Breeding various fish       10/11/15
Hello! i hope you are doing great!
<A bit sleepy, but thanks>
Im afraid i am here to bother you again! Fish fever is on its peak and im on my way to multiple tank syndrome!
<Ah; good. Healthy>
A quick update though: Planted tank is doing great (Glossostigma is slowly carpeting but HC is still a no in my tank though...), catfish tank is by far my favorite, gotta love the rainbows darting through the tank while the catfishes wander below like little sharks while the Dojos do dojo stuff like playing dead; I gave the African cichlids away to someone who has 200 gal African tank though, i figured they would be better there... maybe ill try Africans in the distant future.
<Good>
Now getting on point:
I want a bigger planted tank, im looking at a 125 gal (the one i have is 40 gal) which would let me aquascape it and give it some sort of theme or something. However, while looking at ideas and fish species on the net i stumbled across a few species i would really like to try in this new tank, most are completely unknown to fish stores and even aquarists in here; However, there is someone who can import them for me. This is, however, very, very expensive but i still want to do it.
The fish i have in mind are:
Ivanacara adoketa, Colomesus asellus, Nannostomus mortenthaleri, Poecilocharax weitzmani, Laetacara araguaiae, Aphyocharax rathbuni, salaria fluviatilis, Macropodus opercularis.
Im also considering freshwater gobies (don't remember their names though).
<Wow; quite an assemblage>
Anyway, i would like to breed some of these fish (and also the boesemanni rainbows), so i don't have to import expensive fish every couple years (regarding the tetras, which i believe have a life expectancy of around 3-4 years am i right?)
<These ones yes; some (e.g. Neons) a bit shorter, other larger species longer>
and also to have these fish readily available in the country´s market, as there are a few people who make a living out of breeding rosy barbs, neon tetras, convicts, etc. So my plan is to have a way to re-stock on these fish every couple years and also to make them available to the public through the breeders by giving them some of the offspring.
<Mmm; breeding can be done... a bit too it; conditioning of spawners, making the breeding setting, preparing foods for the young....>
So, which of the species i listed can be bred in the aquarium?
<Mmm; none really... some may spawn there, but the chances of young developing, not getting eaten, finding sufficient food is very small>
for which ones will i need a separate aquarium
<Ahh; all>
and which ones can be left to spawn in the 125 community one?
<As stated; none>
Do any of the fish present very specific, if complicated requirements for breeding?
<Time for you to do a bit of looking, reading.... on WWM, the Net, at a large library>
i tried looking it up but these species are rare even in the net.
<Ah yes; books; old magazines>
I probably wont be importing all of them, only the ones where i have the best chances of success at breeding (and the puffers, i really want them).
The tank is meant to be set by around December, and it will start housing fish in February next year (cycling and plant growing time), and even then i will probably just fill it neon tetras and then decide on which fish i try...
As a last question, i read on annual Killies on the site the other day, but i found no article about the perennial Killies. I would like to try perennials and try to breed them but the net pictures them as some of the most complicated fish ever... is there any species of Killies i can try and breeding along with the before-mentioned or are they better left to people specialized on Killies?
<You should do a bit more "market research".... Doubtful Killies can be sold in good numbers; perhaps shipped. Is the IKA still about? Maybe the American: http://aka.org/>
Thanks for your time, best wishes, and as always keep up the good work.
Rob.
<Keep the enthusiasm; but add knowledge.... to hone your direction, develop a plan of action....
Every bit of useful, pertinent, accurate information will aid you in selecting species, knowing their needs/requirements, and determining whether they're good candidates for your proposed project. Bob Fenner>