Fish Folk

Time for a SRBD update! (Southern Red-Belly Dace) So! Males are coloring up nicely… I’ve got a stone tray set under a small hydor powerhead in a 20 gal. long… Here’s 30-sec of footage… They do not seem to be focussed on the stones. I’ve reached out to two experienced breeders. Here’s some initial feedback; (1) lengthen photoperiod to 12 hrs (2) They might be spawning over the plants, etc rather than the stones. A bare tank with only one good option to spawn might yield better. (3) Maybe try putting a few plants in the stones to bring them over to them (4) Look at the females to see if they’re ready So, I did a water change, reorganized the stones, removed some excess algae, lengthened photoperiod, and slightly buried the stone tray in the sand. Now it looks like they’re grouping up (maybe spawning?) in the back… behind the bleachers…

Here’s my life in 31 seconds… Dad stressed out as kids try to kill themselves every 5 minutes… 🥴

Europa League matches today... anyone watching? F. C. Barcelona vs. Eintracht Frankfurt Barça gives up a penalty at 2 min... 🙄

Bucephalandra are lovely! Nice write up on them here. Technically, I _think_ there’s only a small handful of taxonomically different species: (1) Bucephalandra gigantea (2) Bucephalandra magnifolia (3) Bucephalandra motoleyana But the variations within these have acquired for them many, many nicknames. Yours looks somewhat like Bucephalandra Theia 5… Or like Bucephalandra Theia 6…

@Patrick_G That's awesome! Now: we just need to find a Biologist unafraid of a little criminal enterprise who will help us break into a certain undisclosed location and retrieve a sample of these to breed ex situ... the Holy Grail of U.S. Native Fish... The Devil's Hole Pupfish. Living blood diamonds my friend. We need 007 to get these...

Love it! I am guessing you might have extra nutrients + lighting that’s helping it multiply. Not sure.

I’ve been an avid sport fisherman for many, many decades. Apart from one time when I was a kid and threw a small bullhead into a 10 gal tank in my room feeding him pieces of lunchmeat… it never occurred to me until very recently that native fish can be kept in home aquaria. Yeah… of course I saw natives in big tanks at Bass Pro shops, big public aquariums, etc. But I was caught off guard by the sheer beauty of native fish for home aquaria. Here are photos of ones I keep, and of ones I dream of keeping. In my tanks… In my dreams…

There is an insane DIY Guy in me screaming nonsense about cutting and bending wire coat-hanger . . . but the wanna-be-mature aquarist sitting next to him has his one hand over that guy's mouth, while holding coffee in the other and apologetically shaking his head . . .

That, my friend, is a new Java fern baby. Congratulations! Java ferns multiply by shooting fronds off of their leaf tips. The fuzzy brown are the roots that branch off of the mini rhizome. You'll eventually be able to reach in and gently peel the new plant away. It helps to start with a big, mature Java fern. I have a couple in my EBA grow-out tank... Then, if it is appropriately "distressed," young fernlets will grow off of leaf tips... Perhaps excess nitrate buildup helps? I am not entirely sure. I just notice that in any clean, controlled aquascaped environments, my Java ferns do not multiply. But in this greatly overstocked tank I get new ferns every month.

Yes! Notropis chrosomus (Rainbow shiners) and Enneacanthus obesus (Banded sunfish) Also in this tank, though not in this video, there are 4x Etheostoma caeruleum (Rainbow darters).

Thanks! You know, I think the best answers from experience should come from @WhitecloudDynasty who keeps, raises, and breeds them in outdoor tubs. My _guess_ is that they need to come in in the harsh winters out your way. They’ll do fine dipping down into the 50s, but sustained temps lower… I’m not sure.

If it's a BNP, that's breeding size for sure!

You certainly can breed BNPs in a 20 gal. I recommend some wood. Pleco caves are very popular for breeding too. The golden or Red strains are very attractive and popular. The greatest challenge is finding a pair that is mature and ready to breed. Ancistrus take awhile to mature, and if well kept, are a long-lived fish. Eggs are laid in a cave, crack, etc. I even have som playing eggs under dragon stone pieces. They'll hollow out space. Nature finds a way. Check to see if the CoOp sells a pleco cave. If not, I think Greg Sage at Select Aquatics sells some. The male guards the eggs and newly hatched fry in the cave awhile. He won't leave or eat much while he's guarding. No, parents do not eat fry. But other fish might. Best scenario is to breed them in a species-only set up. They do respond well to water changes. Mine breed well around 78-80 degrees Fahrenheit. Here's an impromptu journal I recently started on my BNPs' Just scrappy videos here and there... And here's a fun video my son made a few years ago when he entered BNPs for BAP with our fish club...

Not sure exactly. It's some sort of algae bloom. I take an old credit card and scrape it off while using mini siphon down to a bucket. You can clear a lot of it if you're patient. Now, the _cause of it_ is a combination of: (1) Lighting - photoperiod & intensity + (2) Nutrients - overfeeding, overstocking, over-fertilizing, and lack of competing plants to consume those nutrients + (3) Flow - sometimes stagnant places tend to attract certain types algae +/- (4) New Tank Syndrome - not sure if this is your situation, but most new tanks go through a period of algae growth before things find balance . . . you get the picture. Algae is normal in every aquarium. If you want to minimize it, you need to make sure that you've got plants that will use up the nutrients available, and you need to ensure that there aren't extra energy sources (e.g. lighting, fertilizers, etc) that algae can appropriate faster than or more easily than plants. And you've got to stay atop your aquarium maintenance. Everyone has their own rhythm. Having said all that . . . most all of my tanks are loaded with algae, because I'm a breeder. I like some algae. Baby fish thrive with it!

More plants! Loads more! I’d suggest a school of Glowlight Pygmy Barbs. And a Betta Imbellis (peaceful betta)

Gotta say, these guys are always fun for me to watch… Just lookin’ into my office tank a moment.

For a small set up, i actually like the Aqueon Quietflow air pumps. They are talk triangular shapes. The larger sizes have two outputs.

Gotcha! Never had chance to get close to F1. But I love Top Gear (TV programme). Crazy F. C. Barcelona fans in our home. Looking at your photos, is that Indian swampweed I see? (Hygrophilia polysperma)

Love this! Nice aquariums. Random Q for UK 🇬🇧… are you into Premier league?

Notropis rubricroceus Saffron Shiners

My vote? NOTHING. It's Perfect. I love this tank. Keep up the great work!

Gorgeous aquarium!

R. Shiner haul in Java box! I thought this pull would end up being a dud. NOPE!

Alrighty. I’ll play. To keep… Discus To breed… (1) German Blue Rams To breed… (2) Rainbow Shiners Honorable mentions… (1) Betta Imbellis (2) Emerald Killifish (3) Banded Darter