Breeding fish in kiddie pools and stock tanks-II

[Macdaddydaze]

Yeah I was thinking some African vicious

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[Macdaddydaze]

Cichlids

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[KevinKY]

This is unsolicited advice, so take it with a dash of salt.

I read the part about you spending the time to separate the live bearer fry so the mom and pops wouldn't eat them. I was wanting to do a very similar experiment myself but didn't get on it in time this year. However while working out the details I currently have to bread platies and mollies next year, I thought it would be best to allow mother nature to play her part with only a very small intervention from me. This would save me a ton of time and allow only the strongest to survive. After all, even though we all greatly enjoy our fish friends the point remains that time is money.

The point I am trying to make is this: Would it be easier on you to place java moss or some other 'fry saver' moss in the live bearer pool along with some live floating plants (hornwort instantly comes to mind)? This would allow for cleaner water and the extra benefit of giving the little fry something to snack on while at such a young age. This might be a very costly addition to the pool/vat but you *might* be able to recover a good amount of that by selling live plants as they both start to over grow your setup.

On the same idea: If the live plants would set be too big of a financial set back then maybe lining the bottom with a type of plastic net that the fry could go through, but the parents couldn't might also work. This too would also save loads of time and allow the fry a quick get-a-away.

Any way you choose to do it I am along for the ride and I appreciate you for documenting this adventure for all of us to see!

Thanks again and on with the show!

 

[Macdaddydaze]

More updates and pics please

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[henningc]

Update

Update

Well to address the fry sorting discussion, I agree doing that by hand would be a full-time job. For the Endlers and Least Killies there is no need, the adults don't eat the fry. The will live in a totally free state without restrictions.

The swords and platys, well we all know what they do. I have found a way that cut predation on their own fry down significantly, but for this endever I'm going to use breeding traps. Breeding traps used on fish farms restrict adults not fry. I have several 4' long by 16" wide by 14" deep clear rubbermade containers. I've drilled holes on the sides and bottom so fry can simply swim out. I will be using java moss to help the cause and some breeder mops that should supply cover. I will pour 5gal of pond wather through each trap in the evenings and mornings time permitted. This will wash any remaining fry out into the open pool. To keep te predation down I will place 6-8 female Endlers in the trap with the sword or platys. They will be a source of fresh live food food. Endlers fry seem to have lost their fear of larger fish, so they are easy pickings. I will also have an over abundacne of mosquito larva that I can net and toss in the traps the first month or two. After the sword and platy fry get size on them, they will get to keep their mosquitos, and by that time I'll' have set up additional rubbermade containers to cure driftwood and of course harvest mosquito larva from. I may not have stated it before, but you could do this project almost with out feeding the fish.

Each breeder pool will act as a grow out pool for the first weeks of the swords and platys lives. They will then be moved to vats and other pools. The Endlers and Least Killies will be in every pool seeing that nobody can cross breed. I may give the Blond Endlers their own pool with just Least Killies. They are worth a lot more and I'm waiting to see what types of oddballs they will produce.

Did somebody say photos?

 

[KevinKY]

Ah, I see said the blind man! Now I see where you are going with this. Great idea! Good looking color on those fish.

 

[KevinKY]

How about some pics of the vats/pools?

 

[Fishninja]

How much did you end up spending on endlers and least killies if you don't mind me asking.

 

[henningc]

I had them from my fishroom, but they were worth less than $50. If you do one 6'x6'x18" kiddie pool 6 female Least killies and 6-10 female Endlers all pre-hit should net you 200-300 fish in 3 1/2 months.

 

[henningc]

OK, as of last Sunday three pools set up and rolling. All are set up, filled, have a few heeping handfuls of Oak leaves for last fall in them and one small airstone from the temp air system. Today I added 5gal of water from my tanks water changes in each pool. I'll do a 10% water change this Sunday, add a few more Oak leaves and add more water from indoors.

If the weather warms some next week, I'll stock in some pond snails and seasoned PVC sections to begin ramping up the cycling process. If the weather looks really good, I'll add some flower pots a few gravel spots for heaters and run some very, very seasoned-like all winter-corner filters that should spew bacteria.

I set out 6 - 5gal buckets and 2 cat litter pans last week and already have harvested my first mosquito larva. I'm getting all the stock primed up on live food to boost their immune systems. All the big sponge filters have been cycling indoors for a few weeks and I figure they go in the second week of May.

 

[Macdaddydaze]

Good to hear progress you went mia for a while and I'm really interested in this project because I'm thinking of doing it myself

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[jetajockey]

I'm interested to see more of your setup also. I've got a greenhouse that I grow aquatic plants in and have been considering utilizing some of the open spaces for breeding stock.

 

[KevinKY]

update, Update, UpDaTe! For the love Fish DO AN UPDATE ALREADY!!!


LoL, no pressure buddy, my impatience is getting the best of me.

 

[emilygupps]

My bf did this while in vet school in the Caribbean with betas. He made like $800 a summer. They paid for his beer

We tried to do this with guppies last month but the weather changes in Southern California are too drastic. Even in the shade the water could get pretty darn hot, it was 105 here last month and then down to 68 the next day. We lost both females and ended up having to buy a tank to put the male and the free fry I got from lfs into so they wouldn't die too.

 

[henningc]

UPDATE:

Sorry for the delay and I will get photos this weekend.

Well I have started the big push to get the fish moved. So far I have Least Killies in both P-1 pools with more going in next week. In P-1-1 I have a group of Ochard Endlers 10 females 4 males. Those numbers are likely to double by the end of the weekend. I currently have a group of Black Bar Endlers 10 females-5 males ready to go into P-1-2 tomorrow and have another 6 females and 4 males in stage one of conditioning. They will hit the pool Friday. My goal is to have the first small group of swords and platys in breeder traps outside by the end of the weekend. In the P-2 pool I currently have 3 female and 3 male Least Killies and one marble crayfish. Tomorrow I will release 3 female and 3 males Least Killies and yet another marble crayfish.

By Friday I'll have a large group of Blond Endler females 16-20 to split between the P1 pools and P-2. I forgot to say that I have added at least one Blond male of the correct color type to both P-1 pools. I will also be adding 12 Paleatus-Peppered-Corys to to P-1-1 and 12 albino Anues in P-1-2. In P-2 i'm not doing corys rather I'm going to add RCS and about 75 Scuds. It is a huge and deep pool with a lot of leaf litter on bottom and two crayfish habitats, so the shrimp and scud babies should have a fighting chance to live. Once the swords start reproducing all bets are off on the shrimp and scuds.

I still don't have any fish for the vats, one is infested with tadpoles-great Belonasox food. I'll likely use one for Chilli Endlers and the other for a growout tank. I also have one more P-1 pool to set up and hope to do that over the weekend. Photos next week, but remeber, there is Oak tree pollen staining the water yellow green. The water is clean and has great chemistry. Last thing, if you want, know somebody who wants or just want to gift some to somebody that doesn't want them, I have a ton of various Endlers I need to sell. P.M. me and I will cut you a deal-You read four pages, you earned it.

Friday night I plan to start conditioning my brooder platy females 15 at a time and should have the first batch in P-1-2 by Saturday. Same thing with my Pineapple, Pineapple Tux and Painted Marigold swords in P-1-1. Saturday night or Sunday, if everything goes as planned, I'll start conditioning the first group of Showa, Koi and Black and White swords for P-2. They will go in Monday afternoon.

After this weekend I will be conditioning and adding fish daily. I'm planning to wait until next week to add any more Endlers to the P-2 pool as it will end up having 35-40 brooder swords.

 

[KevinKY]

I wouldn't worry to much about showing the conditions of the pools. Anyone expecting crystal clear and polished outdoor breeding ponds needs to have their head checked. Hehe

Good luck with the weekend work and be sure to enjoy every minute of it.

On another note, what have you found to be the best way to condition tank breed live bearers for outdoor climate swings?

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[henningc]

Update:

Well I live outside of St. Louis, Missouri and although I live on a large wooded property, all of us have 3-10 acers, there are no issues with wildlife. The most wildlife has done is the tree frogs spawn in the pools. Tadpoles for sale or trade or for cichlid food. The weather here is dreadful, it has been swinging from 60s at night and 80s-90s in the day. The fish can take the heat as long as you have plenty of air and when 100 degrees or over put a frozen milk jug in. The fish thrive at temps in the higher 80 range and tolerate lower temps perfectly as well. Here again O2 levels are the key.

If you really feel the need to snatch some fish go ahead and try, if the dogs don't get you I will. Just kidding, the dog run is about 25ft away from the pools and you couldn't even get close before they bark. I forgot to mention the deer drink from the pools at night.

Now for the how to FIRE SALE fish online? Glad you asked. I'll give you the answer once you buy 50-100 and as a bonus, if you buy now in the next 15 min, I won't care what type of fish they are. Actually this and several other forums and Aquabid keep the fish going out the door. I also sell quantity orders to people who flip them to local pet stores.

Time for the update, the first P-1 pool 6'x6'x12" has 16f / 6m Orchard Endlers, 3 pairs of Least Killies and will be getting 12 paleatus corys tomorrow. If all goes well I'll start filling the breeding trap with pineapple, pineapple tux, marigold and RREA swords, I plan to have 14-16 pre-hit females once completed. The other P-1 pool has 17f / 9m Black Bar Endlers, 4 pairs Least Killies and will be getting 12 Anues corys no later than Tuesday. If all goes will between now and Monday I'll begin to fill the breeder trap with pre-hit female platys until I reach 30-35 fish. The large P-2 pool 110"x72"x18" currently has 3 pairs Least Killies and 2 marble crayfish. Thursday, the pool will get another 12 Least Killie females. Tomorrow I will add approximately 15 female Endlers and 6 pure line males. This will be my Chilli Endler production pool. If all goes well, I'll begin to fill the breeder traps with Showa, Koi and Blk & White female swords. This pool will have 28-30 pre-hit females and should crank out fry like there is no tomorrow. If you figure low, 10 fry per female per month, I'll let you do the math. I'm just waiting for you to buy some of these hint, hint!!! I still have a 125gal vat-currently has thousands of tadpoles-and 175gal vat. I also have another P-1 pool I'm setting up for grow out with the vats.


I forgot to mention each P-1 pool has 2-3 Blond Endlers of the same color pattren as the primary Endlers. I will add approximately 8-10 more Blond females as I go. Thanks for reading and I'll check back once the swords and platys go in the pools

 

[henningc]

Update:

Orchard and Black Bar Endlers all are producing fry. Looks like 50 or so in each P-1. I set up the brooder group of Chilli Endlers in Vat-1.

Test groups of platys and swords have been in the traps fr 2-3 days and are all doing fine.

Tomorrow I will add more stock to the traps and stocl in Least Killies to both P-1 and P-2.

 

[henningc]

UPDATE:

P-1-1 Orchards 2-3 groups of fry, Paleatus Cats and Least Killies fine. 8 Platys in trap.
P-1-2 Black Bars 3-4 groups of fry. Anues Cats and Least KIliies fine. 12 female Sworda in trap. Will add another 6 Swords and another trap with 14 more.
P-2 Least Killies reproducing. Just added small group of Orchard Endlers. Marble crayfish doing fine.
Vat-1 Chilli Endelers no fry yet. Will add more Least Killies and Paleatus Cats
Vat-2 scrub Endlers to produce food for Belonasox.

By the end of June I should know how production will go. The Endlers are going great guns, but it is the Platys and Swords I want.

 

[Macdaddydaze]

Pics please

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