I have room (and permission) to set up a 20 long in my office, I think that this is large enough to breed gambusia. Does anyone know what proper conditions are? (water temp, ect) I know that I wont get a ton of them, but if I can use a few as feeders once a month or so, it may be worth it.

I have room (and permission) to set up a 20 long in my office, I think that this is large enough to breed gambusia. Does anyone know what proper conditions are? (water temp, ect) I know that I wont get a ton of them, but if I can use a few as feeders once a month or so, it may be worth it.

Pretty much water condition are Clean and around room temp.........................
Really.... thats about it.

Getting fry from them however is a bit different. I would suggest separating the tank into two sections, one side for the brood stock the other for the fry and expectant females. I have used this method for many years with several species of Gambusia and it generally works very well.

You could also try adding a light and a ton of java moss and hornwort. That way you don't need to seperate the fry.

Chad

You could also try adding a light and a ton of java moss and hornwort. That way you don't need to seperate the fry.

Chad

Trust me... you still have to seperate the fry if you want any more than a small group surviving in a 20 gallon. These fish are very cannibalistic and relentless in feeding on top of it.

Edit: I should say something here though and be more specific in that is it depends on species. The typical Gambusia affinis, G. holbrooki I would never keep the parents with them and expect very good results. G. rhizophorae and the G. punctata / punticulata complex are a bit different and tend to be better for in tank culturing as they are not as aggressive and cannibalistic.

I am assuming in this thread that G.affinis or holbrooki is the fish we are talking about.

I can take a pict of the fish i have in mind (my camera skills blow hard) the warm weather has has all kinds of stuff out latly, it was 80 f at the house today. Im gona ditch work in the morning and go fishing, ill try and net a few of the gambusia i have in mind, hopefully one of you can ID it fore me

I can take a pict of the fish i have in mind (my camera skills blow hard) the warm weather has has all kinds of stuff out latly, it was 80 f at the house today. Im gona ditch work in the morning and go fishing, ill try and net a few of the gambusia i have in mind, hopefully one of you can ID it fore me

If it's in Alabama it will be Gambusia affinis / holbrooki without a doubt. Which species would be difficult to tell from a photo alone. These fish mix and mingle alot in their eastern / western ranges making a broad zone where either is game. intergrades betwen them are rather common. Generally speaking east of Mobile river are supposed to be G. holbrooki, West of this is supposed to be G. affinis. Nothing truly works that well though.

Would really not mind seeing a pic though. I find it interesting that some populations of these fish differ in some localities. Gambusia really get a VERY deserved bad rap in many areas but I have always found the ones within the native range rather interesting. I'm currently housing 7 different populations of G. holbrooki that everyone tells me look pretty much the same but there are definite differences in color and in some cases behavior. It just takes a nerd watching them long enough to notice

Trust me... you still have to seperate the fry if you want any more than a small group surviving in a 20 gallon. These fish are very cannibalistic and relentless in feeding on top of it.

Edit: I should say something here though and be more specific in that is it depends on species. The typical Gambusia affinis, G. holbrooki I would never keep the parents with them and expect very good results. G. rhizophorae and the G. punctata / punticulata complex are a bit different and tend to be better for in tank culturing as they are not as aggressive and cannibalistic.

I am assuming in this thread that G.affinis or holbrooki is the fish we are talking about.

Mehh...just a thought anyways. Didn't know mosquito were so cannabalistic! Learn something new everyday.

Chad

A few summers ago, with the input of lots of NANFA folks, I let feeder guppies breed in a tub outside. People who did so generally said that they have good luck with this method, as long as the tub has a lot of plants for the fry to hide in. In Mobile, you could probably have such a setup all year round.

A few summers ago, with the input of lots of NANFA folks, I let feeder guppies breed in a tub outside. People who did so generally said that they have good luck with this method, as long as the tub has a lot of plants for the fry to hide in. In Mobile, you could probably have such a setup all year round.

Thats what I do down here in Louisiana. We have 2 big fiberglass tubs outside our greenhouse at school with
mosquitofish, sailfin mollies, least killies, and grass shrimp. Their reproduction rates can't keep up with the my live food needs, but they reproduce fast enough to keep restocking to a minimum. Just throw some mosquitofish and some aquatic vegetation in and they will take care of themselves. Water Hyacinth works well, except it dies off in the winter. The young fish will hide in the roots making them easy to dip out without getting a net full of vegetation to sort through.