dogofwar
CCA Members
The new fishroom is 70% set-up...and 120% stocked. Having a utility sink down there makes doing water changes really easy...
Anyway, some of my old fish and some new ones have begun to spawn. I'm not really set up for raising a bunch of fry at this point, but here's what's bred:
- Ivanacara adoketa... These are kinda like Apistos / Nannacara. I separated the male from his tankmates (Krobia, Guianacara and his female) in a futile attempt to clean him up for the show...when, of course, his female digs under the divider to spawn with him (a 1.5" square patch of eggs on the inside of a small flowerpot cave). The eggs were still there this AM but it's far from an idea breeding/fry raising set-up. This is the second time the pair has bred...last time they ate the babies when they were free swimming. I credit their conditioning to red wiggler worms, which they get at least a couple times per week (from my veggie waste composting bin).
- Geo. altifrons that I bought from George... There's tons of driftwood in the 180 that they're in, but what do they decide to use as a spawning substrate? The ceramic fake log (with Guianancare hiding in it, no less). The female took the eggs into her mouth, held for a few days but she's eating agian so I think she swallowed them.
- Wild Green Sevs... I've had these guys for a couple of years and they've bred a few times (and also when Jon Clark was taking care of them). Dropping a big manzantita branch into their 150 turned the water tea brown and inspired them to absolutely cover a flowerpot in eggs. Because I've never raised fry from them and because there are a couple of fish that are entered in the ACA show from their tank that I don't want scarred by being in the tank with them, I fulled the pot with their wigglers and am artificially raising them (15g with slow box filter, golden pearls, daily small water change), They were free swimming yesterday and seem to be eating the gp well. There are HUNDREDS...
- Rio Choluteca convicts... This is a really nice, kinda shy variety of con from Honduras. Females have great deep red color. They turn black-barred when they breed. My breeders are F1s of the ones Ken Davis collected. I gave them their own 2x2x1' tank and they got busy after a big water change. They seem to be doing a good job raising their fry (they've eaten them a few times in the past)...Every "con" variety has different fry rearing habits, which I (and probably I alone) find fascinating
- Hericthys bartoni.... Technically I didn't breed these myself but bought a breeding pair from a guy...and got them in the bargain. Instead of leaving the 2-day-old fry in his tank, we siphoned some into a ziplock. I dropped them into their own 15g with a snail and a box filter. Well, a month or so later and they're doing great. I probably have 40. And a breeding pair and a couple spare adults.
- Neets.... You can tell that these guys have spawned because they turn from slate gray to BLACK with a white stripe. Not sure if there are any fry but they've got all of the fish in the tank (a motley crue of extra male Lago Nicaragua cons and other central americans) pinned into the corners. Anyone looking for a spare pair of neets? I got one...
- Mesanauta insignis... These guys are a yellowish festivum type. The pair breeds every couple of weeks on a tall piece of driftwood in the 180. The little female lays her body over the eggs / wigglers like a leaf at night, There are just too many fish in the tank (incl. foot long altifrons) to raise babies but it's really cool to watch.
- I think the Hap Ruby greens and Psedocrenilabrus nicholsi bred as well...too busy to think about catching and stripping at this stage of the game The Panama cons (Amatitlania kanna "Rio Rabolo") also probably have babies in the flowerpot in the back of their tank. Need to get the extra adults out so that they can raise some more!
Once I figure out how to transfer pics from my phone to my email, I'll post some really bad pics.
Matt
Anyway, some of my old fish and some new ones have begun to spawn. I'm not really set up for raising a bunch of fry at this point, but here's what's bred:
- Ivanacara adoketa... These are kinda like Apistos / Nannacara. I separated the male from his tankmates (Krobia, Guianacara and his female) in a futile attempt to clean him up for the show...when, of course, his female digs under the divider to spawn with him (a 1.5" square patch of eggs on the inside of a small flowerpot cave). The eggs were still there this AM but it's far from an idea breeding/fry raising set-up. This is the second time the pair has bred...last time they ate the babies when they were free swimming. I credit their conditioning to red wiggler worms, which they get at least a couple times per week (from my veggie waste composting bin).
- Geo. altifrons that I bought from George... There's tons of driftwood in the 180 that they're in, but what do they decide to use as a spawning substrate? The ceramic fake log (with Guianancare hiding in it, no less). The female took the eggs into her mouth, held for a few days but she's eating agian so I think she swallowed them.
- Wild Green Sevs... I've had these guys for a couple of years and they've bred a few times (and also when Jon Clark was taking care of them). Dropping a big manzantita branch into their 150 turned the water tea brown and inspired them to absolutely cover a flowerpot in eggs. Because I've never raised fry from them and because there are a couple of fish that are entered in the ACA show from their tank that I don't want scarred by being in the tank with them, I fulled the pot with their wigglers and am artificially raising them (15g with slow box filter, golden pearls, daily small water change), They were free swimming yesterday and seem to be eating the gp well. There are HUNDREDS...
- Rio Choluteca convicts... This is a really nice, kinda shy variety of con from Honduras. Females have great deep red color. They turn black-barred when they breed. My breeders are F1s of the ones Ken Davis collected. I gave them their own 2x2x1' tank and they got busy after a big water change. They seem to be doing a good job raising their fry (they've eaten them a few times in the past)...Every "con" variety has different fry rearing habits, which I (and probably I alone) find fascinating
- Hericthys bartoni.... Technically I didn't breed these myself but bought a breeding pair from a guy...and got them in the bargain. Instead of leaving the 2-day-old fry in his tank, we siphoned some into a ziplock. I dropped them into their own 15g with a snail and a box filter. Well, a month or so later and they're doing great. I probably have 40. And a breeding pair and a couple spare adults.
- Neets.... You can tell that these guys have spawned because they turn from slate gray to BLACK with a white stripe. Not sure if there are any fry but they've got all of the fish in the tank (a motley crue of extra male Lago Nicaragua cons and other central americans) pinned into the corners. Anyone looking for a spare pair of neets? I got one...
- Mesanauta insignis... These guys are a yellowish festivum type. The pair breeds every couple of weeks on a tall piece of driftwood in the 180. The little female lays her body over the eggs / wigglers like a leaf at night, There are just too many fish in the tank (incl. foot long altifrons) to raise babies but it's really cool to watch.
- I think the Hap Ruby greens and Psedocrenilabrus nicholsi bred as well...too busy to think about catching and stripping at this stage of the game
The Panama cons (Amatitlania kanna "Rio Rabolo") also probably have babies in the flowerpot in the back of their tank. Need to get the extra adults out so that they can raise some more!Once I figure out how to transfer pics from my phone to my email, I'll post some really bad pics.
Matt
