Nik_n
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Posts posted by Nik_n
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On 8/8/2022 at 5:02 AM, SimmonsSnailsNScales said:
Hey everyone. I have only been keeping my fish tanks for about six months now. I absolutely love watching my fish grow and breed. So far, I have spawned diamond tetras, cory cats, and of course guppies. I have not had the space to keep all of the fry unfortunately.
I have however, been keeping my guppy fry in a separate tank and growing them out because I was so interested in what colors and variations would occur. This is where my issue begins.
I have a twenty gallon long absolutely full of beautiful, well-fed guppies that are ready to find a new home. I have talked to two local fish stores and there is one more that I still have to contact. I would like to get some advice on how to have a better conversation with the last fish store because they are my last chance at salvaging the situation.
Store #1 told me that they do not accept guppies from locals.
Store #2 originally told me they would give $0.25/fish which I was thrilled about (at the time). When the fish became ready, I went back into the store to discuss when and how they would prefer the fish delivered. They then told me that they would not be able to give me anything unless the fish look great, they might give my $10 store credit. This breaks down to $0.20/fish (roughly 50 fish).
I am not trying to make a killing off of these fish and I am aware that my guppies are nothing special. However, I know that I have put a lot of time and effort into these fish and the store will sell them very quickly at $3-$5/fish. They will be selling the fish for at least fifteen times more than they give for them. Is this normal? I love the store to death, but I feel cheated. I did not know what to say to the store manager, so I simply thanked her for her consideration and walked out.
I do not want to start a full-scale business breeding and selling fish, but I would like to find a way to make my hobby sustainable. I want to have fun breeding fish on a small scale, but I can't stand to deliver sellable livestock to stores and watch them turn around and make huge profit margins.
Please feel free to comment what your thoughts are on this, and I would really appreciate advice about how I can get a decent amount for my fish once they are ready for new homes. Like I said, I'm not looking to make a living off of them. I just want a fair amount. I understand the fish store needs to see profit on their fish, but I think they should give me more for my efforts.
Please remember I'm new. I am still learning how this community and fish business works.
In my experience, guppies are a very hard fish to sell to LFS, because common strands, that most hobbyist keep are dirt cheap when bought from fish farms. Additionally most home bred guppies, as well as most other livebearers as well, are mixed strains. When I was talking to my LFS about bringing in fish, they specifically told me not guppies for two reasons:
- People asked to bring guppy fry back to the store which the store didn't allow as it would cause a bunch of issues (health, genetics, overpopulation)
- There was a local fish breeder (an older man who purely focused on guppies, platies and shrimp) with whom the store had worked since they opened and didn't allow other's to bring in the same type of fish
This wasn't a big deal for me at the time, but, as explained in a thread I made a couple of days back, I'm planning on breeding endler guppies for profit. I will be moving to a new country and talk to the LFS in the new area about it but from my experience, they will either want pure strain that they cannot easily get elsewhere or will not be interested in them at all. Furthermore, I only received store credit for the fish I brought in (gourami and bristelnose plecos) which I found utterly unfair as I hoped to get some of the money I spent there back.
In truth, it will be hard to sell guppies with mixed genetics to a LFS. Selling these fish online might also prove to be a challenge, especially if you want to earn more than a couple of cents per fish. The best way to get rid of them quickly is to sell them as a group to a friend, hobbyist or online.
However don't let any of this discourage you from breeding fish in the future. Try talking to LFS before you get into breeding fish, talk to the manager and make sure the deal is solid before you start massively producing fish. The key to success is building trust, just as mentioned by @Fish Folk.
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I know they do, that was the case with my previous LFS. However I would prefer cash payment, because I'm only planning on having one tank and would not use store credit much if at all. If the stores won't pay in cash I will not set up a breeding tank but rather an aquascape with a couple of fish
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On 8/2/2022 at 9:05 PM, AquaHobbyist123 said:
Idk about the mystery Snails, but otherwise the combinations sound nice. There is a video I watched a while ago about breeding combos in 20-gallon aquariums. I think Keeping Fish Simple made it. I'm also planning to start a breeding project here soon with Purple Moscows.
Yep I watched the video recently, that's where I got some of the ideas.
On 8/2/2022 at 9:07 PM, JettsPapa said:I like option one, and I'd probably go with one of the smaller corys and not plecos.
You could substitute guppies for the Endler's if you want. There may be a better market for them, but you'd need to do research to determine that.
I'm currently reaching out to fishstores/pet stores and garden center (in Europe sell have aquarium and pond fish) in and around the town I'm moving to, in order to see if they take home bred fish and if I'm able to get payed in cash.
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I'm planning to buy a new tank 50-100l (about 10-20 gallons) and breed as many species which are compatible with each other. I know, since it a small volume of water my options are limited. I have complied a list of possible fish combination I would keep and breed in that tank and would appreciate any feedback on compatibility, expected yield of fry from those combination and any general advice on how to succeed in this project as well as on other possible fish combination.
Just to be clear I'm doing this as an experiment to see if I would invest more money and time in fish breeding in the future or if I would keep fish for the sake of staying in this hobby, which I grew to enjoy over the past few years. I have bred fish in the past, mostly livebearers, guoramis and plecos.
So here are some of my combinations
Combination 1
- Shrimp (probably neocaradina blue or yellow)
- Endler's live bearers
- Mystery snails
- Bristlenose pleco/ corydora catfish
Combination 2
- Shrimp
- CPD or clown killifish
- Bristlenose pleco/ corydora catfish
- Mystery snail
Combination 3
- Guppy/platy/molly or swordtail
- Mystery snails
- Bristelnose pleco
I think these fish are compatible and could breed successfully in the same tank, which would be heavily planted.
I'm worried about Mystery snails eating eggs of other fish are they known to do that? I know for best shrimp results I would have to keep a shrimp tank only but I don't want this one to be a shrimp only tank. I would like to keep as many species together as possible whilst still producing enough fry, which I would sell and use the money for the hobby or as a little extra pocket cash.
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I never bred mystery snails but have been planning to start in the near future. I thought you could just toss in a piece of zucchini or cucumber like I did with plecos. Would that work or do they require powdered baby food?
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I am most definitely going to buy a new tank. I'm not sure if it will be an acrylic tank as those are usually more expensive. I was planning on putting a second coat of silicon on a new thank in case there are any flaws. I will most probably go with a small internal or a sponge filter as I have the most experience with those, safe space and are relatively cheep
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Thanks for all the advice. I will keep it all in mine and do my research before buying anything. I have talked to the landlord and I'm allowed to keep an aquarium as long as I cover the damage if there is any.
I am planning to ensure, in every way possible, that the risk of any leaking is minimal. I was planning on using an internal filter or maybe a sponge filter rather then a canister and just to be extra safe, I would add an extra layer of aquarium safe silicone on all the edges to ensure no water leaks. Would this be worth doing? I think silicone can stick to older silicone as long as it's cured properly.
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On 7/28/2022 at 1:46 AM, Pepere said:
I am a landlord with a no pet clause in the lease.
If someone were to ask me if they could keep fishI would make sure they knew what they were doing first and then work with them if they were knowledgeable. I would write stipulation in lease.
the tenant would have to get renters insurance that would cover water leaks and have me listed as payee in case of water damage. I would have to approve location and size for structural issues.
I would also have written in that I could inspect from time to time as needed. As confidence was built the inspections would fall off.
But fishies don’t bark and don’t scratch woodwork…
I was hoping to hear form a landlord. I understand that you would want to be wary of the possibility of water damage, however that the risk is minimal compared to other pets. I will look into renter's insurance for sure, thanks for bringing it up.
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On 7/28/2022 at 12:10 AM, Expectorating_Aubergine said:
Are you living in university housing?
No it's an a privately rented apartment, as far as I know other people in the building are not students but the previous tenants were students
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I have a 180l tank, which is relatively lightly stacked at the moment. It's heavily planted with some rocks and driftwood and I have been struggling with BBA for a while now. I tried soaking slow growing plants, such as anubius in hydrogen peroxide, which did kill all the algae but it did harm the plants a bit too. However it came back soon after and covered rocks and driftwood. I don't overfeed the tank, I test the water regularly so the only problem I could identify is lack of flow. The internal filter is an Eheim 240 (don't know the exact name of the top of my head) and the flow from it is minimal. I was planning to add a power head but since I have slow swimming fish such as appistogramma and angelfish I don't think that's the right option.
The main thing that bothers me is that I'm not sure that low flaw is the only factor since I know people successfully run tanks with little to no filtration or water movement and do not encounter this problem. I also keep the light on for 6h a day but the tank is loacted in the center of the room with windows on both side. Could this be the problem or is there another influential factor
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On 7/27/2022 at 10:45 PM, Expectorating_Aubergine said:
Usually what "no pets" means is things like cats and dogs that will do actual damage to the unit and bother the neighbors. Fish wise they tend to just have a gallon limit (usually nothing over 40 gals. Ask the building manager). Ask the manager if you like. Personally, I've never asked and I have personally never had a problem with keeping animals that live in glass boxes in apartments. Even when I didn't ask prior to getting the animal (don't get frogs. They will croak, and your neighbors will complain).
Normally I wouldn't ask, we didn't for the past few apartments, but since I'm a student apparently he has the right to check in once a moth to make sure everything is as agreed and I don't wanna take any risks without speaking with him further. But I agree, I wouldn't think an aquarium/terrarium would be a problem in apartments.
On 7/27/2022 at 10:47 PM, FLFishChik said:If it were me, I'd just come out and ask the Landlord about it. Better to know upfront if it's allowed than to get thee, set up tanks and then find out it's not and risk it.I've had Landlords that were fine as long as the tank(s) were 5 gallons and under... I've had Landlords that were absolutely against it... it just depends. But, if they have a 'no pet' policy... I take it as NO pets until you can confirm with the Landlord if an aquarium would be acceptable
Thanks exactly what I was thinking, I wouldn't want to risk it, especially because I would be buying brand new equipment
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Hey,
I soon moving into a new apartment with a friend of mine, because we are both starting university in summer. The apartment is great except one thing. They don't allow pets. This is somewhat of an annoying thing for me because I have been keeping fish for the last 6 years and really enjoyed it. I planned to continue when I went to uni but I'm not sure about it now. I'm planning to ask the landlord, if having an aquarium (60-100l) would go against to contract. I have heard mixed opinions on this as the only real damage can be cased by a leaking tank and that is unlikely to happen if the tank is properly made.
I would like to know if anyone had a similar problem before and how they dealt with it or if anyone has any helpful advice.
Thank you
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Pygmy cories are really small, so any shrimp that's bigger then their mouth will be safe. They might get one or two babies every now and then but they won't decimate the population, and the number of shrimp will increase. If you get a mix of both sexs, they might even breed. But the snails might eat the eggs, depending on the type of snail.
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If the substrate is deep enough it shouldn't be a problem. What type of substrate are you using, if it is a sand substrate you should be fine, and even with enough gravel. It really depends on the type of the tank and how the state it is in. I would but something below the substrate and the rock regardless.
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It definitely looks as if they were nipped. I'm assuming the angles did that, but I didn't think much of it as it happened before but healed up really quickly. I didn't do an ammonia test (ran out need to get some new ones ASAP) but the male is completely fine and so are the other fish. Did a large water change today (2/3) and did a gravel vac as well.
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Hello
Over the last two days two of my bristelnose pleco females have died. It was very sudden and surprising, since they didn't show any sign of sickness and were actively breeding after new years. I had two spawns from the fish in less then a month but I noticed there was no breeding since then. I feed them algae waffers as well as zucchini. Both had some nipped fins but neither had any fungus or showed any difficulty swimming.
The water perimeters
Temp:27°C, NO2:10-15ppm, NO3: 0, ph=7.6, gh: 4-7° kh:15°
The other fish seem fine, I will do a large water change tomorrow afternoon.
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Thank you for the replies I'm glad rams would fit in the tank. I will go for a pair f/m then, still not sure which type tho.
On 12/25/2021 at 7:49 AM, Fish Folk said:I think this could work out fine. 27-C is just fine for Rams. They may need a little time to adjust to their tank mates. Sometimes a trio works, but often there is "a third wheel" who gets chased or bullied -- either a subdominant male, or a non-favored female. Not always... but sometimes. We've bred a number before. I've been keeping a GBR breeding journal going for awhile, started this past summer. My son bred a hoard of Golden Opal Rams (a 2nd generation cross from an Electric Blue and a Golden Ram). You can watch his videos here...
Thank you this will be very helpful!
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Hello everyone,
I was considering adding a pair or a trio of ram cichlids (probably german blue/gold) to my planted community 50gallon tank, stocked with 2 angelfish, 2 blue gouramis, 5 columbian tetras and three bristle nose pleocs. I had some concerns as this would be the first time I keep rams.
I keep the tank at 27°C. I know rams require higher temperatures but would they be alright at 27/28°C?
In terms of breeding:
In case I would decide to breed (if I could get a pair form the trio) I would condition them in the main tank and then transfer them to a breeding container/ fry grow out where I would raise the temperature t0 29/30°C.
Would it work out?
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I was considering setting up a low tech (no filter or heater) pond inside my house. I'm going to use a big plant vase (don't know about the volume yet). It will be heavily planted with emersed and floating plants. Don't know if I will use any aquatic since I won't be able to see them and they won't get enough light. The temperature of the tank will be about 18-22 °C.
I was considering some cold water fish and this is what I came up with
- white cloud mountain minnows
- Endler's live bearers
- Rosie barbs
- CPDs
I might make it a species only if I want to breed the fish.
Which one would be the best type to keep in a setting like that, by that I mean which ones would be the most colourful from the top?
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I was considering moving the cave with the male to another tank for a little while. That way I would get a better view on the cave and know what stage of development the fry is at. Would it be possible to do that, if the male stays in the cave during transport or would he jump out as soon as I move the cave? If not when would approximately be the right time to take the fry out. I can't see inside the cave which is really annoying, and I haven't seen any of the babies in the main tank, which either means that they are too young or that the male is doing a great job of keeping the fry inside. The male has been sitting on eggs for about 5 days now. I was planning to leave him for today and tomorrow and pull the fry day after tomorrow (Wednesday for me). Would this be a good course of action? Or should I just try and move the cave so that I can see inside better, but I do not want to disturb the male.
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Today was the only day he went out of the cave fully. He stayed out for a min or two can then went back inside and kept doing this over and over again. He is still fanning the cave, but I'm sure at least some of them are wigglers. I don't want to keep them in there for too long otherwise they will be realised and picked off very quickly. So I'm guessing I should try and take a look in the cave without moving it or disturbing the dad.
After this spawn, could I reposition the cave? There are two caves in the tank and her really likes the one he is in, it a smaller pleco cave the other one is a bit larger. Would he still continue to breed even tho I moved his cave or should I leave it as is since he claimed it already?
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Quick update; The male has been sitting on eggs for about 5 days now. I noticed that the bigger female hangs around the cave quit often, so I'm guessing those are not her eggs in there. Should I pull the eggs now? I haven't seen any fry outside of the cave, and the cave is angled in a position at which I can't see inside without moving it. Also if I move the cave to check for wigglers, will the dad freak out and leave the eggs?
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On 12/3/2021 at 3:03 PM, gardenman said:
The only time I pull the eggs is when a rival female comes along and knocks them out of the cave so she can lay hers there. Now, I'm not trying to mass produce Super Reds at this point as I'm up to my eyeballs in them. So, I just leave the fry to try and survive in the tanks with a bunch of ravenous swordtails. My big female Super Reds tend to lay 100 or more eggs at a time, so the numbers get a bit crazy pretty quickly if you try to keep them all. I have six Super Red plecos in my ten-gallon tank and the big female is trying to convince a younger male to spawn as I type this. He's claimed a pleco cave and she's pretty intent on getting in there and laying her eggs. He's more in the "I'm not sure I'm ready to be a daddy yet" mode and swims away when she pushes past him and goes into the cave. She'll then come out looking around for him only to find him gone. Once she's swum away, he'll head back to the cave and the pattern repeats.
I have 2 females, one of breeding age and the other one is close to it. They are both similar in size, so I'm not sure who is the mum. I haven't seen any aggression between them. I'm guessing the older one as they spawned before but there is a chance it's the other one. I was considering just adding a male of breeding age (either lemon eye or super red) so that I have two males and two females. I hope they would spawn regardless of colour, I heard it has been done before. This way I could offer some other plecos to my LFS without massively increasing the bio load of the tank. I'm not sure about the ratio of the fry, but I'm guessing it would be 70% common and 30% whatever other variety. Would I get some mixed ones? I don't think I ever saw any, they would carry a gene for both but express only one trait, am I right?
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I live and Switzerland and here the fish are sold for 10chf (about 11$). They had a couple of super red (almost double as expensive) bp as well but they were too young to breed and I wanted to try my luck with the common type first. Unfortunately I only have one tank big enough for plecos so I'm not looking to add any more, unless the fish store has a rare type (super reds or blue eyes) which are big enough to breed so I can make some profit. Honestly I'm not doing it for profit, but rather for the fun of it.
multi purpose experimental tank.
in Experiments
Posted
Quick question; what do you mean by a mystery plant?