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Select Aquatics of
Erie CO. |
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Speaking and Appearances |
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Greg Sage BM., MEd., has written for "Livebearers", the Journal
of the American Livebearer Association.
He also led the ALA as chairman for 2 terms, from 2000
to 2004. He has also written articles on Livebearers,
Livebearer Husbandry,
Selective Breeding, setting
up Fishrooms and automatic
water changing systems
for numerous club publications. Since 2008 he has also
spent a few days a week as a visiting researcher,
assisting
Limia research at the Fish
lab at the University of Colorado, Boulder, in association with
Dr. Alex Cruz. He is also the owner of
Select Aquatics of Erie, Colorado, a licensed wholesale and
retail seller of Tropical Fish.
Speaking to clubs since 2000, he has spoken at
conventions and Fish shows throughout the country,
particularly since the start of Select
Aquatics in 2009.
A fish geek since middle school, a bedroom of 10 tanks
of guppies is now a 120 tank fishroom breeding
large numbers of many rare and difficult to
obtain species of livebearers, as well as some
barbs and
catfish,
so they can be better
understood and maintained in the hobby.
Each fairly fast paced talk takes between 60 and 75
minutes, with questions afterwards. Numerous photographs
and videos throughout the talks
present everything clearly in an informal but informational
presentation.
Formerly a
touring musician (Trumpet) that performed for many years from
both the East and West Coasts,
Greg still plays daily and performs
regularly in the Denver, Colorado area.
To arrange to have Greg Sage come out to
speak to your club or fish organization, simply email
selectaquatics@gmail.com and we will get right
back to you. Up to two talks can be given on a visit.
Here are the talks that are being given currently:
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Livebearers-
No longer Child's Play
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An effort to identify and categorize most of
the livebearers in today's hobby, this talk opens
briefly with the strains of Guppies,
Mollies, Platies
and swords that we are all familiar
with. After
looking at their wild
forms, this leads to the livebearers
seen in the greater hobby today as either
Goodeids, Poeciliids,
Wild Swords, Oddballs and UBDFs (Ugly brown
ditch fish- some that are
rare and most
in need of conservation), all available to the hobbyist. Each
category shows many,
if not most of the fish the
hobbyist may encounter at a convention, club meeting or auction.
Pictures and videos of a variety livebearers including
wild Swordtails and
Goodeids are
throughout the talk with some discussion of
care needs
and information needed to care for
these fish.
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Having Success With Livebearers
Specifics of Livebearer Husbandry |
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Beginning with text photos and satellite
images of the wild habitats these fish come from, the talk looks
carefully at every aspect of caring for
these fish to achieve their best health, growth and maximum
reproduction.
With many photos and short videos, it is discussed why
many that have kept some types of fish for many
years successfully have trouble with
livebearers. Tank set up,
Filtration,
Plants, Foods,
breeding
and the
3 periods of acclimation the fish go
through are discussed. As well, differences between species are
covered, including
comparisons of temperature and food requirements.
From information provided at this website, customers
have sent beautiful pictures of their tanks to show
how these guidelines result in very attractive
tanks, and some are included. As well, the most common
diseases, treatments and
medications to have on hand are also
discussed.
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Selective Breeding |
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Often given in conjunction with the
Livebearers talk, this presentation covers the types of
selective breeding seen
in the
hobby. Following the examples of 6 species at
Select Aquatics,
brief photo histories document the
creation of morphs and color patterns in species that had
not been previously worked with, occasionally creating
fish that had never been seen
before. A brief explanation of the Punnet square and basic
livebearer breeding
practices used routinely in the fish room
are discussed.
Special attention is paid to
the number of tanks required to accomplish goals, and the need
to maintain focus,
prioritizing
the traits you are breeding for, etc.
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Tricks and Fixes
in the
Fishroom |
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A big
part of the fish hobby is finding creative solutions to solve
simple problems with a little
ingenuity, problems that never go away, but
evolve the longer you are in the hobby.
From special breeders and tank dividers to 2 gallon
plant pot brine shrimp hatchers, automatic
water change system and sump filters, all the tools and
supplies needed to stock a resourceful
fishroom are covered. The construction of each is
discussed, and you will see how creative
approaches and novel solutions are essential to this
fishroom.
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Keeping and Breeding the Longfin
Green Dragon
Ancistrus Plecostomus |
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This talk
covers the Selective Breeding and development of the Longfin
Green Dragon Plecostomus,
a fish that has was first developed in this fishroom,
bred and sold since 2012. The line is still
very much in development, and increases substantially
with each generation.
The basic care and breeding of this fish, which is not
a "common bristlenose", is discussed and
how they are maintained here to continue their
development. A new line that I have been working
on for about 5 years is revealed, though it will not be
breeding consistently to be sold for at
least 3-4 more years.
This has proven to be the most popular fish at Select
Aquatics, and would be happy to share what
I have learned about this very interesting fish!
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On a Personal Note:
Many of you know that I have
spent my life as a professional Trumpet
Player,
having toured and performed throughout the US with various
bands (Stan
Mark, Heart, Dutch Falconi, US Marine Band, etc.), and
I still
perform regularly.
When I am out
speaking to clubs, I will often have a horn with me to
stay in shape
when out of town (practicing in the hotel). In the past I
have been
asked if I would be willing to sit in with local community
bands when I
am in town, and I would be happy to do so, assuming
it could be
scheduled during my visit.
Just let me
know you are thinking of having me do this prior to the
club
meeting, and I will know which horn to bring - :)
Greg
Sage
selectaquatics.com
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