Please Share Your Goodeids & Wild Type Livebearers

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chrissfishes

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Jan 15, 2010
32
3
38
Metamora, IL
Hi everyone,
Just had an idea to make this thread for everyone that keeps Goodeids & wild type livebearers to share pictures of their fish and share information how they keep them. The goal is to share with the public and try to interest others into keeping these beautiful,rare,underrated,and threatened livebearers. Please no hybrids. Wild type only. Please keep updating how your fish are doing,when you get fry, and update when you get new species. Would love this thread to keep going.

Here are videos of my livebearer collection. I do weekly 50% water changes on all of my tanks. I keep all of my tanks at room temperature. I feed my fish regular flakes, veggie flakes, and frozen foods (bloodworms,spirlinua brine shrimp,& emerald entree). I alternate foods and give them more veggie then protein. There have been health issue reports surrounding too much protein in Goodeids.



When I have fry from my fish, I remove them to a breeding unit or a growout tank. The only specie I don't have to remove fry is Goodea gracilis. For all of my livebearers, I buy a bunch of plastic plants and cover the tank with them. I let them float in the tank and I put them in the gravel. I also have found putting a dark color background on the tank (deep blue/black) helps them feel secure and aren't as jumpy. The plants help keep them calm, allows them to get away when aggression strikes, and helps hide the fry.





Xiphophorus clemenciae "Rio Carolina" Mexico



http://s100.photobucket.com/user/cichlid_lover128/media/WP_20140227_0011_zps0ab6b522.mp4.html

http://s100.photobucket.com/user/cichlid_lover128/media/WP_20140227_0051_zps6f26f32a.mp4.html


They are in a 75 US gal. I just obtained the clemenciae in January 2014. Since then I have had two drops of fry. They do seem to chase/eat their own fry. It's divided in half with plexi glass. Plan is to keep two species of Goodeids in the tank with them. One specie of Goodeid on either side. This tank is 65 F in the winter.



Goodea gracilis & Xenoophorus captivus "Illescas" SLP

Rio San Juan Del Rio, Queretaro, Collected by
Miller,M76-25 refers to Dr. Miller's field notes for this collection of

Goodea gracilis

http://s100.photobucket.com/user/cichlid_lover128/media/WP_20140227_0021_zps21d83e30.mp4.html



The graciis and captivus are in a 40 US gal breeder. The tank is divided in half with plexi glass. One specie is on either side. I just obtained the captivus in the fall of last year (2013) and haven't had a drop yet. This location of captivus is considered to be extinct in the wild. From the sounds of it X.captivus is not doing very well in the wild from other locations either. The graclis I have had since 2011. The gracilis breed very well. Gracilis is considered endangered in the wild. This tank is 60 F in the winter.



Xenotoca melanosoma Collected by Devin Biggs 18-1-2008,
Achacales,Rio Ayuquila drainage, Municipio El Grullo,Jalisco,
Mexico



My adult pair of Melanosoma



http://s100.photobucket.com/user/cichlid_lover128/media/WP_20140227_0071_zpsed686c0e.mp4.html


A young juvie pair of Melanosoma. I have 7 other juvies that are this size

http://s100.photobucket.com/user/cichlid_lover128/media/WP_20140227_0081_zps5e47024b.mp4.html


The melanosoma are in a 38 US gal. I obtained some in the early spring last year (2013) and a few more in late spring from the collector. This specie can be very aggressive. Especially during mating. They eat their young and the fry are weak when born and should be removed quickly. They seem to be easy to breed. Sadly, this location is feared to be extinct in the wild or near extinction. They have tried to collect them for the past 3 years and haven't captured a single wild specimen. This tank is also 60 F in winter.



Xenotoca melanosoma fry from last year (2013)

http://s100.photobucket.com/user/cichlid_lover128/media/WP_20140211_0011_zpsf547aff1.mp4.html


10 US gal. Also, 60 F in winter.






Thank you! Take care! Chris
 
I used to raise various species of Goodeids before I attending the college which is 200 miles away from my hometown so I sold them. Characodon lateralis were my favorite goodeid, always producing fry every month and the adults leave them alone.

Xenotoca eiseni was my first goodeid species. They were super nippy and I got too many males out of them. The last female croaked and I moved the rest to the blood parrot tank for few years.

My second favorite goodeid would be basslet goodeid, Ilyodon furcidens which looks similar to a young largemouth bass except that it won't outgrow a 20gal and are harmless to the fry. Unfortunately I lost the female when I got them so I only have two males. The males got huge about over 4-5" and I introduced them to the blood parrot tank. They live with the parrots for few years till the males died of ripe age.

I had a group of Xentaenia resolanae aka leopard goodeid. I only had them for few months till I trade them for a group of Goodea atripinnis which is larger goodeid species. I had some trouble with breeding the Goodea since they wont give me fry for few months. Then I had to remove the dominant female from the colony and the breeding was observed. Finally got fry out of them after a year since I got them. I kept them in a long 20gal.

All goodeid species I kept were in the basement so 60-70* degrees for them.

There are some species I want to try would be few locations of Charadon complex and the famous Charadon audax aka Black Prince. I has yet try the most common species Ameca splendens aka Butterfly splitfin and Z. tequila aka Crescent Splitfin. I tried to find the predatory Goodied Alloophorus robustus but no luck.
 
Thank you for sharing MN_rebel . Very nice collection. I used to have some of the species you have mentioned but I had to downsize for a bit. I am now able to setup more tanks and get more species again.

I used to have Chapalicthys pardalis "Lake Chapa", Ameca splendens, Xenotoca variata from two locations "Jesus Maria" & "Zacapu" Zoogoneticus tequila, Ataenobius towerii, Characodon lateralis "Los Berros", Xenotoca eiseni, and Xenataenia resolanae.

I know someone that has A.robustus. I "might" be getting some. I should be getting some Allotoca goslinei and a few other species this spring.

Here are two websites on Goodeids.

http://www.goodeiden.de/html/goodeids.html

http://www.goodeidworkinggroup.com/
 
I hope you will get a breeding colony of A.robustus in future because I dig these monsters! It's amazing that many goodeid species are rare or extinct in the wild, yet thriving in the aquarium hobby. I do like Amado Nervo blue version of Characodon lateralis and I'm hoping that one day I will have a colony of Amado Nervo along with El Toboso and Los Berros.
 
I've kept many goodeids and wild livebearers over the years. At the last meeting of the North Jersey Aquarium Society, Dr. Ted Colleti presented a very good program on wild livebearers. Many fellow club members keep a variety of species. They are usually found in the monthly auction.
 
Thank you very much for sharing joe jaskot & duanes . Very nice X.eiseni duanes! Keep updating.

"I hope you will get a breeding colony of A.robustus in future because I dig these monsters! It's amazing that many goodeid species are rare or extinct in the wild, yet thriving in the aquarium hobby. I do like Amado Nervo blue version of Characodon lateralis and I'm hoping that one day I will have a colony of Amado Nervo along with El Toboso and Los Berros."

I hope I am able to get them as well. Been searching for them for a while. I will let you know if I do get them. It is amazing but it's very sad. In order for them to keep thriving in captivity we need more interested people. The fish need to be recognized. I fear that a lot of people don't know about them. A lot of species are very rare and very hard to come by. Some species are very rarely kept. Like melanosoma for instance. Very few people keep them in the US. The different locations of the same species have different genetics and need to be kept separated. It is highly recommended to keep each specie/location variant in their own tanks. I have seen those locations of Characodon available on the internet and I know a few people that keep them. Amado nervo and Los pinos are both feared to be extinct in the wild. I was considering Amado nervo but then found A.goslinei so I went with them instead.

I have heard that this years ALA convention which is in St.Louis, MO will have a bunch of Amado Nervo available. ALA Conventions are an excellent source for getting species.
 
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