Nothobranchius kafuensis

[biggun110]

Hi N,

They are ready for breeding. I think the breeding for a few hours is a good idea with just one female to use. Just cover the bottom with peat at the depth of 1/2". Put the female in first and add the male once the female is settled a bit. Add some plants for safety. Leave them together as long as they get along or until the female no longer looks plump. Then separate. I'd try a 2 gallon tank though. Getting the hang of breeding in the bowl of peat can take a while. It helps to siphon off peat that falls out of it when putting it in the tank. Those males are beauties -- especially the big one. Time to rewet the peat and see if any more fry hatch out. Sorry about the other female. It's always something. Who knows what happened. Just breed right away to insure some eggs. Are you clear on drying and storing peat now?

Bobby

 

[Nflytrap]

I'm pretty sure I've got the drying and storing peat thing down. Just need to get me some fishbags.

I set up for spawning yesterday in a plastic salad box...the area was about the same as a two gallon critter keeper but it was quite shallow. Put a thin layer of peat, clumps of Najas and java moss, and added the female and a male. After about an hour I removed the original male and added another as he appeared to be losing interest. Removed when the female began to desperately try to escape the male. Dunno how many eggs were laid as I wasn't observing for the whole time but observed 6 actual egg laying acts.

I bet the original bag still has good eggs in it so I will try and find out.

~Joseph

 

[Nflytrap]

Ok something really weird happened...dunno what it mean't but it was pretty interesting.

The female seemed to be acting rather odd today...refusing most of bloodworms etc. I was offering and pacing round the tank. This afternoon I was watching her and all of a sudden she shook her body and a few eggs came out!(which she then turned around to eat). After she dropped maybe 8 in this fashion I got her out and put her into the spawning tank with the biggest male and one of the smaller ones as a target. Wow they literally "spawned up a storm"! After I noticed the female resisting the males further attempts to spawn I removed them.

 

[biggun110]

Hi N,

Interesting. Females can drop eggs alone especially when stimulated. Maybe rather than just doing an hour try a day but with more water. If pairs will live together on a daily basis it makes it all easier. Nothos can lay alot so who knows. Is the female still plump? If she is breed her again. She can breed as long as has eggs. When she is spawned out then condition her for a week or two until plump and start up again. Collect and store the peat every two weeks and don't feed in the breeding tank. I hope it works well. Hatch and see if you can get more females out of the old peat as with all those males you need a couple of girls. I'd contact Morenski or the guy on aquabid who has them.

The mollies I sent to Denmark made it! Did you see on Killitalk where I found wild zonatus in my lfs? Not sure if I have any girls but I will know in a couple of weeks. I sure hope so.

Bobby

 

[Nflytrap]

I'll check on the female and maybe go for another round. I'll see to clearing out a critter keeper for them to use. I think its pretty fortunate that I got females first then males later as the female is still much larger than the male.

For leaving them in for the whole day I assume you would put them in every other day? Seem's that'd be necessary if you don't feed them in the spawning tank.

I have an add up on the AKA Registry and Classifieds looking for females of these but no one has responded. Perhaps they just don't browse the wanted section much.


I saw that posting on wild zonatus. Thats really interesting that they would be imported commercially esp. at that price. I've seen my LFS order in rare anabantoids(they once had Betta rutilans) but they came out to around $10 each...still quite inexpensive.

Is their anything different about sending fish overseas?

~Joseph

 

[biggun110]

Hi N,

If you kept them together permanently you'd just feed normally. If you spawned them for a whole day then you'd give them a week's rest before doing it again. You don't want to move them around all the time as it is stressful. Post a request on Killitalk and on the Nothobranchius group -- Nothobranchius Maintanence Group -- for females. The wanted page doesn't get much traffic. Talk to Morenski too. He loves the Zambian Nothos.

Shipping overseas is just more expensive -- $86! But he is a good friend and it makes for nice contacts. I also finally heard that all the calabarica I sent to the N&RSC of the AKA arrived safely. 18 pairs to distribute.

Bobby

Bobby

 

[Nflytrap]

Will do on that--thanks for the suggestions! I fed and looked over the female and while she isn't as fat as she used to be she is by no means slim either.

Don't you have to be a part of the NMG in order to post to it? I know 1 person on aquabid in the US is offering eggs. How often do breeders have spare females around? It looks like I will end up with around 5 males.


Glad to hear that those calabrica will be spread around!

~Joseph

 

[biggun110]

Hi N,

You can just sign up for the NMG on line like anything else. If she is still a bit round she still has eggs. People might have extra females and would be happy to sell them. Even one more would be a help. Hatch those eggs again and maybe you'll have more in 2 months.

Bobby

 

[Nflytrap]

Well, it looks like its been around 2 weeks since I first tried spawning. I think they've been in maybe 3 or 4 times. I hope the peat contains all the eggs I've observed them laying!

~Joseph

 

[biggun110]

Hi Joe,

You'll be surprised! My first symoensi peat hatched 45 fry and the adult breeders were sick and weak as they had been caught in the 9/11 mess in shipping so took a week to get here. I never saw them breed but out came the fry. You'll be surprised.

Bobby

 

[Nflytrap]

I'll be off to harvest the peat soon. In the meantime a few photos.

Well, just finished harvesting and bagging the peat. Think I used too little peat on this one. Will be taking photos. I saw what I am pretty sure was an egg during the process.

Also to throw this little idea at you. I have been reading the one book you photocopied for me. Tons of good info. The people do different fish and also seem to have slightly varying "philosophies" it seems. One that stands out is water volume and amount of feeding. Some like to use small tanks in which you must be careful about how much you feed, others prefer the safety net a big tank gives you. I was pretty surprised that some kept adult pairs in tanks around U.S 2 gallons. Another is on adding things when water incubating eggs. Some say fungused eggs show less than optimum water quality and so try to keep em really clean, others add a bit of methylene blue or acriflavin to the hatchwater.

~Joseph

 

[maylandi]

Very Nice Pics! Good Luck with the harvest!

 

[biggun110]

Hi guys,

    N, you can always add freshly prepared peat to the egg containing peat to make for a greater mass. Just dry the freshly boiled, rinsed and cooled peat to the same level of moisture as the egg containing peat and mix it all together and store it away.

    I have new additions. My scientist friend sent me new populations of both velifera and of kykesis (petenensis). This kykesis population has alot of females! This new velifera population produces huge fish. I have a male that is an inch longer than the giant male I have from my old population -- and I thought he was huge. This one is at least 6 inches long and his tail is enormous. It's incredible to see this giant blue sailfin swimming and spreading his dorsal.

  I also hatched a batch of F. arnoldi since I won't be moving until December and some gularis peat. The gularis peat only produced 7 fry but those when mature should produce better hatches having been raised in my environment. I had forgotten how fast gularis fry grow. It looks like the wild zonatus I found are all males so nothing there. An old friend hatched out some of the zonatus FINCA so maybe that great population is not all lost.

 Looks like I have a great gold hi fin male swordtail developing out of the first batch of fry. He is going to be a big late developing male with a big dorsal. I'm back in business.

 A friend in Denmark has Xiphophorus multilineatus breeding. This is a shy but unbelievably gorgeous sky blue with yellow fins wild type swordtail. I have wanted it for years. He also found the gold form of Phalloceros caudimaculatus -- the "auratus" type.

 I can't believe it but the eggs I sent to China made it! Amazing.

  Maylandi, send me a styro box inside a cardboard box and I can send you some of the monties. Do you want nezzies, Phalloceros caudimaculatus reticulatus, velifera and kykesis (petenensis) too?  Send a fishstore size box. Try to get one of the taller thicker ones they often use for saltwater shipments. They are a bit better constructed and the styro is thicker.

Bobby

 

[Nflytrap]

Thanks much for the info/updates. I will be doing that.

Spawned the female with that large male again 2 days ago. She must be a bottomless pit! Do you suppose the females can also produce eggs when needed with no need to have them ready to go before spawning? Watching them I'm also wondering if the female makes the spawning process take longer on purpose...as in the longer it takes for you to empty of eggs the greater chance a bigger male will come along and drive the one you've got away! She became a little less cooperative and took longer breaks between clasps as the spawning went on. I decided to remove them after 2 hours or so as it was dinner time.

I noticed that they laid practically all the eggs in one spot despite having a whole critter keeper to go looking through. This was the spot they spawned in last time too...guess they like a depression and being able to touch the bottom.

So how does that big male look now?

Colors are a bit washed out as the lighting was not the best.

What species did you send to China? Thats incredible!

Those velifera sound gorgeous! Hope both of these populations do well for you. I can't imagine 6 inches...I used to think 3 inches was big. Are the "auratus" caudos gold with black spots?

Good luck with the arnoldi, those are very nice killies. Also keep me updated on the 7 blue gularis...from what I hear about 6 months and you will have mature looking fish.

Btw, the new and improved AKA beginners guide finally arrived...I was sure impressed! Full of information and lots of photos. I can see why you say that zonatus and allies are some of your favorites...the finnage is impressive. Have you ever kept Terranotus dolichopterus? I heard they used to be common but now are very rare and considered difficult.

If you haven't read on the list yet I recently obtained a few Fp. gardneri 'Misaje' eggs(and at least 2 people offered to send more). You'll have to blame the AKA convention photos for my interest in these guys. They also seem like they'd be nice fish to try out in a outdoor pond.

Also...the group of Everglades pygmy sunfish juveniles I've been raising for 4 months now are sexed/sexing out. One male has turned charcoal black and is doing that wiggle waggle dance. Someone in FL offered to go to the spot and collect a few females to pair up my lonely WC male.

 

[maylandi]

Hi Guys

Those look great Joe! Good Luck

Bobby - I sent you an email about the fish box - THanks

 

[biggun110]

Hi N and M,


Those are some of the finest kafuensis I have ever seen. The color pattern is exceptional. This is this Kayuni 97 population? It beats Mambova, Nazhila and Kayuni State Farm. You should get great fry. Females do seem to have almost inexhaustable egg production as long as they are rested in some way (separation or 2 or more females) and fed on worms. I can't wait to see how your eggs do. I may want some! Those are gorgeous and rasied very well.

They do seem to have favorite breeding spots. I think some of it is just the best place for the male to get the female but who knows. They obviously know things we do not.

Symoensi to China and Singapore.

I raised a gorgeous population of dolichopterus back in 1975. They go through periods of availablity and being hard to find. They are not easy but the secret is warm water 80-85F and tons of tiny live food plus rotifers for the fry with the bbs. The eggs need warmth too as they come from where Gn. zonatus come from. They are spectacular to see with the long fins and the blue and red fin color. They are shy. Even the females have nice fins. They seem otherworldly. Most hard to find killies require extra and demanding care and we loose them as people do not give it.

Yes, zonatus and hoignei are out of this world at 5 inches with those fins! I have to get that Beginner's Guide.

Good luck on the Florida fish.

Gardneri are a great fish as they are hardy and pretty and will do great outside. You might try getting bellottii and nigripinnis as eggs and raise the fry outside over winter and see what happens. They can take water down to freezing for short periods.

Yes, Phallo. caudo. auratus is the bright gold one with black as opposed to reticulatus which is yellowish/white with black. The gold is suppose to be thick on auratus.

Be looking for your email maylandi.

Bobby

 

[Nflytrap]

Bobby,

If I'm getting good numbers of eggs you will certainly be welcome to some if you wish...afterall they wouldn't be here if it weren't for your kindness. Yes, these are the 'Kayuni' ZAM 97/9 population. Based on how often they are offered or talked about they are nowhere near as common as Mambova or Kayuni State farm currently is. Along with 'Kayuni' ZAM 97/1 they seem to get the least amount of limelight...the rather makeshift photos I've taken are the best I have seen of them.

Btw how far down have you observed Nothos go into the peat? While watching the pair dissapeared from view several times but almost always I could see the males tail sticking up out of the peat.

I agree with your observations on the more difficult species. while easier species would generally survive lack of interest due to newbies and the fact that they could be kept in a fishroom without much attendance and still survive. They seem to be close to Marateocara lacortei. I saw some pictures on aquabid and they looked surprisingly similar...lacortei somewhat resembles a compact dolichopterus

The SAA idea for outdoors sounds like it would be fun. They'd actually have to come indoors for the summer...LOL Perhaps I could rotate between using something like GAR in the summer and SAA in the winter for year round activity. I think nigripinnis would look lovely in a pond outside(though they would probably be hard to spot!)


~Joseph

 

[maylandi]

Bobby -

Hope that means you got my email - i just checked mine and have none

my email is dwse AT dcfonline.com Thanks Again

 

[biggun110]

Hi Maylandi,

I bet you used the old email. Try <ruevenm@sbcglobal.net>.

Bobby

 

[maylandi]

Msg Sent