American Livebearer Association :: Forum

Re: Is my Molly Pregnant??!! [by platymef]

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:14:12 -0100

Breeding Livebearers::Is my Molly Pregnant??!!
If she's been with male Mollies, she's probably gravid unless she's sterile.

Darrell

Re: ALA MEMBERSHIP [by platymef]

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 18:50:53 -0100

Breeding Livebearers::ALA MEMBERSHIP
Yes, I plan on continued visits to this site and will eventually return to breeding & developing strains of Fancy Platies & Swordtails.

Although there are some breeders really doing great things with Fancy Xiphophorus right now, I think that with the quality and availability of the stock right now, a lot more could be done.

I will return to being an ALA member when my finances improve.

Darrell

Re: New Heterandria in upper Rio Coatzacoalcos discovered [by mr_southwest]

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:27:00 -0100

General Discussion::New Heterandria in upper Rio Coatzacoalcos discovered
I'm sure they are not over 2 inches but probably not as small as H. Formosa it would probably fare well in a 20 gallon. A good looking fish, hopefully they can be distributed in the hobby at some point.

Re: water conditons for swords with CO2 addition [by Alex]

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:32:01 -0100

General Discussion::water conditons for swords with CO2 addition
There's ways you can get CO2 in your tanks without risking your fish (and it's pretty cheap).

You'll need a 3 cup jar, 1 packet of yeast, 2 cups water, 1/4 cup sugar, and just a tad of salt.

I can go on if you would like (I have a guide on it on another forum). This way is pretty safe and the CO2 output is not enough to harm fish but enough to help the plants grow.

Re: Suggested Dimensions for a V Shaped Breeder Box [by Kevx]

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 23:43:09 -0100

Breeding Livebearers::Suggested Dimensions for a V Shaped Breeder Box
Quote:

Melody wrote:
I have found the easiest and least stressful birthing tanks can be made by a trip to the dollar store for a large, drawstring laundry bag. Give it a good soak and rinse repeatedly to avoid chemicals. You can tie it around the top of a 10g tank and place the female inside. The fry drop through the mesh and when it's time to remove the female, you can simply remove the bag with her in it. Then you don't add the stress of a chase to the stress of a recent birth.

Brilliant! I'll have to try this method soon. Thanks, Melody!

Re: KOi patterns changing in aging [by platymef]

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 13:21:55 -0100

Breeding Livebearers::KOi patterns changing in aging
A couple of other things. As with a lot of issues involving Fancy Xiphophorus, there times when strains aren't labeled correctly. I've seen photos of Red & White Peppermint or other Swordtails being labeled as "Koi".

The nature of the Peppermint, Piebald, Pinto strain is to be born Red or Gold and lose the color to White or neutral as they age and then gain some color back.The Koi strain usually keeps the same pattern (one of the three that I mentioned)

I've also seen fish resulting from Koi/ Peppermint crosses.

Darrell E. Mefford

Re: conservation priority species for these tank sizes [by Melody]

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 15:23:36 -0100

General Discussion::conservation priority species for these tank sizes
Great suggestions!

Remember to leave lots of room for raising the offspring... and their offspring.... and so on. Livebearers can quickly get out of hand. Goodeids are more controllable in that respect because they don't store inseminations.

Re: Tropical Fish Hobbyist is the Official Publication of the 2012 ALA Convention [by Melody]

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 15:10:56 -0100

ALA Convention::Tropical Fish Hobbyist is the Official Publication of the 2012 ALA Convention
This is shaping up to be an awesome convention! Many thanks to our sponsors.

Female Fish Attracted to Well-Fed Mates [by Melody]

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 06:11:33 -0100

Breeding Livebearers::Female Fish Attracted to Well-Fed Mates
I've heard that the way to a male's heart is through his stomach, but not that the way to a female's heart is through the guy's stomach. ;) Apparently that's the case with Gambusia affinis, however.

"Female mosquitofish prefer mates that had a steady nutritional upbringing over those that suffered a poor start in life with a restricted diet, even though the male fish are physically similar in adulthood, a new study shows."

http://www.livescience.com/17950-fema ... -attracted-fed-mates.html

This could be another point in favor of knowing where a fish came from and/or the breeder's reputation for quality fish care.

I wonder if it's a simple case of healthy growth producing a stronger adult male overall, which in turn is more attractive?

Re: Walstad-Type Natural Planted Tanks [by Dataguru]

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 22:39:30 -0100

Tank Setup::Walstad-Type Natural Planted Tanks
I'm going to be a guest on Aqua Botanic Radio- Using soil in the aquarium Saturday 1/28/12 12:00 PM central time

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/aquabota ... sing-soil-in-the-aquarium

Robert says there will be a chat room and you can call in if you want to ask questions or give me a hard time.

Betty