In a manmade pond, will exodons breed?

[Retuks]

I was thinking maybe some fish don't breed just because their wild conditions just aren't there.

so i was thinking, if i bought exodons in bulk (say 200+ give or take from an LFS supplier), threw them into a pond about 50 feet in diameter and 2 feet deep on the deepest parts, lots of leaves fallen sunked leaves, overgrowth, wood, tangly tall grass and infested with tilapia, mosquito fish, crayfish, and swordtails.

would they be able to establish themselves within those confines? its the closest to a wild environment being that its a humongous hole in the ground basically refilled with only rain, and already has lots of silver fish for them to feed on of all sizes, and predators like crayfish. 75-85 degree weather, and mosquitos. the mud bottom, and did i mention lots and lots of plants/weeds? geckos, spiders, its basically a part of the wild aside from the fact that it was man made.

 

[hybridtheoryd16]

It sounds like the habitat is right.

Maybe check the ponds water parameters for
ammonia
nitrite
nitrate
and ph
and see if it is close to there natural habitat.

No one will no for sure if they will breed or not but if I had to guess I would say that they would in time.

 

[HarlanAshmore]

sounds brilliant to me

 

[Retuks]

alright. im actually thinking of trying it with the permission of the rich fellow who owns the pond. (its just a part of his shrine and i already asked him about the pond itself, he has no concern for what inhabits his pond. he said he used to have koi but gave up caring what was in his pond)

hybrid i may need your help since you have been the closest lead i had to getting the exodons. i couldn't contact that website and they haven't replied to me yet. also, being this is a side project i will save a few bucks each paycheck till i can actually try this out. though the heat is stakes are high since it will be out of my own pocket on a gamble that they will succeed. so the cheapest place to get a bulk order is a must.

=>>>>>>>>>>

another slight complication i see is our water is relatively hard. (unless i am mistaken since all freshwater is harder in general). exodons live in the amazon but their rivers are made up of rain just like this pond.. and my exodons live in tap water at home which is pretty hard still.

 

[channarox]

i personally think you could do it in a tank.
but of course you'd need to soften the water as well as lower ph.
blackwater should help.
lots of plants.
basically like most tetras.

 

[Retuks]

but everybody would be screaming about it if it were that easy

where do you get black water from? and do they have to be real plants?

 

[channarox]

but everybody would be screaming about it if it were that easy

where do you get black water from? and do they have to be real plants?

blackwater you can buy from most lfs.
i dont think it matters whether its real or not.
its not easy,but im sure it can be done.

 

[hybridtheoryd16]

anything i can do for you just let me know. And i will try.

I have seen in the past that TFD does not usually answer emails. Infact just about every time I have called them they said not to send email because they are so back logged that it may never get answered. I personally think that the old man that runs the place is not very computer friendly. Like he doesn't really know how to use a computer very well. Thats pretty common around here with people that were alive before computers and internet.

So i would just call them on the phone. They have a 1-800 number so it would be free to call. And that way you could get a real handle on your situation about ordering in bulk.

If it were me I would ask about having a direct shipment from his supplier made. If that is possible. And i say this because it is so many fish that you will need and his supplier has to be far far away from him. Of course you would have to let him know that you want to go thru him. Because if he thinks you were trying to under cut them, he probably would not want to help you if he's not making a profit.

And i think it could be done in a tank or smaller pond as well. I would set up a 500-1000g pond and make it a biotope. And cycle it with a extreme amount of those mosquito fish so they can get established and start breeding for food puposes. I would just pack it full of live plants and drift woods and maybe a dirt or sand bottom. Just put it in a area with some sun so they plants and algae will grow. And a 55g drum filter and you should be set i would think.

 

[hybridtheoryd16]

Look into almond leaves to use for the black water. In your climate they might be local and free. Almond leaves are said to have the best natural antifungal properties out there and the tannins they leak are said to contain many many vital nutreints for fish that can't be replicated.

 

[Retuks]

i can't afford my dream pond right now so anything i do will be done in my neighbor's pond since its already established, overgrown, and full of invasive species.

thats a really good idea hybrid. im worried that TDF won't ship to hawaii because their website reads "will ship to anywhere in the continental US". i don't fully understand what you mean though about working through the owner and buying from the supplier without profit to him. maybe im just crosseyed right now and can't read properly. lol

Im looking through various wholesalers to compare prices... but all look sketchy. lol idno how to tell which suppliers are legit and which ones are scams