Catching wild fish for the tank.

[Kris P Bacon]

Jewels are out if Africa, but not a Rift Lake cichlid. It's from the rivers and likes simular waters to SA/CA cichlids. There is a really bright red version as well. They grow a bit smaller than cons, about the same temperament. Reproduce like rabbits, so in theory can be used to make clean feeders like cons are.
Tho I don't know if being from Africa, disqualifies them from being feeders for SA/CA fish. My Oscar did eat one....
Bad Toni !!......with no side effects.

I saw a red one in a creek, I chased him around with a dip net for days, until he was no longer in the area. Never could corner it.

 

[Jexnell]

By clean feeders I mean born and raised in your tanks. Gut loaded before feed to your fish. Feed at 1/2 or smaller, when the dorsal fins are still bendyish and won't hurt your fishes mouth. And feed one at a time. Dropping a net full could get some stow-aways in the decore breeding more cons.

My HRPs are attempting to fill this role.....If they could ever get the whole spawning thing down. 5 tries so far, and wiggelrs only one time.

 

[jhook]

I'm taking a trip to Sarasota later this month. I'm hoping to catch some Midas, or even better, some smallish Oscars.
I catch sunfish for my N.A. tank. They're fun to watch and absolutely destroy worms and grass shrimp.

 

[davemal]

kiddy pool wont last long as a pond cheap safe way to make a pond is out of an old bath tub, leave the plug in (I siliconed mine) pond liner or plastic to line if you want. Mine is still going after 6 yrs

 

[Deadliestviper7]

Get a small snap frame pool, a cheap indoor pond for 20 dollars, then get a predator that likes to eat jewel cichlids and mosquitofish

 

[krichardson]

kiddy pool wont last long as a pond cheap safe way to make a pond is out of an old bath tub, leave the plug in (I siliconed mine) pond liner or plastic to line if you want. Mine is still going after 6 yrs

I've always wanted to do a bathtub water feature for the back patio.I would want one of those old clawfoot tubs.

 

[Kris P Bacon]

Caught 6 more pleco today. They hang out on top of the concrete but bolt when you get close, so I started dragging my dip net on any flat surfaces underneath and started catching them, all one inch or less. Wonder if a pet store will buy them? The tiniest ones I saw were about a quarter inch, those must be days old.

 

[thebiggerthebetter]

You will have to treat them against all external parasites, of which they have probably all. Three baths of potassium permanganate would do it.

LFS almost never carry common pleco. Pond places that sell koi do.

I'd also check local regulations. Natural wildlife collection requires a collector permit. Perhaps not so with the invasives, but still could pay to check.

 

[Kris P Bacon]

You will have to treat them against all external parasites, of which they have probably all. Three baths of potassium permanganate would do it.

LFS almost never carry common pleco. Pond places that sell koi do.

I'd also check local regulations. Natural wildlife collection requires a collector permit. Perhaps not so with the invasives, but still could pay to check.

Everything in my tank is wild. Tank has been set up about 5 weeks. Recently started doing 30% water changes twice a week after 3 mollies died within days of each other. Nothing shows symptoms until they go lethargic on the bottom and kick off. I see no signs of ick.
Should I treat the whole tank?

 

[TwoHedWlf]

Everything in my tank is wild. Tank has been set up about 5 weeks. Recently started doing 30% water changes twice a week after 3 mollies died within days of each other. Nothing shows symptoms until they go lethargic on the bottom and kick off. I see no signs of ick.
Should I treat the whole tank?

Treat the whole tank for what? If you don't have an idea of what to treat for you'll just waste time and money at best, at worst make things worse. Just keep doing water changes. If it's only been 5 weeks odds are it's still cycling anyway, just test the water.