# An Interesting Find



## Betta man (Mar 25, 2011)

So apparently I do not have permission to post in the cichlid sections, but W.E.

So I went to Nevada this weekend with my church #BestChurchEver to shoot guns and blow up explosives and there were some hot springs there. (and us Christians don't have fun.....) I look inside and to my surprise, CONVICTS! Lots and lots of them. Saw normal convicts, white convicts, and i think there was an albino convict in there. They were breeding in there and were very happy looking. It was fun to see tropical fish out there. Too bad they weren't bettas. What can you do though? Anyways, I just thought I'd share this discovery and if any of you go out to the hot springs out there, watch out for some convict cichlids and be careful around the skinny dipping pothead hippy nuts out there. :help:They've already taken over the world, who knows what's next?


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## TheJakeM (May 11, 2013)

That is interesting. Very strange... There are feral populations in the US though. Or perhaps they've lived here all along and nobody knew?


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

there have been a few south american species in the wild here for quite a few years.not a good thing as they will kill off of the actual native species that were there before...florida is loaded with south american fish...


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## Angelinawad (Mar 23, 2014)

The sheer hilarity of your post was great. Made me laugh. Glad you had fun  very interesting about the fish!


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## Betta man (Mar 25, 2011)

TY. Yeah, it was fun. Tanerite is definitely a godsend. So are spray paint bottles and fire. I did get hit by shrapnel about 1/4 inch away from my eye and am burned to a crisp from the sun. I definitely learned a lot of gun safety as I almost got lead poisoning..... (My term for getting shot) There was a bunny and i was standing next to it and everyone forgot. I'm just like, SRSLY????? lol. And I also learned that no matter what, do NOT shoot water even if you are half a mile away from the nearest person, have an 8ft tall dirt mound in front of you, trees behind that, and all hippies are accounted for. Long story short, I was shooting water half a mile or more away from camp, it went over the mound and next think I know, I have 30 men and 3 semi-men (hippies) glaring daggers at me and one real man had a bullet and a mark on his boot. At campfire, he said getting shot was the best thing that happened to him on the trip. I'm all like, glad to have made your day!
@ loha, In this spring and others, there are only mosquito fish and bullfrogs. I don't think the species are getting pushed out.


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## Angelinawad (Mar 23, 2014)

Tannerite yeah!!!! We sell it where I work and my husband bought some but we haven't used it yet. I've seen videos though. Goodness your trip sounds hilarious that's awesome  interesting about shooting water! Makes me want to try lol but I'm sure I won't.


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## Guest (May 19, 2014)

Cool Betta man! I love bunnies. Hopefully the bunny was spared. Glad you had fun and learned a lot. It is always good when someone is in a good mood after an incident like that. That is cool that you found convicts in the springs in Nevada.


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## Betta man (Mar 25, 2011)

Uh i think that one got away. I had my sights on it tho when people started yellin, so i was kinda mad that it did. Only 6 bunnies died out there. At least half got away. You wouldn't believe how hard they are to hit with a semi auto rifle. That's why shotguns are better.


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## Guest (May 19, 2014)

Awwww poor bunnies. They are such loveable creatures with not a mean bone in their little bodies.


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## Betta man (Mar 25, 2011)

These were jack rabbits. They're overpopulated and you don't need a license to kill them or to kill coyotes. 
Definitely the hardest part of being back in Cali is that you can't be packing wherever you go. Definitely made me feel a lot safer to roam the desert with a firearm. I mean srsly, who's gonna attack someone who is packin a 12? There were a couple pitbulls that were trying to attack us while we were out there. They would've gone all the way and mauled someone if one of our group didn't have an AR aimed at em. Just goes to show they're smart dogs. @ pitbull lovers who may be really irritated right now, I personally don't hate all pitbulls, just the ones that try to attack me, my friends or my dog. I have met very sweet pitbulls that wouldn't hurt a fly. It's about their genes and how they're raised that makes them violent. (Aggression is genetic sometimes) I also miss not being able to ride in the back of the pickup and go without seat belts. You would not believe how painful sunburn + seat belts are.
I am considering bringing home a few convict cichlids. They are interesting fish and some of them were quite beautiful. Their colors were far more vibrant than the ones in the pet stores, and i've also heard that the white ones can sell for decent prices. I am thinking about the possibility of adding some yellow labs and maybe some better species. The convicts need something that will grow bigger than them and eat them. Colorful fish would also be better IMO.


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## Guest (May 19, 2014)

But they are bunnies. Bunnies are just too cute to kill. Yes there are pit bulls that are trained to be aggressive. But it is all on how they are raised by their owners.


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## Betta man (Mar 25, 2011)

NR cute IMO. 
I do not believe that it's all in how they're raised. My uncle knew some people who were watching 2 dogs. The dog that was the pitbull killed and ate the other dog. Blood everywhere. Aggression is somewhat genetic.


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## Guest (May 20, 2014)

That is a big rabbit. There are some domestic rabbits that are built like that rabbit pictured. 

Pit bulls are a loyal breed, I disagree that aggression is genetic. I believe it is how they are raised mostly. If a pit bull is raised to be a love bug, I know three that are, then they are going to be love bugs; if a pit bull is raised to be aggressive, then the pit bull is going to be aggressive. Whether aggression is in its genetics or not, it is how the pit bull is raised by its owner.


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Nevada used to have a bunch of fish that aren't there anymore. The mosquitofish did a lot more damage than the convicts.


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## Betta man (Mar 25, 2011)

yeah. There were only convicts in 1 spring that i saw. 

My dad had a pitbull that was a very sweet dog and he raised it. Around other dogs, it was aggressive and mean. Some pitbulls are mean, some are nice. Some are just plain old aggressive. I know that's true with all dogs, but pitbulls usually have a higher rate of aggression.


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## Cichlid Dude (Mar 25, 2012)

LOL, there must have been some good reason why your old youth pastor, his friend, and your own brother were shooting at you... JK. Anyways, I'm sorry I lost my head and shot at that rabbit next to you, but you should also remember not to go downrange while we are hunting and stand right next to the target. 

Those convicts WERE really interesting. I am considering bringing some firemouths up next time I go up there, especially considering that there are no more native fish species in those hot springs anyways.

For all you bunny lovers out there: I am sorry, but I do love to kill bunnies. They are lots of fun to shoot.


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

first off....killing just for fun is truly morally wrong..if one hunts to feed themselves and family is fine...but i seriously doubt that you boys are doing that..
and of course next the introduction of non native species....releasing non native species of any plant or animal is a felony..something tells me that you don't care about that either...


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## Betta man (Mar 25, 2011)

lol loha. First off, why do you think that nevada made coyotes and bunnies legal to shoot without a license? Cuz they're a problem. We actually did eat the bunnies and take their pelts (pelts weren't too good). They are way overstocked out there. Way too many rabbits. Most people hunt because it's fun. They also get food from it, but it's majorly for the fun. About the spring, i personally wouldn't buy a fish and put it out there, but if you think about it, there are only introduced fish in this spring so adding a new fish wouldn't hurt, and there is no possible way that these fish could spread to one of their other lakes. Any hot spring that is connected to this one will already have been contaminated with convicts, so no harm would be done.


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## Guest (May 23, 2014)

Cichlid Dude: I have one thing to say to you and that is


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

maybe you do not understand....what you may think about introducing non native species has absolutely no validity....Federal law PROHIBITS the release of non native species..PERIOD.....it doesn't matter if there isn't another animal within a thousand miles ; it is still a felony...or maybe you don't feel that the laws do not apply to you...


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## Betta man (Mar 25, 2011)

The law is obviously for the lower levels of humanity! I am a special person. 
All sarcasm away, yes, it is a felony, no, i am not going to do it, no, cichlid dude isn't going to, no, it isn't wrong. It would be wrong to set them free if there were native species in there other than the bull frog which isn't affected.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

I do approve of knowing the difference between wrong and illegal activities. Both should be avoided for different reasons. 

Messing with natural systems is best avoided. You simply cannot have all the necessary data to make an informed decision. Even the pros get it wrong. The potential downside can be huge. These multi-drug resistant fish diseases that come in pet store fish now could easily devastate native fishes if even one got loose. You can't know that some idiot won't move those convicts to another wild body of water.


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## Betta man (Mar 25, 2011)

Ditto.
And ditto cannot be said by itself because under 10 characters is too short... From now on, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious = ditto. FF talk yo.


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