DanGofCalgary

wait. what. Guppygirl. Superguppygirl? Is there a superduperGuppygirl? Will this madness ever end?

Exactly what Vince said. Good job getting that many fry saved!

Hi Harold. Did you get my PM? Dan

Congratulations on getting them breeding Vince! Some thoughts from an ancient breeder, who's knowledge is probably pretty dated. (So take with a grain of salt). 1: For this latest breeding, I would move the entire cone IN WATER to your bucket. Avoids exposing to air, and minimizes risk of damage from cutting loose with a razor. 2: I would hit the water with a very light amount of methylene blue, like just a slight color change (although you've already proven this is unnessesary by getting them to hatch). Just my belief. Even with fry I ran a bit of Methylene blue (again, just a very light blue color. just enough to inhibit fungus) 3: and this is the one that I really would note - You said you changed the water with RO water. Do not make a huge change in the water condition like that. If you already had RO water in the bucket, all good, but a sudden change in the TDS is really hard on fish, especially fry. Others may disagree, but if it were me, that is how I would run with the ball on this. Good luck! I've seen you succesful with many species of fish. This is just your latest challenge! Have you made Master breeder in the club yet? If not, I'm sure you will soon! Dan

I like your process Vince. I bought a butt load of those heaters for the exact reason that they were cheap. Never thought to use them in a bucket like that. I like it! Dan

Bringing some albino bristlenose juveniles, some Daffodil brichardi... and that's about it. Maybe some spixi snails if I can round up a bag.

The first step to recovery is to admit you are powerless over MTS!

I haven't hatched out australes in a while, but if I remember correctly they take newly hatches brine shrimp immediately? If you don't want to hatch out brine shrimp i would suggest these http://www.brineshrimpdirect.com/c2/Decapsulated-Non-HatchingBrine-Shrimp-Eggs-c21.html I use these for all my fry right now because I am too busy (ok, lazy) to raise brine shrimp. brine shrimp are still the best, but I would call these a close second. also, on your questions of containers. I find it easier to have a couple containers ready for the fry, feed them, then an hour or so later move the fry to the other container. Clean that one out, set it up with clean water and repeat the next day or two. It's often easier to move a small group of fry then to try to keep the small containers clean that you are feeding them in. Turkey baster is your best friend whatever route you take though. good luck! Dan

perhaps a piece of plywood on it (with cushions removed) and you have a tank rack!

I bought a few tickets for that. They haven't called me yet, so I think they have my number down wrong...

LOL! Dad to the rescue! The only part of this story that puzzle me though, If I remember correctly there were already tanks on the coffee table? Maybe my memory is faulty!

nice! grats FCG!

Don't see my name on there. What qualifies for 'an active member?'

Wow. that is awesome and a whole lot of work! good on them!

I started them out brackish (3 tablespoon per gallon, if I remember correctly) which was the recommended from Bill Bishop when I bought them from him. About a year later he advised me that he'd had one jump in to a fresh water tank and not only was it thriving but it was spawning and hatching out fry in the tank! LOL! seeing as they are often found in old beer cans with a bit of rain water in them, they are pretty adaptable. I now run them in straight tap water, occasionally adding in a bit of salt if I think of it (sort of as a treat? I really have gotten sloppy with them). I have no idea how high they can jump. It's not an experiment I was willing to try. I think I was standing close one day when one jumped. It sounded pretty vigorous.... I'll defintely try to get at least one to you. If I make CAOAC I'll likely enter one of the 3 I have in the New World killie category. They aren't near as pretty but they are way more interesting to me than most of the annual and non annuals that you can get. I'll also try to bring some eggs if they are spawning still. Dan

I'd go by the literature that they are hermaphrodites, so don't self clone, but self fertilize, internally before they lay the egg... I think? I keep them in a 10 gallon tank with a TIGHT fitting lid. and I do mean tight. I have a cover with a small edge hole that I use for feeding. When I am done feeding I cover that tiny (about 1 inch square?) hole back up. last year I forgot to put the cover on one night, out of a group of 10, I found 4 on the floor the next morning. In their wild state, they will often jump out of water and flop about grabbing ants and such. They can breath through their skin so long as it is moist, but unfortunately not a lot of leaf litter and things to hold moisture on the floor of my fish room.... They are amazingly unique. I think if we wipe this world out, they and cockroaches will be the survivors...

Repeat of topic posted at CAC So, another of my favorite projects from past times was getting kryptolebias marmoratus spawned and available around the clubs. As most of you know, this is an amazing unique little guy/girl. Literally. The only known true hermaphrodite invertebrate. or vertebrate... cah. Bioligy! the only known true hermaphrodite... fishie! After I had spawned them, spread them around a bit etc. I just basically left them in a tank of their own, threw food in and ignored them. they hid most of the time so it seemed a good relationship. When I did my downsizing, because they are fairly unique and high maintenance (if there is a slight crack or opening they will jump. They will live in brackish or fresh.), I kept their tank. They were down to 3 and I think they are about 3 years old now? The literature says that they will stop spawning after about a year. , so I expected these were just going to live peacefully in retirement till they passed away.. ON the edge as it were.. Well, last night they sent me a postcard from that edge. There were two eggs in their mops. So, I pulled them and will try to hatch them out. I do recall that for a mop spawner they have a surpisingly long gestation period. I think it was well over a month, i don't recall completely. We shall see I suppose! I'll be collecting eggs and raising a group of these to replace my existing ones, and likely a few more than I will need. If you have an interest let me know and when they are big enough I will contact you. I think they might be around Edmonton already too. If I remember correctly I sold a couple at the Edmonton auction a few years ago. Are they around?

MTS... it's too late! We all have it! LOL! First time I've wanted a +1 button on Alberta Aquatica!

LOL! Yes that does sound like I'd have it all covered that way John! FCG: If we count each of your betta jars as a tank, I think you are at 973 tanks!

You should post the links and such here (unless you already did, and I am too blind to see it.) They look like really nice shirts and it's a pretty good price. Cate: Will they be ready for the CAOAC convention? Would be great to see them on everyone at CAOAC if they are. (ok, we both know I'm a coin flip to make it, but just sayin')

Looks like fun. Not sure I can make it, but I'd like to sponsor a class. New world Killies. Ray: can you or whoever I would send the funds to, contact me please? Thanks! Dan

Concept: Downsize. stop breeding. free time for golf, wife, workouts, etc. Shut down most of my tanks. Gave a majority of my fish away to someone I felt overqualifies for clearing the Nandopsis clause. rearranged what fish were left in to my remaining 14 tanks. all good... except I had these 2 albino BNs. one looked male, one female. wth. throw them together in a tank for fun... oh yah. they had some fun last night.....

Broadmoor, Colorado Springs last September, just before the presidential debate in Denver.(I suspect she was there prepping Romney but I never asked her. I wasn't golfing with her, she was like 4-5 groups behind us, playing with the clubs head female pro, one of the male pros, and another fellow that we suspected was either a bodyguard or secret service? I just asked if she would mind taking a picture, and she quite graciously accepted. I think they played the US Womens open at Broadmoor east 2 years ago? It's a tough course. It pretty much ate my lunch every day. I specifically recall this beautiful 7 iron shot that I made in to the front of a green on the mountain course, just to watch it trickle completely across the green, picking up speed as it went and down in to a collection area that was a nightmare to hit out of. (like 15 feet below the green level?) hitting the green isn't enough on that course, you have to hit specific spots...

Condoleeza Rice meets a Canadian. Not great photography but a fun moment for me.

Great shots!