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Updates on the ivory montys

  • Thread starter Nflytrap
  • Start date
  • #121
Hi N,

Sorry a female arrived dead. Nothos usual ship a little poorly so keep the live food coming and water calm and clean. Try the males together and only devide as a last resort. Chop the blackworms so they are easily swallowed. The picks look great. Put a bowl of peat in very soon just to get some eggs even if they don't adjust well to the trip. Standing on the nose is not normal unless the tank bottom is clear. The photos look good. I'm glad I sent the extra female!

Bobby
 
  • #122
Does dividing lower breeding drive to say the least? I'll have to remember to chop the blackworms. A few got away into the sand so I will the siphoning them out. The female tries to hunt them though. Its odd in that, unlike most fish, she rolls onto her side before striking at the blackworm. Dunno if it is more effective or if they find similar food in the wild.

BTw, you mentioned keep air in the bags of eggs. Do you mean blow them up? Or leave them slightly open?

These fish look pretty similar to how I envisioned Kayuni would look. Hmmm...looks like a pretty tight contest between all these locations.

Btw, have you ever tried putting black paper around something similar around the bags? I think the worst part for the fish was when the box was opened and the bags lifted out. I did it in a dimly lit room but they still spazz out.

Also, what are the little foam things you included with them? I assume to suck up ammonia?


Edit: Would you like the styro back? I'm assuming his size is the most commonly used.
 
  • #123
Hi N,

[b said:
Quote[/b] ]
Does dividing lower breeding drive to say the least? I'll have to remember to chop the blackworms. A few got away into the sand so I will the siphoning them out. The female tries to hunt them though. Its odd in that, unlike most fish, she rolls onto her side before striking at the blackworm. Dunno if it is more effective or if they find similar food in the wild.

Dividing won't matter. The males take charge of the peat bowls and one dominates. Just keep an eye out. Nothos do feed in a weird way. I have often seen that behavior. Killies are smart little hunters.

[b said:
Quote[/b] ]
BTw, you mentioned keep air in the bags of eggs. Do you mean blow them up? Or leave them slightly open?

No, not open at all as the peat will dry out fast and no don't blow into the bag just allow air to stay in the bag before you close it and seal it normally

[b said:
Quote[/b] ]
These fish look pretty similar to how I envisioned Kayuni would look. Hmmm...looks like a pretty tight contest between all these locations.

Yeah, but there are differences once you see the locations alive next to one another. The Nanzhila are very differently shaped from the Kayuni and Mambova and the Mambova are huskier than them all.

[b said:
Quote[/b] ]
Btw, have you ever tried putting black paper around something similar around the bags? I think the worst part for the fish was when the box was opened and the bags lifted out. I did it in a dimly lit room but they still spazz out.

Yeah, I know. Never really tried anything. Just sort of grin and bare it.

[b said:
Quote[/b] ]
Also, what are the little foam things you included with them? I assume to suck up ammonia?

Polyfilter to absorb ammonia. It is expensive but it works.


[b said:
Quote[/b] ]
Edit: Would you like the styro back? I'm assuming his size is the most commonly used.

Yes, please send it back. I am low on good boxes now.

Bobby

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  • #124
Allright, will get the styro back ASAP.

Dunno if you are interested-but I have some styrofoam "plates" laying around. Most of them are too large for anything but a box of fish from florida but maybe cutting into halves or quarters.

Also, is it normal for them to be really nervous for thefirst few days. I can't approach the tank now without at least one going crazy-so Ive left them alone for now.

Edit: Today they aren't nearly as bad-or maybe less aware LOL The non dominant male seems most prone to this. I think I may put in a plexiglass divider. I'm really worried as he appears winded after these little performances. The dominant male/two females seem fine. I might put a piece of black paper on the sides as I think it might help.

Though I haven't seen em-I always assumed Kayuni was the most husky. Kayuni also has a white as opposed to yellow border on the tail-guess that makes it patriotic...heheh. Have you seen blue or intermediate Mambova yet? I'm going to bet that chunga is the least stocky of them all.

Can the polyfilter be "charged" and reused?

Also, how different are SA annuals compared to nothos? I'd like to atleast try one at some later date to get the best of both sides of the world...heheheh
 
  • #125
Ack. One of the females(again, the largest) was found dead this afternoon. Dunno if it was shipping stress or my conditions here. The other female seems fine, the two males are still acting a bit odd...they "pace" alot.
 
  • #126
Hi N,

Ah, that's bad. Send the box back and I will get you one or 2 more females. Go ahead and put peat in with what you have to get some eggs. This is why I sent you the eggs too as Nothos ship poorly. The symoensi I used to establsih my line only lasted 3 weeks after shipping and it was that one peat I collected that saved me. Plus I have my Mambova eggs to hatch in a month and should have 100's then.

Mine are nervous here too which is why their tank has a ton of java fern. Floating plants can help too. Walk slowly and with ease around them.

The bottom of your tank has sand right?

I had an intermediate male Mambova but did not breed him. I bred the red male I had. I am interested to see what range comes out of my eggs.

No polyfilter cannot be recharged.

SAA's are much like Nothos only calmer. The rest is pretty much the same except most do absolutely usually need soft acid water to breed well where as Nothos' needs can vary more. S. whitei red form is a great starter. S. pictaratus is beautiful.

Bobby
 
  • #127
The remaining female has settled in and though she had no interest in living squirming fat juicy blackworms, she immediately accepted frozen bloodworms. I read on the killitalk list that fishes fed more nutritious food live shorter lives, so I may have to find a way to feed this gal less till her mate is ready or whatnot. Struck me as odd. For some reason, the dominate male was found in a curved position dead today. That leaves me at one pair, losing the two bigger fish. I decided to(after reading a few posts on killitalk) turn on the light and add a few dithers-a pair of Heterandria formosa and a small swordtail juvie. That helped quite a bit, and the female is out in the open most of the time now and is quite bold. She probably views the dithers as either really large food item(the male Heterandria, which he seems quite curious about) or otherwise other females, as she puffs her gills and challenges them. The female Het responds with her own display but it appears the notho female can't read it. The other male i'm still unsure of what he is doing back there I see him on the occasion but he never ventures out in the open. I hope he collects himself and becomes like the female sooner or later.

Yes the bottom has sand, but it is not deep(maybe 1/2 an inch in deepest spots) and MTS snails are moving through it. Will the MTS get into the peat and try to eat eggs?

Just curious, but have there been any documentations of hybrids between SAA and nothos? Most killikeepers rotate norelated fish through the tanks(instead of raising one kind of notho, clearing them out and then adding a diff species).

Hope to get the box back soon. Won't it be getting cold to ship unless with a heatpack(and even then a bit risky?)

Reading through the list it sounds like everyone has the problem of too many males. Is this your experience? I would think having females outnumber males by about 2-1 would be nice-then you could offer trios or 5 fish.

Btw, if I provide the peat, will the nothos prefer to spawn in that?
 
  • #128
On an amusing note, a bag of 30 Kayuni Zam 97-9 eggs are on Aquabid for 80 dollars now. Yikes.

Btw, is the wet paper towel wad method a good one for giving the eggs moisture?

Involving the trade, he'll be sending over a pair of blue gularis and 15 dollars(he gave me the option of N. p 'Ramisi River' but I already have your Mambova and the second tank is not up yet). I haven't seen the fish in person, but I think most of my monty fry may be big enough to avoid being eaten.

So for these would I need RO water to hatch eggs? I would love to pass some around...and I'm sure the LFS would like any extra males.
 
  • #129
I boiled some peat and the male kafuensis managed to get a rather annoyed Heterandira formosa and attempted to spawn in the peat. Things are looking good!
 
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