25/12/2021
Below is a quick outline of my breeding procedure if you have interest;
1) Conditioned water, 40L tub, add 10ml 35% H2O2, in a net bag add banana, almond leaves, rooibos tea bags.
2) prepare 2 tanks, one for breeders, one for fry. Breeding tank 15~20 L, fry tank 10L. Breeder tanks can be planted with substrate, add cut clay pots or PVC pipe for the female to hang out in if she needs. I use yellow plastic floaters for nesting media From my experience, these should be translucent so the male can tend and monitor the health of the eggs by the color thru the plastic. I use yellow because it is the color of leaves and similar to what they would use in the wild. (usually my breeders are already together for a while in the tank. I don't separate them unless I am going to change the pairing. If I plan to continually breed the same pair, they stay together). Some pairs hang out well together, some pairs the male dominates, others the female pushes him around. hard to tell until they are together. I don;t use the clear chimney like the method used when breeding bettas. I find I can keep the pairs together without that introduction and the need to remove the female. Many females will actually tend the nest with the male. Heat the tank to about 28C. I have spawned fish in colder water, but found the clutches are smaller and the fry are also smaller when they hatch. Just my observation, no real record keeping.
3) I start conditioning the fry tank several days before the pair starts breeding. for these tanks I use acrylic fridge trays or similar plastic tubes that hold about 10L. I use a sponge filter with a slot cut lift pipe that goes above the water column. air lifts to the top but the water is pushed out thru the thin slots in the pipe, creates a little current but no surface motion, gives the fry some movement to get them swimming. these tanks have snails, J*p. trap door snails or bladder snails. Also place several almond leaves and other leaves to get the tank flora and flora and fauna growing. I also add aquaculture probiotics these tanks at startup so the bacteria is established when the fry are moved in. I have thin pieces of high density styrofoam squares that I float on the surface to break any surface movement and give the fry something to anchor to.
4) When the pair are ready and mate, I usually wait until there are alot of small tails visible and some fry are sq**rting away from the nest. Takes a couple times to get the timing right, but before they are free swimming, I use a 500 micron shrimp net or large BBS strainer, slide it under the entire nest and lift the whole nest and fry out and into the rearing tank. Temp should be same or close. around 26~ 28C.
5) after the fry are moved they will flail around and find an anchor spot on the original nest or the foam squares, I let them eat thru their yolk sacs, when I see some are starting to move from the then start feeding vinegar eels into the tank. These are a great first food because they stay living in the water column and will anchor to the side of the tank. when you see the sides are picked clean, you know the fry are eating. I also use powdered food (hakari first bites) soaked in a sq**rt bottle and sprayed into the tank. after about a week I start feeding BBS. I also lower then turn off the heat. In another week I move them into rooftop tanks.
Everyone will have their own system but this works well for me. the things I would stress are:
1) use the aquaculture probiotics (it creates biofilm and breaks down waste).
2) don't keep your tanks too clean, the fry will eat what is in the tank they need bacteria for food,
3) use snails to break down waste and filter water.
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