Fish Folk

Thanks to all for the ideas! If I went just a bit more high tech (e.g. Canister filter) these ideas all become possible. But then… in a perfect world, all NANF tanks would run on a dedicated chiller. Until I do a serious overhaul (or make bank on selling some fish), I probably will continue to tinker with the cheapo approach. I was able to see temperature dip to 58°-F. I made a video update…

Do not feel overly distraught. Guppies that are born into in your own home aquaria will always do better for you. I've lost some nice ones in the past when boxes arrive. Temperature acclimation can be key. If fish warm up too fast, their organs get damaged. Your instinct with adding salt is usually wise. Many livebearers are bred, raised, and kept in lightly brackish conditions. Since vastly differing KH / GH can affect them, sometimes tests are important to conduct.

Wonderful ideas! I have exciting homework. Someday I may. The bullet $$ is high for now.

Acquired cooling fan today. I’m underwhelmed…

@Billipo NANF aquarist after my own ❤️ I’ve been interested in Mudminnows. Those Olympic Mudminnows are hard to come by, but I’d love to Ark a population someday…

MY son and I helped out a 5th Grade class set up an aquarium on two separate occasions. We made a video series each year. It's interesting to look back on now. Even when trying to explain the basics, it is easy to "nerd out" and over-share extra information. But if someone doesn't try to understand the WHY underneath all of the HOW in this hobby, things will fall apart sooner or later for them. Short Checklist to Explain to your Friend: (1) Treating Chlorine / Chloramine in tap water. Many people are unaware that tap water often is treated with broad-spectrum anti microbial chemicals that will harm fish. (2) Facilitating the Nitrogen Cycle. Fish live in their own toilet, and respiration releases toxic ammonia. Healthy bacteria colonies are essential, just as in a human G.I. (3) "Earth, Wind & Fire" (plus Water) -- learning how to manage parameters: Substrate & Hardscape, Aeration & Flow, Heat, and Water conditions (temp, pH, KH). (4) Encourage live plants, but understand that their needs. Light, substrate, flow, fertilization . . . plants are wonderful, but can be a lot to grasp at first.

If you (1) have a well-cycled tank with lots of topwater structure (e.g. water lettuce, catappa leaves, etc.) for him to build a nest in, (2) lower tank water to less than 6 inches deep, (3) feed live foods aplenty, and (4) try to reintroduce the pair with a clear divider until he builds a nest, they might spawn. Make sure water temperature is ideal (ca. 80°-F). Also totally seal off the lid. It needs to be humid air above the surface.

Listening to this album all week … Yellowjackets 1981. Jazz / Fusion instrumental album. Imagine if Earth Wind & Fire, Huey Lewis and the News, and Bruce Hornsby collaborated to write early soundtracks for episodes of Seinfeld 🔥 BTW… if you remember this, you are officially now “old.”

I’m going to the Scientists with this one… I may need to go fish-hunting in VA this spring…

Morning fry check. I am guessing a small batch… ca. 25x total. First spawn / cool temperatures / winter… I am not going to complain. Plus, 25x is much easier to jar that 125 🤪

I do not like them. I remember that my son set up a 10-gal tall once with a piece of drift wood going along from bottom corner to top, and some Anubias attached. He raised Bristlenose Plecos in there. You need to run a lot of air down to the bottom -- multiple sponge filters, etc -- to keep them balanced and operational, IMHO.

Good luck! If I had to bet though, I'd put money on Duckweed in the long haul. It just takes one... 🤣 🌱

Yes. Quite possible.

Here is one shots from a home aquarium. Colors probably are dependent on (1) season of the year (2) water temperature (3) diet (4) spawning... Typically, they are reported to look more regularly like this...

Same young blue buck in different lighting…

We have a few Betta fry! Pardon the video dump, but I want to document this process thoroughly. For many fish breeders, Betta splendens breeding is big yawn. But for me, there is a long story. I’ve waited awhile to add these to my “belt” of successes. Video #1 - Betta fry appearance, male Betta moved out… Video #2 - Planning a “feeding port” for Betta fry… Video #3 - Vinegar Eel culture… Video #4 - Feeding V. Eels through the “port”… Video #5 - Harvesting Banana Eels… Video #6 - A second look at Betta fry…

@MelissaRoze et al, if you want to follow my Betta breeding process in real time, I am keeping this thread updated (n.b. the thread moves from Betta imbellis to Betta splendens nearer the end…)

Home from Christmas on the in-laws farm. Here is a look at what has been going on in the fishroom…

(Wait for it… filming videos right now…)

Yeah, it’s very hard to go below 60°-F in a heated home without a chiller. I’m not ready for the $$ plunge yet… but my hope is to maintain ca. 62-65°-F, and simulate “spring” with improvised photoperiod change. Adding improved O2 nearer the substrate may also help. I plan to adapt my DIY venturi pressurized spray-bar down 6-9 inches to experiment that way.

I am not sure that this will work. If you try to add together all of the smaller pumps, the line will build up back pressure, and the little pumps may not be able to push through it. The weakest pump may struggle. Maybe if you establish good outflow from the beginning it could work? How many tanks are you aerating? I use a PondMaster-20 for all of my fishroom tanks.

I am on this journey presently, after having failed a few times and after having bred many other species successfully. Here's a short list: (1) Be ready with a plan in the event of success. - Fry will need very small live foods. I culture Banana worms. After they're large enough, I hatch out live Artemia nauplii (baby brine shrimp). - You'll need to have a plan to keep the air above the water surface as humid as possible for the first two months. Bettas develop a labyrinth organ (as do other anabantids). If that doesn't develop, they can crash at about 6 weeks. - Male and female fry can live together for a few months, but male v. male aggression begins to pick up and males need to be separated to grow in isolation. For my males, I plan to use a 20 gal. long with custom cut Darrice mesh dividers. That allows one common filtration system in subdivided sections. I also have a jug rack that I can repurpose if necessary. Females can grow out as a sorority. (2) Be sure to acquire a healthy male and female pair. - I am just going with a couple that look close enough to pass. Fry I raise will always look better than adults. I selected a Magenta + Lavender + Silvery-pink looking male. Female is the same, with long fins. You'll easily spot the white egg spot between the ventral fins of a mature female. (3) You will want to set up an adequate breeding space. - I use Sterilite -- ca. 15 quart / 3.75-gal tubs that have already long been seasoned, cycled, have kept fish for a long while. I get my clip boxes from WalMart. - I put my male in one, and my female in another. I have peat moss in the bottom, and Java Moss clumps in both. I float large Catappa leaves for the male to build a bubble nest under. (4) Ensure that water and air parameters are all good. - Temperature should be 78-82 F - Water needs to be covered with a lid or wrap to keep the air above the surface humid. This is crucial for Anabantid fry development. (5) Prepare the pair. - Feed with lots of live foods. I use Daphnia and live baby brine shrimp. - I supplement with a variety of frozen foods. Do not overfeed, but be sure to keep them well fed. - I put a small hang-on breeding net cage into the male tub, and add the female there for a few days. She is separated from the male, but easily seen. The male should get excited, and build a bubble nest. - I leave the light on low, non-stop for the next 72-96 hrs. Maybe even longer. This is because fish sometimes “snap” when lights go completely off, and forget their parental duties. This is especially helpful when breeding Angelfish, BTW. Everyone wonders why they eat their eggs. This is one possible reason. (6) When ready, add the female. - Male should have built up a full Bubblenest before a female is added. - Some females will clearly indicate they are “ready” by displaying vertical bars along their sides. However, due to massive ornamental breeding techniques, the wild-caught appearance of many females has been overshadowed by iridescent scales that keep this signal from being easily seen. - Bear in mind that once she is added, he may be very brutal towards her for the next few days. I do keep some added plants in there for her to hide (Wisteria, Indian Swampweed). - Limit distractions, lights, shadows, stresses for next few days. - Keep the lid on full. You want to maximize humidity -- especially tricky in the winter months. - Minimize any airflow (they're Anabantids . . . they can breath air from the surface). This requires a very seasoned, fully cycled breeding tank because the flow will be low and aerobic bacteria colonies that convert ammonia to nitrite and nitrite to nitrate will be low on O2 for a while. I do keep _very, very light_ air flowing through the tiny sponge filter, and through an airstone. Just enough to keep bacterial scum from covering the surface of the water, but light enough that the bubblenest is never in danger. I will add that having peat moss as substrate and Catappa leaves on surface will tend to lower pH, which (along with temperature) may affect the sex-ratio of fry. ______________ The pair should bond and spawn within 48 hrs. Once they have spawned, and the male is guarding the nest, the female needs to be removed. Male stays in until enough fry are free-swimming that it is obvious they are viable. Because the Sterilite bins I use are shallow, there is not too much concern about fry falling away from the surface. I remove male to a separated area in the female tank (I use the breeder net). Fry are fed banana worms, and Artemia. I do not overfeed, and try to change water a fair bit. To set up a water change system . . . I am also trying to preserve the air moisture as much as possible. So, I will be hand-drilling small holes in the top to insert pieces of rigid airline through. These I'll attach to normal airlines, and siphon out stale water / add fresh water with large syringes. I will also use the rigid airline end to feed the worms and Artemia. Here are videos and photos from my most recent set up... I'll add that the Catappa leaves produce a degree of tannin (the tinted water). But I also use pure Rooibos Tea bags to get a desired tint. Here's one of my Daphnia tank set ups... Here's a look at some of my miniature nematodes for feeding fry... And here's how I hatch out baby brine shrimp...

Whether you need to moderate tank temperatures during summertime heat spikes, or set cooler water conditions for particular fish species, sometimes aquarists need the _opposite_ of a heater. As ACO has neatly written up here, there are multiple options for achieving desired water cooling temperature goals. I am experimenting with (1) wrapping my tank with some black insulation, and (2) running a fan. If you have found success with particular products, please do share! I looked around awhile, and decided to go with these: For insulation wrapping, I plan to wrap a 55 gal NANF tank between the lower edge of the upper rim and the upper edge of the lower rim - flat against the glass. I hope to just cover the back and sides. I'll use three sheets, and use Gorilla Tape to cover the edges and keep it from peeling away. This will require some effort, as my 55 gal tank is pretty immovable. The old-school blue background has worn down, and needs to be replaced. I am told that a good fan can help lower water temperature by 3-5 degree Fahrenheit. This brand does not have many reviews, but looking through reviews of other brands, I thought I'd give this a try. Right now, I have kept these wild caught (F0) Catawba River Drainage Greenhead Shiners (Notropis chlorocephalus) since March, 2023. They sometimes turn a bit red... But this is what I am going for -- their full spawning colors... Will keep this thread updated as this project moves forward. I have to believe that it's possible to bred these!

Having become very fascinated these last several years with native north American fish (NANF), I am on a mission to select a most beautiful + most effective three-species tank arrangement that can, theoretically work for breeding, aesthetics, etc. One species that I have not studied much is the Crescent Shiner (Luxilus cerasinus). In breeding colors, it is a stunner. Look at these photos and videos... Man, just when you think you've seen it all . . . these fish are fantastic looking. Unfortunately, there are relatively few examples of them in home aquaria. I hope to learn why that is. Their native range appears to be like this on the map:

(1) Before leaving home, feed live foods heavily. Lots of Daphnia, Baby Brine Shrimp, whatever you have on hand. (2) Adjust conditions to promote spawning behavior: especially for NANF, leave certain tank lights on (i.e. turn _off_ the timer), add a stone tray for riverine egg scatterers, open a vent to a basement fishroom to allow temperatures from central air to lift from mid 60s past the golden threshold of 70-F... (3) After everything has settled down, kids are tucked in bed . . . post a thread about how neat it will be when you return home in a few days to find your fish have been spawning while you were away at your in-laws 😎