One tank led to another and...help me choose what to keep breeding!

[knifegill]

Okay, my head is spinning and I'm setting up tanks left and right. I've got two sexy pairs of bettas with one pair spawning right now, two crayfish with babies, a newly acquired pair of albino BN plecos and a small school of colombian tetras. I'm tempted to try them all! Which do you think will be the most rewarding? Probably the bettas and plecos but the crays are definitely already here. *is dizzy* Not sure who to raise in which tanks, which would sell best locally, which will produce the hardiest offspring and be the least demanding. If you were going to raise the crayfish and one or two other things, what would they be?

 

[Laticauda]

I say just the bettas and the tetras. Breeding BN's is as simple as having a tank with a male and female BN in it. I don't even notice mine doing it, I just see a lot of babies appear every few weeks.

EDIT:: I just read your post, and if I were YOU, I would say just the plecos or if you REALLY wanted to, the bettas and plecos, talking market price/ease of getting rid of young. However, I think that the tetras are by far the coolest (and biggest challenge) breeding project.

 

[knifegill]

Sounds good, but all my other tanks have very nosy and hungry bottom feeders that would probably eat the eggs. But if it's that simple I'll probably give them the 20 hex to themselves and watch the babies roll out. Just got to find a light for it to give them daylight periods.
*sigh of relief* So that's simplified a bit for me. Thanks.

 

[Laticauda]

Do you mean eat the eggs of the BNs or of the tetras? The BNs lay eggs in a cave with dad, and he protects them with fervor. The true dangers come when they are free swimming and dad can't protect them anymore. I see lots of babies come out, but only a few survive to 2" because there are goldfish in there, and if you have ever had goldfish, you know they put anything in their mouths that they think will fit!

Good luck with whatever you decide! Breeding can be very fun and rewarding.

 

[knifegill]

As much appreciation as I have for fatherhood instinct, it just wouldn't be fair (for the BN plecos) in, say, my 55g. I have two amblydoras nauticus, one Agamyxis pectinifrons, one brachyrhamdia meesi, a baby acanthicus adonis, a gold dust bichir, a colombian ramshorn snail and an albino chinese algae eater. I'd hate to assign dad to that kind of vigilance. I mean, would he even notice that the snail was eating the eggs? How many hungry and dumb bottom feeders could he repel at the same time?

I know the tetras have to be reared separately. Somebody in my other thread suggested what basically amounts to a giant net or basket in which they live and the eggs drop out the bottom. Sounds doable.

But I do have high hopes for the two BN's in their twenty gallon paradise. Thanks again!

 

[Dark Jester]

Nice catch on the albino BN Plecos. Petsmart by me got some last week and sold out same day. I found out the next day..

If the Plecos are big enough toss them in with the crays and give them a cave of their own. Probably wouldn't do it unless they're bigger then 3" though. My crays have taken down 2" guppies on at least 2 occasions (maybe 4, but I can't prove 2 of them). I added a couple cory cats to their tank about a week ago though, and the crays haven't bothered them at all. Crays seem to avoid them at all costs, and the cats will push them out of their way. I imagine plecos would be treated similarly.

 

[knifegill]

Nice catch on the albino BN Plecos. Petsmart by me got some last week and sold out same day. I found out the next day..

If the Plecos are big enough toss them in with the crays and give them a cave of their own. Probably wouldn't do it unless they're bigger then 3" though. My crays have taken down 2" guppies on at least 2 occasions (maybe 4, but I can't prove 2 of them). I added a couple cory cats to their tank about a week ago though, and the crays haven't bothered them at all. Crays seem to avoid them at all costs, and the cats will push them out of their way. I imagine plecos would be treated similarly.

Aww, sorry you missed the pleco shipment! My pair actually came to me for free from two different sources. The big male from a craigslist guy who was giving away tanks and feeling generous. The female is a long-finned albino and she came from my LFS. They got her in the plant shipment by accident and I got store credit when my heater died (I returned it) and I swore off marineland in favor of the ...Penn Plax... as an effort to spit in luck's eye. The last two heaters I've had die were brand new Marinelands of different styles and I've just had it.

The BN are together now. He has a little flower pot with a door cut in it for a cave and the two seem to engage in a little play, could just be territory disputes. This is the first time I've filtered a tank with nothing but a sponge filter. It's huge, though, like 4" cubed. I added gravel for their comfort and the temp is about 77ºF but I've got to get a thermometer in there to make sure. Running the legendary green ebo heater. Added live blackworms and an algae wafer. Time will tell.

I don't think I want crays eating or being eaten by the plecos but I do appreciate the idea of combining breeding projects. It will be really funny if I'm rearing betta, tetra and pleco fry all at the same time in my 60 gallon tank.

 

[Dark Jester]

I don't think I want crays eating or being eaten by the plecos but I do appreciate the idea of combining breeding projects. It will be really funny if I'm rearing betta, tetra and pleco fry all at the same time in my 60 gallon tank.

That's what I did with the crays and guppies. Have guppy fry swimming with the crays now, and at least one of the crays is berried. Cory cats in there are male and female too, so who knows.

Basically a big feeder factory.