SAD! UNSUCCESSFUL ANGEL FISH BREEDING... 😔

A few months ago, I bought 3 angelfishes to be part of my community aquarium. I was expecting a pair to be formed from the three, but it took pretty long for them to pair up, so I thought maybe they were all females (since I can see their bellies bulging!) But, just a few days ago I saw a pair laying eggs on the corner of ths aquarium! I got so excited that I removed all the other fishes and left just the pair inside. Well, having seen a few videos about angelfishes being able to nurse their eggs and their young by themselves, it didn't really bother me. 

Wouldn't you be excited as well if you saw your angels doing this in your aquarium??? 😍😍😍 Well, unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. And I just found out that not all angelfishes act the same way as they do. Some of them actually have lost their natural instinct of protecting their eggs, having been kept and bred in captivity for a very long time. So what happened? Your guess is as good as mine. Not even 2 days have passed, when I noticed all of the eggs were gone! Yes! They gobbled up all their eggs!!! 😭😭😭

So now, I wnet back to Youtube and searched for more videos about caring for Angelfish, and their eggs. And I had to search for a local video, to make sure the approaches and techniques were more applicable to my location. 

Most of the videos would show a piece of tile, or a piece of pipe, which will be used as an egg collector. And what they would do is, as soon as they see that there are already a desirable amount of eggs, they would pull out egg collector, and place it in a different tank without the parents, or any other fish. And, ome important factor is an aerator, and a few drops of methelyne blue, to prevent the growth of fungi on the eggs.

So now, here is my new setup. I hope this pair will soon lay their eggs, and I hope to be able to care for the babies! 🥰

Wish me luck! And, Happy Fish Keeping!!!

Successful BETTA Fish Breeding!

 

I have always been fascinated by the Siamese Fighting Fish, or Betta Fish, as now commonly known in the local fish keeping community, ever since I was in elementary and high school. I always wanted to breed them back then, but, unfortunately, only 1 or 2 fry would survive, and would eventually die around the 3rd month. That's when I decided to totally quit caring for bettas. 

However, not until recently, during the uprising of this dreaded coronavirus pandemic, I was once again inspired to care for, and once again, try to breed these fascinating fresh water fish. 

Back then, it was very hard to find resources on how to breed, there was no internet yet. I had to depend to stories from the fish-keepers who were successful in breeding them. It was pretty hard to keep up with their advise, as each of them would have a different approach. But, there were a few things which were common; 

1) always select the right pair before breeding - this is by placing the pair in their respective bottles, let them see each other for a few days (2 to 3 would be good), and when the male has produced lots of bubbles in his bottle, it is then ready for mating. 

2) place the pair in a separate container (hatchery) with a floating plant, or "talisay" leaf (indian almond leaf)- a 1 gallon ice cream container will work. I used a transparent food container, about 8"x3"x12" dimension. Make sure to use only about 2 inches deep of water. In my experience, the fry would sometimes have difficulty swimming in deep water, and drown. leave the pair overnight, or two. once you see the lots of white spots on the bubbles, you can separate the female. 

3) leave the male with the eggs/fry until they become free-swimmers - the male betta is very protective of their fry. they will pickup eggs, and fry when they fall to the bottom of the container, or when they swim away from the bubbles. it's fun to see them being responsible parents to their fry. when the fry turn 6-days old, or when you can see them swimming freely, you can now separate the male in his own bottle container. 

4) feeding the fry - it would be very advisable to feed your fry some baby brine shrimp (bbs). atleast 2 to 3 times daily. you may also feed them daphnia if is available in your area, but I would suggest you filter the daphnia so that only the smallest ones get fed to the fry, or else, the big daphnia will end up eating your fry! You may want to check out my blog about BBS hatching. 

I used to feed boiled eggs (the yellow part) to my fry before. But, it makes the water very cloudy, and could sometimes pollute and kill your fry. 

5) transfer your fry to a bigger container for grow-out - once your fry turns about a month old, it would be a good idea to transfer them to a larger space.  This will give them enough space to swim around, and search for other food sources such as algae on plants. Yes, it is very important to have plants in your grow-out tank! This will keep the water cool, and provide shade for your betta. And this will also serve as hiding spots for the smaller bettas. It is normal for the larger fry to bully on the little ones. No need to worry when they chase each other in the tank. Continue feeding them live food (BBS or daphnia), and then slowly introduce them to pellet food. Your main concern now is to let them grow and survive!

6) At around 2 to 3 months, you can start jarring your bettas individually. Some might be bigger than the others, but once they reach about an inch long, it would be advisable to separate them in jars or bottles. This will ensure the growth of their fins and tails. Once you reach this stage, you've done it! All you have to worry now are customers! Or, you could keep the betta for yourself if you love how the colors developed. 

My oldest fry (1st pandemic batch), only had 1 survivor. I thought it didn't survive, 'cause me and my family had to move to a different house for a few weeks. Luckily, it survived! But that didn't stop me from trying again. The 2nd batch actually all died, due to my negligence! I forgot to cover the hatchery when the sun was pointing directly on it. Luckily, the male betta (the father - half-moon red flare tail with green scales) didn't die from the extreme heat. Well, they always say "The 3rd one's the charm!", and it was! My 3rd batch spawned more than 100 fry, about 60 survived, 20 are now jarred, the rest are still in the grow-out tank together with the 4th batch, which spawned about the same amount (different father - hmpk - candy koi, same mother though - green scale half moon betta)! Like I said, they don't all grow at the same rate. Some of my 4th batch fry are actually bigger than some of the 3rd batch ones! But I am very glad, and thankful! 

Here are some pictures and videos...

Father (1st Batch, 2nd & 3rd Batch) - Red Flare-Tail / Green Scale

Father (4th Batch) - HMPK Candy Koi

Lone Survivor from First batch (6 months old)

Below are some of the 3rd batch fry at 3months old

This one has a Black head with dark blue body and Red Ventral Fins

My favorite among the 3rd batch - Dark colored with Bluish-Green fins

Here are some of them in separate jars...

My first BABY BRINE SHRIMP! (BBS) - and how to prepare BBS Hatchery

Buenas dias! 

I was able to successfully breed my Siamese Fighting fish (Betta) once again. And I have been thinking about what to feed them. A long time ago, I used to give them hard boiled eggs (the yellow part), but according to one vlogger on youtube, he would not recommend it. I also thought about feeding them daphnia. However, I noticed that daphnias are actually larger than the betta fry, they might end up becoming the prey. Also, the youtube vlogger said that the water source from where the daphnia was caught could bring diseases to the fry. And he suggested "Baby Brine Shrimp, or BBS" (I will mention the vlogger's name at the end, and include a link to his videos.) 

To tell you frankly, I don't have any experience using BBS to feed my fry. So, I had to look it up on youtube, and self-learn. And surprisingly, it was quite easy!

I'll share with you what materials you will be needing to successfully hatch Baby Brine Shrimp.

1) - You will need a 1 liter plastic container. (I used a 1.5 liter cola plastic container.) 

(1 liter or 1.5 liter plastic bottle... picture not mine...)

2) - An airpump - to constantly move the eggs around in the plastic container.

3) - A Spoonful of rock salt

4) - A pinch of baking soda (this is optional - accordingly, this helps control the PH of the water.)

5) - Half a spoon of Brine Shrimp Eggs (or, as much as you want - just not too much!)

PROCEDURE:

Ofcourse, you will have to purchase the BBS eggs from the pet store, or from the online market. Most sellers would sell between Php90.00 to Php100.00 for 10 grams.

1) Cut the bottom part of the plastic container. You will need to insert something to hold the bottle up-side-down (see picture).

(Similar to this... picture not mine...)

2) Pour water, atleast a liter, making sure not to make it spill. Leave atleast an inch of space between the water and the top of the container.

3) Add a spoonful of rock salt. There is a ratio of a spoonful for every liter of water. But it is really all up to you. 

4) Add a pinch of baking soda. Again, this part is optional. This will balance the water's PH level.

5) Put in your Brine Shrimp Eggs.

6) Insert the aerator into the container to provide movement for the eggs. 

7) Leave it for 12 to 24 Hours.

 8) After 24 Hours, you can take off the aerator and harvest the Baby Brine Shrimps!!!

Now you can feed your fry!

(Betta Fry feeding on Baby Brine Shrimp... )

Hope I was able to inspire you today!

Have a nice day!

...and Happy Fish Keeping!

BTW, here is the link to Dexter's World on Betta Breeding and Baby Brine Shrimp hatching...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-02zOP5R3-8

The battle of JANITORS! - Pleco or Cory?

Hi there! It's been awhile. I have been busy, recently. I just bought a 24x12x12 indoor glass aquarium. And I bought 2 Oranda goldfish, 3 angelfish, and 2 CORYDORAS!!!

Yes, you read it right. And there's a really good reason why.

When I was a kid, the first ever bottom feeders I had were these "janitors" called corydoras, or cory fish, as commonly called. 

According to wikipedia, "Corydoras is a genus of freshwater catfish in the family Callichthyidae and subfamily Corydoradinae. The species usually have more restricted areas of endemism than other callichthyids, but the area of distribution of the entire genus almost equals the area of distribution of the family, except for Panama where Corydoras is not present.^[1] Corydoras species are distributed in South America where found east of the Andes to the Atlantic coast, from Trinidad to the Río de la Plata drainage in northern Argentina.^[2] Species assigned to Corydoras display a broad diversity of body shapes and coloration.^[3] Corydoras are small fish, ranging from 2.5 to 12 cm (1.0 to 4.7 in) in SL.,^[2] and are protected from predators by their body armor and by their sharp, typically venomous spines."

There's always this question being raised by my fellow fishkeepers, as to "why not just get a pleco?" 

Wikipedia defines it as, "Hypostomus plecostomus, also known as the suckermouth catfish or the common pleco, is a tropical fish belonging to the armored catfish family (Loricariidae), named for the armor-like longitudinal rows of scutes that cover the upper parts of the head and body (the lower surface of head and abdomen is naked). Although the name Hypostomus plecostomus is often used to refer to common plecostomus sold in aquarium shops, most are actually members of other genera.^[8][1]

Suckermouth catfish are of little or no value as a food fish, although they are at least occasionally consumed over their native range.A demand exists for them, however, in the aquarium trade."

Now, why didn't I get the "Pleco" janitor fish? Well, one reason is it's size. the Cories that I have, only grow to about 2.5 to 3 inches in length. While plecos grow up to 12 inches, even bigger! 2nd reason is, cories move around more, which I like to see in my aquarium. While plecos stays in one place, only moving when they are looking for food. 3rd, is how it looks. The cories are prettier than the plecos (write a comment if you think so, otherwise).  And 4th, they actually CLEAN UP, hence the term "janitor fish".

Please note, that this is actually just my honest opinion.

There are actually other bottom feeders, or algae eaters which are more attractive than the corydoras, one of them being the "rainbow shark". 

  

Now you'd ask me, "why didn't you go for the rainbow shark?" Well, I have 2 answers; 1 being "availability", and 2 being "pricey". 

Yes, In my area, plecos are the most common and cheapest bottom dwellers, and can even be caught for free in rivers. Rainbow sharks, although common in pet shops, are a little bit pricey. Corydoras, on the other hand, fall around the middle range when it comes to price. 

As a person whose fishkeeping hobby just made a comeback, I prefer to have fishes which I already had before. That way, I would know how to take care of it. That is why, on my previous post, I talked about the mollies, guppies, platies, and swordtails. However, there is on new type of fish in my new aquarium, and that's the angelfish. Which was actually my daughter's request. I still have a few things to learn about this magnificent fish, which I will be talking about in my next blog. 

Have a nice day, and Happy Fish Keeping!

Fresh Water Aquatic Fish - For Beginners

Greetings! Buenas Dias, Buenas Tardes, y Buenas Noches a todos!

I am Jonathan. It has been a long time since I stopped caring for fresh water aquatic fishes. I started way back when I was still in elementary school, around the 5th grade. It came as a curiousity. The first fish I ever cared for was a tiny common goldfish. I didn't have an aquarium yet, so I made use of an old styrofoam case, which I covered with plastic book cover. A few days later, 2 mickey mouse platies were added to the collection. And with the support of my dad who decided to build our own aquarium using old broken table glass, he asked me to buy additional fishes, some aquarium pebbles, and air pump. I bought 2 bottom dwelling plecos, which looked really cool! But, with the aquarium being so big, and very few fishes, I had to buy more fish! Which I did. 

There was this local aquatic home-based vendor near our school, whom we called "Manong Eto", who was selling tropical aquatic fishes. We visited him from time to time, and everytime we did, we always had a fish or two with us on our way out. 

I bought bought Mollies (black and silver), swordtails, and guppies. I also bought a black-moore goldfish. It's a black goldfish with bulging eyes! 

For me, it was just for entertainment. Watching thise fishes when I arrive from school was always so relaxing! But then, my live bearers started to give birth! So I needed to make more room. I asked my dad to make a smaller aquarium for some the fries, and I made a wooden box with plastic cover for the others.

For first timers, it would be wise to start with Live Bearers:

1) Guppies

2) Mollies

3) Platies

1) Guppies come in a variety of colors. The most common are the Mosaic guppies (the ones with red/yellow/orange tails). Guppies are good for your aquarium, since they add color and move around. They tend to swim near the water level, perhaps looking for food. 

Breeding guppies is easy. Just put a male and female together, and they will do the rest! They are like "hamsters of the fish world." Just make sure to separate the fries once they give birth. It's fine to leave them there if you have plants or other aquarium decorations where the fries could hide. Keeping different types of guppies may lead them to breed different strains. If you want to keep a specific strain, you may want to keep them in a separate aquarium.

Mosaic Guppy 

2) Mollies are also quite interesting! The common ones are the Black Molly, and the Silver Molly. Other varieties include the Marble Molly, Spotted Molly (result of breeding black n silver mollies), Gold Dust, Chocolate Molly, 24k Molly (result of breesing spotted, gold dust, and chocolate mollies), Balloon Molly, and so much more! Other varieties come with Lyre Tails, and Sail Fins.

Just like guppies, breeding mollies is easy. placing a male and a female together will work the magic. Just make sure to separate the fries once they are born.

 Silver Molly

Black Molly

3) Platies are very pretty fishes which come in different types as well. The common ones are the Sword Tails, Mickey Mouse Platy, and the Blue Moon Platy. 

Sword Tails usually come in striking red, with a distinguishable sword-like tail fin. Other varieties of Sword Tails are Green Sword Tail, Black Sword Tail, Kohaku Sword Tails, and many more!

Sword Tail

Mickey Mouse Platies are probably tshe most unique, since they have a distinguishing mark of the famous mouse near their tail fin! One of my favorite fishes!

Mickey Mouse Platy

The Blue Moon Platy is a dark bodied colored platy (bluish green, to bluish black), with their mouth and tail being light yellow to dark orange in color.

Blue Moon Platy

Breeding Platies is pretty much the same as the Guppies and Mollies. Just put them together, and they'll do the rest! 

It would be nice to have aquarium plants. This helps in keeping your water cool, and fresh. It also helps in providing them food. And hides small fries from predators.

Coming up with different types of fish variety actually really depends on the fish keeper. He might want to keep a certain type, or he may want to come up with newer strains. 

I just started caring for fishes once again, and I only have a few of them for now. They are a mix of Guppies and Mollies, no Platies yet. I currently have a makeshift box with plastic cover for them. I also have some plants to keep them cool, since I don't have an air pump yet. 

 Mixed Guppies and Mollies

Molly Fries - 3 days old!

Take note, these types of fishes can survive even without an air pump. As long as you have a space big enough, and some plants to provide them air and oxygen, they will be fine!

I feed them atleast twice per day. Just a pinch or two, once in the morning before I go to work, and once in the afternoon when I return from work.

I feed them small sized pellets (red and green color), and wheat germ for the fries. I will try to find some live food like daphnia, or bloodworms when I have time.

All I can say is, Fish Keeping is really a fun hobby! Keep in touch as we talk about different types of fishes in my next blog.

Have a nice day!