Tangled up in Cichlids…closed, again

[DMD123]

I just saw that Kevin from TUIC is closing the retail portion of the business.

Current Stock List | Tangled Up in Cichlids

Tropical fish Importer / exporter that specializes in Central & South American cichlids, as well as Characins, catfish, pleco, and other rare or unusual species from around the world.

www.tangledupincichlids.com

This used to be one of the best vendors for Central and South American cichlids back in the day (Rapps owned). When Kevin took over there was a lot more forum activity (MFK) and pictures with better overall use of technology for sure but it seemed that the fish availability changed with less being offered. Miss the old days of group buys from TUIC.

 

[Madness]

I am friends with the individual that purchased all of his equipment/fish. A somewhat form of tuic will be back up and running just under a different owner and a different name.

 

[DMD123]

Will be interesting to see the direction they will go with the business.

Visiting forums like ours and MFK it really seems like fish keeping has taken a bit of a different route with some big cichlid keepers out there still but the market seems like smaller planted tanks, nano tanks and community fishes and shrimp are what the popular trend is. I know if I were a fish store business, I would be tailoring tha majority to the bread and butter stuff as opposed to the speciality. Even my fish keeping has changed over the years, I barely have large fish at this point and the ones I do have Im kind of thinking to rehome and maybe try something different.

@Madness, keep us informed as to what happens with this new vendor

 

[Madness]

Will be interesting to see the direction they will go with the business.

Visiting forums like ours and MFK it really seems like fish keeping has taken a bit of a different route with some big cichlid keepers out there still but the market seems like smaller planted tanks, nano tanks and community fishes and shrimp are what the popular trend is. I know if I were a fish store business, I would be tailoring tha majority to the bread and butter stuff as opposed to the speciality. Even my fish keeping has changed over the years, I barely have large fish at this point and the ones I do have Im kind of thinking to rehome and maybe try something different.

@Madness, keep us informed as to what happens with this new vendor

Agree. I think the big reason is because shipping out of Central and South America is getting harder and harder if not at all. New wild species are not being brought in to help with all the line breeding due to no new stock. Case and point, Dan from the old cichlids of America, I purchased two male and two female hoga from him, and even though he denies it, they have been line bread or inbred brother's and sisters and so on and so forth, for so long the fish are deformed to a point. I can tell. Barring doesn't exist. And how can that be the only fish that develops hole in the head in a perfectly pristine tank? It's because it's ammunity is way down due to the constant breeding back to brothers and sisters to keep the species going.

 

[DMD123]

The hoga of today seem very much different than the ones of twenty years back. I remember yours (and Forest) having the more golden body tone with the stripes. The ones Ive seen lately are different looking for sure.

As to the hole in head, I have wondered about that too. My current Pearsei has been a absolute nightmare with this. Ive raised these fish before and have only had one other issue with it and they were babies that came in with it from the online vendor. My current fish looks absolutely horrible and I am a freak about clean tanks. Strongly feel it is weak genetics like you think about the hoga.