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Austrolebias nigripinnis'Villa Soriano'

  • Thread starter Nflytrap
  • Start date
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I seperated out 2 males to be fed extra and now they are coloring up. I've also got 2 females that I have been pampering. I agree with Bobby they do not seem very large but it could also be due to my relative inexperience in raising them and that I had some trouble getting them fed in that stage when BBS were not filling them up. Bad photos here. As you likely know they should be a purplish black base color.
 
And one of the Fp. gardneri nigeranius 'Misaje' as of today. (2 males, 1 female)

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The spawning container :lol: (2 liter soda bottle).

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Today I stuck both males in to see what would happen. Male on the left ended up victorious after intense displaying and some fighting, but nothing too serious. Impressive since he was the second male introduced after the first male had 2 dives with the female. Soon as he was in the first immediately challenged him. Afterward I removed the first male and left the male on the left in with the female. Guess I will be using him most frequently for breeding from here on out. Perhaps a way of selecting the better fish?
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Dominant male, now trying to convince the female to give just a few extra eggs. He would stick himself into the peat head first waving his tail and if the female was convinced she would do a headstand beside him and they would both "dig" into the peat.

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Apologies about the photo quality but taking photos into a soda bottle using a desk lamp for lighting(hence the yellow/green look) doesn't work to well. In life the fish are a kind of purplish black with green or blue irridescence and blue spots.
 
Hi N,

Nice looking nigripinnis -- excellent color. You really caught them at their best. How are the Notho fry? Any more hatches? Have you had a chance to try the worm food? Are the gardneri doing anything yet?

Bobby
 
Hello Bobby,

No more hatches from the Notho peat. Currently left with 1 female growing up as the other 2 turned into bellysliders for some reason.(must be this time of year?!)

I have not tried the wormfood but will as soon as I get in a new batch of worms. Old batch was doing fine without anything so we'll see if this stuff might make it easier for the new ones to adjust. When do they plan to put it on the market?

Gardneri have laid a few eggs but nothing much yet. I'm hoping to raise lots of these but they need to cooperate first.
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I've set these nigripinnis up in a critter keeper with a jar of peat and it is working as others have described(females come over and spawn when they want to). Probably works better than fattening them up and then "forcing" them to spawn.

I reset up the Elassoma evergladei critter keepers(4 pairs total now)...and am already seeing fry in one. 2 pair are in an outside container to see if they do well like that.

Also cleaned the bluespotted sunfish pond and put the adults back today. Hopefully I'll get more fry to live this year(right now only 2 juvies from 100's from last year).

Where are you posting from now?
~Joseph
 
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Breeding tank. So far it looks like it is working.
 
Hi N,

That breeding tank looks great. Sorry to hear the Nothos are not panning out. I thought they would this time. SA's are easier, though. I'm still in Texas but will be moved by the first of June. The last of the tanks and fish went out this past weekend -- a very funny feeling. I still think those are some great looking gardneri. I hope they produce for you. Good luck on the sunfish. I had no idea their color was so intense. That's a fine looking fish. Check your local Barnes and Noble type bookstores as mine had the big Baensch Atlas #2 on close out for $10 and its a $70 book. I bet they are being dumped so check around for all 3 volumes. At $10 it's a steal -- a 1000 pages of quality information and photos.

Bobby
 
LOL...sure must feel odd with no tanks to dabble in. The one left when she grows perhaps I will either go looking for a male(now know someone who breeds these also) or pass her on to someone else...depending on the situation. She looks like she could produce eggs now or soon.

I've done some flip flopping of stuff and managed to get the gardneri into their own 10 gallon tank. Hopefully that will convince them to start dropping me more eggs. I remember Rosario mentioning in those pages you sent me how he spawned many Fp. over gravel. Wonder if that would be worth a shot with these? So far only tried mops.

I have not seen nigripinnis in full potential and these ones are not yet grown but so far the bluespots and Everglades pygmy sunfish(plan on raising lots of those this year...getting fry) best them as far as black and irridescent blue is concerned. That being said the bluespots are very shy fish. nigripinnis are not at all afraid of showing off.

Thanks for the tip on that book! If I get a chance to go I will surely keep my eyes peeled.

~Joseph
 
Got maybe a dozen eggs from the gardneri. I wonder if they are eating their eggs since they often search the mop for tidbits and that occasional runaway blackworm...any ways to prevent that?

Have a few on peat and a few in tap water as one guy mentioned on killitalk for australe eggs.

The Elassoma evergladei have been very successful so far. Lots of fry! Would you possibly be interested in any when they grow older?
 
  • #10
Hi N,

  Oh, they're definitely eating the eggs. Best ways to prevent that is to use a number of both floating and sinking mops; make the mops thick; watch to see when they usually spawn and collect eggs soon after but not immediately so the shells can harden some or breed over peat moss and collect and store it for 4-8 weeks, leaving it rather moist but still fluffable -- wetter than Notho or SAA peat. Also pairs eat less eggs than trios.

 It will probably be Fall before I get set up again. Glad to hear the pygmies are going gang busters. I hope the other guys do too as they were very impressive in your photos.

I should be taking out around June 1st. Boy, this has been a full time job in itself. It's very quiet in the house without the hum of fish tanks. I can't wait to see everything available there. I will never have to mail in fish again!
 
  • #11
Sure enough, the gardneri are turning out to be the next success. The pair is now putting out lots of eggs(in my view...I've collected 30+ viable ones in less than a week). They'd better, as I've been feeding them like royalty...some live adult brine shrimp, lots of daphnia, mosquito larvae, blackworms, cut up redworms...flakes on the occasion but they've been spoiled now. Since they are part of a SMP not all will be mine to play with but I will also be getting some new stock in soon from someone else. If things go really well I plan to take a few males to one of the LFS here so they can have some "real" killies to show and maybe interest someone else in killies...

As for the eggs, I am currently playing with a method one guy mentioned for australe on killitalk...keeping the eggs in chlorinated(tap)water and changing often. I figure once the eggs have set I will put them into the fry container.


The breeding males(I've got a reverse trio) switched places today. I couldn't resist letting them have at it for a while...

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The challenger. 1st shot off the camera boy I was surprised. The camera still fails to catch the deep blue on this big guy.

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Home court advantage for this guy? For those who've watched these and other killies he is currently doing that shimmying move which seems to demonstrate the fish's strength.

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So far everyone is playing by the rules which makes for lots of nice photos...

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Then frustration sets in...despite being rather uneven neither fish is willing to back down. It doesn't help that the female has come along over to see what the commotion is all about. Seeing the photo oppurtunities are drawing to a close I get the net ready to remove the smaller guy so the bigger one can has his turn in the breeding tank...

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Ok guys get over it!


I think the order of operations in a male Fp. gardneri mind goes like this.

1. Females 2. eliminating other males 3. food

They've got their priorities straight!
 
  • #12
Hi N,

That female gardneri looks a bit too fat. I'd lay off the rich food for a bit as Fundulopanchax are so prone to developing dropsy and I hate to see you loose her. The males look great and I am glad the eggs are pouring in. Gardneri are usually egg machines. Bring females to the store too so people can get pairs and become truly hooked.

Bobby
 
  • #13
Which picture are you referring too? Also, would BBS and daphnia be considered rich foods? Fed on flakes she slims down quite a bit but it is partly because they don't taste as good as live food. Daphnia receive the least amount of interest likely due to size, and then the brine shrimp. Mosquito larvae look like the favorite with perhaps blackworms a close second. I have yet to see her snub a mozzie so I guess I'd better be careful with how many of those I give her.

On the LFS I was thinking of leaving something to the LFS to mention that they can get females so that interested people could get a pair. But of course we need lots of fish first!

Many of the eggs are eyeing up and looking ready to hatch soon. Perhaps due to either the diet change or the switched males no eggs at this time.
 
  • #14
Hi N,

Great news. Daphnia and BS are not so rich but anything in excess causes a problem. Feed well but small portions when in a breeding cycle and then feed the flakes and BS and daphnia when resting them. Fundulopanchax are prone to bloat, dropsey and obescity so just be careful with the mossies and worms. Be sure to cut up the worms in small easily digestible pieces and feed them maybe 4 times a week in a portion just enough to cause a slight fullness to the belly. Also when feeding heavily with rich foods keep the temperature below 78 and change water often. The great foods are helping the success but they can overwork the fish and the fish are not egg producing machines. Find the balance so the female has eggs but is not forced with too much food. Otherwise she will burn out fast or get sick. Balance. Gardneri are great fish. I love them.
 
  • #15
Good to know. Makes sense as the daphnia are mainly shell. I've been cutting the worms to make it that they go down in one bite.

Do females show any preference for males? The male she is in with right now is one she was kept with the whole winter...and so far I've seen no spawning but a lot of chasing/displaying. With the little male who was kept seperate all this time I was able to catch 2x a day on days they would lay eggs...I think they spawned in the morning, and in the evening after our dinner(I feed them mainly in the morning and the afternoon...with perhaps a late night snack). The male she is in with right now is real nice with big fins and a lot of blue so hopefully he gets to pass some of his genes along too(smaller male is also very nice, with lots of red and yellow but he's a tad younger/smaller so it is tough to compare).
 
  • #16
I think you could get the same reaction by separating the familiar male for a bit and then placing them together but there is evidence that certain pairs are simply more compatible and prove to be better breeders. Beyond that I do not know.

Bobby
 
  • #17
Almost all the eggs have eyed up and a few have hatched. I've heard of methods for force hatching the eggs...is this ever necessary? It seems risky and maybe you'd hatch out premature fry.

The fry are large(a great switch from Elassoma/SAA fry) and can obviously take BBS. I think they are eating the newly hatched mozzies I put in for them too.

I collected 4 eggs from the current pair today. Will leave them together till I get a good number from this male.
 
  • #18
gardneri rarely if ever need to be forced hatched. They want to see the world. Good news on the fry. I bet you will soon be drowning in gardneri. They grow quickly too.

Bobby
 
  • #19
You were right on them growing quickly...I spotted a few juveniles in the adult tank that are maybe 1/2 the size of the smaller pair of fish Doug sent me(when they came out of the bag of course).

Gardneri are cannibalistic as juvies I'd assume right?

I sure wouldn't mind drowning in gardneri too much.
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OT but have you been in contact with Mark regarding those Macropodus ocellatus?
 
  • #20
Hi N,

I have never found killie fry to be that canabalistic. I am sure the Megalebias and Giant Notho are but the rest never seemed so to me, but then again I feed them well, use lots of live bbs twice a day, give them room from the get go and have plants in the tanks. I think alot of people sarve and crowd their fry using the WELL ACCEPTED AND UNIVERSAL METHODS!!!!!!!!! and so they eat one another.

I need to talk to Martin about the ocellatus but I want to get settled first which make take the whole summer.

Bobby
 
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