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Re: Cynolebias nigripinnis

The advantages of a smaller container to hold the peat
are that (1) it is easier to collect the peat and eggs
at the end of the spawning period, (2) the volume of
peat is less so that there is less work in looking
through the peat to find eggs, and (3) it helps keep
the peat from getting fouled with uneaten food which
will decay and possibly kill the eggs and possibly
deter the pair from spawning.  It is this last
advantage of a separate spawning container that most
breeders prefer the use of a separate spawning
container.  

The depth of peat that you are using is appropriate. 
The size of your breeders is such that you will get
spawning behaviour and eggs.  When full grown the
nigripinnis will be a little over 2 inches (5 cm).  

Many of the butter containers have neutral or positive
bouyancy and may tend to float.  The peat has about
the density of water (that's why it settles so
slowly), and therefore you may need some marbles or
similar dense material to weigh the container down to
the bottom.  

Since you are raising bettas, why not use one of the
jars that you are raising bettas in as your peat
container.  The jar is dense so it will sink, the
diameter of the lip of the usual betta jar that I have
seen is less than the diameter of the center or mid
level of the jar.  That restiction should be
sufficient to help keep the peat contained.  (Note
that I said help to keep the peat contained)  There is
no way to keep the peat completely contained in the
spawning container.    

You should collect your peat at one or two week
intervals.  The eggs will be in diapause I when you
collect them and are quite hard, and very resistant to
environmental insults (temp drops or rises, pressure,
etc) and can survive rinsing and squeezing to
facilitate drying.  I usually collect, squeeze dry and
hang the peat in a net for 24 hours.  After which I do
a quite cursory search to find a few eggs.  I then bag
teh peat label collecting date, expected hatch date,
and species.  The hatch date is highly variable
depending on temperature of storage.  Since
nigripinnis come from the area around Buenos Aires,
Argentina, they are exposed to freezing conditions
during life and summer conditions during their dry
period.  Since they are buried in soil that is
commonly shaded by grass or some other type of
vegetation, the temperature will be about the mean
daily temperature of the summer.  In the nigripinnis
this means about mid to low 70's F or 21 - 22 C.  Good
Luck. 
--- eCLod <piart2001 at yahoo_com> wrote:
> 
> Hi Everyone :D
> 
> My name is Ralph, I'm not to this list and also new
> to Killis.  So far, I'm quite blown away by the
> annuals.
> 
> My first annauls are Cynolebias nigripinnis.  I'm
> writing as I'm a little confused as to the best way
> to set up their tank.  They are currently in a 2.5
> gallon tank with a layer of peat about 1-1.5 inches
> deep covering the entire tank bottom.  I saw them
> once spawning but I have not seen them since, mainly
> because I have not really sat and watched them (full
> time job and over 500 individually jarred Bettas).
> 
> I read that a good set-up would be a deli container
> (or butter container) filled with peat. Lid on with
> a hole cut into it.  I think I'm going to try this
> because it's proving to be impossible to find the
> eggs in the peat on the bottom of the tank.  The one
> time I tried to remove some peat, I just made a MESS
> of the tank.
> 
> My main questions are(i) how much peat should I put
> in the container, (i.e. how thick), (ii) how big
> should the hole on the lid be, (iii) square hole or
> round hole or does it make a difference and (iv) is
> a 2.5 gallon tank big enough for a pair?
> 
> Oh, one last question, my guys are about 1" in
> length, is that about right or are they still
> Juvies?
> 
> Thanks everyone in advance for your help!
> 
> Ralph
> 
> http://www.eclod.org/betta/
> http://www.babb.info/bios/Ralph/index.htm
> 
>  
> 
> 
> ||Méfiez-vous des apparences. . . ça n'a aucun sens.
> . . rêve de l'endroit à la plus belle sélection. . .
> rêve d'un visage à la pure
> perfection.||http://www.eclod.org/
> 
> 
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=====
Allen H. Johnson
132 Whispering Oaks Dr.
West Chester, Pa.  19382

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