parents still have a couple few hundred. I pulled in a couple dozen or a few more. Hard to get pictures. They’re hogs. Absolute feeding frenzy when food hits the water.
Outdoor Jack Dempsey spawn
- Thread starter C. Breeze
- Start date
The last time I actually caught and looked at the parents I was more impressed with the growth than the additional color- but… the female looked better after 2 months outside than she ever had in the 2 years prior.
When I bring in the pair I’ll make sure to get some pictures. The male has grown a pretty good bit and even the female did.
overall the outside fish are more impressive in every way but this time of year, the food supply other than Anacharis and hair algae is getting thin- the fry have mostly depleted things otherwise and not as many aquatic bugs are using / hatchingin them
As it’s very hot. The fish are basically just laying low and really only infested in food really early or really late.
When I bring in the pair I’ll make sure to get some pictures. The male has grown a pretty good bit and even the female did.
overall the outside fish are more impressive in every way but this time of year, the food supply other than Anacharis and hair algae is getting thin- the fry have mostly depleted things otherwise and not as many aquatic bugs are using / hatchingin them
As it’s very hot. The fish are basically just laying low and really only infested in food really early or really late.
Kicked this same pair out for the summer again the other day.
Im in coastal ga. I keep the Uruguay stuff out year round and they see water in the mid 40s. the Dempseys are good in water down into the mid 50s so they go out mid April. I put the other CA fish out in May. So they won’t see anything Colder than about 65.
I sell some fish locally and ship fish to hobbiests and retailers. I have an add in the classifieds with the current list.
I appreciate the compliment regarding fish keeping fishkeeping techniques. Fundamentals apply. I have sought out fish that do well with my local conditions and water parameters. Beyond that my stocking density is very low. My Terapurpura group of breeders is 6 2-4” total length fish in a 180 gallon vat. This pair of Dempseys have 140 gallons to them selves. I have gotten more careful about not letting my Anacharis hornwort guppy grass and water sprite grow too crazy after having a couple vats full of fry crash overnight while the plants were gassing off co2. I keep at least 3/4s of the surface covered with frogbit ,water spangles, water lettuce, and water hyacinth. As far as leaving the systems stagnant- it became apparent in May a few years ago that usingpower fiktration or aeration in these above ground systems isn’t very tenable. Even 1000 gallons turns into bath water. If left stagnant the temperature gradient from the surface to 2 feet down is striking. And the reverse holds true in winter. So yeah. Defintely learning curve along the way- and I’m coming up on my favorite time of year- as the fry will start showing up soon and seeing the parents shuttle them around in a pond is even more cool than in a tank, for me.
I sell some fish locally and ship fish to hobbiests and retailers. I have an add in the classifieds with the current list.
I appreciate the compliment regarding fish keeping fishkeeping techniques. Fundamentals apply. I have sought out fish that do well with my local conditions and water parameters. Beyond that my stocking density is very low. My Terapurpura group of breeders is 6 2-4” total length fish in a 180 gallon vat. This pair of Dempseys have 140 gallons to them selves. I have gotten more careful about not letting my Anacharis hornwort guppy grass and water sprite grow too crazy after having a couple vats full of fry crash overnight while the plants were gassing off co2. I keep at least 3/4s of the surface covered with frogbit ,water spangles, water lettuce, and water hyacinth. As far as leaving the systems stagnant- it became apparent in May a few years ago that usingpower fiktration or aeration in these above ground systems isn’t very tenable. Even 1000 gallons turns into bath water. If left stagnant the temperature gradient from the surface to 2 feet down is striking. And the reverse holds true in winter. So yeah. Defintely learning curve along the way- and I’m coming up on my favorite time of year- as the fry will start showing up soon and seeing the parents shuttle them around in a pond is even more cool than in a tank, for me.
