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Which Livebearer?


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#1 Evan P

Evan P
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  • Knoxville, TN

Posted 03 August 2016 - 06:59 PM

Hey there, I have a 75 for use as live food culture and I am trying to figure out which species will work best. I'd prefer to keep it native, but my Least Killie population has been growing at a glacial pace. I may need some more cover in the aquarium and I am actually considering starting over and removing the substrate to do a bare bottom with a mass of hornwort. I am wondering though if I wouldn't have better luck with a different species. Also, DLV, I have tried RCS, but every time they die off within a few days. I'm not sure what it is, but they just don't do well in my tanks. Anyways, shoot me some opinions and let me know what you think I should do. Thanks!


3,000-4,000 Gallon Pond Full of all sorts of spawning fishes! http://forum.nanfa.org/index.php/topic/13811-3560-gallon-native-fish-pond/page-3 
 

#2 Matt DeLaVega

Matt DeLaVega
  • Forum Staff
  • Ohio

Posted 03 August 2016 - 07:51 PM

Gosh, I could not say on the RCS. I cannot kill them.My water is high in buffering capacity, and has pH of 8.3. Maybe that made a difference. I wish everyone could have the same success as I. I have really done nothing special to cater to them. One thing I can think of is that I purchased my stock from a breeder in my county with the same water. So moving to my home was really no shock to them. Sorry they haven't worked out for you Evan.

 

 Heterandria have done very well for me, L. goodei have done decent. Both in bare bottom tanks with a lot of hornwort, and Gambusia go crazy in my 1/4 acre pond. The Gambusia are nearly non-existant in the spring. Large die off during winter, but now, this time of year, I could dipnet several hundred daily in 10 minutes. The pond is full of bluegills, crappie, channel catfish, bowfin and some other various Lepomis. So the mosquito fish breed fast enough to evade the predators and still have a surplus. Neither F. notatus nor catenatus ever took hold in the pond. Not too surprised. I know these are not all livebearers. I would think you could do well with Gambusia in a tub with hornwort if you harvested frequently and sort of graded them. Net them with small mesh, then dump them into a growout/feeder tank through a larger mesh and return adults to the tub. Just some ideas. Good luck.


The member formerly known as Skipjack


#3 Doug_Dame

Doug_Dame
  • NANFA Member

Posted 03 August 2016 - 08:11 PM

I think of Heter as being consistent droppers of leeetle babies. A fat female can pop out a new one every 2 or 3 days. But in the wild they're mostly caught in rather shallow water, maybe a 75g has a lot of volume they don't use. Heavy vegetation is preferred, which they'll peck at all day long, presumably getting microcritters and algae. They eat flake of course too. I'm assuming you don't have anything in the tank that would eat the newborns. The males are relatively small, I've seen people catch 20-30 Hets, take them home, and discover they have zero males. (All slipped through the net, probably.) So just in case, check to make sure you have a couple with gonopodiums (?iae). 

 

But if you have been keeping them, you probably already know all of this. 

 

Mollies are also usually prolific in the absence of other species that will see the babies as snacks. 


Doug Dame

Floridian now back in Florida
 


#4 Evan P

Evan P
  • NANFA Guest
  • Knoxville, TN

Posted 03 August 2016 - 11:44 PM

Maybe I will try emptying out the tank once I have somewhere to place my few Heterandia. I think there is something to the size and minimal structure; the simply don't use much of the tank. I feel like if I clean out the tank and take out the substrate, find somewhere to get a couple big bunches of hornwort, add 20 or so more H. formosa, and throw one of my 4' LED shoplights on the tank I will have better luck.  I know for sure that I have, or at least had, some males. I actually think that the fish had a hard time finding each other, at least compared to in a ten gallon tank where they have bred like rabbits for me before. 

 

Matt, what temperature are your RCS at? Maybe my water is too cold. I've been looking for a local breeder, but can't find one. The only shrimp I have been able to get in my area have been from a small local pet shop, which may be half of the problem.


3,000-4,000 Gallon Pond Full of all sorts of spawning fishes! http://forum.nanfa.org/index.php/topic/13811-3560-gallon-native-fish-pond/page-3 
 

#5 mattknepley

mattknepley
  • NANFA Member
  • Smack-dab between the Savannah and the Saluda.

Posted 04 August 2016 - 04:53 AM

For what it's worth, I'd suggest Gambusia, too. They are the roaches of the fish world- can't kill 'em. I've had them nearly overrun a shallow kiddie-pool pond in nearly full sun, a trash can rain barrel in total shade, even used them as skeeter eaters in the water trays my carnivorous plants sit in!

Although now as I type that, it occurs to me that I have had zero success looking for wild Gambusia anywhere this summer! They were around in winter and spring, but now???
Matt Knepley
"No thanks, a third of a gopher would merely arouse my appetite..."

#6 Matt DeLaVega

Matt DeLaVega
  • Forum Staff
  • Ohio

Posted 04 August 2016 - 08:50 AM

80 degrees is warm enough for good reproduction, but they live fine in unheated basement tanks if they aren't eaten right away, so I doubt they are dying on you so quickly due to temperatures. Have you had any trouble with other inverts? Crayfish? Grass shrimp?


The member formerly known as Skipjack


#7 Moontanman

Moontanman
  • NANFA Member

Posted 04 August 2016 - 03:03 PM

I think of Heter as being consistent droppers of leeetle babies. A fat female can pop out a new one every 2 or 3 days. But in the wild they're mostly caught in rather shallow water, maybe a 75g has a lot of volume they don't use. Heavy vegetation is preferred, which they'll peck at all day long, presumably getting microcritters and algae. They eat flake of course too. I'm assuming you don't have anything in the tank that would eat the newborns. The males are relatively small, I've seen people catch 20-30 Hets, take them home, and discover they have zero males. (All slipped through the net, probably.) So just in case, check to make sure you have a couple with gonopodiums (?iae). 

 

But if you have been keeping them, you probably already know all of this. 

 

Mollies are also usually prolific in the absence of other species that will see the babies as snacks. 

 

 

That was good advice, I put some water lettuce in my least killie tank and they went nuts picking at it even though the plants came from a tank over run with minnows! 


Michael

Life is the poetry of the universe
Love is the poetry of life



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