you may want to talk to Mr. Firemouth, his expertise is in firemouth selective breeding, but i'm sure he could give you eccelent advice on selective breeding for certain traits, and he is really good at it, his juvi FM's look like show quality adults!!!!!!
"THE CON PROJECT"
- Thread starter maxxximus87
- Start date
Max,
To linebreed effectively you will need the following...
1. 3-5 15gallon tanks
2. power filters for the tanks instead of sponge filters. ( you want to increase bio-load and feeding)
3. 1 40gallon breeder or bigger for growout
4. 1 20-30gallon tank for breeding one pair only
Once you have the equipment you need to isolate the female with best color in 1 15g tank and feed heavy! Keep water quality prisitine!!!
Then pick a male with best color. Look around if you don't already possess a killer male. Only use the best you can find! Then place hime in another 15g right next to the females tank where they can see each other and fatten him up also!
After a month or if their colors go crazy,(breeding dress) place them in a 20-30g breeder tank with dark substrate and cover. You can use flower pots.
Once they breed get one of the 15g ready for fry. Use a sponge on the filter intake and go bare bottom. Start a culture of BBS and get some liquid fry foods. You can use a hard boiled egg and wrap the yellow yolk in a wet paper towel and squeeze the yellow water into the tank for a first fry food.
As you raise the fry pay attention to water quality and keep food density high.
Then once the fry begin to show color start separating to another 15g until they are ready to be grown out. I transfer to growout tanks after 1"
Then continue to isolate the best colored individuals for the next breeding phase. Also pay very good attention to finnage and body shape! Color is important but you want the total package!
Then just repeat year after year focusing on the best individuals!
To linebreed effectively you will need the following...
1. 3-5 15gallon tanks
2. power filters for the tanks instead of sponge filters. ( you want to increase bio-load and feeding)
3. 1 40gallon breeder or bigger for growout
4. 1 20-30gallon tank for breeding one pair only
Once you have the equipment you need to isolate the female with best color in 1 15g tank and feed heavy! Keep water quality prisitine!!!
Then pick a male with best color. Look around if you don't already possess a killer male. Only use the best you can find! Then place hime in another 15g right next to the females tank where they can see each other and fatten him up also!
After a month or if their colors go crazy,(breeding dress) place them in a 20-30g breeder tank with dark substrate and cover. You can use flower pots.
Once they breed get one of the 15g ready for fry. Use a sponge on the filter intake and go bare bottom. Start a culture of BBS and get some liquid fry foods. You can use a hard boiled egg and wrap the yellow yolk in a wet paper towel and squeeze the yellow water into the tank for a first fry food.
As you raise the fry pay attention to water quality and keep food density high.
Then once the fry begin to show color start separating to another 15g until they are ready to be grown out. I transfer to growout tanks after 1"
Then continue to isolate the best colored individuals for the next breeding phase. Also pay very good attention to finnage and body shape! Color is important but you want the total package!
Then just repeat year after year focusing on the best individuals!
Mr.Firemouth;1002272; said:
Do you think i could go smaller as far as tank size? Convicts are smaller then firemouths, If you dont think so i will go with what you have suggested. Thank you the information you are giving is priceless.
15 gallon tanks are 24" wide and make getting light fixtures easy. You could use 6 g Eclipse tanks for fry and graduate to a 36" long tank for growout.
I would definitely use no smaller than a 20g for the breeding pair. You want them to breed and get you to wigglers so you can raise the fry. Start small and work your way up.
Start thinking of what you're going to do with hundreds of convicts. They will not all possess great colors. Culling the best only for your tanks is vital to the program! NO LIMPERS(poker term) ALLOWED!!!
I would definitely use no smaller than a 20g for the breeding pair. You want them to breed and get you to wigglers so you can raise the fry. Start small and work your way up.
Start thinking of what you're going to do with hundreds of convicts. They will not all possess great colors. Culling the best only for your tanks is vital to the program! NO LIMPERS(poker term) ALLOWED!!!
Mr.Firemouth;1004029; said:
I have some old eclipse tanks laying around, and i have a 29 gallon with a puffer i could move into another tank. I was also thinking could i condition the pair in a 10 gallon divided in half? maybe a plexiglass divider so they dont breed through it?
If the fish to be conditioned are worthy in color and shape to be part of the breeding program then you can condition them together and not worry of any divider.
If the fish have never met than, I like to place them in side by side tanks and condition them.(Foreplay?)
When you only have one male and one female and are trying to breed them, it is called "forcing a pair bond".
The fish are not paired and have no others to selectively choose from by sparring for dominance. The pair bonds are formed by one fish being aggressive enough to gaurd territory but smart enough to be submissive to the Alpha male. When forcing a bond the male may reject a female and kill her in extreme closed quarters.(hence the larger tank for breeding)
Some times it is necessary to remove the fish wait another 3 weeks and reintroduce them until the bond is formed.
It seems to me that you have one nice female to breed to. Therfore I would find 2 more females of lesser quality, and 3 very nice males and let the Alpha male choose your nice female. This would avoid any damage that can be had by forcing the pair.
Cons are like guppies and you may find them attempting to breed right away. I would experiment with them in a 20g long tank first. If that wasn't working out, then I would add more fish as described above.
No matter what fish we keep, because of individual personalities, there is an aspect of trial and error. Just make sure you are able to protect your female and have the ability to monitor their introduction.(do it on a weekend when you will be home and able to observe them, not on a weekday when you will be at school or work)
Once you gain some fry and have a bigger breeding colony protection will not be as much of a factor.(you will have back-up breeders then!)
If the fish have never met than, I like to place them in side by side tanks and condition them.(Foreplay?)
When you only have one male and one female and are trying to breed them, it is called "forcing a pair bond".
The fish are not paired and have no others to selectively choose from by sparring for dominance. The pair bonds are formed by one fish being aggressive enough to gaurd territory but smart enough to be submissive to the Alpha male. When forcing a bond the male may reject a female and kill her in extreme closed quarters.(hence the larger tank for breeding)
Some times it is necessary to remove the fish wait another 3 weeks and reintroduce them until the bond is formed.
It seems to me that you have one nice female to breed to. Therfore I would find 2 more females of lesser quality, and 3 very nice males and let the Alpha male choose your nice female. This would avoid any damage that can be had by forcing the pair.
Cons are like guppies and you may find them attempting to breed right away. I would experiment with them in a 20g long tank first. If that wasn't working out, then I would add more fish as described above.
No matter what fish we keep, because of individual personalities, there is an aspect of trial and error. Just make sure you are able to protect your female and have the ability to monitor their introduction.(do it on a weekend when you will be home and able to observe them, not on a weekday when you will be at school or work)
Once you gain some fry and have a bigger breeding colony protection will not be as much of a factor.(you will have back-up breeders then!)
