Patriotic Fish

I decided to snap a few pics of some flagfish in my 46 gal. I am going to pics out the best male and the brightest female this spring to try to get some fry. It will be my first 'hot-tub killie' trial.
Sorry for such dark pictures. I have the shutter speed very fast, and the super-micro + LED taking these pics with my Olympus Stylus.

Do you have full tank shots anywhere. That looks like a pretty cool tank.

Hi. Thanks for the pics. Flags are one of my all time favorite killies. I'm not so sure how many fry you'd get with a single pair in a yard tub. Although the male gaurds the eggs for a while, the parents are really good at pick off the fry. They're much more adept at picking off their own youg than are other killies, like Fundulopanchax. Occasionally, one or two offspring will make it to adulthood, but they're the exception rather than the rule. (Just like in nature.)

What works really well with other killies and I have a hunch would work really well with flag fish is a set up with course substrate, and thick plants, like java moss and najas grass. A 15 gallon would probably work best, although you could probably get away with it in a ten if you had to. The courser the substrate, the better. Pea gravel would probably work well. Heat the tank to the mid 70s, and feed the fish well--stuff them twice a day.

Then, at the end of two or three weeks, take the parents out, and wait two or three weeks. If you're successful, you'll start to see fry in a couple of weeks or so. Eggs and fry will have fallen between the crevices in the substrate, and the parents may miss some in the plants.

Good luck.

Edited by Bob, 18 February 2010 - 09:27 AM.

lozgod, I think I should be able to get some pics of the tank this evening when I return home. With my schedule, I have hardly had time for getting the tank how I want it. It is pretty much a mess, but I'll put up a pic or two. I may have a few more fish pics on my Gallery page.

Bob, Thanks for the comments and advice. I have wanted to breed flagfish for about 2 years now, but never got around to it. I was going to try the tub approach simply b/c of space and time availability. I was thinking of making a separate post about this in the coming weeks, but may not need to.
I currently have a 55 gallon drum cut in half longways. One half is for a feed trough, the other for my fish breeding. It sounds like I may be able to get my hands on a few more drums next week, so I may try to breed some rainwater killies if given the chance. My current 'tub' has coarse pea gravel and creek sand and driftwood soaking. I will be adding Eleocharis, Salvinia and java moss to the mix when temps warm up. I was hoping by getting the tub choke-full of plants, the survival of eggs and juvies would increase.

Edited by UncleWillie, 18 February 2010 - 12:53 PM.

The pea gravel, and dense plantings are only half of the strategy. The other half is to remove the adults in about two weeks, to allow the eggs to hatch and the fry to grow up without being eaten.

I discovered the strategy by accident. I couldn't breed a pair of Fundulopanchax scheeli that I had. I gave up and sold them at an aquarium club auction. I didn't get around to re-populating the tank right a way, and after several days the tank was swarming with fry.

lozgod, I think I should be able to get some pics of the tank this evening when I return home. With my schedule, I have hardly had time for getting the tank how I want it. It is pretty much a mess, but I'll put up a pic or two. I may have a few more fish pics on my Gallery page.

Bob, Thanks for the comments and advice. I have wanted to breed flagfish for about 2 years now, but never got around to it. I was going to try the tub approach simply b/c of space and time availability. I was thinking of making a separate post about this in the coming weeks, but may not need to.
I currently have a 55 gallon drum cut in half longways. One half is for a feed trough, the other for my fish breeding. It sounds like I may be able to get my hands on a few more drums next week, so I may try to breed some rainwater killies if given the chance. My current 'tub' has coarse pea gravel and creek sand and driftwood soaking. I will be adding Eleocharis, Salvinia and java moss to the mix when temps warm up. I was hoping by getting the tub choke-full of plants, the survival of eggs and juvies would increase.