Finally I have a pair

[kwebb20]

Well I finally have a pair out of the six I bought a few weeks ago. The female is bulking up and the male is being very protective over her. The slate cleaning has began! Thanks Andy for all the helpful advice I'll keep you posted. Still waiting on the panda koi.

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[kwebb20]

Here's what I came up with for my breeder tank and the other is the pair anyone know which is male and which is female the one with the spot in between the middle stripes is the really aggressive one I hope Andy chimes in on this one I did the best I could going off of everything you told me

 

[Andy Sager]

Well from what i can see, the fish in the front has a rounder belly than the one in the back making it the probable female. If you took this pic before you fed them for the first time in the morning, I'd say it definitely was the female.

Hope this helps

 

[Plantaholic]

Like a good fish breeder, AndySager is there! Lol, sorry the state farm commercial popped in my head when I read this!

 

[Andy Sager]

Like a good fish breeder, AndySager is there! Lol, sorry the state farm commercial popped in my head when I read this!

I got that

Just trying to help the people out ( What's funny is the breeder forum page starts up when I come on so I saw it first. Then I needed to leave. Now I am back and saw your comment. Thanks, I needed a chuckle)

 

[Andy Sager]

Well from what i can see, the fish in the front has a rounder belly than the one in the back making it the probable female. If you took this pic before you fed them for the first time in the morning, I'd say it definitely was the female.

Hope this helps

I should also note that after looking a bit closer at the picture, that same fish in front also appears to have what looks like a potential hump on the head ( usually a male trait) which, if this is in fact the female, proves that these fish today have been so messed with genetically that nothing is safe for sexing sans actually watching them spawn. It would all just be a guess.

The best sexing method after voyeurism that I use, is to look down at the fish from above before the first feeding of the day. A female will have a rounded belly from her eggs while the male's appearence will be more of a straight line. Since no food has been fed yet, there can be no mistaking an egg belly for a food belly

 

[kwebb20]

Ill try that in the morning! Thanks andy

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[Plantaholic]

I got that

Just trying to help the people out ( What's funny is the breeder forum page starts up when I come on so I saw it first. Then I needed to leave. Now I am back and saw your comment. Thanks, I needed a chuckle)

What? No poof of smoke?!? Glad to have brightened your day.

"Six callers ahead of us Jimmy!"

 

[Plantaholic]

KWEBB, I apologize for my distraction! Best of luck with your beautiful Angels!

 

[kwebb20]

Oh no problem at all and thank you I have read that Andy says luck has nothing to do with it but I'll take all the good luck wishes I can get

 

[kwebb20]

I looked at them both really close this morning. the one without the spot on its side definitely has a rounder stomach. So I guess they truly have bred all the ways to tell out of them hahaha.

 

[Andy Sager]

I looked at them both really close this morning. the one without the spot on its side definitely has a rounder stomach. So I guess they truly have bred all the ways to tell out of them hahaha.

Okay, so confirmation comes from voyeurism ( watching them spawn.)

On a slightly different note, I don't find it funny that THAT's the state of the fish these days. In fact, I find it sad that man's manipulation of these fish have changed their natural differences. While it is true that without these manipulations we wouldn't have all the color varieties, creating a female with a head hump ( another non natural appendage) is just the result of careless breeding by careless breeders. That's my opinion. ( stepping down off my soapbox now )

Keep us posted on your success

 

[kwebb20]

Yeah that is very true! Do I need a sponge filter in with the pair now? Or only after the start to spawn? But I will keep you up to date!!

 

[Andy Sager]

Yeah that is very true! Do I need a sponge filter in with the pair now? Or only after the start to spawn? But I will keep you up to date!!

When breeding fish, the only filtration I use is Sponge filters. It supplies all the biological filtering the tank needs. As for chemical filtration, depending on the brand of sponge filters, there are some carbon cartridges ( for other types of filters) you can modify or attach with flex hosing to add some chemical filtration. I usually use the weekly water changes as my chemical filtration on pairs tho.

 

[kwebb20]

What is a good brand? and how much do they usually run price wise?

 

[Andy Sager]

What is a good brand? and how much do they usually run price wise?

I've recently resorted to making my own using the sponges from either the LEE'S brand or the Hydro Sponge brand.
You can try to get them locally to you or try here: 4 Fish Stuff - Hobbyist and Commercial Pet Supplies, Aquarium Supplies: Fish Tanks, Stands, Decorations, Accessories

( just click on the "sponge filters" picture and search both Lee's and Hydro Sponge)

The Lee's ones have been the easiest for me to make the carbon cartridges work on. You just eliminate the white pipe holder and use a rubberband to hold the tubing in place. ( Being a fish breeder means being inventive! You should see my contraptions. )

 

[kwebb20]

Hahaha I have already started!!! See the neat fish tank stand I built last week I even made a curtain for the guys on the bottom so walking around them won't bother them and ok I'll look at that I actually looked the other day on how to make a home made one I just didn't know if they reAlly worked well!

 

[Andy Sager]

View attachment 230373
Hahaha I have already started!!! See the neat fish tank stand I built last week I even made a curtain for the guys on the bottom so walking around them won't bother them and ok I'll look at that I actually looked the other day on how to make a home made one I just didn't know if they reAlly worked well!

The key to making a good filter is to have a tight fit between the sponge and the core where the water gets pulled in to. If you don;t have a good fit, the water does not flow through the sponge and only flows through the holes of the piping. The site I recommended has the cores and sponges and lift tubes to make your own Lee's filter, good for 1 pair of breeder fish in a tank or a small spawn to raise in a 20 gal tank. Once the fry get larger, you will need to either upgrade the size of the sponge or just add more sponge filters to the tank. ( I usually use 3 to a 75 gal with a medium fish load.)

 

[kwebb20]

Is there any thing wrong with using the white pipe?

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[Andy Sager]

Is there any thing wrong with using the white pipe?

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PVC Pipe? No. That's what I use. Just make sure you weight down the bottom so it doesn't float and only put holes where the sponge is going to be located. I use the connectors to drill holes in instead of the pipe so that IF I make a mistake ( rare, yes, but sometimes happens ) I can just get another connector instead of losing or shortening a piece of pipe. Don;t make the holes too big or too small so that water flows through the sponge at a good pace. You can test this by adding some M. Blue or food coloring above the sponge filter and seeing if it is drawn into the sponge. If not, it's either not enough suction or the holes aren't right. Either holes too big, too small, not in the right place or the pipe is too narrow for the hole or the airflow needs to be higher.