What do you breed?

[Alyxx]

I recently started breeding bettas. I am still growing out my first small spawn and I hope to set up a new pair soon now that I have more tanks set up. I also want to set a tank up for breeding bn plecos. And I have platies, so I know I will soon have more platies. I have marmokrebs too, but I wouldn't say I breed them. They self clone so it's easier than breeding livebearers!

In the past I have bred guppies.

 

[bettaowner]

I'm trying to breed rams just because they look great

 

[Grandpa]

Sorry typo ... I have guppies they are easy to breed cuz they r live bearers ad I'm still learning

Guppys are fun easy fish. Around here they are also food. Big fish eat little fish.
Its easy to grow a small hobby in to a big hobby.

 

[Grandpa]

Andy thats Quite a list. Everything that a good FishShop would sale.

 

[Grandpa]

I'm trying to breed rams just because they look great

Rams are great little fish. there move from apistogramma to geophagus is what started my moving in to More Large Geo.s

 

[Andy Sager]

Andy thats Quite a list. Everything that a good FishShop would sale.

That's just it. My Mentor ( and friend of my Mother) was a certified ichthyologist and owned a little pet shop in their town in NJ. The thing about his store was that EVERY fish sold in the front of the store was either bred in the back of the store or his house ( or eventually, my house as well.) That's how I became so fluent in breeding. The fish I listed were what I had done over that 10 year time span. My mentor was breeding other fish as well once I took over these fish. I remember him doing Harliquen Rasboras and Orange Chromides ( when hardly anyone was breeding them) which I never got to do. Some of the other Asian Barbs as well. He was better connected to the Asian suppliers so had more fish opportunities than most. He was a great example of how to get the most amount of fish from the smallest amount of space and work hours and my personal hatcheries were just replicas of what I had worked with for him. ( Back in the days of metal framed tanks with slate bottoms ) That's why the list sounds like what a good store would carry

 

[Grandpa]

I am currently breeding calico plecos, sterbai cories, chili endlers, long fin albino plecos, pineapple swordtails, Phallichthys fairweatheri (aka picotee livebearers), apistogramma borellii, and I just started try furcata rainbowfish. I belong to my local fish club and a couple of the members have stores. Most of my spawns go yo them. Occasionally I sell on aquabid or to local members of my Facebook group. I don't do it for the money. I really enjoy the challenge and seeing the results.

Sounds like fun!

 

[Andy Sager]

I am currently breeding calico plecos, sterbai cories, chili endlers, long fin albino plecos, pineapple swordtails, Phallichthys fairweatheri (aka picotee livebearers), apistogramma borellii, and I just started try furcata rainbowfish. I belong to my local fish club and a couple of the members have stores. Most of my spawns go yo them. Occasionally I sell on aquabid or to local members of my Facebook group. I don't do it for the money. I really enjoy the challenge and seeing the results.

WOW, I just looked up the Apistogramma and the rainbowfish and was blown away with the pictures. These are new fish to me. Very pretty fish. Makes me want to set up some other breeding tanks

 

[Grandpa]

That's just it. My Mentor ( and friend of my Mother) was a certified ichthyologist and owned a little pet shop in their town in NJ. The thing about his store was that EVERY fish sold in the front of the store was either bred in the back of the store or his house ( or eventually, my house as well.) That's how I became so fluent in breeding. The fish I listed were what I had done over that 10 year time span. My mentor was breeding other fish as well once I took over these fish. I remember him doing Harliquen Rasboras and Orange Chromides ( when hardly anyone was breeding them) which I never got to do. Some of the other Asian Barbs as well. He was better connected to the Asian suppliers so had more fish opportunities than most. He was a great example of how to get the most amount of fish from the smallest amount of space and work hours and my personal hatcheries were just replicas of what I had worked with for him. ( Back in the days of metal framed tanks with slate bottoms ) That's why the list sounds like what a good store would carry

As I try to tiptoe to the ethical part of breeding. I know there is no real money in breeding. Its a hobby that can coast more then your return. I do it becuase I love to watch them grow from tynie little things to beautiful fish. As a naturalist I see to many people breeding fish that are por quality.
Quality is another subject.

 

[Grandpa]

I have bred Yellow labs, Red Zebras, Cobalt Blue Zebras, Mbipia cf. Lutea, and i'm currently working on breeding Red Empress and Lemon Jakes.

In the last 10,000 years. The African cichlid has become one of the best parents on the plant. This built in abliaty to rease their offspring make them one of the easiest fish to breed.
Very pretty fish.

 

[Andy Sager]

As I try to tiptoe to the ethical part of breeding. I know there is no real money in breeding. Its a hobby that can coast more then your return. I do it becuase I love to watch them grow from tynie little things to beautiful fish. As a naturalist I see to many people breeding fish that are por quality.
Quality is another subject.

I guess that's the difference, I don't tip toe
I left the fish biz a number of years ago but remained a hobbyist just for my own enjoyment. About 3 years ago, when I returned to buying fish and went back to some of my local shops, I heard few good things about the hobby as it was today. I looked at what they had and was saddened at the quality available. Then I went back to some of the wholesalers and saw that they were not offering better fish and was told that it was because the quality fish were not being offered and the Mom & Pop pet shops were "dropping like flies" so the ones that remained couldn't sell the exotic fish as much because the customer base was buying most of their products from the chain stores. Without the money coming in from one source to counter the lack of funds from the other, the variety of fish being offered had to suffer.
As for Quality, it's not all that available. Yet another reason I have pushed for people to start demanding better fish. Yes they will cost more money but in the long run, will be cheaper than replacing the crappy fish multiple times.
I don't tread lightly on this subject, as you may tell. I've seen the better days and know that they can be here again once hobbyists demand them. On a recent trip to my old customers, I told them about my new venture back into breeding and the response was " GREAT, Finally some fish worth buying." That's not how I left this biz years ago. I was replaceable then. Hopefully I'll be around long enough to see that again. We just need to spread the word that QUALITY counts.

Sorry for the rant

 

[Surfer]

I've bred every kind of pleco in my album besides the royal and gold nugget. I've bred convicts but again, who hasn't. Also Tiger barbs, and whiptail catfish. Anything in the loricariid family is my thing

Edit: woops forgot the green phantom, that's what I'm working on now.

 

[Andy Sager]

In an unrelated topic, I thought it was important to interrupt this thread for this announcement.
I came across this article today that may be of interest to the people working with the newer strains of tropical fish. This was not an issue in my fish career but apparently has surfaced in today's fish. It's worth a read.
Tropical fish diseases passed to humans: Humans at risk of impetigo, pneumonia from diseases to drug-resistant tropical fish | Mail Online

Sorry for the interruption

 

[Grandpa]

In an unrelated topic, I thought it was important to interrupt this thread for this announcement.
I came across this article today that may be of interest to the people working with the newer strains of tropical fish. This was not an issue in my fish career but apparently has surfaced in today's fish. It's worth a read.
Tropical fish diseases passed to humans: Humans at risk of impetigo, pneumonia from diseases to drug-resistant tropical fish | Mail Online

Sorry for the interruption

This was interesting. Didn't see what importer was in the studdy. In my list of Fish I own. Most are new strains I breed things you can't go get at a chain store, and very few Live fish shops carry. I take a chance everytime I order a new fish but It leads to why I don't even try to save sick fish. After you pay for meds and space time in QT. It still may die or be sterile. To replace the fish is some times the way to go.

 

[Clownfishlover]

I breed platies and black phantom tetras

 

[Andy Sager]

This was interesting. Didn't see what importer was in the studdy. In my list of Fish I own. Most are new strains I breed things you can't go get at a chain store, and very few Live fish shops carry. I take a chance everytime I order a new fish but It leads to why I don't even try to save sick fish. After you pay for meds and space time in QT. It still may die or be sterile. To replace the fish is some times the way to go.

I hear ya on not medicating. Sometimes the meds are more $$ than the fish. Unfortunate but reality. I think what it really pertains to are the offspring of the tank raised and produced fish from years ago. Multiple generations of poor or inbred breeding has left today's fish with less effective immune systems which, in itself, can be the cause of the bacteria strains that are resistant to the common medications. I've been discussing this with a friend who owns a shop. He tells me that it's definitely not as easy to cure today's fish opposed to fish from years or decades ago.
As for which importer, the samples were taken from different states so I don't think which importer is really important. I think it goes back to which fish house or fish farm the importer got his fish from. But you have to remember, look at the fish being offered today. Take the Dwarf Gourami for example. Flame, Neon, Powder Blue, etc, were all created from the "normal" Dwarf Gourami. I doubt that many farms used wild stock in the past 20 years to bolster their lines as there is now a "Dwarf Gourami" virus. I never needed to deal with that with my breeders. Then again, my breeders were stock from 30+ years ago and closer to the original wild strains. And this is just one fish from one family. There are many more examples.

But I didn't throw this in here to derail your thread. I just thought it was important enough that every breeder ( and fish keeper) be aware of what's going on with our fish. I've posted this article link in other threads that I am on as well for the same reason.

 

[Kelly5978]

I have bred guppies and convicts (i know...the 2 easiest). i am working on rams, and hope to try angels. I actually just chimed in to say: grandpa, the Tapajo in the "last picture" is one of the most beautiful fish I've ever seen!

 

[Clownfishlover]

I have bred guppies and convicts (i know...the 2 easiest). i am working on rams, and hope to try angels. I actually just chimed in to say: grandpa, the Tapajo in the "last picture" is one of the most beautiful fish I've ever seen!

From your picture you look like your the mom off of shake it up on Disney channel. Now not to get off topic how much success have you had with rams?

 

[Samzter]

I have only bred livebearers on purpose. I bred GBRs by accident. Also bred panda cories. That was also by a accident.. Right now I'm trying to breed apistogramma agassizi in the hope to sell them. They don't sell them in shops around these parts

 

[Grandpa]

I have bred guppies and convicts (i know...the 2 easiest). i am working on rams, and hope to try angels. I actually just chimed in to say: grandpa, the Tapajo in the "last picture" is one of the most beautiful fish I've ever seen!

Kelly, Thank you!
I had to drive over 400 mil.s round trip to pick them up. 2 years ago they where hard to find. They come from the Rio Tapajos River in Brazil. They are a mouthbrooder. At 5 in. It's not the biggest Geophagus I have but
Personaly it one of my fav.s.