Project details

The Canberra and District Aquarium Society

Species Conservation Project

How do I participate in the Conservation project?

If an eligible breeder identifies a species on the Conservation project list they would like to try to breed, they should contact the CDAS Breeders’ Award Chairperson or CDAS President and register their interest.

CDAS will then procure the broodstock and supply them at no cost to the breeder. Assistance from the breeder to locate suitable fish may be required.

Once the breeder successfully breeds the fish, the offspring will be sold through the monthly CDAS auction with all proceeds retained by CDAS.

After the cost of the broodstock has been “repaid” to CDAS, the breeder will be offered the choice of retaining the broodstock and returning all remaining offspring to CDAS, or retaining the remaining offspring and returning the broodstock.

Finer details such as:
* A suitable time-frame in which the breeder can attempt to breed the fish
* What happens if the broodstock dies
* The size at which offspring will be sold
* And the amount to be “repaid”
will be agreed between the breeder and the CDAS Breeders’ Award Chairperson and CDAS President on a case by case basis before the fish are handed over.

What species are in the Conservation project?

Members suggestions for species to be included were debated by the Committee before the final species list was decided.

The current list has been divided into three tiers:

Level 1 (Fish that are relatively inexpensive, yet are difficult to obtain)

Apistogramma nijsseni (Panda Dwarf Cichlid)

Chlamydogobius squamigenus (Edgbaston Goby)

Galaxias fuscus (Barred galaxia)

Pelvicachromis taeniatus (Striped Kribensis) Dehane, Moliwe, Kienke morphs

Poecilia wingei (Endler’s Livebearer)

Pseudomugil ivantsoffi (Ivantsoff Blue-eye)

Level 2 (Fish that are moderately expensive, difficult to breed or hard to obtain)

Amphiprion ocellaris (Ocellaris Clownfish)

Apistogramma panduro

Apistogramma trifasciatum

Chalinochromis brichardi

Chalinochromis sp. Ndoboi

Corydoras sp. Peru Green stripe (Cw009)/ Peru Orange stripe (Cw010)

Dekeyseria brachyuran (Butterfly Pleco/L168)

Lamprichthys tanganicanus (Tanganyikan killifish)

Nanochromis transvestitus

Panaque maccus (Clown Pleco/L104)

Level 3 (Fish that are expensive, difficult to breed or hard to obtain)

Betta macrostoma (Brunei Beauty)

Celestichthys margaritatus (Celestial Pearl Danio)

Puntius denisonii (Red-line Torpedo Barb/Denison Barb)

When can i participate in the Conservation project?

Now if you’re eligible!

Contact the CDAS Breeders’ Award Chairperson or CDAS President and register your interest.

One member has already donated some Endler’s Livebearers to get things underway (thanks Paula).

If you have a suggestion for other species to be added to the Species Conservation list, contact a CDAS Committee member or suggest it at the next CDAS meeting.

Who can participate in the Conservation project?

If you’re a novice breeder or don’t yet have a breeders’ status, get breeding and submit your Breeding/Spawning Registration forms for the breeders award program.

Intermediate status can be reached by breeding as few as three or four different species.

Level 1 species will be available to breeders with Intermediate, Advanced, Senior, Master, Senior Master or Grand Master status.

Level 2 species will be available to breeders with Senior, Master, Senior Master or Grand Master status.

Level 3 species will be available to breeders with Senior Master or Grand Master status after they have successfully bred a level 1 or level 2 species.

If you’re not sure of your current breeders’ status, check with the CDAS Breeders’ Award Chairperson.

Why have a Conservation project?

If you read through the CDAS breeders’ award records you will come across dozens of species that were once common in the local aquarium hobby but are difficult to find.

If you are lucky enough to find some they are often of poor quality, or prohibitively expensive.

The CDAS committee wanted to do something about this and the idea of a CDAS Species Conservation project was spawned.

The aim of the CDAS Species Conservation project is to increase the availability and diversity of good quality aquarium fishes within the local hobby.

Affordability and conservation of endangered or threatened species are also major elements of the program.