(Medaka Interview) Francesco Cuccia (ITA) Medaka Züchter

Ich freue mich auch 2020 darüber das ich auch internationale Freunde aus der Medaka Szene für Euch interviewen darf. Anfang macht Francesco Cuccia aus Pisa/Italien. Er gehört zu den ältesten Medaka Haltern & Züchtern in Italien und pflegt und züchtet gewisse Stämme schon seit Jahren. Er ist somit der zweite italienische Züchter den ich für den Blog interviewen durfte. Dieses Interview veröffentliche einfach halber in englisch. Ihr könnt es aber mit dem im Blog integrierten Google Translator in deutsch oder andere Sprachen übersetzten!

Francesco Cuccia

Axel Eywill
Hello Francesco and thank you very much for allowing me to interview you for medakaproject.com. You are a holder and breeder of Japanese rice fish, the medaka. How did you come to this kind, and what fascinates you about them?

Francesco Cuccia
Hi Axel, thanks for the invitation, I started in September 2015, I took 5 gold coins because I had built a pond, asking to find the medaka the most suitable guests. I am fascinated by the rusticity of these animals, they tolerate both an acidic and alkaline pH of the water also brackish water, the countless colors, even more important their ability to live in really extreme temperature conditions.

Medaka „Red Tiger“

Axel Eywill
How then were your beginning in aquaristic? And which animals do you still keep at home?

Francesco Cuccia
I started in 2014, I went to find a friend who had three aquariums and I was fascinated by it after a few days I started my first aquarium. Today I have 30 aquariums, I breed shrimp

Axel Eywill
Medaka have a rather short history outside of Japan. You have been one of the first medaka owners & breeders outside of Japan. The fanbase is growing slowly but surely internationally. How do you see the development internationally and of course especially in Italy?

Francesco Cuccia

Yes, in 2015 there were very few to have medaka, I think among the first in 2016 to have a good number of strains, today it is growing a lot both in Italy and in the rest of Europe, many aquatic plant enthusiasts are interested in medaka replacing it with gambusie. Furthermore, many requests for medaka come from many parts of the world, but as we know, it is not possible to satisfy them

Medaka „Benten sansyoku lame“

Axel Eywill:

There are now several medaka strains in Europe. Mostly thanks to private initiatives. Commercial imports are scarce except for a few exemptions in Europe or German-speaking countries. How important is the trade to make the medaka more widely known to a wider public?

Francesco Cuccia

In my opinion it is very important to be able to import new or even old selections, as I said before, more and more people are approaching the medaka, there are good Japanese breeders willing to send medaka safely and legally, in my opinion we should carry out a project that will unite everyone in Europe to facilitate import

Medaka „White Tige lame MP“

Axel Eywill:
And my last question – what do you want as a medaka holder for the future of these fish? Is there anything else you want to say? Maybe something in terms of aquaristics?

Francesco Cuccia
For the future I would like a united international group, finding magazines with details of the various selections at least in English would help us a lot, we know very little about their genetics.

Medaka „bi color“

 

Grazie mille Francesco for the interview! I wish you a great season this year, and I hope to see you soon in Italy!

(Medaka Interview) Patrizia Ianne (ITA) 2019

Ich freue mich ein weiteres Medaka Interview veröffentlichen zu dürfen. Patrizia Ianne ist für mich was die Medaka Szene außerhalb Japans betrifft die „Grand Dame“ wie man bei uns so schön sagt. Sie gehört zu den ersten Medaka Haltern außerhalb Japans und in Europa. Mich hat Ihre Vorgehensweise bei der Zucht und Haltung immer wieder beeindruckt, und soweit es möglich war auch einige Kenntnisse angeeignet. Ich durfte sie letztes Jahr während der 2. italienischen Medaka Show in Lucca/Toskana persönlich kennenlernen. Sie hat sicherlich auch einen hohen Anteil daran, das der Medaka sich in Italien am etablieren ist. Ich freue mich schon auf ein Wiedersehen!

Interviews mit internationalen Medaka Haltern & Züchtern werde ich bewusst im Original veröffentlichen! Wie wir alle wissen arbeiten Übersetzungs Tool nicht immer korrekt. Außerdem sind die meisten Besucher dieses Blogs auch der englischen Sprache mächtig!

Ansonsten gibt es oben rechts im Blog den Google Translator!


Patrizia Ianne mit ihren geliebten Blumen

Axel Eywill

Hello Patrizia  and thank you very much for allowing me to interview you for medakaproject.com. You are a holder and breeder of Japanese rice fish, the medaka. How did you come to this kind, and what fascinates you about them?

Patrizia Ianne

In my garden I have three tanks with many plants, I like plants. As soon as the garden was created, I decided to insert Carassius auratus in the tanks because the tanks can also be seen from above. My cats have started catching fish! I switched to American fish Pimephales promelas very fast but you could see little. Then Gambusia for mosquito larvae. Knowing Roberto Pellegrini I saw the Medaka, it was 2014, had Himedaka and Aomedaka. I found them immediately interesting because:

  • they swim softly, the body is not rigid
  • I love Japan a lot …
  • they love the sun and can be outdoors in winter
  • they are a perfect complement to a garden even in containers
  • they are small and I can keep many
  • I can enjoy breeding them
  • they eat mosquitoes

Axel Eywill

How then were your beginning  in aquaristic? And which animals do you still keep at home?

 

Patrizia Ianne:

I started many years ago (52 years) with tropical fishes (fresh water). Dogs (Pointer breeder), poultry (Bantam breeder), cats, canary (my husband is breeder). I am beekeper since 1975 and specialist in breeding silkworms too. And I love flowers, special Fucsia!

 

Axel Eywill

Medaka have a rather short history outside of Japan. You have been one of the first medaka owners & breeders outside of Japan. The fanbase is growing slowly but surely internationally. How do you see the development internationally and of course especially in Italy?

 

Patrizia Ianne:

For now, Medaka is a species not widely known by the general public. But it has great potential for dissemination. However, people who are not passionate, not very careful will not be able to breed medaka well. It seems easy to breed but there are key points. Like any animal, it needs the right care. I hope that the medaka does not become a pet toy.

 

Axel Eywill:

There are now several medaka strains in Europe. Mostly thanks to private initiatives. Commercial imports are scarce except for a few exemptions in Europe or German-speaking countries. How important is the trade to make the medaka more widely known to a wider public?

 

Patrizia Ianne:

Trade is important but I don’t find the common trade route for other fish suitable for the medaka. We need specific knowledge of strains, which then evolve continuously, and a common trader will have no desire or time to learn. I see more correct that the medakas are offered by the same breeders. One way could be the Medaka Shows and the Pet Shows.

However, great attention must be paid to a danger that could interrupt the breeding of Orizyas latipes: its accidental spread in the wild. You should always inform about the correct behavior to take by raising this fish.

 

Axel Eywill:

And my last question – what do you want as a medaka holder for the future of these fish? Is there anything else you want to say? Maybe something in terms of aquaristics?

Patrizia Ianne:

I would like to know more about this fish. No one has explained anything to us about the management of this fish, we are raising it perhaps like any other imported fish. But each species is different in its reaction to diseases and parasites and its reaction to medicines. It would take more information.

The same thing with regard to genetics, apart from the basic genetics of the transmission of known simple characters (Tatuo Aida, 1922), we know little or nothing about the genetics of strains are in Europe, the transmission of characters such as long fins, lamé, deme eyes, panda eyes.

Another problem, in importing so far we have often received only one pair for strains. I ask myself questions. Are the strains fixed when they arrive? Is strain just a phenotype? I have many questions but I have no answers.

Thank you Patrizia for the detailed interview and the lot of pictures. With your permission, I will make a special blog thread with the latest point of the interview. It is very important for medaka fans! I am looking forward to see you again this year!