# wild caught, F1, and domestic



## Cajen (Mar 16, 2012)

I know that Wild Caught are desireable due to. Ring pure blood and good stock, as are F1. Certainly this thought is born out in pricing. My question is

Do wild caught fish adapt to aquarium life same as domestic? Is their behavior different? Does their behavior change as they grow accustomed to their new habitat?

Thanks for any input. Just trying to become more educated


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## Ryan82 (Aug 3, 2011)

I have only kept 1 supposed Wild caught fish, and it was a cynotilapia zebroides jalo reef. It died within a week, but this was due to an illness brought in by another new arrival. I have heard that WC fish are less likely to breed in captivity, but I don't know if that is true or not.


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## Guest (Apr 18, 2012)

i dont have any problems with any of my wild caught fish adapting, eating or spawning.. you gota figure that whoever sells you the fish to begin with usually holds them for a few weeks so they acclimate well and are eating.. people that import wild fish will usually do this so they dont sell you sick fish (at least the reputable ones do)

i think that male/female ratio, tankmates, tanksize and aquascape has alot to do with if any fish spawns..


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## GaFishMan1181 (Dec 17, 2008)

I bought a group of wild caught labeotropheus fuelleborni "katale".

I've order lots of fish f1, wild, and domestic and the wilds were the least healthiest lookingwhen i first got them. It took the largest male a while to get use to the food i was using but all and all they have adapted just like any other fish. That was 3 years ago and i still have the male and he is the boss of my all male tank.

Personally i think wild caught is a waste of money.

If you are really serious about breeding then yeah maybe you can get a few more |$ for the F1 fry but if you are just doing it for a hobby tank raised fish are just fine. Ordering from a good supplier is the most important part.


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## Cajen (Mar 16, 2012)

All good stuff guys thanks!!!


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## oldcatfish (May 27, 2009)

I've owned many wild caught fish over the years. There are differences. During a recent discussion on the CA forum, this very topic came up in one of the threads. Due to laziness on my part, I won't re-type it...I'll just quote myself:

----- "Unless the WC fish has been acclimated for awhile, you should notice a difference. Often the behavior is just a general nervousness or increased territorial behavior. But sometimes it's a little more extreme. Here are just a few examples of WC fish species that I've personally noticed a definite difference with.

1) Aulonocara sp Cobue Reef peacock male. In my 125g with other peacocks and haps...vigorously defended 1/2 of the tank against all non-Aulonocara intruders. Ignored all Aulonocara males of other species. Very particular about food and picked at substrate whenever he wasn't chasing one of the blue colored Haps. Other wild caught Aulonocara species that I've had displayed similar, though slightly less extreme behavior.

2) Stigmatochromis species male--very predatory. I lost him when he attempted to swallow a "Rubber" pleco that was too large.

3) Nimbochromis Venustus...I've owned both tank raised and wild caught ones. The wild caught ones displayed the infamous "possum" ambush strategy that the genus is known for. I've never observed it in any of my tank raised ones I've owned, though maybe others have.

4) Piranhas--used to be my passion before cichlids. I've owned several species. The wild-caught ones were much more aggressive and bold when in numbers, but even more easily startled if you moved quickly around their aquarium. You definitely did not want to put your hands in their tanks, and you got an adrenaline rush whenever you had to move one. Especially when you know that the fish could literally amputate a finger in a blink of the eye.

5) Sailfin Mollies--Like many aquarists, I was introduced to the hobby through relatives. Both my mother and uncle were long-time aquarists. My mom just had community tanks, but my uncle used to breed mollies. For years it was black mollies, but one year he decided to try a wild-caught strain. All of them were pugnacious, but one of the males that he received was too aggressive and kept killing off his other fish. He gave the fish to me...I put it in with juvenile CA cichlids. He tormented them until one of his tankmates grew large enough to kill him. It was a male Convict. Up until that point, the CA cichlids were all hunkered down in their caves.

6) I worked at a LFS when I was in my 20's. We used to get wild-caught freshwater fish on occasion, though usually only on special order. We did have a decent saltwater selection though. It was especially interesting trying to clean the tank of a large trigger fish that we had for awhile. I was glad that I wasn't working the day that he was purchased. It was a flashback to my piranha keeping days.

--I could name more, but most examples were not as extreme. Usually I just had to acclimate them to food, keep the water a little cleaner, and give them a little more space. Large WC CA cichlids usually become real glass bangers, once they are fully acclimated, even more so than tank-raised ones."


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## 24Tropheus (Jun 21, 2006)

Not that up on Malawi WC (never seriously bred these) but there is for sure a difference in Tropheus esp large adults.
They have bigger noses and jaw muscles and look much thinner and need a lot more TLC before they settle in tanks. Less so with smaller WC.
To be honest due to the difficulty with fresh WC I have had disease wise (they can carry a lot of natural pathogens) I would far preffer F1 fish if I could get them (the variant I want at the time) at the same size. I can not always get these.

Main prob with F1 money for a breeder is, if they are available then someone is breeding the species and variant already. That and F2s being less pricy you are already onto a loser if looking for a money maker.

There is the argument, more of the money goes to Africa if you buy genuine WC. Those guys then have a vested interest in preserving the stocks. But I guess indirectly by buying real F1s (be sure to check and see the WC pairents ((and learn to spot the difference)) or your F1s may not be what you think they are. :wink: ) we are still helping stuff like.
http://www.cichlidpress.com/smgfund/index.html

Buying domestic F? or man made guys or Florida or even Burundi bred stuff, then no portion of the money is going to help and be spent preserving the fish in the wild for the future.

I would not have missed keeping and breeding WC (they do act differently esp when new and if adult when you get them some of the difference stays) but can hardly recommend it price wise.

All the best James


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