[Killietalk] practical hatch sizes & priorities; was RE: Killietalk Digest, Vol 52, Issue 45

["Ken" <ken_combs at sbcglobal.net>]

Just "blogging" (or babbling) a few thoughts...
Rob belongs to that smaller % of hobbyist that goes out of their way to meet
request & accommodations from the community (he's answered my request)...

But that post got me to thinking about our diverse individual goals and how
we cope/achieve them...
As I digested his methodology and then later tried to apply it , it dawned
on me that some hobbyist focus was perhaps breeding/production and mine was
perhaps different....

...Attempts to raise more "manageable" batches of large fundulopanchax (and
likewise cope with uneven sex ratio's, cannibalism, casualties, et) often
did not yield a safe no# of pairs...and conversely, raising a larger batch
in attempts to yield a more desirable 6-8pr, taxed my space & food resources
to the limits... As my subsequent batches of SJO, Fallax (and killies of the
similar ilk) grew larger and larger; my resources to cope with them came at
the expense of variety
...my point here is: it seemed in order to get tradable/sexable pairs of
SJO, I roughly needed to collect 3eggs per fry and 6 fry to get 1 pair. So
to yield 8pr that's approx. about 100 eggs or 36-48 fry, 1-10gal, 1-20L,
2-15gal, lots of bbs, daphnia and blood, white, black and red worms when its
all said and done...(and that's not counting the occasional "fatal" divorces
when breeding them)

...Hence 8 species of fundulopanchax use 440gallons of my tank space (24ea
15's + 8ea 10's), that's vs. 600gals used for 46 types of asst. epis &
aphys... obviously it's a lil more than just preference; it seems the value
per resources is better with diapterons/ahy's vs. SJO,et (duh!)
....my experience show clearly why there are few Rob's, Ramseys and others
distributing numbers of SJO, et to the general public and why many more
clamor for rarer aphyosemions, rivulus, et...

Thanks for the post Rob

KC

   


-----Original Message-----
From: killietalk-bounces at aka_org [mailto:killietalk-bounces at aka_org] On
Behalf Of R. Schwiegerath
Sent: Wednesday, December 05, 2007 9:08 PM
To: killietalk at aka_org
Subject: Re: [Killietalk] Killietalk Digest, Vol 52, Issue 45

Hello All,

Here we go again with Blue gularis .  Here's my "how to" for this fish -:

 

BLUE GULARIS

I have been breeding Blue gularis since the 1960s.  If ya' wanna' 
breedem' ; here's how I do it.  It doesn't take rocket science.  Just
the knowledge, guidance and observation of an "old-timer." 

First  -  breeders (in pairs or trios)  should be at least 1 year of 
age.  2 year olds even better.  ALL OF MY WATER CONTAINS 1/2 teaspoon of 
pure (pickling) salt per gallon. 

Best egg production is on LARGE sunken green and/or brown sunken dacron 
mops in (minimum) 10 gallon tank.  LOW LIGHT !!!!!  Tank
with some Java Moss, a corner box filter containing ONLY aquarium gravel 
and COVERED !!.  Once egg production becomes apparent;
collect water from the tank into a polystyrene container (mine are 2" 
deep x 6" long x 4' wide - Spray -Painted Black on the outside) add just 
enough acriflavine (neutral) solution to impart a pale green color.  
Wait 24 hours BEFORE introducing eggs to tray !!!!!!!!!!    Depending 
upon the time of year (according to my observations) eggs will develop 
to hatching stage in anywhere from ONE MONTH (eggs collected in late autumn)
to resting eggs (collected in summer) which may not eye-up for several 
months.  Eggs which remain clear after 3 days are usually fertile. There 
is definitely a time-of-year egg production and egg development for this 
fish.  Don't mean to be crude - BUT THIS FISH SPAWNS BEST IN IT'S OWN 
PISS !  I have gotten my best egg production in my dirtiest tanks !  And 
from November through March. 

Once fully eyed-up, one can wait for the eggs to begin hatching upon 
their own or (better) force hatch them by placing them in "newly aged  
water" in a 15 ml test tube for about 1 hour.  Don't forget about them - 
they will suffocate !  Newly hatched fry are placed into rearing tanks 
containing some Java Moss, a layer of aquarium gravel and some floating 
(Riccia) plants.  Fry are fed live baby brine shrimp 24 hours after 
hatching.  Graduate fry to appropriate-sized tank for rearing. You'll 
have sexable fish in about 6 months.

I give permission to any and all who wish to copy and or disseminate 
this information  - worldwide.

I think the biggest mistakes are collecting eggs before Nov. 1 and after 
March 30,  tanks that are too warm (my breeders are at about 75F or 
less),  frequent water changes are a no-no,  collect water from 
breeders' tank and add methylene blue/acriflavin 24 hours BEFORE 
collecting and adding eggs.  Eggs collected in warmer months will rest 
until the fall.  Eggs collected from Nov. through March will eye-up and 
hatch within a month.  Again - ALL OF MY WATER CONTAINS 1/2 tspn of pure 
salt per gallon. 

"Tanks,"

Bob Schwiegerath
Socorro, NM
 

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