I scored a pair when the AKA was in town last May.
Will these eat prepared food, or do they require a continuous supply of live food?
I thought that they're eating habits would be like other killies I've kept, and they'd eat prepared food, or at least my home-made mix. I put my pair in a two gallon windowsill tank. The male immediately started bullying the female, so I separated them. I keep each killie with a pair of white cloud mountain minnows and a big mass of java moss. The white clouds continually spawn in the moss, and the killies eat the fry. I also give them mosquito larvae occasionally, most of which get eaten first by the faster white clouds.
I've been keeping them in rain water, but I don't know if soft, acid water is really necessary.
Has anyone kept some Leptoleucania ommata?
Started by
Guest_Bob_*
, Aug 18 2011 10:43 AM
5 replies to this topic
#2
Michael Wolfe
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- North Georgia, Oconee River Drainage
Posted 18 August 2011 - 11:39 AM
Hey Bob,
I've kept them in 10 gallon tanks that were so heavily planted that I could not see the Elassoma that were their tank mates. They tended to hug the surface pretty much... and also liked to stay right around the plant cover. I was using water lettuce at the time... rotating some of it from outside to inside occasionally to provide live bugs and such in the roots of the water lettuce. But I also did see them eat cyclops-eze both the dust version and the flake version of ths brand name food. I never noticed any male-female agreession, but did not have any breeding either (but probably that was due to the Elassoma).
I've kept them in 10 gallon tanks that were so heavily planted that I could not see the Elassoma that were their tank mates. They tended to hug the surface pretty much... and also liked to stay right around the plant cover. I was using water lettuce at the time... rotating some of it from outside to inside occasionally to provide live bugs and such in the roots of the water lettuce. But I also did see them eat cyclops-eze both the dust version and the flake version of ths brand name food. I never noticed any male-female agreession, but did not have any breeding either (but probably that was due to the Elassoma).
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#3
Guest_Bob_*
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Posted 18 August 2011 - 12:20 PM
Thanks, Mike. They're really shy--even the white clouds push them around a little. I feed my home made mix to the white clouds, and it sinks to the bottom. They don't go after it, but maybe they're too afraid. (Even the white clouds push them around a little.)
I'll try feeding the small grade golden pearls I picked up recently, and see if they start growing a little faster. Since they tend to stay at the top of the water, maybe they're just afraid to go after the home made food, which pretty much sinks to the bottom in a hurry.
I'll try feeding the small grade golden pearls I picked up recently, and see if they start growing a little faster. Since they tend to stay at the top of the water, maybe they're just afraid to go after the home made food, which pretty much sinks to the bottom in a hurry.
Hey Bob,
I've kept them in 10 gallon tanks that were so heavily planted that I could not see the Elassoma that were their tank mates. They tended to hug the surface pretty much... and also liked to stay right around the plant cover. I was using water lettuce at the time... rotating some of it from outside to inside occasionally to provide live bugs and such in the roots of the water lettuce. But I also did see them eat cyclops-eze both the dust version and the flake version of ths brand name food. I never noticed any male-female agreession, but did not have any breeding either (but probably that was due to the Elassoma).
#4
Guest_EricaWieser_*
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Posted 18 August 2011 - 01:47 PM
The softer and more acidic, the better. We were talking on an earlier post about how they can be found in the wild in water with a pH of 4. Here's a link to the topic: http://forum.nanfa.o...lucania-ommata/I've been keeping them in rain water, but I don't know if soft, acid water is really necessary.
They're extremely difficult to breed in captivity because people assume they're okay with water near neutral, but the truth is they'd prefer to live in your soda pop than your tap water, sometimes. (soda pop is pH of 3, tap water 7. Please don't actually put them in pop, it was a joke)
Edited by EricaWieser, 18 August 2011 - 01:47 PM.
#5
Guest_RichardSFL_*
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Posted 18 August 2011 - 02:27 PM
Hi Bob - I have two tanks of L. ommata. One contains wild-caught fish, and the other contains tank raised fish (outdoor horse tank, that is). The wild-caught eat live Grindel worms and decapped brine shrimp eggs. They took to the eggs immediately but took a bit longer to realize the worms are food, though they definitely know it now. They occasionally get live black worms also. They ignore all flake food, but I have not tried very hard to get them to accept it - I might later. The tank-raised do eat flake because the breeder feeds flake to the tank, so they grew up with it. It is not their favorite, however. The flake they like the best is an earthworm flake. Otherwise they get the same food as the wild-caught. I plan to try live daphnia soon.
Also, both populations use all levels of their tanks, which are species tanks. And both tanks are pretty heavily planted. I wonder if yours are hanging at the top because you have too few. Although they do not school, in watching mine, I see that they definitely take their cues from each other when it comes to food or perceived danger. Maybe yours are aware there are not a lot of other eyes looking out for danger, so they're laying low, so to speak.
By the way, I have a large tank of White Clouds also. I might try their fry as food too after reading your post. In the wild, at least according to all I've read, they are not especially piscivorous, but it would provide some variety in their diet. In the wild they seem to focus on copepods.
Also, both populations use all levels of their tanks, which are species tanks. And both tanks are pretty heavily planted. I wonder if yours are hanging at the top because you have too few. Although they do not school, in watching mine, I see that they definitely take their cues from each other when it comes to food or perceived danger. Maybe yours are aware there are not a lot of other eyes looking out for danger, so they're laying low, so to speak.
By the way, I have a large tank of White Clouds also. I might try their fry as food too after reading your post. In the wild, at least according to all I've read, they are not especially piscivorous, but it would provide some variety in their diet. In the wild they seem to focus on copepods.
#6
Guest_Bob_*
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Posted 22 August 2011 - 08:57 AM
Thanks, all. Hadn't realized that they liked acid water so much. I've been collecing a lot more rainwater than I need lately, so putting some in their tanks shouldn't be a problem. I only have a pair, and the male was picking on the female, so I separated them.
He did come out to eat some of the golden pearls. He's so slow and shy, though, the white clouds got most of them.
I'm guessing they'd be bottom spawners, like most killies. What works for most of the killies I've bred is to put some course gravel in a small tank, add lots of java moss, turn the heat up a little, and then remove the parents after a couple of days or so.
He did come out to eat some of the golden pearls. He's so slow and shy, though, the white clouds got most of them.
I'm guessing they'd be bottom spawners, like most killies. What works for most of the killies I've bred is to put some course gravel in a small tank, add lots of java moss, turn the heat up a little, and then remove the parents after a couple of days or so.
Hi Bob - I have two tanks of L. ommata. One contains wild-caught fish, and the other contains tank raised fish (outdoor horse tank, that is). The wild-caught eat live Grindel worms and decapped brine shrimp eggs. They took to the eggs immediately but took a bit longer to realize the worms are food, though they definitely know it now. They occasionally get live black worms also. They ignore all flake food, but I have not tried very hard to get them to accept it - I might later. The tank-raised do eat flake because the breeder feeds flake to the tank, so they grew up with it. It is not their favorite, however. The flake they like the best is an earthworm flake. Otherwise they get the same food as the wild-caught. I plan to try live daphnia soon.
Also, both populations use all levels of their tanks, which are species tanks. And both tanks are pretty heavily planted. I wonder if yours are hanging at the top because you have too few. Although they do not school, in watching mine, I see that they definitely take their cues from each other when it comes to food or perceived danger. Maybe yours are aware there are not a lot of other eyes looking out for danger, so they're laying low, so to speak.
By the way, I have a large tank of White Clouds also. I might try their fry as food too after reading your post. In the wild, at least according to all I've read, they are not especially piscivorous, but it would provide some variety in their diet. In the wild they seem to focus on copepods.
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