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PAS : KE ARAH PEMERINTAHAN ISLAM YANG ADIL
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Assalamualaikum,
Mungkin ada ahli agama yang boleh komen tentang hal ini.
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Who Needs Another Hybrid?
by Dr. Ronald M. Coleman, Dr. Michael K. Oliver, and the Authors of
Malawi Cichlid Homepage: Dr. George J. Reclos, Francesco Zezza,
Patrizia Spinelli, and Frank Panis
Red Blood Parrot 'Cichlid' — a classic hybrid that
has been disgracing tanks for over a decade
any aquarists know the Red Blood Parrot “cichlid,” a hybrid which has
been around for some time and has found its way into many tanks for
many reasons (especially, ignorance or the famous “who cares?”
concept). However, it seems that even all that has been written and the
great controversy this hybrid created were not enough to stop breeders
from pursuing easy money in this field.
Recently, we came across an announcement for a new “cichlid,” a man-
made hybrid called “Flower Horn.” For people like us (African cichlid
lovers), who go to great lengths to ensure that the fish we keep,
donate, or sell are pure species, this is something unacceptable. For
people like most of you, driven by the philosophy of true fish keeping
and an inherited love for nature, this whole idea is (or should be)
disgusting. Using nature’s precious jewels to produce aquatic monsters
(“Franken-fish” according to Dr. Ron Coleman) is something we should
protest against and make sure that at least some people hear this
voice. This is the reason behind this article. We will do our best to
ensure that more and more people hear about this, get educated, and
finally understand that there is no reason to buy this “kind” of fish
for their tanks. Breeders producing such fish try to make a fish that
has a special appearance or shows a specific behavior, give it an
exotic name (like “Flower Horn”), and then sell it for many
dollars/pounds/euros/yen to people who are tempted by the appearance of
those “creatures” and supported by their ignorance. Hybrid fish are not
meant for the serious aquarist; this is the simple truth. This is the
philosophy of the authors of this article — the people behind the
participating Web sites — and we will always fight against those who
think they can play god — or, should we say, antigod.
Francesco Zezza, an author of Malawi Cichlid Homepage, expresses his
feelings in his own way:
In the context of this article I’d like to add my personal point
of view. Let’s begin with this: I’m NOT a scientist or a researcher.
I’m simply a hobbyist (may I dare to add an advanced hobbyist) lucky
enough to have visited (twice) Lake Malawi and the Amazon basin. Hence,
I do not have the scientific background to discuss genetics,
hybridization, chemistry and so on but I have been keeping fishes (and
cichlids) for over twenty years. I’ll try to focus on the issue which
is called “well being of the fish.” This always meant to me that I had
to study, at least, the VERY basics of the fishes I’m planning to keep.
Well, let’s focus on what is suggested by the breeder himself for
raising (and training!) this latest result of human madness … I quote
from their suggestions (by the way they call them “instructions” as if
they’re referring to a toy and not a living creature!!) and then I’ll
add my remarks — step by step — listed and numbered [ ]:
“The value of the Flower Horn is from the `nuchal hump' on its head
[1], the pearl dots on its body, the redness of its fins and body and
the roundness of the body on the whole [2]. In order to get the hump on
the head to a reasonable size, one can place a mirror near the aquarium
in order to get the fish excited. Looking at the mirror is like it is
facing another fish and since this species is territorial in nature it
will try to chase the mirror image away. Through this method the
`nuchal hump' on the head can get bigger and the colour of the fish
itself will brighten up [3]. It is also advisable to put in small
stones preferably coloured stones in the aquarium. Playing with the
stones is another kind of stimulation which can enhance the `hump' on
its head [4].”
[1] There is nothing new or spectacular here. The cephalic hump is a
distinctive sexual characteristic of many cichlids. There are many
species around with this characteristic – no reason to choose a hybrid
for that.
[2] Same here. Well shaped and coloured fishes are highly regarded
everywhere. Moreover, every well kept cichlid will fit this bill.
[3] What a marvelous suggestion! Just imagine spending your whole life
always (and I mean ALWAYS) being frightened, upset, excited, and
worried. Have these breeders ever heard of fish stress??
[4] Here comes another great moment of the human superior brain! Those
fishes (New World cichlids) come from a pale environment with shades
and subdued colors. I really wonder whose idea was it to keep those
poor “creatures” in a tank with a gravel painted like a disco!
To finish my thoughts: Stay away from this ugliness, respect fishes
(and even more Mother Nature) and you won’t regret it! If this fish
hasn’t appeared in the wild there must be a very good reason for that.
Who are we to bring this “monster” into life?
r. Ronald Coleman gives a foretaste of what he thinks about these
hybrids:
As I see it, there are certain cultures on this planet that
regard animals (or plants) as being here solely for the benefit of
humans. They then look at wild animals and deem them as not quite
perfect for their uses (which may be practical or aesthetic) and then
regard it as a true achievement to convert the wild organism (in their
minds “perfecting it”) to how it more ideally suits their vision. This
is very clearly the goal of the breeders of the Kiran cichlid and seems
to be the same case here. For example, red is “desirable” as is “a
blockhead,” etc.
It is difficult or impossible to make these people understand what is
wrong with doing this because you would in effect be trying to change
their entire religious/cultural/moral view of the world. In fact, some
people would regard it as “wrong” to tell them not to do what they are
doing, arguing that their view of the world is equally valid to one
that respects the diversity of wild organisms. Personally, I disagree
with this, but it makes one very vulnerable to being labeled a cultural
bigot or cultural imperialist.
I try to explain that if this process continues the world will only be
filled with blockheaded, red fish that can't swim well. Their response
would be “And what is wrong with that....?” in contrast to you or I who
would regard that as an unacceptable consequence of human activity.
So what can be done? I think there is nothing that can be done directly
about the source of these “fish.” They will continue to be made as long
as people will buy them. The buying end is where action can be taken
because many of the buyers purchase these fish because they are “cute.”
Spreading information on what these fish are and the fact that they are
not “real” fish is the best course of action; however, the kind of
person who goes to a pet store and buys a fish because it is “cute” is
also very likely NOT the kind of person to research a fish before
buying it. Hence, I suspect these things will continue to be sold.
The parrot cichlid doesn't worry me too much because it is so obviously
a non-fish. I am more concerned about this new thing [“Flower Horn”]
you showed to me. It looks more “real” and clearly has elements of
various Central Americans, e.g. trimacs and who knows what else. These
fishes are variable in the wild and difficult enough to distinguish
normally; this will only muddy the waters. The saving grace may be that
because these new things will be “exotic and imported” they will
hopefully sell for a high price which will mean there will be strong
pressure on stores to identify them as these hybrids and not the other
way around, i.e. to pass them off as trimaculatus or some other thing.
This will likely change with the next generation, i.e. the offspring
produced from pairs bought by people. They will quickly discover nobody
wants these things and will likely sell them off as “Cichlasoma spp.”
A huge article could be written with our views on this matter. People
who regularly visit Malawi Cichlid Homepage or The Cichlid Fishes of
Lake Malawi, Africa know what we believe in and definitely understand
that we could only be against these hybrids. Dr. Ron Coleman, a
specialist in fish breeding has already published an excellent article
on this matter in his website and we asked for his permission to
reprint it here, for your information. Please use this page as a
reference whenever you meet somebody thinking of acquiring
those “freaks.”
Dr. Ron Coleman’s article reads as follows:
The creation (deliberate or accidental) of hybrids is an
important and controversial issue with cichlid aquarists. Here are my
views.
Quite frequently, an aquarist will write me to describe how two of his
or her cichlids have spawned, but the surprising thing is that the
aquarist thought the fish were two different species. The question
typically goes something like this: “My male species 1 just spawned
with my female species 2. Have you ever heard of this, and what should
I do to raise the kids?” Other variants include “Will I get rich
selling these?” and “What would be their proper name?”
These questions raise some interesting and deep philosophical and
ethical questions. I will address these issues by trying to answer some
of the specific questions.
First, some terms. “Hybrid” refers to the result of mating a male of
one species with a female of another species. We often call
this “crossing” two species.
1. Have I ever heard of this before?
This is easy to answer. Yes I have. Hybrids are quite common in the
cichlid hobby. Almost any Central American cichlid will hybridize with
any other. Many of the mbuna (rock dwelling cichlids from Lake Malawi)
will hybridize with each other. I have even heard of a mouthbrooder
hybridizing with a substrate-spawning cichlid. So, hybridization is not
rare.
2. Does this occur in the wild?
This is difficult to support with data, but from my observations in the
field in Central America, and from what I have read and heard from
fellow cichlid researchers working elsewhere, hybrids are very rare in
the wild. Surprisingly, two species of fishes which together in the
wild will not hybridize, will do so in an aquarium quite readily.
3. Will I get rich producing hybrids?
No. In fact, you will find that most advanced cichlid hobbyists have an
active dislike for hybrids (and to be honest, for the people that
produce them).
Every now and then someone produces a new “wonder” fish by hybridizing
two species and they may even sell some. In the end, however, this
person usually finds themselves shunned by the rest of the cichlid
aquarist community and worse yet, the person gets a bad reputation even
if they stop producing hybrids: their future actions are always
suspect. A bad reputation is an extremely difficult thing to change.
4. What is the proper scientific name of a hybrid?
Hybrids do not get a new scientific name, in other words, you cannot
create a new species by hybridization in your fish tank.
If you crossed a Texas cichlid, Herichthys cyanoguttatus with a
convict, Archocentrus nigrofasciatus, the most correct name to use
would be Hericthys cyanoguttatus × Archocentrus nigrofasciatus, i.e.
the two names joined by a ×.
For those who are really up on their biology, what I have said here is
only partly true. We now know that many species of plants in the wild,
and potentially some animals as well, are actually the result of
hybridization in the wild. However, as far as we know at this point,
this has not occurred with cichlids in the wild.
5. Why are hybrids so bad?
Hybrids are bad for several reasons at many different levels.
At a philosophical level, many people dislike hybrids because the
creation of hybrids is a kind of arrogance on behalf of people, namely
some sort of deep-rooted feeling that we can improve upon nature. These
people, myself included, feel that with 1500+ species of cichlids in
the wild, we don't need to go creating yet another kind just because we
can. Furthermore, the ability to create “designer” organisms has a way
of cheapening the beauty and wonder of real organisms.
On a very practical level, hybrids create enormous problems for fellow
fish-keepers, problems that may last for a long time and become
intractable. Imagine you cross (make a hybrid) between two species of
Central American cichlid, e.g. a convict and a Texas cichlid. You know
they are hybrids and you keep them in a tank separate from other
cichlids. But over time, events cause this tightly controlled situation
to get out of hand.
One of the hybrids may jump into another tank (this happens quite
often; ask anyone who maintains a large fish room).
You might sell or give away some of the hybrids and the recipient may
not know or remember that the fish is in fact a hybrid. People often
bring fish back to pet stores or sell them at auctions and so the
hybrid nature of the fish can easily get lost along the way.
The first generation of hybrids (called F1 hybrids) are often easy to
spot; they look like a mixture of the two parent species. If two of
these F1 hybrids go on to mate, or if one of them is mated to either of
the parent species, the offspring (F2 hybrids) create the real
problems. Why? Because F2 individuals may look like almost anything in
between the two parent species, up to and including looking like either
of the parent species. This is a disaster waiting to happen because it
means that now you have a fish that looks like a certain species but
doesn't have all the right genes for that species.
Now imagine what happens when these offspring grow up and get back into
the mainstream of the hobby. A person (potentially you) buys what looks
like a convict cichlid at your local pet store. You are unaware that
the fish is actually an F2 convict × Texas cross brought in a week ago
by someone else. The person who sold the fish to the store forgot to
mention that point (we will assume they forgot accidentally, but since
most reputable pet stores will not knowingly carry hybrids, some
people “forget” to mention that the fish are hybrids since they look
like convicts anyway).
Now you put your new convict in with your other convict and for some
strange reason, they never reproduce successfully. Or they do reproduce
and the kids look kind of strange. Now you have a bunch more hybrids
that you have to deal with.
6. Dealing with hybrids
The solution here is simple. Destroy them immediately. If you have a
difficult time killing a bunch of hybrid eggs, imagine how difficult it
will be for you to kill them when they are cute little fry or even
young adults. This is a responsibility you take on when you keep fish
and you should take it seriously.
Under absolutely no circumstances should you pass hybrids to someone
else unless they are to be used as feeder fish.
7. How can I avoid getting hybrids?
Probably the best way to avoid getting hybrids in the first place is to
purchase your fish from a reputable dealer and avoid buying fish from a
tank labelled “Mixed African Cichlids.” The latter is usually a
telltale sign that the dealer doesn't know what the fish actually are.
Conclusion
Avoid hybrids.
I find it incredibly reassuring that cichlid hobbyists have taken and
do continue to take such a strong stance against hybrids. This is not
the case in many other animal-related fields. Because of this attitude
amongst cichlid keepers, you can go into a pet store in most any part
of the world and be reasonably assured that the cichlid you are buying
and bringing home is in fact a representative of a real cichlid
species. That is truly remarkable.
r. Michael Oliver adds the following:
All the other contributors have already expressed most of the
same opinions and arguments that I would make. Let me add only a few
additional points.
Another manifestation of the urge to “improve” on the products of
billions of years of evolution is the pratice of injecting glassfish
and glass catfish with fluorescent dyes to make “painted glassfish.”
These “decorations” often live only a few months; long enough to sell
them to unsuspecting, unsophisticated buyers. Not hybrids, but from the
same misguided mindset!
A less extreme form of artificial hybrid than the “Blood Parrot” is a
much larger problem in relation to Lake Malawi cichlids — namely, the
simple hybrid carelessly produced because an aquarist keeps a male
cichlid without appropriate conspecific females, and it manages to
interbreed with a female of something else. As Ron noted about
neotropical cichlids, so too in Lake Malawi; the actual species are
hard enough to distinguish and characterize, without producing
intermediates! I fully agree that hybrid cichlids should be destroyed,
or, at very least, should never be sold, given away, traded, or allowed
to breed.
One artifical hybrid Malawi cichlid that is currently (alas!) becoming
widespread in the hobby is the “Aulonocara Marmalade Cat”
or “Aulonocara `bicolor'.” While striking in appearance, these are, I
suspect, never found in the wild. They appear to be a hybrid between
some anonymous “peacock” (of the “Hap” flock) and a member of the Mbuna
flock; only species of the latter flock ever express “OB” genes in
nature.
I want to reiterate a point made by the other authors here. Cichlids
probably outnumber gobies as the largest, most diverse of all
vertebrate animal families. There are something like 1500 different
species of cichlids, including such breathtaking, naturally occurring
beauties as the rare and wonderful Labeotropheus trewavasae at right, a
so-called “marmalade cat” male, which shows the marbled blotching
of “OB” genes usually only expressed in females. To paraphrase Samuel
Johnson's famous remark about London: When a person is tired of natural
cichlid diversity, he is tired of life (and should get one!), for there
is in the Cichlidae all the variety that life can afford.
A final observation: This article concentrates chiefly on intentionally
selected, heavily promoted, hybrids between fishes of different species
or genera; hybrids whose creators often seek to exaggerate some natural
feature of a cichlid to grotesque proportions. We have to admit that
such an enterprise is nothing new, and is accepted and admired in some
cultures. Bizarrely selected goldfish are an ancient tradition in
China; think of such monstrosities as the “celestial telescope
goldfish,” with huge, bloated, upwardly turned eyes that are prone to
injury as the hapless fish swims into obstacles. Think of certain dog
breeds, selected for centuries in Asia and Europe to have deformed
heads with squashed-in muzzles; dogs of these breeds routinely suffer
from chronic respiratory problems. No, arrogance in shaping living
creatures to suit human whim and greed is nothing new. This species of
conceit is skewered by a Web page purporting to sell kittens
grotesquely shaped by confinement in glass bottles. Although
horrifying, this idea appears, to many people, only slightly more
unlikely than the awful things actually done to misshape living
animals. Many people, therefore, don't realize that the “bonsai
kittens” are a hoax designed to satirize precisely this attitude of
distorting living creatures and turning them into a commodity. I have
little doubt that some idiot is hard at work right now on introducing a
gene for bioluminescence into cichlids and is dreaming of making a
fortune selling “Living Night-Lights.”
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Please also look at Ron Coleman’s page on another well-known hybrid,
the parrot cichlids. If you want a less-restrained discourse on
hybrids, take a look at Philippe Burnel's Museum of Horrors web page
(in French).
his article is a joint effort of Dr. Ron Coleman (Cichlid Research
Home Page), Dr. Michael K. Oliver (The Cichlid Fishes of Lake Malawi,
Africa), and the Authors of Malawi Cichlid Homepage to inform people
about the true story behind those “freaks.” It is also meant to draw
attention to the fact that if nobody would buy them, those breeders
would never produce them. It is then your duty to spread this article
to as many people as possible. Because, in the end, the only rational
answer to the question “Who needs another Hybrid?” is “Nobody!”
Last Update: 30 June 2001
Web Author: M. K. Oliver, Ph.D.
Copyright © 1997-2002 by M. K. Oliver - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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