paracheirodon axelrodi)could be the most economically importantornamental fsh on this planet. From SouthAmerica, in a distribution that ebbs romBrazil across to Venezuela and Colombia, it isthe staple fsh that every hobbyist has seenand most will have kept.

For its novel appeal and ew reshwaterfsh have such a striking iridescence thereis a serious side to the Cardinal and thatsthe topic o sustainability. As well as being aglobal aquarium avourite, the handling othe Cardinal represents an attainable ethicalideal; a perect working example o howresponsible fsh collection can be perormed.

Its not lightly that the supporters behindthe Cardinal tetra trade bandy theiroptimistic slogan: Buy a fsh, save a tree.

Buying Cardinal tetras preserves oliageand peoples in those regions o SouthAmerica where the fsh prolierate.

Project Piaba, established in 1989 underthe coordination o Ning Labbish Chao, hassought to refne, investigate and promotetetra harvesting or optimal beneft to thecommunities there.

Rather than shameless profteering withexports, Chao has put into place a projectthat now sees fnancial benefts to a widermedley o individuals.

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Premium ood or all tropical fsh

The unmistakable blend oblue and red that makes

Cardinals so desired.

Its not lightly that the supportersbehind the Cardinal tetra trade bandy

their slogan: Buy a fsh, save a tree.



Later in the projects lie,nancial injection romphilanthropist Dr. Herbert Axelrodgave rise to the Dr. H R AxelrodOrnamental Fish Laboratory, whichwas urther upgraded to the Centreor Aquatic Conservation.

Since then Piaba has providededucation, scholarships orstudents, and promoted awarenesso its cause.

Figures vary rom source tosource, but bolder claims citenumbers o up to 30 million shexported annually rom the RioNegro and conservative estimateso up to 15,000,000 sh refect thescale o the operations.

Paracheirodon axelrodiaccountsor around 80% o these totalexports. This in turn provides anincome or roughly 60% o theriverine inhabitants o the Negro.

Many amilies rely on it or theirdaily sustenance, but we aquaristsso easily take it or granted.

There have been concerns overthe impact o removing so manysh rom the region, but on thegrander scale o things the guresare small.

It is understood that billons oCardinals perish each and everyyear due to the onset andsubsequent decline o the rainyseasons. The Cardinals wildliecycle could be considered closer toannual sh like killish.

Any wild Cardinal reaching morethan two years o age is considereda true veteran.

The benets o distributingincome rom these sh are clear. Itlessens the divide between rich andpoor in a region where inequalitycould be rie. Moreover, it meansindigenous peoples need not resortto alternative methods ogenerating income, such as hackand slash tactics to destroy

orestry to make way or short-term crop gains.

South America has been underthe scrutiny o the afuent worldor some time in its approach torazing huge areas to make astgains on maize, cattle harvests or

even contraband like cocaine.Projects like Piaba that serve toundermine the here today, gonetomorrow strategies o aggressivearming, are pivotal in preservinglarge expanses o wilderness.

Without even realising it, moneyrom Cardinals that you havepurchased has likely trickled intothe preservation o riverside regions

or the rainorest.

Changing coloursParacheirodon axelrodiis theoriginal double-take sh. Evennon-shkeepers are hypnotised bytheir sharp, crisp markings and theway that the sh almost glow asthough they have created theirown light.

The colours are attributed toiridiophores, and these, along withthe cytoplasm and guanine layersin the shs skin, have long beensubject to research.

Cardinals have a degree ocontrol over their own colours,increasing the cytoplasm layer intheir skin in the daytime, alteringthe reractive properties and,

subsequently the wavelengths olight refected. This is worth bearingin mind when buying some,because a retailer hates to be askedor six o the greener ones. Givenmere minutes, any markings maybecome very dierent.

In their natural range o thetannin-stained, rich-red rivers othe Rio Negro and Rio Orinoco,

those colours serve ascommunication and predatordefectors. They are pretty, but apredator can nd it hard todetermine exactly where the sh is.Is the body actually in the water, orcan it see the refection o the shbouncing rom the underside o thewaters surace?

Pending region o capture,markings can undamentally dier.Those rom the Rio Orinoco have ablue stripe that reaches just shorto the sot, feshy adipose n, whilethose rom the Rio Negro have

blue that extends beyond.Orinoco sh also have wider red

sections in the caudal peduncle.There are golden and silver-stripedorms, rarely seen in the trade, as

Beore export,Cardinals are keptin net pens.

Identiy Cardinalsby the length otheir blue stripe.

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Tough cookiesdsit bing icat in thaquaium, Cainas ithstansom conitions that no othfsh can aticuay a v oaciity that ou ki oths.

In th i, thy usuay boun in ats ith a H vau

somh btn 5.5 an 6.0.In xtms thy hav bnco at 3.5H, ith zo-

associat hanss th H oa tyica oang. In tsts itsoun that thaity stats totak its to at 3.35H.

This xtm toanc is onyossib in at-bon humicaci, hich hs to ucsoium oss in th fsh. In tyica

aciosis its otn thosmoguatoy ct o osingsoium that kis.

Many o misunstanthis aciic toanc an havai Cainas to incibyo H tanks in absnc ohumic acis h thy havish. Athough such o Hvs a toat, o mostCaina ks thy a

unncssay an th fsh i bhay at a H vau o 6.0 o itsnti i.

well as armed colour morphs,mostly rom the Czech Republic.

Come the night the colourschange, with the red ading whilethe blue band alters to refect moreblue and UV light, contrasting theirgreener, daytime orms.

Its understood that night timeinduces a shit in the spectraldetection range o their corneastoo, their eyes shiting wavelengthso they can still see each other.

Cardinals sustainlivelihoods.

Nothing beats theeect o a shoal.

Your cardinals werelikely moved in

crates like these.

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Improved recipe or clean and clear water



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Its imossib to tak o thCaina ithout ing to d.Hbt r Axo th sonthy nam at an ho hasouais th scis.

A man simming ith

chaact, Hbt has anbuint histoy uing hich havis Si winston Chuchi ongofsh, coct aongsi th

Jaans mo Hiohito,caught i Amazonian bastso wat disny, iais ith Kingloo III o Bgium an asinvit by th thn sint oBazi, Humbto Casto Banco,to h a u consvationans o th Amazon.

As as gaining gs inhysics, bioogy, mathmaticsan chmisty, Hbt aso

oun th tim to an at astsix anguags, so its ifcut toimagin ho h oun thootunity to xo th o

at th sam tim as stabishinghis hug ubishing mi hich suvivs to this ay.

exo Hbt i, an h haa han in intoucing many nscis o fsh that cay his

nam. Th chos o axelrodian herbertaxelrodi in thmoniks o many vaitis ayba tstimony to Hbtsaquatic oggnss.

Hbt cam acoss thCaina in 1954, thinking thfsh to b a n giant vaiant oth Non tta.

rtuning ith som toAmica, h not that thybhav an san intyto cassic Nons, an h sntsom to d. lona p Schutz atth Smithsonian institut.

lona buzz at th n fsh.H oint out that it as not

just a n scis but at thtim bong to a sh gnus

saat om th Non u toits int ntition.

evntuay in 1956 th fsh asscib an nam Cheirodonaxelrodi at vis toParacheirodon aongsi Nons

in Hbts honou.Th as initiay som

ossiona iction bcaustaxonomists witzman anMys ha aso scib this fshan thy ha ca itHyphessobrycon cardinalis.

Ov th nxt 18 monthsbat ag unti thIntnationa Commission oZooogica Nomncatu sungtoas axelrodi.

On a vs th iscovyo th Caina is a omunisut. Fist o a, kno

that South Amican nativs aa o ths fsh ominnia, so any caim to b thfst is hossy otimistic.

It tansis that th awstn iscov as mostiky th imnoogica sachHao Sioi, ho stumb onthm to yas io to Hbtin 1952. Hov, thinking thy

a vaity o Non h manothing o his fn.

Th a aso ots o thfsh bing tansot aounSouth Amica by Catain Mam,a Baziian iot, ho istibutbut nv scib thm o tookth iscovy uth.

Isctiv o ho cast ys onth Caina fst, hat mainsunisut is that Hbt as aion ho ut thm on thfshking ma.

dsit any isuts oviscovy, its a hay outcom

that th fsh no suotscommunitis, otcts habitatan cutus, an assaquaists acoss th gob.

The man behind the name rubbed shoulders with royalty

Feeding and keepingCardinals are moderately easy tosustain, as testied by the endlessthousands o community tanksthat house them.

To see them at their best,recreate the wild environment. Atank o 80cm/31 or more workswell or small shoals, though manykeepers have housed them in tanksat 45cm/18 or less. A larger tank ispreerable or relaxed sh andstronger shoaling inclinations.

Filtration need only generate lightfow as these sh arent amiliarwith swirling torrents. I advise aninternal canister or a small externallter connected to a spray bar todistribute weaker currents.

Lighting need not be intense, asthe refective nature o the sh willbounce o whatever is available.Low output T5 or even T8 tubes

work wonders without bleachingthe sh into the background.Consider the kinds o branches

and litter that would all into slowmoving Amazonian rivers orfooded orest canopies where thesh spend time during eachfooded season.

Fine sands, wood tangles, mats olea litter, seed pods, some foatinggreenery and large doses oblackwater extract will create ahome rom home. I using externalcanisters, peat can be used in oneo the chambers to release tannic

and humic acid.I thats too environmentallyunsound, or i you lack a canister,use almond leaves or alder conesto create those dark conditions

that are so loved by Cardinals.Cardinals are ound alongside

huge ranges o other sh in thewild, including hatchets, pencilsh,corydoras and loricariid catshsuch as otocinclus, and a long listo other tetras, cichlids and more.Researching a Cardinals tankmates is part o the un!

Keep temperatures higher, ideallyat 28C/82F, although i thisbecomes prohibitive or the othersh they will tolerate much lowerand may even start to breed whenthings cool to 24C/75F.

Feed a mix o dried and rozenoods, and live Daphnia whenavailable. Wild morsels o choiceinclude mesoauna tiny bugsthat occur naturally on lea litter and tiny insects andcrustaceans. Colour-enhancingfakes work wonders at bringing

out the red in the fanks.The sh will also take a degree oalgae ood but generally swing tothe carnivorous end o theomnivore spectrum.

Wild diseaseBe vigilant with new purchases. Asmost are wild harvested, they canbring in unwanted pathogens.

Monitored exports have revealedsh that carry Gyrodactylus,Ichthyopthirius, Piscinoodinium,Procamallanus worms and thedreaded Neon tetra disease,

Pleistophora. Be aware o the signso any o these illnesses, and watchnew arrivals like a hawk or the rstortnight: assuming you haventquarantined them rst.pH

OTOMAx

Cardinals work inso many tanks.

pfk cardinal_piaba aug 2013

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