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What is your favorite fresh water fish?

  • #41
You forget the terrific rainbowfish......so many great types....
 
  • #42
Some of my favorite fish are Red tailed- sharks, butterfly fish, silver-tip sharks, zebra tetras,and guppies. And they aren't fish, but I really like the little crabs. They're so fun to watch all of the fish interacting. By the way, can any of you tell me what your experiences are with the red-tailed sharks. When I bought him I was told that they are very agressive, but mine seems quite shy and placid.
Thanks
Dizzy
 
  • #43
I answered this thread some time ago, and discus was like #5 on my list. I finally got some of these fish and have to say they are #1 now. I have had 4 spawns. 3 of which they ate the eggs before they hatched. This 4th one I've got wigglers. They must be figuring out this parent thing.
smsdiscuswig.jpg
 
  • #45
Elgecko: Which Discus is that?
DizzyLizzy: Welcome to the forums!
 
  • #46
Dizzy!!! LOL good one sis!! Wait til I tell mom!!! Hehehehehe
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BCK
 
  • #47
Spectabilis73,
Another picture for you. They should be free swimming late Sunday or Monday. I can post more pictures as they grow. (As long as they do not eat them that is.)

jimscott,
Thay are Pigeon Bloods.

post-22-1079213077.jpg
 
  • #48
Does anyone keep Ivory montys? I've been eyeing them intently on aquabid as they fall slowly towards my price range....lol


I think that one of the main reasons biotypes havent gained big fooothold is that to simulate a river, you often have to go out and find lots of super rare fish. Plant choices are also restricted. I hope one day to do either a hillstream loach tank, or perhaps a panaque maccus tank with just big piles of driftwood.

My favorite kind of tanks so far a low light planted tanks. I don't like high light, Co2 tanks cause they look too artificial. I mean, stunning red plant all in a group, and a short green "lawn?" with a "street?". My ten is a low light tank. My 46 gallon will follow, but I want more driftwood to match. It'd be really cool to have another species tank. Otherwise, I get some natives(online, of course...as Im in CA).
 
  • #49
Elgecko:They are beautiful discus! On par with the candy apple strains.
DizzyLizzy: I just noticed you asked a question. They can be aggresive as well as hiding in and amongst leaves and rocks. I have seen both behaviors. How large are yours? I love guppies, too.
 
  • #50
jimscott thanks.
Here's a pic of all my discus.

post-22-1076275348.jpg
 
  • #51
Beautiful! Just beautiful!
 
  • #52
Hi Nflytrap,

I have ivory monties -- the ones with alot of black spots on the body. I have 15 adults and about 100 fry. I also have 2 populations of nezzies.

Bobby
 
  • #53
Could I see any pics? Im really interested in these guys, especially with a 46 gallon bowfront ready for something new soon.


I've heard they arent as prolific and grwo very slow, is that your experience?
 
  • #54
Hi Nflytrap,

Sorry, no photos here. They look just like the ones "Marlin" always sells on Aquabid. Mine came from Rich Serva in the American Livebearers Association and he got his from "Marlin". I raised the regular unspotted monties for years -- the giant ones "Marlin" also sells. I like the ivory ones better, although I don't understand the name "ivory" as they should be called black spotted. Alot of people have trouble with all forms of montezumae. I never have. Mine all breed like guppies and grow quickly but then I am in Houston so it is warm here which causes faster growth and we have great livebearers' water right out of the tap. I usually end up culling out or trading to stores my extras. If I let them I'd have 500 fry in 6 months. They never stop. I have 5 females producing now. My adults are not even full grown (8 months old) and the fry are everywhere. I haven't seen just how long their swords will get but I should in about 3 more months. My old strain had adult swords that were 5 inches long. You are welcome to some young ones for postage costs. Let it warm up a bit more (April) and I can send them Priority. Will probably cost you around $15-$20 for shipping and returning my box. These would be one inch or so fish that would just be showing the black and would need live baby brine shrimp daily to grow into fine specimens. They sex out at 4 months and start looking good at 6 months. You could have 12-15 if you wanted. They seem to throw more males than females.
I feed alot of live food, frozen bloodworms, Hikari Micropellets, live baby brine shrimp, etc... so that might contribute to their quick growth. Alot of livebearer breeders rely on dry food and monties need something better to do well. They are a sleek, high energy fish that loves clean water. They are a bit more shy than the related nezzies. I prefer the nezzies as they are so cute but the monties are the classier fish.

Bobby
 
  • #55
I noticed that. Many of them seem to have diverted from Marlins pic to spotted fish. Perhaps X. montezumae 'Inkblot'

Also, would they take frozen baby brine shrimp? That would be easier on me...plus I heard its more nutritous.

Do you still own the old strain too?

Do you happen to know the water params for the waterfall they were collected under? Im guessing they would do well here as my Grandma has had lots of success with X. helleri even doing few waterchanges and following some other myths.
 
  • #56
Hi Nflytrap,

The black does become fairly solid on the lower back third of the body. The Marlin photo doesn't show it but the females can have a fair amount of black spotting too. The male in the Marlin photo is fully mature, more so than in other photos I have seen. You can tell by the bulk in the male's body.
Swords all come from relatively hard alkaline water. I don't know the chemistry of the actual location. My water is around 170ppm GH and KH and about 7.8 pH. They love it. They get a 50-70% weekly water change.
Frozen baby brine shrimp is very expensive when you use it daily and feed a good amount and I do not believe it is as good as the live stuff. If you have to use a substitute, I would use decaped brine shrimp eggs. They are cheap and a good food but the fish don't love them as they do the live guys. It is very easy to hatch the bs eggs with 2 half gallon bottles, some air flow, some rock salt and some epson salt. I can teach you and it will be cheaper in the long run -- and fun. Check out this fantastic company <brineshrimpdirect.com>. But you could use frozen baby brine or even smash up frozen adult brine with a spoon and feed that. Food and water are the keys with fish and people cut too many corners on feeding. You can also raise microworms and grindal worms very easily and cheaply (plastic storage box, peat moss, potting soil and kitten chow). If you want some by April they will be large enough to take adult brine shrimp and chopped bloodworms and with a good flake or tiny pellet food you would be ok. The live baby brine just makes a bigger more colorful healthier fish as monties are danity eaters and like small easy to swallow food.
No, I discontinued the other monty strain when I got the black spotted ones as I think the spotted ones are so much prettier than the plain ones and they are less shy. The old strain was bigger -- a male with sword could be 8 inches -- but they would go wild and dash everywhere if you walked by the tank. The spotted ones are much much calmer and have all kinds of nice color highlights (green, yellow, blue) the plain ones did not. The spotted also have a higher dorsal and that's one reason I love monties -- that and the long long sword. The spotted ones are smaller than the plain. I bet my biggest male will only be 6 inches with sword. I do have the 2 populations of nezzies though -- one spotted one plain.

Bobby
 
  • #57
April is perfect for me. My tank is dormant right now, as it will hopefully be turned into a planted tank. I've never tried to hatch live brine shrimp, but all the info has been nagging at me to try. I bet the hets would love it, as they don't seem to enjoy the frozen BBS as much as daphnia(or even flake!). What temp do you keep them at? I've heard they like it on the cool side, but in Texas your tanks must warm up qutie a bit in the summer due to heat right? Im in Ca, and the temp will rise to around 75 or more in the summer. We keep the house at about 85 degrees then.

BTw, have you seen the little brine shrimp hatcher for sale at Dr. Foster Smith? Apparently, you hatch eggs in it and the larvae swim out into your tank! It sounds like quite a sales pitch, though it would make providing the monties and hets with live food 24/7 easier.

Also, are these(and the fry) open water fish, or are they the kind that tend to spend time foraging among the plants? I'd also like something that does that without eating fry. I've been considering either croaking, sparkling gouramis, and checkered barbs.

Any suggestion on them?
 
  • #58
Hi,

Yes, here the summer temps get high. The tanks stay between 82-84 with the glass tops closed. In my killie tanks, I fill them half way and leave the tops open so evaporation cools them to the mid 70's. Monties are suppose to like it cool but seem to do better from the low 70's to low 80's. I have had them to 68 without problems. I think mine breed well and grow fast due to the warmer temps but cool water ones might live longer but not be as prolific. Your 75 would be fine.

Hatching BBS is easy. I would avoid the intank hatchers. That's hype. Hatch separately and feed. its quick and easy and once you get the simple basics easy.

Monties go everywhere and the fry hide in the plants. They will go to the back when you approach but if you sit and watch out they come again. All three potential choices would be great. I love little sparklers and they become gorgeous. Croakers have amzing fins when adults and nice color. Checkerboards are always nice and cause no trouble. Cherry barbs are beautiful too. Once you get a colony of monties going you might want to add an angel or 2 to eat excess fry for poplation control.

Bobby
 
  • #59
Okay, I've been doing lots of research on BBS and have seen several different methods of hatching. Some places sell hatchers(which seem much to expensive for what they are). Then, there is that ol' 2 liter soda bottle method. From what I understand, you apparently drain some of the soda bottle to collect shrimp(and perhaps dump salt solution on the floor). Is there anything that is easier than that you have tried?

Do you think the Montys would take scuds(gammarus), or are those too big? They have been finding there way all around my tanks. They're pretty amusing, and perhaps the montys could forage for those too.
 
  • #60
Hi Nflytrap,

 Careful with the scuds. They don't harm fish but they can eat plants. Monties probably won't eat them as they are too hard-shellled. Cichlids and Botias love them.
  Ok, hatching bbs. I use 1/2 gallon glass milk bottles that have nice little plastic tops that I poke 2 holes in, one for the airline and one to let the air escape so the top doesn't blow off. I fill the bottles with water up to the point where the bottle starts to curve to form the top -- like 5/8's full of water. I add 2 tbsp of pickling salt (purest, fasting dissolving salt) and 1/3 tsp epson salt. I have an airstone bubbling in each bottle. The air flow is strong but not boiling. I attach the airstone to a piece of 3/16's rigid plastic tubing that pet stores sell and then hook the rigid tubing to an airline going to the airpump. The rigid tubing keeps the airstone in place on the bottom. I hatch up to 2 tsp of eggs in each bottle. They take from 24-48 hours to hatch from 75-82F. I siphon some at 36 hours and the rest at 48 hours to form 2 daily feedings. Sometimes in winter I will place a 100W desk lamp a few inches from the bottles to keep the air around them warm. For siphoning, I use a 4" brine shrimp net, a light, a bowl and a foot long piece of 3/16" rigid tubing attached to a long piece of flexible airline tubing. I take the airstone out of the hatching bottle and sit the light (flashlight or any source of light) right next to the bottle. The bbs collect near the bottom and near the light. The hatched egg shells float in the bottle and any unhatched ones sink to the bottom under the settling bbs themselves. I let it all settle for 10-15 minutes then siphon. Just place the rigid tubing part of the siphon hose you made into the bottle and suck on the flexible tubing end and then put it in the brine shrimp net that is now resting across the top of a good sized bowl sitting below the level of the bottle. Let the water and bbs drain into the net while you control where you are siphoning from in the bottle -- the rigid tubing makes control easy! Siphon what you need and then pour the water back in and put the air back on or if 48 hours is up, throw it all out and reset up the bottle from scratch for the next batch. You CAN'T re-use the old dirty water. I alternate bottles every day so I always have live bbs going. Sometimes I have to use 4 bottles so I have to set up one each morning and one each night but its usually just one a day. The whole process will work just as well with the 2 liter coke bottles but 1/2 gallon or gallon GLASS milk or even water bottles work great. Anything will do that is at least a 1/2 gallon and is shaped where you can bubble it. Aquaculture supply houses sell great premade hatchers. They are plastic cones on stands that you can open a valve on and siphon from the bottom 1-2-3. There's a hobbyist 3 liter or so model that is not that expensive. Jehmco.com might sell them too.
  Hatching isn't a messy thing at all unless you are a messy guy :).

Bobby
 
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