So would you guys help me choose? Here's a list of my current talks:Belize, searching for cichlids
This talk comprises a travel report to the beuatiful country of Belize (just east of México). Visits were made to the rivers and lagoons trying to find cichlids both for filming and collecting. There’s footage of cichlids in many rivers as well as an exciting boatride with a local fisherman on Freshwater Creek.
Central America, breeding cichlids in the home aquarium
Here’s an overview of my experience with breeding Central American cichlids. It contains some surprising information on their husbandry and many species reports, including the (best?) way of selecting between the many fry some species can produce.
Central America, history of the area and origin of its cichlids
A challenging talk about when and how the landbridge we now call Central America was formed and how the cichlids came to occupy this new land. Information on the phylogenetic relationships of the many cichlid taxa are given, as well as an overview of their great diversity. Many species are presented in beautiful pictures and the talk closes with footage of one of the most interesting species for the larger home aquarium.
My Cichlidarium, a personal history
Keeping cichlids on a larger scale requires adequate facilities. Therefore I have created a fish house (the Cichlidarium) that suits my needs, especially for keeping big cichlids. This talk covers the way to build such a fish house (stands, tanks, water supply, lighting, etc) and closes with some dramatic events that can happen to you on the way. Still to be continued....
Nicaragua, cichlids from the crater
During three trips to Nicaragua I visited 8 of this beautiful country’s craterlakes. I managed to get footage in the majority of these lakes, showing the behaviour of cichlids in their natural habitat. An exciting example of altruism (still heavily debated among scientists) completes this talk. Special attention is given to the cichlids belonging to the Amphilophus citrinellus complex that has undergone interesting evolutionary processes in the craterlakes.
This talk can also be given as a 1 hour film which has been released on DVD (copies available for sale).
Nicaragua, searching for cichlids
Besides visiting the craterlakes I have also travelled other parts of Nicaragua extensively. This talk is a travelogue of these trips. It contains footage of the cichlids occurring in the rivers in the northern and eastern parts of Nicaragua.
Cichlasoma, rise and fall of a cichlid genus
This talk is an overview of the reasons and backgrounds of the (many) name changes some of our cichlids have undergone. Using Cichlasoma as an example, the taxonomic history of the many species that once belonged to this genus is presented. The main conclusion is that every name change is really adding to our knowledge of the species concerned. And we are still learning....
So take your pick and choose your favourite. By the end of this month I will try and compute the end result. If I don't succeed we can always make the final decision at the event.
Thanks for cooperating!
So here's the dilemma: how can we get the "non-voters" to express their thoughts? Should we have a voting on the spot? Or does anyone have another idea?
