A day at Green Chapter

[stormhawk]

Dropped by at GC over the weekend and took some pics, along with others taken months ago during the first killie import:



This one was still young when I first saw him, now he's a handsome male.



One of his 2 mates, looking fat and sexy. Hopefully more babies coming soon.



The old nigerianus Innidere male, one of 3 in the tank I think.



One of the fat females in the same tank.

Brought home a trio of the juveniles in a separate sales tank. They're taking BorneoWild Staple S at the moment.



GC uncle's next project. Juveniles growing up elsewhere and should be available soon enough.



One of the super fat females.

The following pics were taken months ago:




2 different color forms in the same import, which is normal for some furzeri populations.



Gettin' jiggy with it.



Not enough pairs of this fish made it so I didn't get any.

I missed one of the species that came in, Scriptaphyosemion schmitti Juarzon. That was a pity because it is a nice species. Oh well, there's always next time.

[tiintinn]

Thanks for sharing the photos, amazing fish with vibrant colours!

[stormhawk]

They look even better in person. With the right lighting and conditions, they can rival the marine fishes.

[Shi Xuan]

Jianyang, I must say, your photography skill is splendid & never fails to amaze me, I think everyone likewise, been dazzled by all the photos you have posted, or should I say, you're just as fine as these photos in person. It was nice talking to you at GC the other day but it was too brief, maybe we will do so again the next time we meet.

Glad that I did turn up that day & very nice to know you!

[stormhawk]

Thank you Shi Xuan, likewise it was nice to finally meet up. How come your friend didn't come along? The photos could have been better.

[Shi Xuan]

I have no idea but it's likely he's busy with something else, anyway, there's always a next time.


I saw the Fundulopanchax sjoestedti adults that day myself & oh my, the breeding trio is definitely huge!:O They are beautiful but the photos are unable to justify their monstrous size. The females, like the majority of species, are drab-colored, nothing compared to the splendid colors of the male. They remind me of the genus of Callopanchax which somewhat, generally attains the same size, of which, I've managed to hatch out the first fry out of 8 viable eggs of the species, Callopanchax occidentalis from Kenjiro Tanaka. I collected the fry on 020112 & it's about 1cm & feeding on grindal worms already. Pretty fast growing bugger. I could see some advanced embryonic developments in some of the eggs but no promise of hatching anytime soon.

Jianyang, how's your "gay male"? I suspect it's likely to be a female because I've gotten somewhat a similar fish as you & it turns out to be a chunky female. As for my trio, they have a voracious appetite & are being fed frozen blood worms & grindal worms at the moment.

Best regards,
Shi Xuan

[barmby]

Solid... though I have total no knowledge to the max with regards to keeping killie.

[stormhawk]

@Shi Xuan,

The "gay" male is a female. You probably need to get ready with the Callopanchax. They are bruisers, very nasty to each other especially male vs male. My grindal box is experiencing a slow down in growth so I might have to wait a little longer before giving them to my fish again.

@barmby,

You should try some day. Their interesting life cycle, especially the annual species, is worth it. Most can be kept in the same manner as other aquarium fish, only that different species have a range of conditions to be met. You can keep some with plecos as tank mates because they won't fight.

[barmby]

oh ok. I might someday. thanks! hehe..

[Shi Xuan]

Hi Jianyang,

It's good to hear that from you. As for my trio, they have grown quite a bit. I've seen my male displaying & quivering with the females among the java moss sometimes during the day, nonetheless, no fertile eggs as of late, so I would delay spawning them until they've gotten much bigger, perhaps sometime in April or so.


As for the Callopanchax occidentalis, I've only one fry at the moment & it might be a male though, because the color patterns & body shape is quite distinct at a tender age of 1 week. That's probably the fastest growing killi I've ever raised so far, outgrowing my Austrofundulus leohoignei sub-adults which range between the size of 2.5-4cm at a month old. Like the Callopanchax, these are tank bruisers & males can get very aggressive, they don't do a lot of tail smacking like most killies but bite down hard on one another, so it's common to see some slight damages on some fishes. All in all, these are robust tankers & very hardy, the main problem only lies in their eggs, which are sensitive to the acidity of the peat.

[stormhawk]

You can counter the acidity by adding some lime if you can find it, or with the use of some coral sand mixed in. Often some eggs just disappear in the peat due to this effect but it varies from species to species. I have a book on the Cynopoecilinii, which are the other small SAAs, in which it is stated that one of the Campellolebias was found in waters where the pH was below 5. That probably means their eggs are able to survive highly acidic conditions.

[Shi Xuan]

According to Frans Vermeulen, he mentioned boiling peat moss with baking soda (alkalinity) to neutralize the acidity of the peat. Another alternative mentioned would be, using well boiled coco peat. I would try to see the outcome when the fishes start breeding. If the eggs are indeed so sensitive, I would try sand instead.


As for Campellolebias, they are really interesting but underrated fishes. Anatomically, they share a special characteristics, which comprise of a gonopodium-like structure similar to livebearers for internal fertilization, but the main difference lies in that, these fishes are egg-layers as opposed to giving birth to live fry. Sad to say, I don't think incubating & hatching their eggs is easy. The need for a cooler incubation temperature & photophobic nature of the eggs are enough to deter many to keep them. Even raising them can be a big problem in our climate, since they dislike temperature above 24°C.

Jianyang, if there's any chance of meeting again, I would like to borrow that book of yours or I can swap my Nothobranchius journals with you.

[stormhawk]

The method by Frans works, but where coco peat is concerned, it will still be slightly acidic. The other problem is that coco peat is more abrasive than normal peat, so mixing the two types would give you the best solution.

Campellolebias are indeed interesting. I was watching a Camp. brucei auction but was not at home when it ended. I can let you read the book for awhile, or I can arrange with the author, Dalton Nielsen, to ship a copy to you. Alternatively, if there are others interested I can probably arrange an MO with him.

[Shi Xuan]

Jianyang, I pm-ed you before regarding peat moss & you speak of Jiffy peat pellets sold locally under the brand name, Horti. I think I got mine from Clementi NTUC fairprice earlier on too. They don't stain the water very much & besides, I guess they contain some added lime which shouldn't be a problem when used for spawning medium. I'll see how it goes till then.


Campellolebias are interesting but I'd preferred its cousin, especially Cynopoecilus melanotaenia. There are many more but not much description has been done on them as I write.

That would be great if I can have a copy of the book but not without a look at it first. Let me know your contact number by pm & we can talk offline regarding this.

[huizhong]

Did green chapter change their operating time? Are they open on Wednesday?

[Oliverpool]

Did green chapter change their operating time? Are they open on Wednesday?

They are closed on Wednesdays. It was open on Wednesday on christmas week and the week before new year for the Festive season only.

[stormhawk]

Shi Xuan, GC uncle is planning something so I'll keep you updated then. If there is a gathering at GC I will bring the book down. The book is not very big though, like a DATZ publication. The English translation from the original Portuguese language needs some work but otherwise, it is a good read.

Cynopoecilus melanotaenia is a good species, but one problem. Often they are drab and the males are constantly fighting. As for the Jiffy peat pellets, I need to ask GC uncle to see if he can get them in bulk from a plant nursery, which is cheaper. The man is not only a fish nut, he's a plant nut too.

On a side note, the young trio of nigerianus Innidere I brought home are starting spawning attempts. I've seen some eggs being deposited though the male's fertility is probably not at it's peak. They are gorging themselves silly on BorneoWild Staple S pellets. I'm going to try and see if they'll pick at a Hikari Carnivore Pellet.

[RonWill]

Did green chapter change their operating time? Are they open on Wednesday?

GC is not always open on every Wednesdays but best to watch for announcements of changes, if any, in AQ's Merchant forum.

JianYang, the NIG Innidere will pick on carnivore tabs.

[Shi Xuan]

Shi Xuan, GC uncle is planning something so I'll keep you updated then. If there is a gathering at GC I will bring the book down. The book is not very big though, like a DATZ publication. The English translation from the original Portuguese language needs some work but otherwise, it is a good read.

Cynopoecilus melanotaenia is a good species, but one problem. Often they are drab and the males are constantly fighting. As for the Jiffy peat pellets, I need to ask GC uncle to see if he can get them in bulk from a plant nursery, which is cheaper. The man is not only a fish nut, he's a plant nut too.

On a side note, the young trio of nigerianus Innidere I brought home are starting spawning attempts. I've seen some eggs being deposited though the male's fertility is probably not at it's peak. They are gorging themselves silly on BorneoWild Staple S pellets. I'm going to try and see if they'll pick at a Hikari Carnivore Pellet.

Frans Vermeulen gave a name for Cynopoecilus melanotaenia I think, "Fighting gaucho". No idea what's with the "gaucho" but the name sounds terrible for such a small fish. I won't attempt this species not because of it's notorious nature but I don't think I'm able to provide a conducive environment for them, so I'd drop this idea.

As for the Fundulopanchax gardneri nigerianus 'Innidere', they are voracious eaters, lunging at their food, whatever it is. I didn't feed them any dry food at the moment but I don't think they are a difficult species when it comes to feeding. By the amount these fellas eat, they will be growing for quite some time, simply can't wait to see them attain the adult sizes I saw at GC.

[stormhawk]

The name "fighting gaucho" has been in use for quite some time. A gaucho is the South American equivalent of the cowboy:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaucho

I like the Innidere at their current size, and I use dry foods as a matter of convenience. In the past, my magnificus would take the pellets too.