Psuedomugil luminatus-red neon blue eyed rainbow

[Guppysnail]

I was keeping these in my main journal.  I started collecting eggs last week for the breeder program at the club. I’ve found it much easier to keep each critter in a separated journal to track the hatch and growth times on fry for writing my spawning reports. These are a CARES species. 

Ive had these since last summer.  I did try floating spawning mops but they avoided them or so I thought.  
 

They hunt the substrate all the time until I walk in the room then they are upper mid level swimming immediately.  
 

I started checking the mops anyway but saw nothing.  I was frustrated and pulled the mop laying it over the edge of the trash can deciding to give up.  
 

Roughly 20 minutes later I grabbed the mop to rinse it out. What did I see but eggs 😳

These are tiny and crystal clear.  Impossible for me to see against a wet mop but show up easily once the mop drains a bit.  I also find running my fingers gently down each strand many eggs I miss seeing just stick to my fingers.  I think these are even stickier than corydora eggs.

These take 10 days to hatch so wish me luck. 

 

[Bsquared]

Congrats! I have a small group of luminatus that I want to try my hand at breeding too. I threw a mop in at one point but didn't see anything but I will have to try again. I also have a giant clump of needle leaf java fern in the tank that they may be spawning in instead of the mops. Either way, keep us posted on the progress! I am interested to see how raising the fry goes and how finnicky they are for you!

[Guppysnail]

We have eyes today. The video was yesterdays 

[jwcarlson]

I have some furcatta and I've yet to see eggs.  But little tiny babies show up (and eventually are eaten).  But one has survived and is big enough it probably won't be eaten now.  There were a few more little one swimming this AM when I fed the tank.  Maybe they're laying in the mop.

Yours look like they're just laying them on the bottom?  Or they're falling that way at least?  Or that's the breeder box?

 

Edited March 20 by jwcarlson

[Guppysnail]

On 3/20/2024 at 10:58 AM, jwcarlson said:

I have some furcatta and I've yet to see eggs.  But little tiny babies show up (and eventually are eaten).  But one has survived and is big enough it probably won't be eaten now.  There were a few more little one swimming this AM when I fed the tank.  Maybe they're laying in the mop.

Yours look like they're just laying them on the bottom?  Or they're falling that way at least?  Or that's the breeder box?

 

Breeder box. I drain the mop and collect the eggs. I can’t see the eggs at all unless I drain the mop they are invisible.  Once the mop drains I can see them. 

I’ll take collection pics today on the mop if I remember 

[Guppysnail]

@jwcarlson this helps. It’s my old folks egg collecting gear 🤣

[Bsquared]

@Guppysnail Have you tried just dropping the entire mop into the breeder box instead of trying to pick off all the eggs?

[Guppysnail]

On 3/20/2024 at 1:37 PM, Bsquared said:

@Guppysnail Have you tried just dropping the entire mop into the breeder box instead of trying to pick off all the eggs?

They spawn all day long. Only a few eggs at a time and are egg eaters along with the Aspidora spilotus in the tank eating eats from the mop. To collect enough I would have to use 2 mops a day each day for a week. It’s just not practical for me.  If I were doing large outdoor tubs though that’s exactly how I would do it. 

[Bsquared]

@Guppysnail That makes perfect sense. I may try to do some "musical fish" and pull my group out of thank after about a week and see if any fry appear. The only other fish is the tank is an oto so egg predation is less of an issue for me

[jwcarlson]

I checked my mop and found about a dozen eggs last night.  Also found three new fry that I sucked up into a tray.  And today another 3 or 4 eggs.  I only have one female.  I might see if the LFS guy will let me hand pick a couple females out.  He tried and got one M one F last time.  I should have checked them. Haha

What's a good male to female ratio?

[Cinnebuns]

I'll be honest, I only quick glanced this post and didn't fully read it yet. 

I've bred these. They lay eggs in my sinking mops that are intended for my panda cories. 

[Guppysnail]

On 3/21/2024 at 8:42 PM, jwcarlson said:

I checked my mop and found about a dozen eggs last night.  Also found three new fry that I sucked up into a tray.  And today another 3 or 4 eggs.  I only have one female.  I might see if the LFS guy will let me hand pick a couple females out.  He tried and got one M one F last time.  I should have checked them. Haha

What's a good male to female ratio?

I have 1m-3 f. I originally got 14 very young. All were girls so I swapped 5 f for 3 m with a friend. My gertrudae do good 2f-1 m

[jwcarlson]

On 3/21/2024 at 9:37 PM, Guppysnail said:

I have 1m-3 f. I originally got 14 very young. All were girls so I swapped 5 f for 3 m with a friend. My gertrudae do good 2f-1 m

I'm just assuming furcata are similar.  I've got one male who is probably close to two years old and he's (seemingly) huge, got shipped him on accident from AquaHuna with my CPDs and he's been with them the whole time until after the new ones QT'd and grew out a bit so he didn't body them to death.  I probably need to pick out 3-4 females to go with my two males.  The fry are so stinking small though, so it's another one of those conundrums. 😄  They do seem to hatch OK in my regular tap water, so that's a plus.

[beastie]

I read your and was like = well I better check my constantly empty mop and I found a fry in the tank again 🙂 I am also raising the other fry in the box. I still would love more eggs to plop in the infusoria bucket, as that obviously worked, so am waiting for the mop to dry to see :))) Arent they the best fish ever 🙂

[Guppysnail]

I changed up my mop.  My friend tried making a “skirt” to make his fluffier. His luminatus went crazy being able to get deep in the mop. 
I tried several things but this one is a winner. They are in and out all the time and I’m getting tons of eggs. 
blue is pool noodle. 

[beastie]

Nice, so you are saying more is better. I will have to test it. I have a sort of skirt too but not too big, I was stingy I guess 🙂

Thanks for the tip!

[Guppysnail]

On 3/26/2024 at 9:30 AM, beastie said:

more is better

Not necessarily more just looser. Not hanging in the thick clump normal mops hang.  They go inside this one easily.  So they are sort of hidden under the first layers 

[Guppysnail]

I have fry.  I kept collecting eggs they would hatch and just fail to thrive. My friend suggested moving the eggs to hatch at 80 degrees. Worked like a charm 🥰

[Cinnebuns]

On 3/26/2024 at 8:26 AM, Guppysnail said:

I changed up my mop.  My friend tried making a “skirt” to make his fluffier. His luminatus went crazy being able to get deep in the mop. 
I tried several things but this one is a winner. They are in and out all the time and I’m getting tons of eggs. 
blue is pool noodle. 

I've used cheap fishing bobbers to float mops before. 

On 4/11/2024 at 9:59 AM, Guppysnail said:

I have fry.  I kept collecting eggs they would hatch and just fail to thrive. My friend suggested moving the eggs to hatch at 80 degrees. Worked like a charm 🥰

Oh!!  Interesting!  I have have several furcata hatch for me in my shrimp tank before but I have been struggling to get my luminatus eggs to hatch maybe this is why. I did raise 1 to adulthood but I haven't gotten any others to even hatch. 

[Guppysnail]

On 4/11/2024 at 1:58 PM, Cinnebuns said:

I've used cheap fishing bobbers to float mops before. 

Oh!!  Interesting!  I have have several furcata hatch for me in my shrimp tank before but I have been struggling to get my luminatus eggs to hatch maybe this is why. I did raise 1 to adulthood but I haven't gotten any others to even hatch. 

A bunch hatched before but they stayed on the floor and just never moved. My friend is “the rainbow guy” in my circle. He said he doesn’t have great luck with rainbows below 80. 

[FLFishChik]

On 3/20/2024 at 11:55 AM, Guppysnail said:

@jwcarlson this helps. It’s my old folks egg collecting gear 🤣

I couldn't help but think "Super Secret Spy Decoder Ring and Xray Laser Glasses".