Photo: Cara, Tally, Maya, Gus, and Oso on the Gambusia Road Trip Day four had a great start. The second heater made the camper toasty warm all night. Even Gus had a comfortable night. Also, we had camped adjacent to the spring and its outflow, so getting to the habitat of G. nobilis and the ... Read More
Collecting
Gambusia Road Trip – Day 3
Photo: Charles, William and Stephanie viewing tanks holding endangered fish species. Day three started off a bit better than day two, but overnight it became painfully obvious one heater wasn’t enough. The heater had been set up at Cara’s end of the camper, and it kept half her roof ... Read More
Gambusia Road Trip – Day 2
Day two started off badly. First, we discovered that temperatures around 25°F with no heater made for a very cold night. Also, with no heat, the moist breaths of two humans and four dogs condensed on the canvas roof of the camper causing a steady rain of cold water. Cara had taken the back bed. I ... Read More
Gambusia Road Trip – Day 1
Day one started off slowly. First, I had check the greenhouse water pumps, something I thought would be done the day before. Second, we had load up supplies. Fortunately, Susie aided in this task (she desperately wanted us gone). We finally pulled away from the farm only five hours late at 11:00 ... Read More
Frozen in Balmorhea State Park
In January, one of my daughters and I made a trip around west Texas and southeastern New Mexico looking at rare Gambusia. One of these was G. nobilis an endangered fish. One of its homes is San Salomon Springs at Balmorhea State Park at Toyahville, Texas. While at the park we tried to photograph ... Read More
Gambusia Road Trip – the Genesis
Gambusia Road Trip – The Genesis From January 4th to 8th of this year (2015), a daughter (Cara), three German Shepherd Dogs (Tally, Oso, and Maya), a Mountain Cur (Gus) and I went on a Gambusia road trip through west Texas and southern New Mexico. In this blog I’ll tell the genesis of the trip. ... Read More
Quarantine Procedures
I got this question from Tim Gray of Beeville, Texas, that I think is very interesting, so I’m blogging about it: “Mr. Clapsaddle, could you explain your quarantine practices when bringing in wild stock or from unknown sources?” Here was my response: Tim, This is a great topic. We have ... Read More
Equipment for Collecting Trips
The photo shows the author and a son collecting fish using a seine net. Grandchildren are optional equipment when collecting. In Newsletter No. 11 I set up the following contest: “We are continuing the Email Contest and will give a free (including shipping) two pound bag of Simple Pet Products ... Read More
Poecilia latipinna, Mustang Island to Siegen University in Germany
The photo shows the Poecilia latipinna, Mustang Island collection site. This post is about the saga of Poecilia latipinna and Siegen University in Germany. Years ago we got an order from Siegen University for Poecilia latipinna (our native green sailfin molly) from Comal Springs in New ... Read More
Gambusia Expedition
Photo: Grandchildren at waterfall where we searched for Gambusia montanaensis. Today I start a new regimen, that of blogging daily (or almost) instead of writing a monthly newsletter. This will allow me to keep things fresh. The newsletter will continue, primarily as an index to the my blogs, but ... Read More