New Breeder looking for Help

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C

Cryogenetica

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jan 24, 2011
18
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0
Brisbane
Hey Guys and Girls,

After countless hours of research, a million and 1 drawings and specifications I've decided I need some help haha.

In short - I'm looking to start breeding Leopoldi's I havn't bought or built anything yet it's all very early stages.

Tank:
I'm looking at 2 tanks (8ft L x 4ft W x 2ft D) 1 for the breeders 1 to separate the pups into.

Filtration:
Originally I was looking to have a hole drilled into either end of each tank and have a 2200L/H canister filter (with UV) with the intake from one being in one and the out flow being in the other tank and the same from the other so the water travels in a clock/counter clockwise direction.
(if that didn't make sense I can post a drawing lol)

Heating:
I've got 2 x 300watt heaters capable of heating 1000L of water each (apparently) and was planning on putting them 1 in each tank near the intake hole on 1 and the outflow hole on the other (making for even heat distribution) *these heater will be covered to stop burns*

Air:
I am planning on putting an air tube into the out flow of each of the canister filters to deliver it into the tank (not entirely sure of the amount of air or size of pumps I should be using)

Conditioning:
I have got a Automatic pH and o2 controller and am aware I need a way to monitor nitrate/ammonia levels. I will be hunting around for a alarm or something to watch that too.

I am also going to try and automate daily water changes of about 5% to simulate rainfall.

Lighting:
Not sure what to do about lighting?

Food:
Through my research and the successes of others on this forum a DIY food sounds like the way to go I spose I could think about getting some live shrimp and keeping them so they are fresh before blending (saves heaps of runs to the shops).

Looking for any and every piece of information or suggestions that I can get from you guys. Thanks in advance!
 
Leos get big and will be around 3 years old before breeding. Your tanks are big enough but with the number of pups you will get I would look at setting both tanks up for the adults and add a 40 gallon breeder to the system for the pups. You will need atleast 3 300watt heater per tank and you will need to upsize your filtration. Look at a sump or a sump with a bio reactor. Canisters are nice for mechanical and chemical but unless the chamber is huge they don't do much for bio. If you get a large custom filtration system then you can run all 3 tanks together which will make maintenance easier and keep water consistent
 
Thanks FishDog,

Ok, so i'm going to need to get some more heaters 4 more to be precise.

How much more filtration will I need? 4400 L/H isn't sufficient? or should I just ditch the twin canister idea altogether?

The idea is to run both through the one sump and bio reactor, should I be looking at something commercial or a DIY, I don't mind putting in the man hours as long as it's going to do the job.
 
Hey FishDog

Thanks for the quick response - so judging by your post, I really need to rethink the filter strategy.

I saw another post here on something this guy has done would I be looking at something more like that?

http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=387173&highlight=custom+sump

except have pipe from each tank going in and a pipe going to each tank coming out? that way all the water is symmetrical?
 
I would suggest pond canisters. i have been using them for my breeding. footprints are almost the same. i am going at 3500L/H for each breeding tank. lighting would nt be required. jus make sure the rays are eating well. ph n ammonia levels monitored. i would usually seperate the female from the male and pump her up before letting the male have her. it would be a gd idea to have a female that is at least 2-3" bigger. as they would be wrestling during the mating process. Gd luck with ur project. (:

Cheers.

Dom.
 
I think your hardest obstacle is obtaining mature fish. Everyone here says 3 years, but in my own personal experience it's much longer than that.
 
Hey Guys,

Thanks for your input:

Ray'Oconner, So a pond filter (Defiantly something I haven't looked into so far) Prehaps something like "Laguna Pressure Flo Pond filter 8000 with UV" is that a little overkill or would it suit if I was pulling water from both tanks?.

dookie, I have a seller overseas who has a breeding pair on hold for me :) Just waiting for some references from them to confirm their reliability (live on delivery guarantee).

wing888, Thats the point :P, there are currently no other breeders of leo's in Australia - The cheapest FW Ray in Aus is the Motoro (if you can find one for sale), all though they are beautiful (and between $900-$1000 each) I have the black disease :P.
 
The only way to monitor nitrate and ammonia is via manual test kits. Ammonia. Is a simple problem that goes away once cycled assuming you have sufficient bacteria area. If you want to breed valuable rays then get a large sump.

Air pumps in the out flow will not work, they do. Ot pump in oxygen, they are used to agitate the surface area....either add airstones or add a venture to the out flows.

Turnover has little to do with filtration as long as you are turning over enough to keep up with the bio load, even 2-5 times per hour is easily enough, the filter bacteria need area to colonize and oxygen to live, therefore a big surface area and a well oxygenated filter is the best. Oxygen is added to the water through turbulence of the water surface...either add an airstone to the filter or the tank or just ripple the surface of either.
 
Just Toby, Would the large sump your referring to look something like the link I posted earlier? http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/fo...ht=custom+sump - The reason I wanted to put the air in the outflow (which I heard will agitate the water the same if not more than putting it in the tank itself).

Having said that, and tanking into account the fact that I will no longer be using 2 smaller canister filters I'll be able to put some sort of air stone thing into each tank Is there a recommended L/H value for an air stone or just buy the biggest one I can find?
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=387173&highlight=custom+sump
 
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