[Any tips for a hobbyist dabbling in guppy breeding?]

On 10/31/2022 at 4:05 PM, Scapexghost said:

Maybe it's due to their tails? Guppies with less extravigant tails are faster and can more easily predate their fries.

Maybe so.  I've only been keeping guppies for a couple of years, so there's a lot I don't know (about many other subjects too, not just guppies).

[Using Oak Leaves Instead of Indian Almond]

On 10/31/2022 at 1:05 PM, Craig Halstead said:

I'm thinking about trying to start breeding rummy nose and panda Cory's.  I have been trying to research using oak leaves to lower kH and pH.  Were you able to further experiment with oak leaves? Any recommendations on process of using them?  Should they be boiled to get rid of any pest?  Do they release alot of tannins?

• I've used post oak and red oak leaves in my tanks for several years.  I used live oak leaves a time or two, but saw a report on another forum that they aren't good to use.  I don't know why, and I'm skeptical about it, but I have plenty of post oak and red oak leaves so I just use them instead.  I also frequently use magnolia leaves, and have used sycamore leaves a few times.
• I just rinse mine under the faucet and drop them in the tank.  They'll float for a day or two, and then slowly sink.
• I'm not a chemist, but it's my understanding that whether or not they (or other leaves) will lower pH depends on your kH.  If it's high then they won't do much.
• I've never added more than a few at any one time.  They don't darken the water much, and probably not enough to notice at all unless I put some water in a white container.  If you plan to cover the bottom of a tank I suspect they might release enough to be noticeable.

[Help with a new Shrimp Tank]

I would use light substrate for blue shrimp, especially since you said your children want blue.  They're difficult to see on dark.  I use pool filter sand in my blue shrimp tanks.

See the discussion below for some basic information I typed up and saved.  You may already know most or all of it, but it might be worth taking a look.

 

[Any tips for a hobbyist dabbling in guppy breeding?]

On 10/28/2022 at 11:28 PM, Scapexghost said:

Ill Plug my guppy journal. Assuming you already know how to keep guppies alive, the hardest thing is keeping the fry from being eaten. Guppies arent nearly as bad as platies and swordtails, but they aren't parent-of-the-year material either. Floating plants help a lot, i use water lettuce. Coarse, natural colored gravel helps a lot as well. The newborns will actually wedge themselves between the grains to hide from predators. Feeding heavy helps a lot as well. No only to help the fry grow as fast as possible, but to discourage the parents from finding alternative food sources. If you are feeding heavy, a snail colony and/or a shrimp colony will help manage the excess food.

That depends on the strain.  I had albino koi guppies for a while.  When I bought them the store owner told me they were bad about eating fry, and he was right.  I saw exactly one fry, and only saw it once.

On the other hand, my dumbo mosaic guppies don't seem to bother fry at all.

[Opinions on the Father Fish method]

I've seen several of his videos also.  He starts by using quite a few additives in the bottom layer of mud.  If I remember right he said that's to get a jump-start on using the Walstad method, so the plants get the nutrients they need right away, where it can take up to a year using the Walstad method.

I have one tank where I tried something similar, though I didn't use all the additives.  I started with 1" of dry cow manure, then 1" of potting soil, and then 2" of sand.  This was in a standard 20 gallon tank.  It's been set up for several months, and seems to be doing well.

Yesterday I set up a new 10 gallon tank.  I didn't want 4" of substrate in a tank that small, so I did roughly 3/4" of dry cow manure and then about 1-1/2" of pool filter sand.  I planted eight or so Cryptocoryne usteriana (my latest favorite plant) in it.  We'll see how it goes.

[hornwort growth and waterflow question]

The only times I've had hornwort drop needles is when it's introduced to a new tank, and not always then.  If it does happen, it's quick.  Every needle will fall off within two days.

[Up side down]

On 10/28/2022 at 4:02 PM, TheSwissAquarist said:

You’re the first cow farmer/keeper I’ve met on here! What breeds do you keep?

Brangus and Hereford

[Up side down]

1 sibling

1 wife

2 children

2-1/2 grandchildren (the half is due next May)

Unknown number of fish and shrimp in eight tanks and three tubs

2 dogs

2 cats

1 bull

15 cows

5 calves

[Favorite species of fish?]

If I just had to pick, it would probably be pearl gouramis (I have eleven in a tank together).

[New tank size suggestion]

I believe a 75 gallon tank will be your best chance.  It's 12" longer and 5" taller than a 40 gallon breeder tank.  It's still 18" deep, but maybe you could cut a few inches off the back of your wood, where no one will see it?

Otherwise I believe you'd be looking at going up to 180 gallons (as far as I can tell that's the smallest standard size that's deeper than 18"), or getting one custom built to your specifications.

[Blue-ish colored water]

Do you by any chance have one of the water softeners that uses the cartridges instead of salt?  I'm asking because I have one, and after changing the cartridge once my water definitely had a bluish color.  I wasn't as cautious about it as I should have been and killed a bunch of shrimp and snails, and very nearly killed some plants.  It didn't seem to bother the fish.

[New Fishkeeper]

On 10/27/2022 at 7:10 AM, Janoš Bećar Pecaroš said:

That’s really big fish tank.

Wellcome

I wondered if I was the only one who caught that.  I hope it's not overstocked with the six neon tetras.  😉

[Breeding cherry shimp for size?]

On 10/26/2022 at 9:54 AM, Scapexghost said:

Thats interesting. Is it bc of osmosis or something?

I don't know.

[High GH question I can't find the answer to]

Using the ACO test strips my gh and kh are both around 300 ppm, and snails and shrimp do just fine in my water without any additives.

[Breeding cherry shimp for size?]

On 10/25/2022 at 8:19 PM, Scapexghost said:

Has anyone ever tried this? Would it work? After like ten years or whatever of breeding, could i get amanoi-sized cherries?

You might see a slight increase in size, but I doubt very much that you could get them that large.  If you do I'm pretty sure you could sell them for crazy amounts of money.

It would also depend on your water.  I've seen a post on another forum from a long time shrimp breeder, who I trust, who said that if the pH is over 8.0 that they will get smaller over several generations.

[Rehome fresh water fish]

Hello, and welcome to the forum.  Where are you located?  It's possible that a member here may be able to help.

[help with corydora id]

Add my vote to it being Corydoras trilineatus.

[Shrimp Berried Momma]

I'd leave her alone.  As mentioned above, the eggs are different colors, and they're probably okay.

[Anyone breed other animals?]

On 10/21/2022 at 1:04 PM, jwcarlson said:

I have heard of them.  There's another Weaver too, right?  R Weaver, maybe...  

Yes, there's R Weaver.  The two businesses are on adjoining property, and the owners are first cousins.  Until about 25 years ago it was all one operation, but the cousins don't get along well so they split up.  It's only about 1-1/2 mile from my house.

On 10/21/2022 at 1:04 PM, jwcarlson said:

What kind of cows?

Brangus and Hereford.  Like you with the bees, I've cut back in recent years.  Ten or twelve years ago I had around 60 cows and 3 bulls.  Now I'm down to 15 cows and one bull, and am giving serious consideration to getting completely out of the cow business in the next few years.  Getting out in all kinds of weather to take care of them isn't as much fun as it was when I was younger, and while he's always glad to help me, my son isn't really interested in carrying on with them.

[Anyone breed other animals?]

On 10/21/2022 at 12:56 PM, jwcarlson said:

Honey bees!

 

 

That's a nice-looking queen in the last picture.  I worked for B Weaver Apiaries for several years in the 90's.  Maybe you've heard of them?

 

Oh, and I breed cows.

[Leaf litter]

On 10/21/2022 at 11:25 AM, TheSwissAquarist said:

I’d have to creep in my grandmothers garden in the dead of night dressed entirely in black, and abseil down a wall whilst not being seen by the snipers on the roof. That accomplished, I would then crawl under the trip wires and dodge the Siberian Tiger to pick 10 magnolia leaves before being airlifted out by a helicopter. (i.e. My Grandmother is very protective about her magnolias so no I haven’t tried them yet, sorry)

You probably wouldn't need to go to quite that much trouble.  Being evergreen they shed dead leaves all through the year (or at least mine does), so you should be able to pick up a few off the ground any time you go there.

[Leaf litter]

On 10/21/2022 at 9:50 AM, TheSwissAquarist said:

I think we all agree that oak is best, as it looks great and is very nourishing if your name is Shrimpy McShrimp.

Have you tried magnolia leaves?

[Yellow Neocaridina wanted]

I have some nice line-back yellows.  See the post below.  I don't have a picture of the yellows there yet, but I'll try to post one later this evening.  I think their quality is at least as good as the reds and blues I did post a picture of.

 

[Here to learn]

On 10/20/2022 at 12:23 PM, Verstft said:

Nope. Focused on learning how to keep the new tenants alive first. But I could definitely see myself getting another tank and learning how to keep the plants alive as well!

Good plan.  I get about as much enjoyment from the aquatic plants as I do the fish and shrimp.

[Pea puffer questions]

On 10/20/2022 at 11:12 AM, smm333 said:

He is very tiny! They get about 1". I wish they were a community fish, because they are incredibly cute!

Don't automatically assume they aren't.  I have two that I got from someone who was breaking down his tank.  I put them straight in my 40 gallon community tank, and the only time I see them interacting with the other fish is if one of the other fish scares a puffer away from a frozen blood worm.