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Fundulopanchax sjoestedti

  • #41
Interesting. I read an article about someone who would carefully judge the males by color intensity and looking for faded colors or eliminating atypical patterns. I've also heard of some people simply cutting the batch in half and throwing the rest out. Can't see myself doing that.

What do you mean by"not developing properly?". Does this mean the runts? I hear that the males tend to grow faster so when breeders cull out the smaller ones they end up with a very high percentage of males.

I know you said you never bother looking through the peat now, but back before you came to that conclusion how often did you get fry from bags of peat that supposedly had no eggs? I haven't seen any eggs in the N. orthonotus Moz 99/8 bag in a long time, and in the bag of Chunga I can find maybe 3-5. In contrast the N. kafuensis 'Kayuni' Zam 97/9 I can easily spot 10 or more eggs just by gentling moving the peat a few times.

From all this good stuff you getting-JAKA must be really good!

I asked Billy which populations he had and also mentioned your name.

Hard to tell how the female is doing-she is hungry. I hope to add in some Melafix maybe today or tomorrow and see what happens.

I know Cyprinodon variegatus is illegal in CA for rather obvious reasons-not sure about the rest. I know most of them are either threatened or endangered which creates obvious problems.

Also, in general how long do species stay in your fishroom? I'm sure some killikeepers will breed one generation and then sell them for another species-but I'm sure again that almost everyone has a few old favorites that they hang onto.

One of my female montezumaes looks almost ready to give birth yet again. I think some of my juveniles will soon be close to the size the ones you sent me were. Males continuing to grow, but a few show some sword damage-likely due to the male blue gularis.

Btw, what happened to that monster Simp. papilliferus spawn?

Hope all is well for you! Good luck with those Mambova
~Joseph
 
  • #42
Hi Nflytrap,

I moved around 120 Mambova fry last night. Yikes. Two weeks was almost too long in their 2 gallon hatching container. I should be good with that species.

"Developing properly" to me means growth, color, form and behavior. I sort of have an ideal in my mind and then cull based on the closeness to that ideal.

Don't worry about seeing eggs in peat, especially after they start developing as they are then really hard to see. I wouldn't check them too much as things are best left alone. I never worry as I feed the fish well, give them the right water and store the peat correctly so I usually do ok.

Some species stay in my tanks for years while others go after a few months. I have had the nezzies and monties since 1999. I have had the N. symoensi since 2001. The older I get the fewer species I keep and the longer I keep them. I also find that I return to the same species over and over again. I do think I am going to start doing more plant spawning killies as after 35 years with peat spawners I am finally a bit bored with them. I love the planted tank of S. "calabarica" I have and I think I want more like that. Nothos, gularis and plant spawning "Roloffias".

I lost all the papilliferus as I did the first Mambova's -- very weird. I lost all the zonatus Finca to dropsey -- one bag of questionable eggs. I did manage to save a few of the red pictas and boy are they nice. I hope I can get them going. The Limia vittata are kind of boring. I won't be keeping the F. arnoldi or M. lacortei. They just don't do it for me.

We have been having all kinds of emails on the monties from about 8 people. The spotted ones we have seem to be a german importation from 1987 that then went to England and then the USA. The photo in Lambert's Swordtails and Platies book shows a male from early on in this location's aquarium life. Others are reporting a loss of spotting over generations. All report that the old big blue/green unspotted line get big. I miss my old unspotted line. If you join the AHHS site, Ted posted part 1 of his monty article there. Aquarium Hobby History Society. I think its a yahoo club. There will be some fine monty photos used in the 2 part article. Part 2 is all breeding information.

I've been offered some X. nigrensis swords soon. This is a rare thick bodied small species. I really want X. multilineatus -- a beauty.

The P. petenensis number over 100 now while the velifera have only dropped, not eatened? 10 fry.

A pair of koi veil angels are really getting ready to breed. All they do is clean off leaves and lip lock. They are more into it this time than ever before. I have no idea what caused the new intensity.

Bobby
 
  • #43
Oh wow...thats a ton of Mambova! How many adults were you using?

Based on the developing thing, perhaps the reason I cannot see so many eggs in the Chunga bag is that they are starting to get covered in peat from incubation. That doesn't explain the orthonotus bag though.


I've moved a pair of bluespots back inside to a ten gallon tank and moved the Heterandria formosa and quite a few fry to the many sweater boxes available. They have become a bit more active and have eaten what little I've fed them. Hope to raise temperature/photoperiod and get some action from these guys.

On the topic of plantspawners, have you had any experience with epiplatys. chromaphyosemion, or rivulus species? Chromaphyosemion are supposed to work very well in those kind of setups.

Good luck with those red pictas! They sound really nice.

Does that mean their are several spotted montezumae strains? You can apparently trace yours back to "Marlin" who claims the original pair was collected in 1997.

Nigrensis sound really interesting. According to the Xiphophorus Genetic stock center they produce a wide variety of sizes in the males-from tiny sneaker males to big blue males that "take almost 1 year to mature". Dunno if its just me, but I wouldn't have the heart to breed away the sneaker males as having at least a few around would be interesting in a funny way. The papers you sent some time in July are really useful and cover many of those funny species that we hear or read about occasionally.

The female seems to be over with popeye. Males anal fin is still developing extensions! Should I give breeding a shot? Got a critter keeper available.

Have you guys been getting any rain? Its been going pretty heavy over here. The fish don't seem to notice though.

Good luck!
~Joseph
 
  • #44
Hi Nfly,

I had a trio of Mambova breeding. The move went well and all the fry are doing well.

Eggs are just hard to see especially as they develop.

My expereince with plantspawners is very limited. I just always did annuals. Rivulus are GREAT jumpers. Epiplatys are usually pretty easy and long lived. Chromos are a lovely family. I'd get hollyi or biv Funge -- very big and pretty.

Get the female gularis in a tank alone and get her plump and then breed. Keep the water changes going and add the male to her tank. I'd just us boiled,rinsed peat for breeding. Remember to boil in a glass or enamel pan and then rinse well. Use about a 1/2 inch of peat over the bottom and don't feed while breeding. Breed for a day or 2 and then collect the peat. Store it for 6-8 weeks a little wetter than the Nothos. Speaking of which, are you monitering the moisture content of the Notho peat to be sure they are are drying out too much over time. You can always spray in some water and stir it around in the peat to keep the right dampness. The peat should never look or feel dry or begin to turn light brown.

We've been having normal rains which means once a week or so all year long. Makes collecting water easy.

I'm also copying an article on breeding your little sunfish.

My nezzie swords are now acting strange and one died. Ugh. This is getting old. I can't figure out what is going around my fishroom or where it came from.

Bobby
 
  • #45
Sorry to hear of this problem lately. Sounds very odd, and I sure hope you can get it solved soon(or otherwise the fish do it themselves).

By, "acting strange" what exactly do you mean? I'd risk a guess that perhaps whatever it is came in on the new shipment of picta/montys/limias?

I've been checking the moisture on the Notho bags quite regularly. Seems to stay about the same but I check at least once ever 1-2 weeks just in case.

The sunfish don't seem to be doing anything yet. Female has slightly tattered caudal/pectoral fins(which I find odd). The male confronts the female whenever he see's her-she usually flees. No sign of the breeding colors besides the bluish spots appearing. I'm a bit nervous as last summer/fall one of the 2 "adult" females was presumably killed by the male. I've added lots of plants etc. to the tank and for the fish spend most of the time on opposite sides of the tank.

Let me know when you send the items over. Did you get your styro back?

Ms. female blue gularis is getting a bit plump. I dunno if you have read killies.com forums but it seems everyone is having problems with egg fertility. One person is doing an experiment with softer water to see if that helps.

I'm pretty sure, as far as plant spawners go, it wouldn't be too hard to do, say, a chromaphyosemion biotope. Anubias, bolbitus, etc. and perhaps one pair of small west african cichlid would work nicely.

As usual at this time of year I can't wait for spring so things start to warm up over here. At least right now blackworms don't need to be kept in the fridge...LOL
 
  • #46
Hi Guys-
Ive been very busy lately, and unable to keep up with threads... Ill catch up soon...

I just got a shipment of Compressed Coir Fiber Bricks ... wondering if that will work in place of peat for the Northos?

I had bad luck with with peat with white worms..

Thanks!

Hope all is well

Dustin
 
  • #47
Dustin:

Feel free to take whatever time off you want.

Me and Bobby discussed coir vs peat somewhere in these threads. Coir(courtesy of Bobby of course) is generally considered not as good as peat as it has a tendency to dry. Some use it mixed 50/50 with peat with success.
 
  • #48
haha its not time off i want - ive got tenants breaking down common doors and assulting each other.... God there are days.....
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Just want to evict them all - Hope you two are doing good
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haha... ttyl
 
  • #49
I mean't from the boards of course, sometimes life just seems to like to dish things out. Hope it gets better for you. Besides finals I've been ok as far as work over here.


Thought you guys would like to see an update on the condition of the montys. The adult male, even with a slightly shortened sword, is gorgeous and has a lot of pep. Same for the young males. Its amusing to watch them try to evade the adult male and mate with the females at the same time...LOL

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  • #50
And for the male blue gularis
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  • #51
Bobby: How close is this to your picta?

http://www.ne.jp/asahi/medaka-ken/k.t/page03-18-03.htm

Probably the best set of nothos photos I've seen...
http://www.ne.jp/asahi/medaka-ken/k.t/page03-10-01.html
http://www.ne.jp/asahi/medaka-ken/k.t/framepage3-10.html
http://www.ne.jp/asahi/medaka-ken/k.t/page03-10-16.htm

Some of the notables for me would be rachovii, patrizii, cyaneus and jubbi, and of course the chunga for color. I like photos that catch the colors, the gills flared, fins spread, and the fish trying to show its personal best...but then doesn't everybody?

Also, how exactly do you wet your peat for fry?

Thanks!
~Joseph
 
  • #52
Wow those monties ARE Beautiful! Very nice pictures
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What kind of camera are you using?

Also , what did you say the actual size of the monties and blues are?


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  • #53
Thanks! The camera I'm using is a Nikon Coolpix 775. It takes nice photos but the colors leave something to be desired. No expert on photography and hardly handle different cameras but considering the size it is and the cost it works quite well.

My male montezumae is around 3.5 inches body length and the sword(was) at least that. Right now his sword is missing a inch off the end so is less impressive. He doesn't seem to notice. The young males with full swords have them a little over the length of the body.

Blue gularis is maybe 3.5-4 but he is much stockier than the montezumae swords of course so appears much larger. They are said to get to 5 or even 6 inches though I would still think him large if this was his maximum size.
 
  • #54
I have a coolpix 5700 - I cant seem to get the hang of the micro mode... and i guess it does video but after owning it a year plus I have yet to figure that one out. Not enough time to read the manual
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.

Whats the optical zoom on yours?

Those are huge killies! I think you told me that before... now that you told me again I still cant believe it!
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  • #55
Hi Nflytrap,

That male gularis is a very nice one. You need to get babies from him.

I put my peat into a 10 x 10 x 6 inch plastic storage box or plastic 5-10 gallon tank and add 2-3 inches of 95% rain or ro water with 5% hard alkaline tap water. I gently break up any peat clumps. I add a nice handful of najas or java moss. When the fry hatch I add snails 3 days later. I start adding a pint of hard alkaline water twice a day after the 3rd day until I have the fry in my tap water chemistry. I add green water after hatching for most fry unless they are big along with the live bbs. I move the fry into a tank with a slow running box filter without the filter lid and full of gravel or Eheim efhi-substrat after 10-14 days. From there, it is water changes and feeding. If it's alot of fry I separate them into more tanks after a month. I add larger frozen food or chopped live food when they are big enough to tackle it. Once they are sexed out they need room as the males all cramped start to fight and the tank gets stressed and health declines. Sometimes I add a slow airstone to the original hatching container before I first move them into a tank if its alot of fry. The fry will let you know if that is needed by the time 14 days are up.

That picta picture looks nothing like the reds. Their whole body is red brick and some have the heavy black bars. Really nice. They will soon get a 29 for mass production.

I have around 30 pairs of symoensi ready to start breeding and lots of international egg requests. The 100 + Mambova are all sexed out and there are more blue ones than red this time. I bred an intermediate male.

I have some nice arnoldi to breed. I decided to keep a few lacortei even. The calabarica are breeding again.

My gularis are huge and need to be bred.

The petenensis are everywhere. The velifera are starting to go with more babies. I need ponds this summer.

I will get your care package off soon. I haven't forgotten.

Bobby
 
  • #56
I tell you guys... it just doesnt get better. Ive got bronchitus again *sp* and another death.. possibly two - My friend who is in his 70's was taking his 99 year old mother to Indianpolis for her yearly checkup. She was still in great health, living alone and active in the church. Last year the doctor said she would probably make it another ten years! Well on the way to the hospital in Indy he ran a red light, a car slammed into them and she died. Thats horrible....

So - Yesterday, Monday the visitation was planned. His wife who is in her 80's and was also in the car passed out. They then life lined her to Indy, because she had broken her neck in the car accident and no one realized it. So shes now in the ICU.

If she dies, that is 5 in like 4 weeks... and my neighbors were in a wreck and are in an INDY ICU and a lawyer friend of mine was run over by a tractor this week!

I hope I make it haha.

Just wanted to releave some tension.. I hope you two are doing ok!!! and you and yours are well.

Ttyl

Dustin
 
  • #57
Wow Dustin, you've been really getting some hard knocks lately to both you and your companions. This isn't going to go on forever I'm sure-you will see the light at the end of the tunnel soon.

Bobby:

Thanks for the writeup! I've got some BBS eggs crawling over right now and have the tank set and ready. If I'm fortunate to raise enough to make it neccessary they will be moved to a ten gallon tank. The Chunga bags hatch date seems inconvenient due to a 2-3 day trip coming up so I will probably go with the Kayuni ZAM 97/9 . How do you go about removing the peat from the fry tank?

I will also be making another attempt to get fertile eggs from these blue gularis. They refused last week to use a large bowl and I had lost my brine shrimp net I couldn't look in the peat outside the bowl......... so I'm going to go ahead and use peat as a substrate and leave em for only a few hours since thats how they seem to want it. The female is getting fat-all those bloodworms have got to go somewhere!

To the interest of Dustin one of my montezumae females is looking very plump. Also, I've now got a total of 3 females!(whoot!). The 3rd is still young. The males also are attempting to mate with many of the little juvies which are running around. I'd like to think that means more females for me. Funny how I often view the dull females more precious compared to the beautiful young males.

The bluespots are still being reluctant to spawn. I'd like to think they are perhaps spawning without me knowing it as the ten gallon they are in is packed full of plants.

Also, Rick(who I sent the Nhangua Mtn N. orthonotus to) has successfully hatched them and is raising a few fry. According to him they were very cannibalistic so he lost many of them to that. He's still got lots of eggs  to rewet so I'm quite sure he's going to succeed with them.

Also, someone on another board had offered to ship anyone that wanted small portions of pennywort. I decided to jump for it. He included a few extras much to my surprise. I got Babys tears, Rotala(dunno how this is going to do long term), Hydrocotyle, and most interestingly a portion of monoselenium tenerum(aka "Pellia". I sure hope this plant works for me! Said to produce big clumps on driftwood with larger, darker green fronds compared to riccia.

Those Mambova sure did grow up fast! Good luck with the symoensi!

Hope all is well for both of you.

~Joseph
spixi092.jpg


Edit: 8 oz of supposedly Grade A 80% BS eggs arrived in the mail but they were labeled as 90% premium grade. Whether it was on purpose or a mix up, I guess its for the better if that is really what the eggs are.  
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  • #58
Hey Guys!

Boy is that a BEAUTIFUL FISH! The Reflection is a cool effect too!

Thanks for your kind words. Things are starting to look up. I got a new guy helping me with apartment repairs, so I may actually have 5 minutes a day to look at the tanks
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Hope that female Monte turns out
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I just got these Hets from Doug, and I really think they give the Monte's a run for their money, the strips are georgous!

BabyTears is a great plant. Last year I had a MASS in the 125 gal. when i pulled it out of the corner finally it was about 2 ft wide and as tall as the tank, which I think is about 18 inches! I sold it to the lfs... I probably shouldnt have , but it was taking up a HUGE amount of swimming space for the fish, it was that thick! They couldnt even swim into the mass.

I had some Tetra's spawn in the dense growths of the 125 gal. last year. I suddenly had 2 tetra fry swimming around. Those were very unexpected!
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Of course 1 or 2 out of how many eggs? The hatch / being eaten / survive ratio wasnt the greatest Im sure.

Pellia looks great, like I said in the PM at petfish - I really hope it works for you! Just make sure it gets enough light! Do you add Trace Elements to your tank, Or do anything special for the plants?

Bobby - Joe tells me you have several strains of Mollies? I just got some Wild Sailfin Molly from from Florida (I think joe did too) and Would like any advice you have on keeping mollies alive! I usually have little luck with them. Is it important to add salt to the water?

Thanks! Hope you are both well!


Dustin:)
 
  • #59
Maylandi: Nope, didn't get any mollies in my shipment of stuff. I'm just popping in really quick. Bobby is keeping 2 species I believe(pertensis and velifera).

Dustin and I both got fish from someone in FL. Maylandi got mollies, but we both got the following

F. chrysotus(golden topminnow-females are probably one of the most attractive female killies, my male is a bit tattered in the fins but should come through just fine.) Both sexes have brilliant gold spots on the bodies with a greenish background. Male has red spots and reddish fins. Edit: Male has settled in well but the female is a bit aggresive so I'll be moving the female to isolation.

Jordanella floridae: I'll be keeping a close watch on these guys as I hear they are odd and can be aggresive sometimes. Maylandi ended up with 3 females so perhaps I would be able to send eggs/offspring to him. The larger male and female are now a pair and keep close and nudge and flirt with each other regularly as they keep close distance in the tank.

and Elassoma evergladei(5)
Everglades pygmy sunfish. These guys are the same size as Heterandria formosa! I've got mine in yet another critter keeper hoping they will do well for me. Really interesting little fish and the males should develop a dark color with spangling later on.

I will be hatching the N. kafuensis hopefully next week(providing the eggs are obedient).

Edit: The Kayuni decided not to wait. Some of the eggs are showing that gold iris everyone talks about. Will be running test run of BBS right now and if all goes well I'll be dunking them.

Let me know how both of you are doing!
~Joseph
 
  • #60
*insert drumroll*

I ended up using a method described by another killie keeper while compromising with yours. I used distilled water mixed with tap and water depth approx to your instructions but I put the peat in a container(the original Notho spawning bowl) added a few bits of gravel and carefully sank it into the critter keeper. Then I went to bed. Sure enough the next day fry were bobbing around in the water! I'm not sure how many I've got but it isn't a big number. I suspect maybe 20 or so. I'll leave the peat container in for some time longer and then remove it and redry(though I doubt many eggs will be in it, all of them I saw were eyed up). I've fed some BBS and they've eaten it.

So far things look off to a good start.  
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~Joseph
 
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