# Zamarky1, Please use this post to indulge us with...



## TropheusKid

your Tropheus collecting stories, pictures or anything else you can share that is tropheus related. I think everyone here is fascinated with the fact that you live and collect in Mpulungu and would love to hear more when you get time.

Thanks,
Steve


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## Louis123

lol thats soooo right, I've read all his post 

I would love to live your experience..


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## Guest

Yeah, keep typing 'till our eyes glaze over.  (not in this lifetime)


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## katoto

I could not have said it better!!!


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## FeatherfinFan

Yes Mark, if you've got the time for a little question & answer thread and possibly further personal insights we can make your own thread and post it on top as a "sticky" so it won't get lost in the pile


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## zamarky1

hi

Sure no problem. I have many many tails of misadventure on the lake.

regards mark

P.s i am hving trouble with replying to P.M's..some go through some dont so if you PM'd me and you didn't get a reply let me know so i know which ones worked and which didn't. i find it really enjoyuable to talk with you guys.


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## elwood

A few years ago I had the pleasure of having Mark stay at my home as a guest for several days.
Wow! Talk about staying up and talking fish and listening to his stories, seeing his photos, it was a great experience.
I am glad to hear that his dream is coming true.


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## zamarky1

hmm 
Tropheus related.....

how About Mbita Island tropheus which is a really under rated fish. It is every bit as colourful as Kasakawalwe (Mpulungu)

it has a lovely yellow spot on its side with yellow around the eyes. These fish swarm around the Island in Huge numbers. very very easy to collect and they are only about a 1.5 Klm from my front door, which is nice.

Unfortunately i dont have a camera. i am planning on a digital DSLR very soon. I would love a 1Ds MkII ..(hang on a sec , need to put my tongue back in..its on the floor drooling) alas thats an 8000 dollar camera not to mention the houosing and strobes. sure would be nice though.

Mbita Island got its name from the local tribe , the Lungu tribe. MpuLUNGU actually means "place for Lungu's". the Lungus brought there God and Goddess with them when they migrated down the lake back in the mists of time ( as you do ). On the Journey down they were arguing so much that they had to seperate them. The God, Lord kapembwa was installed on Cape kapembwa and Goddess Mbita was placed on the Island. this was done to keep them apart. ever since Mbita Island has been a scared Island and no one is allowed to live there. Women are expressley forbidden to step foot on the Island because the Lungu's say she is very jealous of other women. sounds fair to me. Once in a light hearted moment i suggested to a village headman that it would be a great place to build a bar....as no wife could come and drag you out as women are forbidden...that didn't earn me any brownie points i can tell you. I have since learnt to be very respectful of local customs and traditions.

As recently as the 1930's it was said the local tribe was still sacrificing the first born baby of the season as a offering to the Goddess for good fishing for the coming year. this was outlawed by the British occupation force of the time.

all the while the Mbita tropheus was swimming around underneath all this , just waiting to be found. this seems odd to me to say we found it...i say they were never "lost" so how did we "find" them ?? oops dont let me get on my soap box ;-)

Below is a view of Mbita island from my Front yard


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## zamarky1

Hi Elwood

Dont forget your wonderful mate on RI who helped me out with that package i had to collect to take with me. Another Gentleman i have met in my fish travels. Was his name Ron Anderson ? Lovely chap.

Hey i would love to get back to L.A one day (wink WINK)

Mark


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## Guest

Mark - show them a pic of the out house. :lol:


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## zamarky1

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## Guest

Ok, on a more serious note, perhaps you can go in & edit your previous posts on the "algae rock" thread, and cut & paste them in here? Seeing as this is going to remain a sticky, I think those holding tank pics, as well as the info you supplied, would be great to keep in this thread.

Just a thought ....


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## frog317

I say we raise the funds to keep this guy on the internet when he is home!


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## Big Jon

If I might add...Mark and I are good friends and he is one of the true gems of the lake.Not only is it his work it is also his TRUE passion.Afterall who else would take the time to go online and post about his work unless he was completely consumed and devoted to the cichlids of lake Tang.

Thanks Mark!!!

Jon


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## TropheusKid

Mark, thank you in advance for volunteering your time to share your experiences with fellow tropheus lovers. We all appreciate it greatly. Welcome to the forum.

Featherfin, thanks for moving this to a "sticky". I have a feeling that this post will have quite a few pages due to inquisitive questions from us and enlightening responses from zamarky1.

Thanks, 
Steve


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## elwood

Mark, you are always welcome here.
Let me know when you will be in the States.
However, in a couple of years I plan on retiring, 
and living in the mountains and prospecting for gold.


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## robotlove1

zamarky 
truly amazing!!!!
please continue to share all your stories with us. I know you only get to see civilization rarely but in my opinon you are not missing much :lol: 
I'm sure that at least 75% of us would do anything to do what you are doing.
So I'll be the first:
Need some cheap labor?
Just a bed and some food is all I will need. I have my diving license and although have only done 5 dives I am a quick learner and a HARD worker.
I really dont care what you have me do; bag fish, clean boats, polish shoes, just to be near a lake that I love and around people that share my passion. NOT JOKING
Cameron


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## zamarky1

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## Longstocking

Hey Mark,

I love reading what you've stated so far !

I posted on this forum a while back about living there for a few years and it seemed most people laughed at me ! Glad to know my dream is possible! 

My question is not on tropheus but on petros.... any stories/experiance?


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## regul8thisone

Here is a link to a great discussion on T.moorii Katoto and Lufubu variants. Mark has been kind enough to give us some insights on these gorgeous Trophs. I think I have some serious saving up to do to get some of both...
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=70999


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## Guest

Hi Everybody,
I too have been captivated by zamarky1's postings. He was gratious enough to share some picture's with me. I hope he won't be mad if I share them with you all, here's the picture that someone mentioned of the "facilities" 







facilities.


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## zamarky1

Hi regu8

If you can wait a little while i will get some real Lufubu and let you know where you can get them. that is who i sent them too so you can get hold of them. They do tend to be a little more expensive then the others because it is such a hassale to get them. its off the beaten track and takes a few days to get any significant number of them because were i insist we get them there are huge boulders under water that they dart under..very hard to catch them just there...but thats where the best ones live..so we spend a few days in the area. Its along way to motor in just for a few tropheus. it all adds up unfortunately..petrol (GAS ?) wages, food rations fo the men.etc. they are not really commercially viable if you just look at the dollars and sense of it all but man they sure are nice..which is why i go get them now and then. I have to admit though they are never asked for. Its only i like them that i go through the trouble to get them. my client could never see the point and was rather non challont about the whole issue. To him they were just tropheus to be moved on..to me they were beautiful fish that should have gone to a passionate hobbyist. from one to another if you like. Oh well no accounting for lack of taste right ? :? the Lufubu's are special. I wish i had a digital camera to get some pics underwater of these fish, heck , even to get some in the hand shots of freshly caught fish. Oh well...maybe in my next lifetime. I've spent my life savings out there setting up. Let me tell you it does not pay in the sense of earning money. Rich in many other ways though.


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## Guest

I suspect everyone will now be lining up to get some Lufubu from you, Mark. :wink:

For anyone that missed the photos of Mark's holding tanks, as well as his comments about the flakes he feeds them, here's another very interesting thread:

http://cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=71541


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## zamarky1

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## Guest

Mark - would you consider this to be a fair representation of a quality Lufubu? Or do they get even better?

http://www.airfish.de/stocklist/Tropheu ... ufubu.html


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## zamarky1

Hi 
@RD Ahh one of Tom's pics. Thing about the fish is everone is different. that pic is showing a little more yellow on the side then you see mostly. The head has the right colour, although i have seen many with a much darker reddish colour then that. The Dorsal is about right. Overall there is a little more of a bluish tint to the body on a good one. Its a fish that is really best described as purple when thy flick and turn while swimming. You sort of get a glimmer of purple/blue when they turn in certain angles...its not a solid purple colour per se. Some have a lot more blue in the dorsal then others. But genrally that is the right colouration. its like anythng ...some stand out of the pack more then others..its a connisseurs fish. Not for the casual tropheus keeper. If you have a love for this fish and are "into" them then you would appreciate the nuances of colour they display and they can turn the colour on and off. when they are in the mood and you get one that has a basic good overall colour to start with they can be truley a gorgeous fish


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## Front_Fan

Mark,
If you don't mind me asking, what made you choose Mpulungu as your place to settle down? Is Zambia a better country to be in than Tanzania or the Congo? I'm sure everyone reading your posts has visions of living on the lake, as you are now, I'm interested in what made you decide on that part of the lake.
Ernest


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## zamarky1

Hi

@Enest. I chose Zambia as it was the most peacful and stable with the least amount of corruption.

The people in Zambia are a treat. Really nice gentle honest people. Like every country anywere you get your good and bad, but by and large Zambians are friendly good people with little aggression in them. it makes a big differnce when you live there full time. its a pity we only have 7% of the coastline. however we do have more pretty tropheus then any other place on the lake :-} but hey i could be biased.

Zambia is changing very rapidly for the better. it is becoming part of the mainstream and democracy is firmly established now, there is no going back to the KK days (KK was the former president). Zambia is a povety stricken county however and there is a lot of suffering.

All in all i wouldn't want to live anywhere else on the lake. Mpulungu has the right mix of many things for me. A big bonus is ELECTRICITY !! I have three phase off the grid. A major part of why Mpulungu was this very fact. it allows me to run a water pump 24/7 to give the fish fresh water from the lake continually. it is really very hard to get it wrong when you have Lake Tanganyika continually running through your tanks !! i use no filters of any type . Lake Tanganyika is my filter !!! it really is vry nice to keep fish this way. No heaters , filters, additives etc, just clean fresh water 24/7.

I really went overbaord building my tank setup. I can fairly confidently say i have the best setup on the lake. it nearly broke me to do however. the amount of money that went into it is awsome. remember i had to transport all my building materials 3100 Klms into the bush. This alone makes it very expensive. To give you some idea at today's prices it would cost 10,000 USD alone to fibregalss the tanks like i've done. I have put PVC drainage into evrytank and pressure pipe inlets into every tank so that each tank gets its own feed of water. I have spent a fortune on pipe , fittings, fibreglass etc. The water pump cost me 5000 USD but this is not installed yet. i am using a smallsingle phase pump at the moment. the big pump is still in its crate in my my store room waiting to be installed. this pump can pump 70,000 litres per hour at 44 meters of head ! i want to pump plenty of fresh water though all the tanks so the fish have the best conditions i can provide. As i say i went overboard...like i always do. remember this is Tanganyika Extreme !! I always go to the extreme in evrything i do. Its just me.My concern was that if i were taking wild animals out of their enviroment then i should be responsible for their well being. So i have bent over backwards to give them the best. This is not just hyper bol...i spent all my money providing the best conditions for the fish..i dont have enough money left for a bed for myself !!! i kid you not. I sleep on the floor of my uncompleted house on a concrete slab. Anyway it keeps you hard....it is no hardship to go sleep up the lake on a collecting trip..if i have to sleep on rocks as we sometimes , i am not fresh out of a soft bed..so it has its advantages...but yes one day i would like to buy a bed :?

So anyway the point is Mpulungu gives me many things. Electricity, we have a bakery in town , grocery shops, filling station etc.

Regards

Mark


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## Longstocking

All i have to say is where is the "Mark foundation" (for a bed).. I vote to have it along side paul's foundation in the c-forum


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## frog317

A bed and a computer with internet so the stories can continue!


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## Longstocking

heee heee froggie 

So true !!! Would be great if we could fund something like that !!!


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## frog317

I would contribute!


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## Longstocking

I do have a question in regards to this actually.

Who do you supply to? This way we might be able to help you out in around about kind of way.... I know by looking at your pics you try to get and ship only the best of the best.... I would love to know who just for this reason....

I don't know if you missed my post before or just don't have any experience in them but I asked if you had any stories about petrochromis


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## zamarky1

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## zamarky1

Hi 
@ Sarah

Yes i have collected Petrochromis. They are not a particuarly commercial fish. I have only been asked once if i had any intention to get any. and last time i wen collecting petrochromis i got my self into a bit of hot water !

i have collected trevawasse. These are beautiful fish in the wild. This is a fish that loses half its colour when caught. In the lake and when first caught they have an incredible amount of light yellow on the belly and around the gills. I dont see this in specimans i have seen in shops and dealer tanks. Within a few days this yellow has faded quite a lot. to see them in the wild is really something. Shame they chose to swim where they do though. i had a rather unpleasant run in with Southern rebel forces under the command of One Colonel Ngowie as the trevawasse are very close to the AO of this colonel and his merry bunch of bandits. Well they have a just cause its just in a war zone,things can get very confused very quickly. Anyway its a long story , better not to discuss on the internet :? 
So anyway thats where the Travawasse are .....so i've haven't been back to get more. I guess enough time has passed so i should get back there. A certainyoung German chap didn't seem to have any problems...maybe they just dont like Aussies ? i mean we do have a reputation that preceeds us :wink: as a side note have you ever noticed no matter where you go or remote it is an aussie pops up........i've been in some really remote corners of the world where you would never expect to see another westerner , ..then what do you hear...G'Mate !! in that aussie drawl from somewhere in the crowd......

regards

mark


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## zamarky1

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## FeatherfinFan

Thanks for all the pics and your ongoing "journal", it's great to be living vicariously through you at the moment, hehe 

Since you've probably got a lot of "inside" info as far as what can and can't be fished at the moment, what current Tropheus species should we expect to see little of in the near (and possibly distant) future? And are there any recent discoveries that you can divulge perhaps?


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## zamarky1

Hi feather fin

Theres nothing that cant be fished in zambian waters. I only fish in Zambia as i am not licensed to fish in TZ or Congo. I try to keep my nose clean out there as much as possible. You know its simply not worth a quick buck to do something illegal or stupid. In this trade if you pass wind in zambia it will be smelt on te other side of the world tomorrow. Better to stay clean , do the right thing and make sure you fulfill all promises.....its so easy to get a bad name and takes years and years to earn trust.

The only new fish i have at th moment is a red prochillus. I catch it near Isanga Bay very close to where we get Papillo Sunflower Isanga Bay. Its almost under Tobys nose ! but he has missed it all these years. There are so many as yet undescribed fish in the Lake. You only have to go out and keep turning stones and sooner or later you come up with something undescribed.....

Regards

Mark


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## Fitzy

Mark- I highly doubt there is the slightest chance you will get banned!!! Great job on the lintels too!! the windows even look square!!! I am new o the world of Tropheus and want to learn more about these great fish as well as hear more of your stories and experiences. Take care and best of luck when your back in the bush.


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## parrdog

G'day Mark,

Mate, I think we all agree that it is unreal that you are taking the time to fill us in on what's goin' on in your life (a truly remarkable life).

I've only had Tropheus for about 12 months but I love 'em. I've got a colony of 25 T. moorii Mpulungu (Kasakalawe). By the way, I live in Sydney at Sutherland.

Keep up the stories mate, they are absolutely captivating. I think everyone around here would love to spend some time with you on the lake.

Seeya,
Jamie.


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## zamarky1

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## Fitzy

Used to be a carpenter by trade but by no means a mason far too messy and block gets heavy hauling it up ladders and scaffolding. Wooden headers are much easier to install than lintels.......thanks again for sharing your experience and if I can ever get to Mpulunga I'd be more than happy to help finish up the house.


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## ephman

hello,

although fish are a renewable resource it needs to be closely monitored. is this something self-monitored by the local fisherman, and collectors like yourself? is over fishing a problem on the lake?

i'm just curious as i've seen what's happened to the cod industry in the north atlantic and it's been a complete disaster to the economy and more importantly the environment.

thanks for the bandwidth,
ephman


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## zamarky1

Deleted


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## BobbyG

hi Mark.
I"ve been reading all your posts and i find your posts really interesting.if anyone would ban you for talking about the lake and the fish on a forum devoted to fish,this would be a travasty and the person who would ban you doesn't belong here either.i serious doubt anyone here would ban you.your posts let us see a side of the hobby and business we dont get to see or hear about.

I'm currently keeping 5 species of tropheus(kiriza,Mpulungu,Linangu,bemba,And Duboisi Maswa)and always looking for more species.mine are not wild and i couldnt care less.mine could be f55 for all i know,but they look great in my tanks.i have a couple of questions for you if you dont mind.

what are you techniques for catching fish from the lake.is it really that easy?i cant even catch one in my tank  and also,how does a hobbiest here in the states really know if the fish their buying is an actual wild fish.in your opinion is there an advantage of getting a "wild fish" from lets say a pond bred fish as a hobbiest.

thanks for your time and keep those posts coming.........


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## zamarky1

Hi

@BobbyG

You have a nixce mix of tropheus ! got a nice spread of colour there.

Catching fish is hard at first but as you do enough of it you soon learn what works and what doesn't. We have it down to a fine art now. tropheus are not difficult to catch , just hard physical work. Keeps you fit swimming and diving and moving rocks all day ! and sometimes when you move a rock you unlodge something you'd rather not....Snakes !!

of course this is just my point of view. But i'm Australian. Were a pretty easy going bunch down there ;-}


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## zamarky1

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## BobbyG

Mark;
thanks for your reply.i personally don't find your rant inappropriate but im not a mod.its nice to see someone care about the enviorment while trying to make a few bucks from it.more divers should have values like that,especially non natives.

one last question if you dont mind.how many different species of tropheus live in the area you dive in primarily?it must be a site to see while your diving.screw the bed fund lets get mark an underwater camera :lol:

thanks Mark....


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## Axume

Wow, amazing stuff..... Thank you Mark for spending your time on this board. I see you deleted your post about sustainable collection practices (or maybe it was about those who are not doing so). I didn't get to read it but oh well.....

Really, I think it is important for people to speak out. Us hobbyists need to be informed in whom to buy fish from. Although it might not cure the problem, if we knew who to boycott.... well, you get my point. I imagine it could be very unpleasant to stick your neck out.... but really, if it saves even one sub-species than maybe it's worth it. Not to say that it is your responsibility to do so.

Thanks so much for your time.


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## zamarky1

Hi

@BobbyG

No problem , i like to talk about the fish as much as you.

we have approx 20 - 22 tropheus Morphs in Zambia. Some i dont know the location of.

regards

Mark


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## zamarky1

edit


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## elwood

Mark,
say your piece, and keep in mind that tolerance is the virtue of a man without convictions.


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## frog317

How long does it take to decompress a tropheus after it is caught?


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## zamarky1

Hi

@ frog

hi frog, tropheus are not decompressed as such. they are shallow water fish (mostly) At least in zambia thereis nothing tropheus wise in deep water. You dont generaly see them deeper then 10 meters deep and even that is deep for them. They as you know algae graziers and alage needs sunlight thus the fish are restricted to a few meters of depth. we catch most tropheus on snorkel.


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## Louis123

Hi mark, 
this thread is so much better than a blog lol  
Its fun to read your stories, I was wondering if some of you were trying to protect tropheus, I mean... with all those capture, do you let the WC female holding there or you still sell them ?

I think that it is good to sell, ship, buy WC.. but as I see it, if the dudes that catched 900/day continue to do this without any thoughts, the lake will soon be in very bad shape..

Just wondering if the government had any rules for this.. And if you were following any kind of "guide line" when you are capturing tropheus.. like letting female holding alone... fry etc..

thnx ! dont stop writing to us


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## Nigel

Well Mark I see your still in Zambia are you exporting yet. I saw some photos of the catching station you built at Mupulugu from a guy in Germany that happened to pass by there about a year ago. If your exporting yet send me some mail. My email address is [email protected]

Nigel


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## zamarky1

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## zamarky1

Hi Nigel

hm : Location Sydney Australia...my home town. Been a while since i was there though.

What photos ? i know Tom from Airfish took some photos when he was out there and he has a photo of my next door neighbours place on his site as an example of how NOT to keep fish.....could that be the one ?

Mark


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## Nigel

You dont remember me Mark...cast your mind back about 4-5 years ago you where at my place at Guildford. I used to breed tropheus no I just Import. So lets see what we can work out about that.

Nigel


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## Louis123

Hey mark,

I was wondering wich kind of tropheus you were usually getting in the lake.. Another thing, did you notice any other species hanging around with the tropheus ? If so, wich ones ? 

And all those pictures everyone are talking about, could we get all the links together to see everything ? 

thnx !


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## MoliroMan

Sorry ... i got so excited i double posted!

Dave


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## MoliroMan

Hi Mark!

U r a real true blue Tropheus Fanatic! Thank u for sharing your experiences with your fellow fanatics! I can't remember a time when i was so eager to read a thread on a fish forum. Have u ever thought of compiling a Tropheus book of your experiences including all your pics. It will surely be more interesting than anything that is currently available! I for one will be ordering my autographed copy.

As u can see i am also from the land of Oz where Tropheus importers r as scarce as hen's teeth! Any chance u could import some Lufubu to down-under?

What is your favourite Tropheus of all time!!

Please tell us more about your Tropheus experiences!

Dave


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## MoliroMan

If the Mods don't mind....Mark could u grace us with your wisdom on our Australian Cichlid Enthusiast forum?

http://www.cichlids-aust.com

Dave

I don't mean to hijack u from this forum, so i apologise in advance!


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## zamarky1

Hi

I promised myself i'd stay off the computer today...:-/

@Moliro Man

I find the west wall totatly facsinating ! AND that is where the X. Red princess is !! and tricoti and permax and Zonatus and a few others....are found !! a truely far out place ! In fact i am talking with the local chief to get a small piece of land along the west wall among the rocks ( they think i am crazy wanting a pile of rocks !!) so i can build a camping platform so i can live there more comfortably for days at a time....at the moment we have to either motor all the way down to the end of the bay and camp at the villiage or go home for the night......would so much better if i could tie up the boat to the platform on a long rope and camp right there over the water...as well that opens up other possibilities....

So anyway back to tropheus....yes tropheus are hard to get in Oz, and wild caughts are almost unheard of, but the market is very small..thats why the exporters have neve bothered. It is really not cost effective to send small shipments anywhere, there is so much red tape and regulations to comply with exporting live animals......

My all time favourite tropheus.....would have to be Ikloa kasier..its the classic. Dubosi are up there, red rainbow are near the top of the list, Illangi of course, Mpulungu are very nice and near the top, Lufubu are special. Its hard to single one out !! as the fav, but i thnk Ikloa are pretty nice ...thres not much else i've seen with such bold colour. A lot of the others are more of a tropheus fanciers apprectiation ..but the Ikloa has a in your face graphics scheme ! Most everyone fish person or not ALWAYS comment on Ikola tropheus. i also like the reds. and the blacks, and the rainbows. The brichardis are also nice......o.k lets say the tropheus from lake tanganyika are special to me !! but there are more then a few drab ones. Tropheus occur at just about every pile of rocks around the lake. There are lots of tropheus no one ever makes a mention of because the colour is drab....Chituta bay for example, Mutondwe Island,..... the coast between Katoto and cap Chitika is long , full of tropheus but mostly all are drab for example.

Regards

Mark


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## zamarky1

Hi again

@Louis 123

I get all the zambian tropheus of which they are quite a few of the big ones in the hobby.

Regards

mark


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## zamarky1

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## zamarky1

:?


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## MoliroMan

thanks for your fascinating reply Mark! U always see things in a different perspective and i am sure your website will be frequented by many once it is set up. I especially like your live web feed of the lake idea! Please try to get that set up if it is not too cost restrictive!

I agree with u that ikola r very impressive. I have heard that there is a Tropheus species "ikola" as well which is not like the black species ikola....does it exist?

I think Nigel has an import licence and would love to import your Tropheus to Oz. We have a growing interest in Tropheus in Oz. Even a guy in Cowra is planning a tank of Mpulungu!

Could u please post some actual pics of wildcaught Tropheus if u have any?

Dave


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## MoliroMan

i forgot to say....with the Australian forum, all u need to do is register once and u r set...no hidden cost involved. We would all love to hear your experiences as well. U might bump into old friends!


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## Nigel

Already working on it Dave. :wink:


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## MoliroMan

Hope u r successful Nigel since there r no reliable exporters/importers (other than yourself!) of tropheus in Oz! Let us know how u go!

Mark...just to let u know your thread has been hotlinked to the Australian forum so u might get bombarded by Aussie fish fanatics wanting to hear more of your experiences!


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## Skippy

MoliroMan said:


> Mark...just to let u know your thread has been hotlinked to the Australian forum so u might get bombarded by Aussie fish fanatics wanting to hear more of your experiences!


Sorry, I'm the guilty hotlinker. I thought this was too good for the A.C.E guys to miss. If you can't take Mohammed to the mountain etc. A few of those guys in the NSWCS that doubted you all those years ago might see this......... mmm humble pie!


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## parrdog

G'day Mark,

What a blast this is ay! All these people just going nuts over your Tropheus stories. You must be as proud as punch mate. Thanks for your reply to my post. To answer your question, I'm not rich, there is a guy over here (Jim) who has wild caught breeding colonies of Ilangi, Mpulungu, Nkonde Yellow, Ikola and Duboisi Maswa. He sold my juvenile Moops (T. moorii Mpulungu) to me for $35 a pop. They are real beauties. Dave (MoliroMan) has a colony of beautiful Ilangi from him. Dave also has a beautiful Moliro tank.

It would be just awesome if you could import down under. The Cichlid Society just had a presentation talk on Tropheus as the word on these beauties is spreading.

Just a quick question if that's ok, what is the correct pronunciation of "Mpulungu"?

Thanks again mate,
Jamie.


----------



## Cichlids_au

So I have finally tracked down that bloody library book! :lol:

Hi Mark.

Interesting read. I am the Vice President of the NSWCS and have been the librarian for some years prior to that. I joined the club about 7 years ago so I guess I came in as you left. I hear quite a few comments regarding the old days of the society.

I'm sorry you have to register at Cichlids-aust.com but after several boards the decision was made to go this way due to a few trouble makers that preferred to cause problems as opposed to enjoying the hobby.

Sadly we now no longer accept members from free e-mail accounts for the same reason. I note your comment about gmail. Should you decide to come to that forum please let me know and I will establish an account for you.

To the owners of this forum.

Nice work


----------



## zamarky1

the way to say Mpulungu ( meaning the place for Lungu's) is

UM- PULL-UN-GOO...umpullungoo = Mpulungu. or as we locals say Pull-un-goo. we rarely use the UM on the front, unless we are outside..ie in Lusaka for example

regards

Mark


----------



## Cichlids_au

Well, perhaps if one day things with you and Nigel work out you could do something for the club.

_No obligation there at all Mark_

Mark
AKA


----------



## slinky

this is so fascinating, well i dont hav any tropheus cause of the cost of setting up a decent size colony at Sydeny(im also soon gonna be a uni student), but *** read so much and looked at so many tropheus pics tat it feels like i hav tropheus myself:lol: . it would be great if u could start sending tropheus to aus. i gotta start saving money now. and finally good luck overthere im sure yor having heaps of fun.

slinky


----------



## FeatherfinFan

Mark, thanks again for being so kind to take all the time w/ these postings, pics and inside info. This thread is really creating a buzz that may set the internet on fire  You've been a real blessing w/ all this info direct from the lake and don't worry~we can't get enough of it!!!!


----------



## Louis123

really your presence has given a boost to the forum, I think we will reach the number of post of the Frontosa thread lol 

Just to dig a further more, how do you catch the tropheus in the wild ? Are they curious or you need to catch them with speed ? lol ...

and did you noticed some special spot were you caught female having a mouthfull ?? Did you see breeding occur in the wild or it happens in more "private" area and you can rarely see it ?


----------



## zamarky1

Hi

Just quickly the Tropheus are quick !! no sneaking up onthese little fellows ! the only way you can catch them is to set a net then try to get tehm to swim into th net and eventhen you dont often get them, . It takes practice but you get the hang of it after a while....like anything.

We often get feamales with fry. Its not rare at all. I usually try to keep them , although this is for my own kicks. I dont ship fry and it takes a long time to grow them on as you know.

You see them breeding all the time , they have no shame  . seriously they breed all over the plasce. I suppose if you go looi gfor it you may think they dont do it , but when your going about your daily business , you come across it time and again.

Regards

Mark


----------



## MoliroMan

Is this a good example of how a Lufubu should look like?










Dave


----------



## Chilli Powder

Mate... I'm sooo jealous!!
Keep up the posts. Hey any shell dwellers around? :lol:


----------



## FeatherfinFan

Hey MoliroMan, that's a great looking 'fubu! Great color in the gills and the body coloration is very nice, bet you're very happy w/ those fish!


----------



## MoliroMan

Hi FeatherFinFan!

Actually i wish they were my Lufubu but they are actually pics i found on this amazing site that takes great photos of tropheus.

http://www.akwafoto.pl/

Sorry if i didn't make it clearer.

thanx
Dave


----------



## zamarky1

:?


----------



## elwood

Mark, seeing how much you have accomplished since we sat in my kitchen 6 years ago looking at the photos, drawings, licenses, plans and ideas you had, the sattelite endeavour should be a snap for you.


----------



## shahram

Hi Mark, awesome what you're doing. I think I speak for all of us when I say THANKS. Sounds like you've already made headway toward that satellite link...awesome.
And from there I'll get right to trying to glean info from you.  Have you seen any other species (herbivorous or otherwise) in the same vicinity as the tropheus?


----------



## Skyedge

Hi Mark,

Another cichlidiots from down under...
Reading your story was like reading the famous five when I was a kid, soo interesting, so keep them coming..

Just a few tips for your satellite links:
1. Make sure that you tell the provider that you are intending to use it in Zambia, so they can check their Satellite contour to determine the size of the antenna, and making sure that their satellite actually covers Zambia.
2. Which provider..? Intelsat..? are you using VSAT.
3. What type of antenna..? Make sure you are able to configure and point the antenna to the right satellite. Perhaps you would like to try to install it yourself while you are still in UK.
4. Not every application will run well over satellite. Are you planning on using this link for Internet purposes only..?

All the best with your satellite venture.

Chandra


----------



## Louis123

It seems like the aussie guy hi jacked him from our forum


----------



## shahram

Does seem that way, doesn't it.


----------



## Big Jon

Naw...Mark is just very busy getting ready for the trip back to the lake.Once there and established the way he wants you will be quite happy I am sure with the amount of postings etc... 

Jon


----------



## parrdog

G'day Guys,

Mark hasn't been on the Aussie site either. I think he prefers this site anyway, there aren't many Tropheus keepers on the Oz site.

Jamie.


----------



## shahram

Cool. Worried we'd lost him


----------



## zamarky1

edit


----------



## Louis123

What are you talking about lol ? 

Nice to see things are going well ( are they ?  )

We hope to have news from you soon !


----------



## Fitzy

Congrats Mark, sounds like your hard work is paying off!


----------



## Longstocking

LOL I have no idea what you said Mark!!!

I did understand that you will be connected though :lol:

Wooooooooo Hoooooooooooooo !!!

Bet you are excited !!


----------



## zamarky1

:?


----------



## zamarky1

edit


----------



## zamarky1

:?


----------



## zamarky1

:?


----------



## Longstocking

so cool !!!! getting closer !!!! ( I think :?: ... i still have no idea what the heck you are doing) :lol:


----------



## Guest

GREAT NEWS MARK... This is some fascinating stuff your doing here(there). I (WE) just can't get enough of your posts. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for everything you've achieved in the past few weeks. Keep us on the up & up when you can.  :wink:


----------



## plastichead13

Wow!!! I would love to see some live streaming video from the lake. Sounds like all the hard work is gonna pay off soon. I can't wait till you get back down to the lake with your satalite working. 

Good Luck!!


----------



## parrdog

Seeing live gear from the lake would be truly mind blowing. The internet is a blowout, all this insanely cool stuff from you and none of us (save a few) have had a chance to shake your hand. Thanks again Marko!

Jamie.


----------



## hedstrom

The world is so much smaller now when we have internet...Amazing!


----------



## Axume

Awesome man, really awesome. Broadcasting Wi-Fi at the lake is an incredible idea.

You really are a man of action. I hope everything works out as well as it possibly can.


----------



## zamarky1

edit 
@ axume.., sorry did not mean to imply i was frowning at anyone. Just the post was edited out.

Regards


----------



## Longstocking

Hey I got a question

What about ... Pseudosimochromis curvifrons ? I've heard they are common on the lake but i've never seen them on any lists.... is the color not all that great? or is it just an underated fish?

Also what is their behavior on the lake? I know they are best kept like trophues.... but would like to know about the natural habitat.


----------



## zamarky1

Hey Longstockings

you know thats one i have never looked at. Hmm , wil have a look when i get home.

sorry i cant be of more help then that.

regards

mark


----------



## frog317

removed


----------



## FreeFloat

Yeah, I seemed to miss all but one as well.........


----------



## Axume

Just curious.... it now looks like you are frowning at my comment.... ? What happened?


----------



## jeff7274

What happened ?


----------



## zamarky1

Hi

sorry if i have given the wrong impression to anyone regards the edited posts. Not much i can say other then this thread needs to stay focused on fish rather then anything else.....thats fair enough , its a cichlid forum.

the posts by me left in this thread are directly fish related..as it should have been in the first place.

other issues should be voiced else where not here. I respect that.

I look forward to talking with you all at a later time.

regards

mark


----------



## Axume

Sounds fair... :wink:


----------



## shahram

Huh.....?


----------



## RomWhi

Huh ?
I kinda liked reading about all you were doing,it all really was very interesting and in the long run it was also about fish,as it was a way to better communicate about fish right ?,at least alittle, sorry you deleted those posts.


----------



## Nigel

I agree I cant see the point in deleting the posts. It was interesting and I dont think it matters if it was fish related or not.


----------



## TropheusKid

Zamarky1,

Is this you?

http://www.tropheini.com/articles.htm


----------



## hedstrom

Yepp, it's him!
That is a very interesting article...


----------



## Fredrik H.

Direct link:
http://www.tropheini.com/interview_my.htm


----------



## TropheusKid

Thanks Fredrik, I thought I copied the correct address.


----------



## FeatherfinFan

Great interview Fredrik, I just love this bit 


> I blame Tropheus !! The foremost reason I went there was to have a large collection of Tropheus. It just kind of turned me on to think I could have the world


----------



## hedstrom

I hope Mark takes some time to tell us what he is doing... 
It has been a long time we heard from you mate!


----------



## Louis123

Indeed we miss him


----------



## Tim_in_NYC

I realize that this is the Cichlid Forum, but reading this thread and seeing all these posts by Mark that have been chopped out is vexing! :? Personally, I want to read everything this man has to say.

SO: :idea:

I would be willing to set up, own and moderate a YahooGroup message board dedicated to Mark's unrestricted, unedited posts, where he can write about anything he wants to write about. He can use it as his free blog. I'll keep the spammers off.

Whaddaya say Mark? Just give the green light and I'll do it. 

-Tim


----------



## zamarky1

Hi

Been a while. I've been keeping my head down ...until my bullet proof vest arrives 

I pop in from time to time to scan through the posts. It


----------



## RomWhi

Welcome back Sir and dont leave us hanging like this again  ,I for 1 like to hear just about anything you say,fish,radios and all,good luck.
Thanks for popping back in,dont wait so long next time,I think people have been jonsing for your comments,I know I was.
Thanks again


----------



## Nigel

Its good to hear from you Mark interesting read. Any chance you can send some mail downunder.


----------



## zamarky1

Hi

@ RomWhi

Thing is, as you can see above i love to chat. I just didn't realise the power of this forum before. Its widely read around the globe. Its an almost an industry bible. I had no idea. Last time i had anything to do with a fish forum on the internet was in 2000 and then it was all rather low key and not much of a ripple caused if controversial topics were discussed. In my absence while i was out on the lake cut off ( 2000-2004) i had little contact with the outside world. Seems the internet has changed how we do many things now. Well, anyway as you know i found this place and quite innocently started gobbing off about "issues". Heck, i thought this forum was read by a few fish guys maybe in the evenings after they come home from work. I had no idea how far it touches all corners of the aquatic trade. I took a lot of heat for my outspoken views. The lesson learnt is this a great place to chat with hard core hobbyists and swap information etc. Its NOT the place for political discusions about other companies , collecting practice they employ etc. keep it fish related and all is well. As i said above i still pop in and read through the posts. Like you and most who read these threads i find it very interesting to read about fish and all things related to keeping them. I remember well, back in the days of having too many tanks scattered around my house in Sydney, the excitement of my Duboisi spawning and counting the days till the female released the fry. Its just nice to be in an online place where i can share my passion for these fish. Of course i am in a place now where i have a lot of exposure to many types of these fish on a daily basis and have lots of experiences that untill now i had no one interested in hearing about them...its nice to have interaction with other humans and its nice to find folks who share your pasion on a given subject. I got carried away with the excitement of finding a new communincation medium ( for me anyway, ..where i live there is no communications..well that work anyway) where i could so easily chat with people about all i see and experience. it was so exciting to be able to chat directly to people who are as mad as me about these fish , particuarly Tropheus. Of course the "other" topics come up . They have too, they are part of all this. I tend to be an outspoken person on issues that upset me, so i easily fell into the trap of saying too much about what i felt about some of *those* topics. Big mistake. dsoesn't matter who you are or what you do in this life if you rock the boat to much you fall out. If your not a strong swimmer you drown. Its that simple. Now thats not to say i dont like swimming  just if you swimm in someone elses pool you have to follow thier rules, and you should observe the correct etiqette. I didn't do that. I rather rudely took the view i could say what i wanted when i chose. WRONG. This is not the place.

I changed my email address to stop the hate mail that i was getting bombarded with and took a break and took the time to think it all through. Still thinking though on how to setup a communication channel were we can chat freely about all the hot topics in a closed enviroment that is not so public. I have some thoughts but the idea i have for it to be be a closed comms channel defeats its very purpose. Well we'll see. No easy answers to any of this. All i know is its starting to dawn on me i can play a part in empowering the folks at home with information on a range of issues. Like the Illangi issue for example,. It would be nice to be part of the answer in fixing these things rather then part of the problem causing them. I am in a very strategic location on the lake. Unless we get raiders coming in from TZ who sneak in at night and leave the next night under the cover of darkness ( hey it happens , espically in the dark phase of the moon..when the moon is not there the lake at night is inky black, anything could move and no one would know) all entry and exit on the southern half of the lake is thru Mpulungu. Where my house is situated i can see anyone who comes or goes through the various harbours at Mpulungu..if i had powerful bino's i could even count the boxes being unloaded on the wharf  ) My point is its easy for me to see who is coming or going on the lake, even when certain collectrors come in at 04:00 hours in the morning, my security guard reports what he saw during the night ( the harbour is well lit at night and i have a perfect view of the harbour from my place) It would be nice to form a strong end users voice on the lake. Lets get the message home to these guys that thier unsustainable practises on the lake wont be tolerated and they can be watched and the truth can be told now because the tryanny of distance has just been lifted by a wonderful complex technology called VSAT. Through me and my facilities i have provided YOU can have an uncolored view of the politics of the collecting scene straight off the lake and its only a few mouse clicks away .......the VSAT changes everything. But again this post is verring off course and into other areas. You can see the problem. Things need to be discussed but this is not the place.

Anyway my main point is , here on C-F i am going to stay focused on fish things and nothing else. Just had to sit and think through the ramifiactions of saying something on here today and having it repeated to me next week through an interpreter from somewhere on the other side of the world ..its a tough job hey! and the pay is lousy........this is definately a labour of love !!

@Nigel

Sure. Email me on the old address and i'll give you the new address. Seems that the aussies are not very "chatty" though on the local home grown boards.

Regards

Mark

edited: some spelling errors corrected


----------



## frog317

Glad to see you are back! I've enjoyed your posts.

Keri


----------



## zamarky1

Hi Keri

yeah i stopped sulking in my corner ;-)

So some people dont like the truth going out, so my inbox fills up with abuse..is that any reason to withdraw from the whole scene ...NOPE !! As i said till i get my underground list going , i'll just stick to fish . Much safer and quieter....

I'll phone you from Zambia when i get the sat phone UP and online.

regards

Mark


----------



## FeatherfinFan

Thanks a bunch Mark for getting "back on the bike", LOL. Glad to hear you'll be back on the lake soon as I'm sure you're getting anxious.

Just wondering if you have an interest in the Taganyikan Mastecembilids? And if you think it's possible to keep one in w/ Tropheus? I've always enjoyed keeping Tiretrack & Fire Eels in the past and would like to keep one of those unique eels in my larger Tropheus tank, I know it would keep my Julli population in check  I'm thinking I could hand feed it earthworms after my tank lights go out.

BTW, do you come across alot of these in your collections?


----------



## Tim_in_NYC

Hi Mark! Thanks for the great posts, and the education!

You are providing an invaluable service in keeping us informed concerning which species are being blitzed. I hope that readers will take your advice and boycott the overharvested/poached wild caught species.

I have read that Yellow and White Calvus are also under pressure, can you confirm that?

Thanks again for taking the time to write. This is special stuff.

Warmest wishes for no worries, and I hope your croc time is a LONG way off! Watch your back! :lol:

Cheers mate-

-Tim


----------



## zamarky1

Hi

@ featherfin

we get loads of eels when we collect tropheus. Mostly its the kasakalawe and katoto varients that we see this with. Its because of the type of location where we get these two.

I have often seen an eel grab a tropheus and more often seen them grab a tropheus in the nets as we catch them. I have never bothered to export them although i could easily do just that.

I dont know if i would put an eel in with any fish i value though. If its a big fish like frontosa you'd be safe but anything like small tropheus or cyp etc and you'd be in trouble with them in te same tank.

But yes w come across then everyday and many times over and over. there is no shortage.

regards

Mark


----------



## zamarky1

Hi

@ Tim in the bronx

Yellow calvus are hard to find for sure. Again, i dont know you will ever make them extinct but that is a rare fish in the wild. They are found in Nkamba Bay and that area is off limits to the locals so they dont get caught as food, they have never been around in big numbers

White calvus are under no threat that i can see. Everytime i go to Cape Chitika i see lots of them. So i would have to say no, they are not under any extraordinary pressure.

Thanks for your kind words. The only thing differnet about me is i live there and have greenie streaks in me, which works against me at times as i tend to throw them back or leave them there rather then export them, seems i got into the worng business huh.....

Just as you are glad to get reports from the coal face so to speak i am glad to have someone who likes to listen......so we serve each others purpose. the most important people in this hobby are YOU guys at home. Without the home hobbyists i couldn't live where i do. All i do is collect them. Now we have the VSAT i can report live from the lake on a daily basis. That will be cool and the dawn of a new eara for the hobby. Things will never be quite the same. Certainly the veil of secrecy will be lifted and not everyone is happy about that.......~( no comments about any particular nationalities here..ok!  )

regards

Mark


----------



## RomWhi

Thanks for the personal replie and as for the politics ,its life and I fully understand.
I'll tell you what !,if you want to unload on someone as small and as insanificant(spelling) as I(I am so small half my posts go unanswered),feel free to E mail me and unload,I would take it as an honor.
You are living yours,mine and maybe half this forums DREAM.
Goodluck Sir and please keep in touch.


----------



## zamarky1

Hi

@ RomWhi

Hey no problem mate. thats the nice thing about us Aussies..we are easy going and get on with most people pretty easily... :wink:

Seriously though, you are most welcome. As for unloading , you had better give me your email addy.....boy when i get wound up ..well , lets just say you dont know what your letting yourself in for 

Yes i am living my dream. I was very lucky to have the chance to do what i did in life but i can tell you the personnel cost was high. Very very high. I maybe living on the lake but i lost my family as a result. Nothing is worth that but there is no way to undo the past :-(

I firmly believe , when you make your bed you lay in it and keep quiet, so i am trying my best to get on with it. Its funny but Stuart Grant from Malawi tried to pursade me not to get involved in this and go home and be with my family....i like all new comers did not believe all the horror stories and doom and gloom from a business point of view, instead i kept charging head long into getting onto the lake.....anyway....i'm there now and loving it, just missing my family.......

The VSAT is such a good thing because now i can stay in daily contact and report all manner of mis-adventure. I cant wait to get on the lake and get this VSAT UP and working. It will be so liberating to have broadband internet at the lake.

Then i can email you and unload..

Regards

mark


----------



## abufaruq

Maybe you could just post us a list of which importers you supply, not as a matter of endorsement or advertising, but just as a matter of fact. Surely, there is no liability involved in saying "I export to importers a, b, and c." I don't know if they would allow this on this forum or not, and it wouldn't necessarily help with importers who get their stock from multiple exporters.

All the same, as a consumer/hobbyist if there are conscientious importers and exporters, and others who are,......shall we say........less conscientious, then I for one would rather spend my hard earned dollars on the conscientious outfits rather than the less conscientious ones, even if the prices were higher.

I doubt there are many(if any) hobbyists who would prefer the fish in their living rooms over them being a strong viable population in the wild.

So I would like to know who the conscientious ones are, if I can.


----------



## zamarky1

Hi

@ abufaruq

Thanks for your post. thats EXACTLY what we need. If 80% of the hobbyists out there took that attitude we could save any population from threat. Kudos to you for your attitude !!!! its heartning to see my rants are not falling on deaf ears.

hey mods, can i say who gets fish from sustainable collecting practises ?

Good Collectors:

I can tell you this. I wont count myself in this because that will draw criticism and cynicism from the trade WHO ARE reading this.... believe me i know......and no doubt i am going to get a serve for this post 

anyway number 1 on your list is Toby. he is a great guy...just a little mis-understood 8) Still; you cant fault the guy on his operation. He runs a tight ship and is very very good at what he does. He is very responsible about collecting and what gets taken from the wild. I would not be at all worried if you got Tobys fish over me. Rather see Toby survive and keep the right attitude alive on the lake then see a cowboy outfit prosper from their ill gotten gains. Next would be ACA. despite everything , Thorsten was very good at his trade. Not sure about how enviromentally aware he was but he is gone now anyway ( hey Thor you gotta admit we had some good spars ..no ?). It remains to be seen how that company fares with his departure. There is no one else in Zambia you should consider. Next up is F.O.B. I have never personelly met Mirelle Birchard but you would have to believe given her heritage she would have the interests of the lake at heart.

I cant in good faith or conscience recomend any other outfit. I cant say anymore. 

The thing is your dealer wont tell you who they get fish from so its going to be hard. what you can do is let your dealer know you would be very happy if he used one of the mentioned collectors and refuse to buy if he cant tell you with a straight face he does NOT use the others....thing is i cant say who the others are..:-(

Anyway , were skating on thin ice here, better get back to tall stories about crocodile mis-adventures.....did i tell you the one about the crocodile i wrestled to a standstill because he was a little cheeky......  and yes i have a HUGE knife i carry with me AND use it to shave with...have you ever heard of a guy called steve Irwin (aka as the crocodile hunter) he was my apprentice..hahaha

regards

mark


----------



## MoliroMan

Hi Mark!

Good to hear from u again! I check the forum everyday for some interesting titbit from u. Feel free to share with us all your interesting experiences!

We Aussies r finding it hard to get many Tropheus variants imported to us because of the expense of shipping directly from Africa, not to mention all the political red tape! Our only option is to buy from America or Germany.

I am still looking for some good quality Tropheus Lufubu and Golden Kazumba. Have been asking all the importers in AUSTRALIA with no luck! Could u use your influence and help Nigel get some over to Australia? I know he has successfully gotten fish from F.O.B but unfortunately they didn't have the above mentioned fish.

Please help us deprived people from downunder!

Thx
Dave


----------



## zamarky1

Hi

@ MoliroMan

its a big job to get the approvals done and expensive. Not sure how much demand there would be in Aussie. Of course this is close to my heart but i've pretty much given up on Australia. Now Nigel is around its worth pursuing. Where were you guys in 97, 98 , 99, 200 ? when i was PUSHING hard to get fish home ?? ;-)

I believe Toby is on the job, so as long as they get there it doesn't really matter who gets them there. As long as they arrive in the right condition thats good enough for me. As far as being expensive from Africa, ..yes its not a cheap place out here ~!! people are always surprised by just how expensinve the cost of EVERYTHING really is out here.

yes the Lufubu....dont get me started.....they are so SO nice if you get the right ones but as i have said before you have to get as close to the river as possible and its hard ork and takes a number of days to get them because they dart under huge rocks that you cant move. You do get them eventually but its a long day and a hard slog. They really arn't collected very much for that reason. But i go get'em now and then because i like them personnelly..crocs there as well....AND get this.... TIGER fish...

regards

Mark


----------



## 328iGuy

Zamarky

I Wasn't aware of what a "Tiger Fish" was until I just read you're post and did a google search, YIKES! 

Are they dangerous or do they keep to themselves? The teeth on them are enormous!


----------



## Nigel

Mark we have our hopes on you so give it your best try. I have been working on this for over 4 years now. I have no intention of giving up. :wink:


----------



## Front_Fan

Mark, glad to see you back on the forums! Really missed your posts and "tales of adventure"  
It's refreshing to hear about the efforts made by some to help preserve the lake, glad to know "conscience" can indeed outweigh "greed"...kudos to you and the other conscientous collectors you mentioned!!!!!
Best of luck on all of your efforts on the lake.


----------



## zamarky1

Hi

@ Nigel

No worries. Now that I have understood your efforts its all go on that one again. You wouldn't believe how much effort I put into trying to get fish home and how much pushing and running around I did in three countries on two continents! At the end of the day I just couldn't be in two places at once. At the time everyone in Australia thought I was some sort of fool with big talk about going to the lake and had no support of help/encouragement from anyone. It was a lonely struggle I can tell you. I kept at it and had all the papers in place except for the last bit..AQIS

By that time I was spending all my time on the lake and I was so busy doing my thing into U.K that I just dropped it. But having been through the machinations I know exactly what buttons to press and who to talk to get it up and running again. What it takes is a dedicated person your side and a determined effort my side. Once the pipe is connected and the tap turned on the fish will flow and in a few years you will wonder what all the fuss was about. Anyway we'll get there. It


----------



## Nigel

I dont know about anybody else but I would be more than happy to subscribe to any venture you have going in Zambia.


----------



## Front_Fan

Count me in as well....think I would much rather spend $XX.00 per month to see live webcasts from the lake than spend $XXXX.00 on a single colony of 1 species just to put in a "plain old aquarium" :wink: . Why settle for few species when you can see it all. Sounds like a grand plan and I have no doubts there would be a tremendous amount of support for it. Just look at the popularity of Jewels of the Rift, which is probably the most any of us have seen of the natural habitat.


----------



## SidGuppy

Featherfinfan; I'm right now keeping 1 eel (Tang eel; Caecomastacembelus albomaculatus) with my Tropheus colony without any issues.that eel is a small species; reaches 8" max or so. safe to keep.

it's a smart eel (takes worms and shrimp from my hand), but a nasty one too; once I had three...one just disappeared; the other one got a really hard time.
these things are very territorial! maybe in the lake it's different; but 3 8" eels in a 132G tank was 2 too many :lol: .
the other survivor went to Dhonti; he's got a nice set-up; his is in a 148G with Featherfins :wink: (foai Halembe; the coppery-looking ones), does fine.

the eels Zamarki1 refers to, are the big uns; Caecomastacembelus moori.
most common eel around the lake; the smaller ones are not as often found.
this eel is a big one! reaches 75cm/30", and possibly more (friend of mine -Rene Kruter- used to be a lake-diving addict as well; he talked about massive monsters); this one eats brichardi's for lunch and Tropheus for dinner....adult ones....    
for the big frontosa-tank alright :wink:


----------



## zamarky1

Hi

@ Sid Guppy

hello sid. I have to admit i'm not as into my eels as i should be. To me an eel is an eel is an eel. I never really take notice unless one is eyeing my little toe and then i get out of the way. i suppose one day i might get a little nibble off one....Its the cobra that worry me. still thats another story. I think you are correct in your description of the eel. I have noticed different patterns on the eels so i thnk they may be different types ? not sure. But i have seen smallish eels ( 30cm) have a go at tropheus in the nets but this may be just a situation the eel feels is to good to pass up and has a go where normally they wouldn't at that size. I dont know, but i have seen it more then once or twice. As well the divers always have eel for lunch when we go tropheus collecting around Katoto. Eel city!! and LOTS of Syno's thre as well. In fact i found a Syno there i had never seen before. I came back and checked all the books and there was no match but then have you ever noticed how little information is available on the Syno's ? I sent 6 of these to London but never heard anymore about it , so to this day i dont know what they were. Have to get some more i guess. Thats not the only place i have found strange unidentified syno. I also got a few peices of a strange syno on Cape Chipimbi which again was sent out but never classified. I'm not really a syno man but it would be interesting to know what we get at times. ( this is a hint for anyone who wants to donate a digital camera ;-)...)

regards

Mark


----------



## Tim_in_NYC

For heaven's sake, someone ship Mark a digital camera, preferably a waterproof one! :lol: I'd do it myself if I was not poor as dirt...

This is great stuff. I'd love to see photos uploaded with Marks posts, how sweet would that be? And webcams around the lake? Oh my... I''m sure Mark would have no shortage of subscribers to help make such a thing happen. Can you imagine going into one of the big LFS's like Aquarium Adventure and seeing Mark's live feed(s) up on a 61" plasma monitor? Now THAT'S what I call a hip application of contemporary wireless broadband and HD display technology, does not get any better! 8)

-Tim


----------



## zamarky1

Hi

Er... the digital camera thing was tongue in cheek  dont want to give the impression i am begging for a camera. Thanks for all the kind offers but i couldn't accept a camera from anyone. But thanks for the sentiments.

Cheers

mark


----------



## Tim_in_NYC

Did a little Googling and came up with this:

Perhaps Mark would care to comment on anything here, or not, as may be expedient considering his politically sensitive situation.

http://members.tripod.com/tanganyika/id101.htm

The Toby mark refers to so favorably is Toby Veall, his outfit is Rift Valley Tropicals, listed down at the bottom.

Look at the whole site, it's pretty interesting.

Warning: It's a Tripod site, so be prepared to skeet-shoot pop-up ads.

-Tim


----------



## zamarky1

Hi Tim

Yes thats Toby. he is o.k. A bit hard nosed but business is tough in Africa. Toby is a real collector, i just paddle around throwing fish back , refusing to collect this or that , feel sorry for xeno's because there are so few of them and they swim in pairs etc.....not really at the hard end of the business at all.

I just dont have that killer business instinct and am way too soft. Still i stay "high" on the nature and scenery and the fish and everyday life in general out there. Its just as much fun for me to go hiking through the valleys as it is to go diving or on collecting safaris.....

But yeah you wont go wrong with Toby. See what i mean i shouldn't be saying that about a competitor but hey credit were credit is due. he's been there a long long time, knows the lake backwards and just about every fish in it and runs a tight ship in all ways. he is at the business end of it all and i am the hobbyist turned collector but failing miserably because i am just not fussed about pulling shipments of fish out of the lake. I like to ship fish dont get me wong but i have no ambition to be the big shot on the lake by any stretch.

think of it this way . I have been in London for months studying VSAT and wireless networking so i can put up a net across the southern part of the lake so i can put up some sort of site that is run live from the lake. I am more interested in photographing and documenting then catching them, although i have to collect to survive. I used to be a professional photographer so its always with me.....So while the others have been madly collecting fish for the season i went north to get VSAT and left my station closed. Time to get back to work though, the holiday is over. I have to go collecting now for the rest of the year. 

regards

Mark


----------



## frank1rizzo

Once you get that site up, make sure to put a paypal link for donations. I'll be first in line.


----------



## Tim_in_NYC

Hey Mark, are you back on the lake yet? How's it going?

-Tim


----------



## zamarky1

Hi Tim

No I'm in Lusaka jumping through communication regulation hoops. I never thought this was going to be easy but geeezzzzz.............

I am on a very slooooooooowwwwwwwwwwww dial up account here in Lusaka so i dont often go surfing here - much too expensive. Expect to be at the lake on Saturday night. No rush at this point as the peak of the collectng season is over. We wont gear up to collect in a big way now till September, which makes it a great time to install dishes, repair boats, install new pumps, prepare new tanks etc. Plenty to do. Have no idea how long it will take to get the needed clearances to connect to the bird in the sky, but you can be assured when i get the licence, i will be posting new mis-adventures here.

Keep well

Regards

Mark


----------



## cichlidgeek345

why were most of your posts edited today?

dangit.... I missed all the good stories!


----------



## hedstrom

I hope you get sorted with all those things soon...

_Did someone bring Mark a digital camera?_ :wink:


----------



## zamarky1

Hi

@cichlidgeek

The edits were done a long time back. I strayed off the topic at hand - fish - and got too political about things. Too much heat coming in from all those posts , so i withdrew them as this is not my board. It was a bit rude of me to use this thread as my own rant space. Anyway thats all old news now.

Struggling to get issues sorted. Not things i can discuss on a public internet forum. Will just have to see where it all goes....over time. This is Africa after all ;-)

@ Robin

Hi. You could always bring one with you 

Regards

Mark


----------



## hedstrom

Zamarky1: Does it really take a few weeks for you to go to mpulungu or are you doing something else on the way?

Please email me when you have sorted the "science fiction-internet in the jungle-thing".


----------



## Blue Nostalgic

Yes! I finally made it to the end of these posts...not that it was drudgery, mind you! What a wonderful thing this internet can sometimes be that we can share a little bit of the experience with you. I keep moori muzi...my first batch of trophs that has only wet my appetite for more.

Thanks...as always...for sharing with us.
~Blue Nostalgic


----------



## zamarky1

Hi

Back down from the lake. On slow dial up again so i will have to keep it short.

All is well at my place, no problems at all. All those nasty suggestions made to me about what was going to happen to my place while i was away came to zero ..thank goodness !!!

So , some news.......

Had a long chat with a diver who last collected Illangi in June 2004. He tells me, as i suspected ( i have not seen them in the wild since 2003) that there are plenty of Illangi to be caught. In fact he tried hard to convince me we should go get some.....As i said and he said thge same thing , it would be very hard to totally eradicate them......

so the population is alive and very well. Will check this out myself later ....

X.Redprincess

New population found. They have a wider distributuon then we thought. A spot has been found where they can be caught in large numbers.....so thats a relief. I feared they would be over exploited but this is now not true.

More to tell but later as this dial up is killing me....

Keep well

Regards

Mark


----------



## Longstocking

Good to know Mark ! Very exciting about the xenos...... want some myself so maybe the price will drop now !


----------



## hedstrom

Nice Mark!

We're now wondering how it goes with the satellite-thing... Does it work yet?

regards

Robin

**mark, please email me some day**


----------



## Tim_in_NYC

Great news Mark, thanks for the update. Keep those posts coming.

How's the satellite uplink coming along?

-Tim


----------



## zamarky1

Hi

VSAT progress. Remember this is Africa and the wheels of progress turn slowly. Just have to wait for the process to be completed. Its delicate because of the location. Dont want to say anymore.

Take care.

Regards

Mark


----------



## zamarky1

Hi

VSAT 1 located in Lusaka is up !!

Now to keep working on VSAT 2 at the lake. I fear this will take a while as the location is in a sensitive area. Three countries meet and the borders are sometimes unstable.

Now to get this conversation back to fish........

Regards

Mark


----------



## Tim_in_NYC

So you are in hiatus now until September or so as far as collecting, Mark?

What distributers do you ship to Stateside, if any?

Are you accepting new Stateside distributers? I know Gerard at GS Cichlids on Long Island, NY has mentioned an interest in getting fish from you...

-Tim


----------



## Fogelhund

Mark.. haven't heard from you lately. Send me an email if your around.


----------



## zamarky1

Hi

Been quiet for a while now, been busy playing with bits and bytes.

Well as much fun as that all is, its time to get to work.

Collecting is in full swing.

Many nice fish in tanks. Bentho are up to their usual trick at this time of the year...baby bentho in the females mouths -aplenty !! Shipments are moving and these should start making thier way through dealers tanks very soon now.

One of the big names is notably absent (?) no idea why.

The lake is incredibily smooth and calm right now. Conditions are EXCELLANT on the water and underwater visibility is outstanding . Its starting to get hot out on the lake during the day...October which we call the suicide month out there because of the heat is just around the corner. The great thing rght now is that the wind has not picked up and thus the water clarity is just so so good right now...i haven't seen this for a long time.

The Lake level has dropped to an alarming new low water level. How low can it go ???

All in all Tanganyika is waking from its winter sleep and its all starting to happen right now.

Regards

Mark

P.S oh ..one sad thing..my tanks are full of Illangi. My divers went out collecting by themselves while i was fiddling around with a VSAT elsewhere and collected the little buggers.......oh well no longer an Illangi virgin :-(


----------



## Brichardiman

Great to hear from you Mark. I wonder how the situation are for the Petros? Are they in large numbers or are the few? What types of petros do you collect?

Best regards


----------



## zamarky1

Hi

No problems getting Petrochromis. They are evrywhere.

I usually collect P.Trevawassae. Not had a demand for anything else. I see petro every time i go out on the lake. I cant really say that Zambia has any special assortment of Petro though. I think TZ is much better for Petrocrhomis. ask Toby if he can get you some.....if we knew where he was that is.....

Regards

Mark


----------



## FeatherfinFan

Mark, great to hear from you again, sounds like some very interesting times for you (and the lake) please keep those updates coming


----------



## Blue Nostalgic

Good to "hear" from you again. I thought that it was interesting that you mentioned the water level going down. I was just reading yesterday an article about the progress of the national geographic "Mega Fly Over" team. They spent a few days at the lake and were told that a common theory for the dropping water level was that a recent earthquake had actually cracked the lake basin. I also had no idea of how deep some parts of the lake were until reading this. Here is a link to the article I mentioned if anyone is interested...I hope it directs you properly to the page on the lake as it is many pages long. Happy 'fishing'.

http://plasma.nationalgeographic.com/ng ... _0409.html

~Blue Nostalgic


----------



## zamarky1

Hi

nah its got nothing o do with an earthquake. The lake does this and has been for thousands upon thousands of years.It goes up and down according to the amount of rain we get up there. You may not kow it but Southern and Lower East Africa is in a drought and has been for a few years. The rainy season is becoming increasingly dry. Nothing new in this though......Its as old as Africa. I remember in 98 when i first went to start getting this thing together i was at kasaba Bay lodge for 3 or 4 months working on that old croc farm refrered to in the storey you linked too. Whilist thre the lake level rose 1.8 meters in 6 weeks !! it was a vry exceptinal rainy season and the lake level rose accordingly.

At the moment the lake level is dropping year by year because it is so dry in genral and the rainy seasons are not producing much rain. It has been recorded on abouyt a 15 year cycle that the lake goes up and down. Its just i have never personelly seen it so low. I said to my boys last year that i didn't think it would go much lower then last year and yet this year its lower then ever........great fro me digging my harbour out and building a wharf etc.

An intersting fact : Lake Tanganyika holds 15% of Earths fresh water supply !!

Regards

Mark


----------



## Blue Nostalgic

Well, it's certainly good to hear that you are able to put a plug in that 'drain' theory. It is interesting to be able to read about the area in the numerous publications and then bounce them off of you to see how far they fly. I worry though that we are starting to beat year by year the chronicled 'worst ever' scenarios. For instance this year we are experiencing the worst ever 'chronicled' red tide in the Gulf of Mexico. This is the first time the researchers have seen such a wide spread and long term effect on not only the normally effected fish, but also the sea turtles and dolphins.

Another article I read referenced the lake only in passing, but said that it was 'almost devoid of aquatic life'. However it seems in that reference maybe the author should take a trip to the lake to see for themselves? Take Care.

Blue Nostalgic


----------



## zamarky1

Hi Blue

Yes it


----------



## parrdog

Thanks for poppin' your head in again Mark, you always make for an interesting read.

Jamie.


----------



## Tangfreak

HI Mark,

why don


----------



## zamarky1

Hi 
@ Tangfreak

why ? because gas (petrol) is heading towards $8.00 US dollars a gallon on the lake at the moment.

Given i did not give the order to go get them and most of them have already been exported its an academic argument now.

Those i have left will not be taken back because of the cost to go and do so, unless you want to wire me the funds to go do it :->

it costs a fiortune to operate out here so you normally find things done in error normally dont get corrected. Sometimes it happens tat the wrong fish is collected or too many of one species and not enough of another etc. pure management issues.

Regards

Mark


----------



## ArmeyGal

Hiya Mark.... Its great to be able to read this thread.. I still have all you photos you showed me in chat last time saved to my phot albums for my screen saver..LOL. Id defiinitly be interested in watching your "tales of a fish collector" show.. when you get it up and going.. he he... you could lake tanganyikas version of Steve Irwin "crocodile Hunter"...LMAO!!!!.. So any new stories since your in the collecting season now??


----------



## ArmeyGal

Ohh.. ps your photo bucket pages werent working this morning.. dod you close the account or is it a photobucket glitch? Also.. I wanted to say.. shame on those people for sending you bad emails and threats.. thats so childish.. your A-1 in my book :wink:


----------



## hook848

Just bumping this for those interested.


----------



## hedstrom

Has anyone heard anything from Mark recently?


----------



## Joder

Hi Mark,

How much money have you made?


----------



## Tim_in_NYC

I'm sure he's very busy, he's "In Season" right now.

-Tim


----------



## luvbonbon

good reading
I'm posting so I can get updates


----------



## Blue Nostalgic

"BUMP"

Seems everyone is 'itching' for an update! Zamarky...Zamarky....Zamarky...(echo) Are you out there???

 ~ Blue Nostalgic


----------



## ApexPredator

No need to continually "bump" this thread. If you feel a need to communicate directly with Mark, then by all means send an email. I'm sure he will post when he has the time.


----------



## tekjunky

Hello...i did PM him two days ago :thumb:

Tekjunky


----------



## fooalofu

Mark is busy trapping a whole bunch of fish......

He'll get back to you when he's ready to sell man


----------



## FishAreFriends

^ :lol: cant believe you are still posting...wont be long till you are gone though for what you did...


----------



## Nigel

FishAreFriends said:


> ^ :lol: cant believe you are still posting...wont be long till you are gone though for what you did...


I would be interested to know what you mean buy the quoted text?


----------



## chris24

Id like to know what you ment by that statment too!!!


----------



## BabySeal

Bump. Another vote to make this a sticky.

Zamarky you must tell more.


----------



## BrownBullhead

Nigel said:


> FishAreFriends said:
> 
> 
> 
> ^ :lol: cant believe you are still posting...wont be long till you are gone though for what you did...
> 
> 
> 
> I would be interested to know what you mean buy the quoted text?
Click to expand...

Perhaps *FishAreFriends* is speculating that with ZaMarky1 bringing improved communications to the outside world to the community of Mpulungu, that the local parties who would rather this link did not exist would somehow take retroactive measures against ZaMarky1? Again, this is just me speculating about *FishAreFriends's* comments... so hopefully *FishAreFriends* will step up and clarify what he meant?


----------



## Nigel

I was just curious if the quoted text was referring to Mark or the post above. Thats all.


----------



## BrownBullhead

Nigel: Sorry, inserted your name in the wrong place. I have edited the above post.


----------



## fooalofu

:?


----------



## zamarky1

Hi,

seems there's been a whole discussion going on about me and i have not even been around .

Ok, what have i been doing, what am i up too ?

I am still in Zambia and still have my land, house etc on the lake. In fact i have accquired more land next door for the purpose of building huge earth ponds for breeding purposes etc in the future.

I am currently living in Lusaka and am not on the lake per se this year. I have started a new company selling and installing VSAT and am actually making money for the first time since i have been in Zambia ( since 1998). I could sure never do that with fish. I dont want to harp on it but the sheer costs of living out on the lake are truely staggering.

I am very very busy instaling VSAT all over the country and have jobs going on in Tanzania, Kenya, Mozambique ,Swaziland and Angola. Its a far cry from sitting up on the lake by myself going mad with loneliness.

I plan to start work very soon now (after my current crop of jobs on VSAT are finnished) on my harbour on the lake frontage i own and i am going to start work on building those ponds. I plan to go up into various parts of the lake to get some really nice blue variants of frontosa and of course tropheus , to breed with.

I plan to resume fishing in 2008. My VSAT business is maturing very nicely and i now have enough residual income coming in every month from VSAT subscriptins for internet service to be able to live in Mpulungu and never have to fish again if i dont want to and it will be nice to be able to fish for fun instead of having to go diving every morning to pay the bills. it makes it all different.

I want to get back to the reasons i originally went out there ..my love of these amazing fish. I want to go diving when i feel like it and photograph the fish and not feel compelled to grab evey fish i see because i need some cash. As i have said so many times , there are so many cowboys on the lake just grabbing everything they see that i dont believe the lake needs another cowboy. If i was ever in that mould , i have hung up my stetson now. My VSAT business lets me not have to be commercial about collecting fish. I would prefer to look and not touch. The only thing i want to take out of this amazing ecosystem are photos of these magicall beauties. its an awsome place out there, you have to "be there" to feel it.

I keep my collecting licence current and as said aim to be back there within a year. My major aim is to get a wi-fi grid across the lake so that the small villages along the lake can give thier children an education of sorts and with the help of the internet we hope to be able to give those communities medical help form hospitals in the western world by means of web cams etc.

I am very busy right now and dont have much time to write on forums etc but i do plan to put up a web site in the future to share with everyone who is interested , the most unique place i have ever come across. Lake Tanganyika. Its not about money, its not about ego. its not abot having the most fish, the biggest or the best......It s all about the joy of waking every morning in awe of the most far out place on earth.

One day i hope to share it with all of you.

Regards

Mark

thank you fo your


----------



## NorthShore

Wow! First post in many months. I've been trying to read this thread in one sitting, but has been impossible. Thanks for reviving the thread. Sounds like you have many many interesting stories to tell. One day, I shall visit both Lake Malawi and Tang.

Gerry


----------



## Tim_in_NYC

You're my hero Mark!

Keep up the great work and keep in touch.

It's a great thing you are doing, you are making a huge impact on peoples lives and having a great time doing it, you're amazing.

Best of luck in all your endeavors, and stay out of trouble!

-Tim


----------



## saltydapleco

Thanks for the update Mark. Good luck with the VSAT and spreading communication across the lake.

Tiff


----------



## tekjunky

Hi...its great to hear from you. Glad everything is going well! Take some video of the ponds you are going make....that should be a site to see....GoodLuck

Tekjunky


----------



## Nigel

Good to hear from you Mark and see that you are still in the land of living. :wink:


----------



## FeatherfinFan

Thanks for touching base Mark, sounds like you've been through an amazing experience. Please post whenever you can, we're all living vicariously through your adventures


----------



## parrdog

Good to hear you're doing well. Thanks for touching base with us and good luck with it all .

Jamie.


----------



## tuway

Not sure why I hadn't come across this thread until today. But immediately I was captivated by the stories Mark told. I spent a good part of the day reading every single posts.

Mark is an amazing fella :thumb:


----------



## zamarky1

Hi

Satellite transmissions went live from Mpulungu at 10.20pm local time.

I am in Mpulungu now and transmitting live from the lake shore.

This is a big day for me. Its is the culmination of several years work to finally get a professional grade C Band VSAT setup and transmitting from the shores of the Lake.

Thought some of you may like to hear the news .

Regards

Mark


----------



## hedstrom

I'm glad to hear from you Mark!
You have made a big thing, bringing internet to mpulungu... wireless!!.


----------



## tekjunky

Very cool...get the web cam going :thumb:

Tekjunky


----------



## zamarky1

Hi

The water level of the lake is going UP fast !

The lake has risen about 500mm in the last three weeks !!

I ran into Toby yesterday morning in Mpulungu and he told me that over on the Kalambo side of the lake they have had 1100mm's of rain in one week !

Will this rain ever end ? Its just raining and raining here, every day. We are expecting the lake to recover its former high level mark this year a a result of the heavy rain we are having here.

Oh and if your expecting any fish from Toby, he was last seen heading out of town with a BIG load of trops on the back of his truck ... looks like you will be getting fish sone now 

Regards

Mark


----------



## zamarky1

Hi,

I forgot. John Bucklands boat was in harbour on Sunday morning loading up with supplies. Monday morning the boat was gone , so one presumes they are on the seas heading north to good collecting grounds.

If you buy fish from John, looks like you'll be getting fish real soon now 

Ziggy's outfit seems to be cruising along at a steady pace, nothing to report there.

Mark Young is still dicking around with satellite equipment so nothing coming from his tanks yet. Stay tuned for more on that one later in the year.

That about brings you up to date on what happened on teh lake today 

Regards

Mark


----------



## hedstrom

Do you have any pictures you can show us from your place? Last pic I saw of the house there were no windows, no doors, just blocks of concrete with a roof on it. =)


----------



## zamarky1

Hi

@ Robin

Nothing changed yet. Not been home much this last year. Been on the road installing VSAT all over Southern Africa. I did however lodge building plans with Mpulungu Council this morning so i am gearing up for another building bout. I want to finnish my house, and put some new ponds in. Looks like any work on my harbour is out given the how fast the lake is rising. Did i mention its wet here right now ?

However i do have some pics of a real sexy satellite dish being installed. I will try to post it later , its late here now and i have been working on this VSAT installation all day and am bushed. I have a really good system up and running here now. This system will work through the rain. I acheived 28dB of isolation on x-pol and have 6dB of headroom on the system which means i have 200% system power held in reserve so when it rains the unit will automatically turn up its power so that it transmits straight though the rain.

If i sound proud of my pride and joy, its because i am 

Regards

Mark


----------



## hedstrom

Wet? Yeah, you did mention it. =) Is it unusual for this type of season?
Here in Sweden we used to dig us selves out from snow at this time of year but now there is almost 10 degrees celsius outside raining. We got some snow in november but that was it.
Can it be consequenses of "the global warming"?


----------



## zamarky1

@Robin

Yeah it is usual for this time of the year. However this year the rain is exceptionally heavy. I mean it is really raining cats and dogs here.

This morning i got up early and had breakfast watching the morning traffic paddle across the lake and i could see the rain coming towards us in the background. IWhen it did hit us at around 06:00 It never stopped untill after 9.00am. A solid three hours of tropical downpour and it ws heavy , very very heavy the whole time. I have never seen this before on the lake. We always get rain but this is exceptional.

Regards

Mark


----------



## NorthShore

Congrats on getting your system up and running! Very exciting times in your part of the world, I'm guessing!


----------



## zamarky1

Hi NorthShore,

Yep its a very big day indeed. I know its probaly pretty boring stuff for you guys in the real world given most of you have pretty good connections that are very fast and very cheap, but out here on the frontier its an amazing feeling to be online with a fast broadband connection. All of a sudden it feels like we are part of the world 

Well i guess i had better keep the chatter about satellite and VSAT's down and keep the postings to fish related stuff.

Heading south again this morning so will be gone again for a while. But the foundation is now set for live reports , photos and stories from the lake fresh everyday.

Take Care

Regards

Mark


----------



## TitoTee

I see sales booming real soon.


----------



## Tim_in_NYC

zamarky1 said:


> Hi
> 
> Satellite transmissions went live from Mpulungu at 10.20pm local time.
> 
> I am in Mpulungu now and transmitting live from the lake shore.
> 
> This is a big day for me. Its is the culmination of several years work to finally get a professional grade C Band VSAT setup and transmitting from the shores of the Lake.
> 
> Thought some of you may like to hear the news .
> 
> Regards
> 
> Mark


Cheers mate, that's awesome. You're a modern day pioneer. 60 Minutes should do a story on you.

Congrats!

-


----------



## parrdog

That unreal news Mark . Can't wait to hear all your unreal stories from the lake.

Congrats once again mate, great stuff .

Jamie.


----------



## NorthShore

Mark,

A question for you since you are on the lake. Would you know whether actual spirulina algae grows in the lake? I'm curious considering the concern over feeding spirulina in the hobby. I've done some research and I have read that spirulina is the main diet of the lesser flamingo and it grows in abundance in lake chad. I've also read that it grows in all the rift lakes because of the hardness of the water.

Gerry


----------



## jeffmo78

I'm new to this post so please do not laugh if i ask a silly question. You mention collectors from the lake having fish for sale soon. How would I go about buying said fish? Everyone seems to know who you are talking about but i am left clueless since i am new. Do they have web sites? Do you have to "know sombody" in order to buy from them? Are they strictly wholesalers?

Thanks. Love reading about the lake.

Jeff


----------



## TitoTee

Hello Zamarky,

I was wondering if you have any influence with the Tropheus importers at the lake?

I believe that the Tropheus Lufubu will have a huge market in the USA if enough can get exported to establish a repertoire for them. After examining many Lufubu pictures a realized that there are two common forms. A Lufubu with a grey belly and a Lufubu with a yellow belly. Both have the purple fins and a purple face. We know that all Tropheus are lovable but on a peer to peer competition - I bet the Lufubu would far out sell Ilangi or Red Rainbows in the USA if given the chance. While I make a business point out of this argument - for the exporters - I'm really making more of a point for the Hobbyist who love these fish including myself. I would love to see this strain establish itself in the states.

What are the possibilities?

Thanks

Tito


----------



## ApexPredator

Tropheus imports are cyclical. A fish may be incredibly popular now and imported like crazy. Then another fish becomes popular and they are the new hot import. Sometimes fish can disappear from the import lists, only to reappear again up to 10 years later.

Then they become the hot, must have fish again. It's all relative. if you contact any of the site sponsors I'm sure they canget get your exactly what you want.


----------



## lloyd

titotee: it's not only the lufubu that seem to be showing up yellow at times. my second delivery of w.c. nkonde bay have a bright yellow dorsal and compared to my first colony look like a totally different fish. and a few in my first box of katoto have red dorsal. nice, but also a complete surprise. i'm a bit perplexed how difficult it can be to have a follow up delivery match the appearance of prior collections. i'm not complaining...but i could use some explanation. :?:


----------



## TitoTee

Hum.....

Too bad we can't get consistent strains 

To me it's like this - if I see a picture of a fish at a site sponsor's website or in a famous author's book such as Koning - I expect to be able order the same fish. If you order a Heckle Discus - you get a Heckel.

Like the previous comment - if I order Lufubu it should be the same fish said to be a Lufubu. And the fad of one fish being in demand over another appears to be more determined by were collectors decide to camp out at - thanks for placing the dark rain clouds over this Apex :roll:


----------



## ApexPredator

lol, sorry Tito.

It just shows how important it is to build up a good relationship with your importer. Let them know exactly what you are looking for and I'm sure they will work towards filling your order.

Nothing wrong with ensuring you get what you want.


----------



## zamarky1

Hi,

Sorry i've left the lake and have been out on the Angolan border putting up VSAT's.

Ah, Lufubu's. Yep my favourite. i see variablity in these fish when they are collected. And that is at the source ! it seems the rainbows exhibit this varability a lot.

There is another huge implication here you should be aware of. Very few if any of the owners of the various collecting outfits actually go out and collect themselves. They send local workers out to collect the orders. It only takes these locals to report they got a fish here or there and the owners who you deal with would accept that information and send out the fish in good faith to you saying it is from where ever the local divers said they got it. So to say this fish is from spot X or Y is difficult. Given the varibiltyof our beloved Tropheus within populations , this may well explain the differences you are seeing.

As an example i was only saying to north shore a few posts back that the Blue rainbow is much more intense in colour if you collect them around on the bay side of Cape Chitika rather then the open lake side of teh Cape. It is more then likely you will get this type of variation in a lot of the rainbows ( but not always).

I used to always go and do the collecting myself to be sure of where the various fishes were coming from for this very reason.

As for hobbyists buying fish direct, its not really feasiable. The costs involved are very high and as such you always have to have minimum quantities and hobbyists cant meet buying that many fish. if only we could get fish to hobbyists direct but we cant. It hjust does not work out finacially.

Regards

Mark


----------



## zamarky1




----------



## jeffmo78

Need an apprentice? I'd work for fish.

Jeff


----------



## zamarky1




----------



## zamarky1

Need an apprentice? I'd work for fish.

Jeff

If your willing to come live out in the bush you can take over the whole station and run it yourself. I am too busy right now and for about the next year or so to fish.

Mark


----------



## zamarky1

Hi,

Forgot. If you click on that last image and enlarge it , tat point that is sticking out is where Mpulungu tropheus are caught and straight over past tha tpoint in the far distance is where Katoto tropheus are caught.

Regards

Mark


----------



## zamarky1




----------



## zamarky1

North shore, i thought you may enjoy this one......


----------



## zamarky1




----------



## NorthShore

Outstanding photos! :thumb: Thanks for taking the time to post, Mark!


----------



## eklikewhoa

cool pics zamarky1!!!!!!

i was wondering...what is the status of moorii ilangi's over there? i keep hearing different rumors and most of which have been either the hippos are hindering collection, over collected, and one instance that stated ilangi's are extinct, ilangi's are being pond raised and the last rumor i heard recently a new variation has moved into nkambe bay where ilangi's once lived and they look similar but are different

if you could shed some light on the matter it would be greatly appreciated.


----------



## zamarky1

I'm in Lusaka tonight so thought i would throw up some pics of the antenna. then i thought to myself you may like to see some of your fishes wild cousins.

Off down to the Zimbabwe border tomorrow to do a job there installing yet another VSAT so i wont be back for quite a while as i have to go to Swaziland for the next VSAT after that.

did i ever mention that i love VSAT ? hmmm........ one fine day i will be back at the lake to stay and fish but right now i am finally making money in Africa  so have to keep putting up VSAT's all over the show.


----------



## zamarky1

Ok these are not tropheus, but these were collected in the same spot as the blue rainbows a few posts back.


----------



## zamarky1

@ eklikewhoa

I have no idea at this time. its been three years since i was last up there ! 2004 and part of 2005 i was working in London and so was off the lake. The rest of 2005 and 2006 i have been working on VSAT and wireless networking. its been a while !

However.........

.......I would take it all.with a grain of salt. I dont want to start fanning the flames again ( last time i did that i go myself into some strife on here..;-) ) BUT.....

......they have been over collected. I am totally against any collecting on Illangi. its a certain ah , ****** outfit doing it, they know who they are !!! ( and so does a lot of the trade) but having said that they will never get them all. No way that could happen, no matter how hard they try. Yes Hippos are a problem there, crocs an even bigger problem. They ARE being pond raised. I can tell you this as a fact, despite whatever others who would rather you did not know, tell you.

there is no way a specsis could "move" into a bay to take up residence. Just couldn't happen.

hope that helps a bit.

this is exactly why i could never make money out of the fish. I refused to collect the fish that were worth money because of over exploitation. I reckon we should leave them where they are. Certainly go get fish to breed in ponds by the lake shore and be happy with those. ....I say, but , i am but one small voice in the wilderness ....

Regards

Mark


----------



## bethesdaboy

My my.
I guess I will certainly hang on to my WC colony of Ilangis then.
Thanks for the information.


----------



## TitoTee

bethesdaboy -

So yours weren't bred lakeside?


----------



## bethesdaboy

I have had them for a couple years now.
They were beasts when I got them.
Lots of 5" fish, amazing colors.
If they were lakeside pond guys, I would take them a second!


----------



## TitoTee

Wow! Sounds nice. Have you posted pictures of your Ilangi? If so, where can we find the pics


----------



## eklikewhoa

yes, do post pictures or start a thread.

zarmarky1, thank you for that. i am not trying to get you or anyone to start any kind of problems just wanted to get some info from a reputable source or at least not just a hearsay comment.

good luck over there and i enjoy reading your post!


----------



## MoliroMan

amazing thread...hope to hear more from u in the soon!


----------



## bethesdaboy

Couple of shots of my Ilangis from last year.


----------



## TitoTee

Finally, Finally, Finally   :thumb:

An Ilangi shot that looks just like the one in Ad Koning's book.

My guess is that all Ilangi's can look this way but they need to be full grown first.


----------



## eklikewhoa

beautiful Ilangi's!!!!


----------



## aquaticnut

Nice Illangi. In the first picture I notice the fish has 2 or 3 dummy egg spots on the rear fin. Have you noticed any of your females also having these or is it only the males that have them?


----------



## eklikewhoa

So Mark, after looking at those pictures above they all seem to be in really nice condition with perfect finnage wouldn't keeping them together like that cause aggression problems? do they not pick on each other in there?


----------



## zamarky1

Hi

Well i'm down on the Zim Border and testing a VSAT and came in here to see how fast the page loads.

Ok to answer the question..........

I have found that Trophs and O.Ventralis to be really good tank mates. There has never been any incident that i have seen. They never bother each other at all. Still, you will notice how long my tanks are. They are 4000mm x 1000mm x 1000mm. 4000 litres. Big tanks in any ones language. It was my theory that trophs need long tanks to be able to swim away from an aggressor when an attack comes. I had noticed in the wild (after many dives) that Trophs only seem to chase for about 3 meters or so then give up the chase. So i built tanks 4 meters long. Its only my theory nut so far it has been right. I keep 300 trophs and around 150 O.Ventralis to a tank. Never an issue or problem of any type.

Mark


----------



## eklikewhoa

That's a big tank indeed!

Thanks for the reply!


----------



## noddy

I was just sitting here, wondering weather or not I could grow out my ventralis, in my tropheus tank. Now I know. Mark. Maybe you could answer something for me? I have O. ventralis "kalambo". I have had a few people tell me that they look like "chituta". I have seen fish that were called kalambo, but were in fact orange caps. If you could shed some light on this, it would be much appreciated. Thanks very much.


----------



## zamarky1

HI

Hey listen , i dont want to sound like the know it all - i'm not. But yes i do know those fish. I used to collect Chituta Bay a lot . Kalambo Ventrlis have a long range and they do seem to bleed over to the next race. It takes an expert to pick out a Kalambo from any of a few close neighbours.

Orange Cap are just over the border. I have never collected them

Regards

Mark


----------



## noddy

Thanks for the reply Mark. I don't want to push my luck but, Do these guys look like kalambo to you?
























I know they aren't trophs, but this is probably my best chance at identifying these guys.


----------



## zamarky1

Nope they are 100% NOT Kalambo

Regards

Mark


----------



## noddy

Thanks Mark. Not what I wanted to here, but, at least I know.


----------



## geoff_tropheus

Mark,

Have you ever seen a Red Annectens Tropheus? I am told that males of Tropheus Annectens Kekese will turn cherry red and the females stay black and white striped. The males supposedly look like these photos.

http://www.ciklidi.com/ciklidi/tropheus ... kekese.jpg

http://www.ciklidi.com/ciklidi/tropheus ... kekese.jpg

You ever seen fish like this or collected them?

What do most annectens tropheus look like that you have seen?


----------



## zamarky1

Hi

Nope never seen one in the wild, red or any other colour. Not a very exciting answer i know but i have never run across one, but mind you i was not looking. I always targeted my catch and i was never asked for these.

Regards

Mark


----------



## Brichardiman

geoff_tropheus said:


> Mark,
> 
> Have you ever seen a Red Annectens Tropheus? I am told that males of Tropheus Annectens Kekese will turn cherry red and the females stay black and white striped. The males supposedly look like these photos.
> 
> http://www.ciklidi.com/ciklidi/tropheus ... kekese.jpg
> 
> http://www.ciklidi.com/ciklidi/tropheus ... kekese.jpg
> 
> You ever seen fish like this or collected them?
> 
> What do most annectens tropheus look like that you have seen?


Never heard about a red Annectens .. I would say that the flash turns the fishes red in the photo.

best regards


----------



## fisker

Seemed to me like Photoshop-Annectens


----------



## geoff_tropheus

I agree that the Red Annectens does like dressed up, but...if you notice in the Ad Konnings Book, Tanganyikan's in their Natural Habitat..that second photo is the same photo Konnings published as Annectens Kekese.

What color are most Annectens? So, far I have only seen black and white, and a brownish and white color. All had blue eyes though..


----------



## bethesdaboy

Mine


----------



## TitoTee

Mark -

Have you ever bothered to measure water parameters in the lake such as Ammonia, Nitrtrites nitrates?


----------



## zamarky1

WooHoo its Easter long weekend !!

I',m heading out of town ( Lusaka) and going bush for 4 days. We have decided to go bush bashing in our landcrusier and head up to Cape kachese by road.

It's a long long drive through the bush and 4x4 only bush tracks. Were camping on Cape Kachese for the break. Seeing how i've got a digital camera now it'll be interesting to take some pics and post them here for those of you who have never seen that part of the lake.

Ah its nice to be heading up to the lake. I cant wait to get there.

C-ya

Z


----------



## Longstocking

I'm so jealous  Have fun !


----------



## Guest

Have a good time Zmark. I / we'll be eagerly awating you pictures. 
Thanks for posting the pictures of you living most of our dreams.


----------



## zamarky1

Hi,

I'm back but a bit worse for wear. What a tough trip !! I've come down with malaria and got a really bad infection on my hand which has traveled right up my left arm and it hurts like **** !

I scrubbed three tires, had to go borrow some tires from the UN camp up in that area to get back out and scratched my car to bits from over grown bush that drapes the road. I've broken a shock absorber and got a bad whine in the diff....all in all a costly trip. Still if you want to go bush bashing through Africa this is what you face.

I think i'll visit Nsumbu by boat in future.

I'm feeling really sick right now so will post photos in a few days time when i get over all the aliments......

Z


----------



## zamarky1

This is the road to NSUMBU at the top end of the Zambian Lake. You can see we got a few miles of good road.....it was to become worse


----------



## zamarky1

here you can see the road starts getting bumpy.It got a lot worse before it got better.










Then all of a sudden the road got very good and we got our first glimpse of the Lake. This view is looking north towards Congo. The expense of water you can see is Cameron Bay and thats Congo Point jutting out into the lake proper


----------



## NorthShore

That last pic is beautiful, Mark! Thanks for posting!

Gerry


----------



## parrdog

Fantastic pics Mark, thanks for the look.

Here's to a speedy recovery mate .

Jamie.


----------



## zamarky1

Hi again

This pic is looking out over Cape kachese itself with Congo point in the background.

The border with Zambia is about one third the way back from the tip of the point that sticks out.


----------



## zamarky1

This one is a close up of the shore line along Cameron Bay. Off to the extreme left is Chimba. Some prettyyyy tropheus at chimba !! In fact cameron Bay has some nice variants


----------



## TitoTee

About how many Trophs would you find under there


----------



## zamarky1

Hi

You can see the wrecked tires on the roof of the 4x4 and if you look carefully through the back window you can see a nice big thick mattress.. I have camped so many times up here on rocks around the lake shore that this time i decided to go camping in comfort










*but Enough of the car already !!! onto NSUMBU.........*










As we drove around the corner the lake opens up and you can see the village of Nsumbu directly before us.

Just off to the left you can see Sumbu island. Sumbu Island has its own variant of tropheus although i don't think it is widely kept anymore. To tell the truth i have never seen one much less ever collected one. I have never had a request from anyone to ever go get one so it seems it has dropped out of popularity.

In this last view we are looking towards the south end of the lake. That point you can see sticking right out is the Inango Peninsula which is inside Nsumbu national park. The smaller point that is closer to the right is Nundo head also in the park. Nkamba bay is out of sight in this photo behind Nundo head.


----------



## zamarky1

A close up of Sumbu Island.....


----------



## Longstocking

I'm so glad you finally have a bed !!!!! Amazing pictures !!

I hope you feel better !


----------



## zamarky1

Hi Longstockings......

Yeah i finally have a bed and a house in Lusaka as well. VSAT made lots of things possible that were a challenge before, although the no bed thing was a stupid thing that never seemed to get fixed because there always seemed to be something more important to carry up to the lake.

I got admitted to hospital on friday. The infection was raging out of control but that has been now brought under control. The malaria was and is still not responding to treatment.

Africa is a hard place to live in regards to diseases. So many of em here. I have a few more photos to upload but it will have to wait until i feel better before i download photos off the SD cards onto my PC then up to photo bucket and finally here. I just feel too sick.

Zm1


----------



## Guest

Zmarkey1,
 Hope you get to feeling better soon. Next you'll have to put up a mosquito net around that mattress.  Thanks for posting the pictures & adding the details about the location and what else is close to the area it almost makes me feel like I'm there with you. Have you had a chance to get your truck road ready again? :-? Best of luck to you. :thumb: 
Thanks again. :wink:


----------



## frog317

Mark,

Thanks for the wonderful pictures! Hope you are feeling better soon.


----------



## lloyd

i'll take a few boxes of those sumbu please. they never show up on lists anymore.


----------



## eugenechng

Hi mark! Thanks for the updates and wonderful pics, I really enjoy reading them! Take care and get well soon!!


----------



## parrdog

Thanks again for the pics and the stories Mark.

Get well soon mate.

Jamie.


----------



## zamarky1

Some Shots of Ndole Bay.......

You can see Hippos are a very real threat to divers on the Lake. This hippo was part of a pod of about 6 . Avoid these at all costs if you ever run (swim?) into one......


----------



## zamarky1

Ndole bay looking South. Note the building ~( Shed?) on the right.










This is a close up of the fish house of a certain German collector.


----------



## Brichardiman

Thorstens little heap? Nice to see photos from your trip Mark! Take care

Best regards


----------



## zamarky1

Ah, no its not Thorstens place. Its another fine German chap's place 

ZM1


----------



## zamarky1

This is in Ndole bay near the fish house. the natives are doing what the natives do - going fishing










I watched this boat load up and head out towards Congo waters.


----------



## NorthShore

Hello Mark 

Thanks for the photos! Always nice to see you posting!

Gerry


----------



## jeffmo78

agreed!! Always look forward towards your posts!!

jeff


----------



## zamarky1

This shot shows where all your Cape Kachese trophs come from. Yep in among all those reeds !! And the books say they are found among the rocks........ dont believe everything you read. I have collected many rophs in Cameron Bay / Cape |Kachese. The absolute best spot to get those Kachese Trophs are among those reeds in the photo i am describing. Also i noticed it was hard to find female kachese. Not sure why.










That was about the end of photos for that day as the light was fading fast. We bunked down for the night and made camp


----------



## jeffmo78

.......about that apprentice position? Is it still open.

**packs his things and heads to Africa**

jeff

"the tanks are overated.....the lake is where its at!!"


----------



## zamarky1

Hi,

Hey remember i've not long been out of hospital with a bad infection that came from a small scratch on my hand and a bad case of malaria that would not respond to treatment....there are a lot of diseases out here that can take you out.

By this time next year i will be on the lake again full time at my Mpulungu house (and collecting again) so if you really want to come out........ just let me know.

But be warned this is no place for *******. The chances of getting bitten or attacked are high........

ZM1


----------



## y ddraig goch

Hi Mark,

I have Tropheus Ndole, I'd be interested in a report on the underwater world there - Schupke says mostly sandstone and quite shallow, with Ndole sometimes being found amongst the Kachese Trophs. Any insights into Ndole bay would be appreciated.

I'd expect the water to be warmer than on average if it's shallow, can you confirm that?

Are the hippos a permanent feature there, feeding on reeds and vegetation, or do they roam a much wider locale?

cheers
David


----------



## zamarky1

Hi,

well its been a while since i went diving up there (2003) so the memory is a bit foggy on it. rather then me tell you what i think i saw lets wait till i dive there again.

But from memory it was a muddy/sandy bottom with rocks around but not the usual lake rock bottom we are so used to. The reeds are very thick there and they hold an amazing number of trophs in them.

You dont go far however towards that point sticking out and you do hit the usual rocks and i do remember the drop off their was very sudden and deep. i also have fond memories of the yellow nasuta there.

The water anywhere in the lake is much warmer in the shallows. I don't particularly remember anything odd about water temperature there at that location

The hippos have moved in recently. They hang around an area for a while and then move on. This makes them unpredictable ad why we are always on alert for them. I once ran one over in my boat !!! he was most upset i can tell you and i was very lucky to get away unscathed. However in general you don't normally find hippos too far from the park.

I do plan on going very much in depth at all the spots and writing about them a bit later on. So much to do here in Lusaka, so busy putting up VSAT and installing networks.....

Which brings me to my next point. I am off into the bush for a few weeks now doing installations around the country so i wont be able to read this forum. I would hate you to think i was ignoring you.

Regards

ZM1


----------



## NorthShore

Thanks, Mark, and good luck! :thumb:


----------



## y ddraig goch

all the best Mark , keep safe! :thumb:


----------



## fishboy11

ZM1...have u ever dove namansi reef? I am wondering if you have ever seen tropheus brichardi namansi in the wild. I am hoping to get these for my new 180g...and from what i hear they get more colorful the deeper you go! Please tell me what you know!


----------



## zamarky1

Hi

@fishboy11

Nope never dived in TZ at all. I hope to change that soon enough but as it stands, sadly i have never dived in TZ waters at all. I have a Zambian License to collect and thus i have only really ever spent lots of time in Zambian waters.

In my opinion the best tropheus are from Zambia. I also like the ones out of Congo. Especially Kiriza.

Regards

ZM1


----------



## zamarky1

*A new morning breaks over Cameron bay*










We have to break camp and head out along Cape Kachese but it sure was nice camped on the sand in Ndole bay


----------



## y ddraig goch

Sometimes it's a real bummer being in the office! LOL


----------



## zamarky1

well if the office looked anything like this , it wouldn't be so bad....










*The shore line along Cape Kachese*



































[/b]


----------



## NorthShore

Hello Mark!

Thanks for sharing the lovely photos!

Gerry


----------



## Fogelhund

Nice pictures Mark.... now where are the fish. :lol:


----------



## zamarky1

Hi,

"where are the fish"............ yes where are the fish ?

I don't have an underwater housing and strobes yet. And i cant buy those because i have not got a DSLR yet. Since i am not going to be home till next year it makes no sense to buy a DSLR until i am ready to use it given that the digital camera market is evolving so rapidly.

But once i house the camera and equip it with high quality lenses and powerful strobes i will have lots of photos of the fish.

Interestingly enough when i first went to the lake it was because i wanted to do an underwater documentary of the fish and somehow got sidetracked into collecting them. Its all Toby's fault. I went out there and approached him for a job so that i could have lots of time underwater with a Digi Betacam ( there was no HD in those days, Digi Beta was the top). He said no so being as determined as i was i had no choice but to setup myself if i wanted to get up close and personal with the fish underwater in their habitat. strange things in life happen huh ?

regards

ZM1


----------



## Longstocking

I'm a diver as well... have you considered a underwater camera that doesn't need a housing? Only reason I say that is incase you flood the dang thing... which could happen as you know. Of course you can flood the other ones but it's less likely. Not as nice of pictures... but they are getting fairly nice. I think they go up to 6 to 8 pix now. Sea and Sea digital camera is the company I was thinking. Pretty reasonable as well... many options for strobes and lenses.

Great Pics!!!.... looks so warm and blue !!!


----------



## zamarky1

Hi Longstockings,

I haven't heard from you in a long while.....was wondering what you may be up too.

Yeah i have considered getting a cheaper rig setup to tide me over till i go DSLR but the lens is where its all at and if i am going to go to the time and trouble of going looking for the shots i want i figure i may as well arm myself with the best i can obtain. The problem with those compact cameras or really any camera that does not use the best glass is that your images don't have the contrast and color they should have.

But we'll get there eventually.

Take care.

regards

Mark


----------



## zamarky1

*Does anybody recognize this name ? ... it was one of the big names on the lake untill a few years ago*










*and this is the house they lived in up there on Cape kachese.....*










*with a view to die for....looking towards the South down Lake Tanganyika*


----------



## jeffmo78

Thatched roof cottages and beautiful surroundings.....*packs his bag* im on my way! Great shots! The Lake is truely a paradise!! Thanks for showing us these pictures Zmark

jeff


----------



## jeffmo78

:thumb:


----------



## ApexPredator

ok guys, innocent mistakes and comments. Lets get back to fish and being jealous of Mark's pics. :thumb:


----------



## IrkedCitizen

Yes, more pictures!

But that previous stuff had comedic value.


----------



## FeatherfinFan

Thanks for those awesome pics Zmark, it looks like Cape Kachese is as beautiful as the Tropheus that hail from that region. Just keep letting as live vicariously through you and it's all good  Stay safe and look forward to more pics, and when you can get underwater shots we'll all be waiting patiently


----------



## NorthShore

I _am_ going to get there one day. Once the youngun' leaves the nest, I start saving for it. :thumb:


----------



## mcorbeil

I'm down for that trip! In a heartbeat!


----------



## IrkedCitizen

I would like to go too. I probably wouldn't go in the water though. Crocodiles and Hippos = me out of the water. I watch animal planet! Lol.


----------



## Jolley

IrkedCitizen said:


> I would like to go too. I probably wouldn't go in the water though. Crocodiles and Hippos = me out of the water. I watch animal planet! Lol.


 :lol: :lol: :thumb: 
that's funny :!:


----------



## CLAYTONJP

any new news from Mark?


----------



## katytropheus

Would love to hear from him as well, always very, very informative.


----------



## zamarky1

He's still tagging along 

Not much going on right now except the hum drum of life in Africa. I nearly got killed last Saturday by a run away Tanzanian truck, had a run in with the local police who wanted to arrest me for dangerous driving ( i wont even go into the details as it will find its way back to me and bite me on the back side- better to stay quite on the subject and keep my head down - no use making enemies with local cops is there?) but needless to say i managed to sort it out and didn't go into cells like they were threatening...um , what else.......

a few shipments went out but that's also stopped for the moment. I didn't do the collecting myself, i sent the boys out by themselves as i was busy elsewhere. But the fish catches were good and they arrived safely at their end destination. Had a LOT of problems with pumping water from the lake to my tanks and so had to revert to pumping with petrol ( GAS in the US ) but got ripped off because i was not there and ended up losing a major shipment of Chumbu blue frontosa and LOTS of Congo trophs..... so i have decided to stop for now until i can sort it out properly... just the usual day to day dramas in Africa, nothing fancy.

I've been very busy trying to setup an export station in South Africa but have hit hurdle after hurdle....quite simply the Africans now ruling South Africa don't want westerners there anymore, so that's become difficult. Not sure if we will be able to get that station up and running now so that's thrown a spanner in the works yet again. There is simply no other way i can get wild caughts to Australia unless i go through South Africa - sorry to all the guys in OZ..it looks like i have failed again ( been trying for 10 years and still cant get it happening - oh dear)

Price of fuel has reduced to sensible levels here in Zambia so thats good.

Other then that all is quiet on the western front.

Regards

ZM1


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## NorthShore

Nice to hear some news from you, Mark. Stay safe and be well. 

Gerry


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## geoff_tropheus

Glad to hear your trying and in good spirits. Actually made some shipments too, nice..


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## Floridagirl

Mark,

Hello, I came across the post, and thought someone should check to see if you are not in jail :wink: .. I have an American aquantaince in Tanzania. I hope all is well in your neck of the woods.

Angie


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## fishkeeper93

Hey mark.

I've just read the whole thread and wondered how your doing now?


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## zamarky1

Hi fishkeeper,

All well this side - just very busy. Collecting season is in full swing.

Managing to stay out of prison cells and keeping out of trouble in general.

Regards

ZM1


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## NorthShore

Hello Mark.  Nice to see you still lakeside. Are you doing any collecting yourself?


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## zamarky1

Hi Gerry,

Its been a while since we chatted. No i am not personally in the water grabbing the fish. I've got divers out doing the collecting while i am in Lusaka. Its the only way i can get shipments out without major problems occurring. Its very hard to be on the lake getting fish in and trying to keep stocks in Lusaka for shipment at the same time, so this year ( at least during the collecting season) i am staying in Lusaka looking after the business end of it while the boys do the collecting.

We are very busy, there is lots going on. Economy seems to be picking up, everyone is busy again.

Regards

ZM1


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## dgarnier

What fish have you been collecting lately?


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## zamarky1

RR's, Zambian rainbows, Congolese stuff here and there but had plenty of problems with Congo fish this year so bit shy of the place right now. I'd love to live up there along that coast line though. Some amazing photo opportunities. Its a sort of wild west atmosphere though so you need a pretty stout attitude to it all to be able to live there. But it would still be fun to do i think.

How many trophs must there be along the South West coast of the lake in Congo that are as yet unknown to us? I am positive one or two. Look at the trophs that got turned up in Zambia a few years back......and yet there we were going straight past them all the time to get the staples like Kachese , Chimba and Katete. It just took RT to find them. So i reckon someone who is careful to poke along every little bit of coastline will turn up something one day.

Best

zm1


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## SFCichlids

Man, that was an awesome read, just got done w/ the whole thread and side links/articles/interview. Amazing story of a true hobbyist making his dreams come true and allowing us to live vicariously thru him. Like you before, I'm currenty fascinated only with alto comps/calvus, fronts, & trophs, but of course there's so much more in that magical lake.

Thanks Mark for your invaluble, honest, and informative contributions to this thread and hope all is well with you! Any update, especially w/ pics is always welcomed and appreciated...


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## Gene D

I talked with my importer earlier this week and they said they were now working with an Aussie collector on the lake. I asked if it was Mark Young and the response was yes. It looks like he is still collecting just on a smaller scale.

I was glad to hear he is still following his dream and doing what he loves. Good luck to you Mark and thank you for the information in this thread.


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## fish

Wow, great stuff!!! Read the whole thing yesterday.

Are you collecting tropheus right now? I'm looking for Ilangi's and they may import them directly from you....


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## tirzo13

Nothing new for awhile. Anybody heard from him?


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## noddy

Mark appears on this page, but I would suggest reading from the begining.
We are very lucky to have him around. opcorn:


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## tirzo13

Yes, i have read from the beginning.
I was reading it when he actually started the thread.

My question is if he is still around, he has not posted anywhere on the site for about a year.


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## noddy

tirzo13 said:


> Yes, i have read from the beginning.
> I was reading it when he actually started the thread.
> 
> My question is if he is still around, he has not posted anywhere on the site for about a year.


I had posted a link to another thread where Mark was posting reccently, I guess the powers that be don't want you to see it. Too bad, it is a very good read. Not to mention the fact that it makes it seem like I was trying to be a wise guy.


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