Species maintenance - Aphyosemion striatum Lambaréné

[RonWill]

Dear all,
I'm down to my last pair of striatum and due to my tank cut-back, this breedable pair of beauty has to go.

As stipulated in earlier maintenance-related threads, there is no free lunch and the hobbyist who's really really keen in propagating the striatum is obligated to update us on the progress.

One other requirement for this species to be prolific and in it's peak form, is cool water, 25ºC and lower, in a permanent species-only setup. If you cannot provide these requirements, please don't request for the pair.



Gan (Turaco) is the other person I know, who's maintaining the striatum. It is appreciated that those who've received fishes from him, to update us, regardless whether the fishes died or you're caring for the next generation.

Your silence don't mean that all is well (I trust the statement is simple enough to understand)

Interest parties please note that there's only ONE PAIR and it is not for sale. Follow up your interest in this thread and please, no PMs or private emails.

[keehoe]

I suggest the fish to be return to Gan for spawning. I would love to try on this fishes again but not when it is the only pair in Singapore. I am not qualify for that yet. But in event that really no one take this on. I would volunteer to try my best to be the host of this beautiful species. Until someone more senior willing to take over.

Wil put them next to my EXO and let them live like King there. (I think keeping them alive might not be so much of a problem but spawning them...... beats me.

[RonWill]

The striatum were originally from Gan and while he still maintains a small group, it is also his wish to have the species propagated and spread out to a wider group of like-minded hobbyists.

My last 2 fishes, and fortunately a pair, are what survived from a grow-out tank of 6 fry. It was my tardiness and lack of frequent husbandry that caused the demise of the other four.

Kee Hoe, if you're willing to take on the challenge, drop by my place for collection. I'll share what I know or experienced with this species and hopefully, the pair finds a better home with you than what I can provide.

I know of some people who've bought/received striatums from Gan and it's really appreciated if we can collect some feedback on the status. Thank you.

[turaco]

Kee Hoe,

Beside their needs of lower temperature, they can't take drastic water change. Sure you can cater to their needs?
I hope Eric Yeo from this forum can give some feedback on the fish I passed to him way back.

[keehoe]

OK Ron, I will be going to your place on Saturday. What time is it convenient to pickup the fish, chitchat and possibly help out a bit here and there?

I will shift my magnificus up and put them on the middle tank with gravel and more plants. They will share a fan with my EXO once they stabilize. For the time being two 230w fan. Should bring the temperature down to about 26.

I just bought 3 pieces of 4 x 1 feet acrylic sheet to use as cover.

Looks like all set to go.

[whuntley]

OK Ron, I will be going to your place on Saturday. What time is it convenient to pickup the fish, chitchat and possibly help out a bit here and there?

I will shift my magnificus up and put them on the middle tank with gravel and more plants. They will share a fan with my EXO once they stabilize. For the time being two 230w fan. Should bring the temperature down to about 26.

I just bought 3 pieces of 4 x 1 feet acrylic sheet to use as cover.

Looks like all set to go.

First, do not try to use acrylic sheet as a tank cover. It is hygroscopic and will warp like crazy if one side is more wet than the other. If you glue some ribs to it, it can hold down the warping a lot, but polycarbonate or styrene or other clear plastics are much more practical, and don't need the stiffening ribs.

All this talk about the subject species being tricky, I find amazing. Here, we have been treating the Lambarene as a great beginner fish because they are nearly foolproof and so gaudy.

They originally are a warm-water fish, coming from the coastal plains of Guinea and Gabon. Ideal temperatures are from 23-26C, but they tolerate and thrive at well outside that range. Many others of the striatum group come from the Gabon highlands and do need much cooler water.

I am currently keeping this strain, because I want to have some fish that I can use to get beginners started, and they are an easy mop spawner. Am I making a mistake here?

Wright

[RonWill]

Wright,
For some reason that puzzles me, there are a couple of 'known-hardy' species that I can't manage well. The striatum, exigoideum and even Fp. sjoestedti tested my patience and many others here.

My personal observation contradicts the statement, "Ideal temperatures are from 23-26C, but they tolerate and thrive at well outside that range", where above 26ºC, the striatum remain inactive with poor appetite, only to waste away slowly.

Tucked away in the shade with good wind circulation, an airstone and a Henri running, they look much happier, eat better and even flirt with their mates although I've yet to see any fry in their 3gal critter keeper.

The Lambarene is gaudy but a damn fine bait, to hook unsuspecting beginners into the hobby. No mistake there as new blood is needed in sustaining any hobby.

SIDE NOTE:

If you glue some ribs to it, it can hold down the warping a lot, but polycarbonate or styrene or other clear plastics are much more practical, and don't need the stiffening ribs

Apparently the styrene 2" x 4" sheets are also available in different thickness. Not aware of that, I ordered 10 slightly thinner sheets and when supported only at the ends, these do sag. Ribbed length-wise, it is more rigid and easier to handle.

Will post a pic when I can.

[keehoe]

I think the this particular STR strain that we have is winter strain. I have been talking to someone in china having the same species and location code but survive 35C of room temperature (about 30C water temperature) and the fish still spawning. Although all egg turns into fungus ball after 3 days.

Gan, with a FAN blowing over the fish tank. The TDS will go up 20 everyday. I will add water once every two days or so and a 50% water change every week. I still have the female Lep.Minimus with me after the "male only" disease hit. Since with only one female, i can't do much with it. You might want it for more spawning. Or if you can spare me another male in about two weeks time :P....

My Notho are all carefree at this point of time. Working on the Rivulus Tenius/ Simp Ignues / Simp Magnificus this week and next is BIT,EXO and STR. Lep is quite challenging so i will concentrate on it for a few weeks.

Wright, I am going to cut the acrylic sheets to smaller piece so that it can rest on the partition that i put into the 4 feet tank. Maybe a door type of opening so that feeding and maintenance is easier. (without taking out the whole piece.)

[whuntley]

Nearly all of our tanks have upper and lower rims of plastic. The upper rim provides a lip all the way around the inside, on which any tank cover can sit. We usually use glass strips (sometimes with plastic or silicone hinges), with one plastic strip that can be cut away for filters, tubes, feeding hole, etc.

The acrylic will swell on the wet side, so it bows up at the ends and sides, leaving a nice little gap for the jumpers to exit through.

The tank lip also prevents sagging of thinner styrene fluorescent light covers, even when 4' long. Most of our tanks that long also contain a center brace that provides even more support. The brace serves two other functions: it keeps the sides from bowing out due to water pressure, and it drives us mad when trying to net fish.

I just got a "bargain" on a 55G tank (12X48X22) at the local thrift shop (US$15), but that center brace is broken and covered with duct tape. Since it blocks too much light, I dread having to untape and replace it. Easier done now than when it is filled and full of plants and fish, I guess. This is the tank I wanted to make cheap imitation Power Sand for. The Schultz APS is still about $16 for a 25 lb bag.

Back on STR, I suspect that the Lambarene collection has been in the hobby so long that some differences can be expected. I don't really know what mine would do when too warm. I have been keeping them at 24C and they started leaving eggs when the males were barely getting some color. It is possible they were warmer during our recent hot spell, but I didn't want to know, so I didn't check. Basically, I think most egg production for all species I'm keeping nearly stopped about that time. Of course I couldn't order any blackworms, because they would die in transit, so that may have been involved, too.

I don't think Daphnia, Moina, and frozen bloodworms are a good substitute, and I only recently got mega-production of Grindals going. I now can harvest an ounce or two a day, if I'm diligent (rare). I have two tightly-covered 35lb plastic bins, originally containing kitty litter, about 1/3 full of a mixture of peat and sand. A row of 1/4" holes is about 2" above the base, to allow drainage but hold a good reservoir of water to keep the surface nice and damp.

I sprinkle the soil surface with Koi pellets, fish flakes or dog-food pellets and cover with an 8" X 10" piece of glass with a knob glued to it for a handle. The day after feeding, I can wipe up to an ounce of fresh worms off the glass of each tub. I need to harvest/feed daily to keep that high rate of reproduction going.

This should be an excellent way to provide useful amounts of live worms in your climate. Do I need to do a pictorial?

Wright

[RonWill]

Guys,
For further discussions on tank covers, let's either continue at the 'Hamburger MattenFilter/Henri deBruyn' tank topic or kick off another thread. We're moving further away from the striatum.

[FC]

Most of our tanks that long also contain a center brace that provides even more support. The brace serves two other functions: it keeps the sides from bowing out due to water pressure, and it drives us mad when trying to net fish.

That's true. There is 3rd function, it served as a makeshift table where I used it to hold container to collect plants trimmings. Very handy.

[RonWill]

Basically, I think most egg production for all species I'm keeping nearly stopped about that time

Lack of rich foods never stopped any fish from having sex but I think the slow-down in grindal production may also coincide with the warm spell.

Wright, when the weather is cool and you're collecting heaps of viable eggs, try jacking up the temps to 28ºC. The increase won't kill the fish but let's see if viable egg count can be maintained.

To rule out one variable, keep to the same diet throughout the pre & post-test period. I'd be keen to hear of your observations. [If you're maintaining SPLs, I'm sure the results will be similar to the STR]

Pictoral? A picture speaks a thousand words, so why not?

[whuntley]

Basically, I think most egg production for all species I'm keeping nearly stopped about that time

Lack of rich foods never stopped any fish from having sex but I think the slow-down in grindal production may also coincide with the warm spell.

snip...

Pictoral? A picture speaks a thousand words, so why not?

My Grindals didn't really slow down in the hot weather, that's why I suggest them for you guys. I just didn't get around to moving them from little shoe boxes to the big rectangular tubs, that do so much better, until recently. [Of course you have Tubifex, which I think are almost as good as mossie wrigglers for causing egg extrusion.]

I was getting great gobs of Grindals when the fishroom was at 105F and above! It just happened nearer the end of the heat wave, that's all.

Pictorial coming up. Where should I post it? I would think a new thread under "Killies Arena" might be appropriate. Something like "Live Food in Useful Quantity?"

[RonWill]

I was getting great gobs of Grindals when the fishroom was at 105F and above!

hmm... odd. Mine and others whom I've distributed the cultures crashed, regardless whether it was traditional peat/soil, vermiculite/soil or synthetic media. Could we be each dealing with different species or collectively-grouped 'grindal worms'? [like moina is lumped with daphnia]

...a new thread under "Killies Arena" might be appropriate. Something like "Live Food in Useful Quantity?"

Wright, that will be great. Looking forward to it.

[whuntley]

I just fed, for today, so need to wait for a good collection of worms for the results photos. Maybe tomorrow.

I agree that we may have different kinds of "Grindals" and those more closely related to white worms will definitely fail in hot weather. Mine are, unfortunately, very tiny but that seems to go with heat resistance. They do, however, provide lots of tiny worms that pretty small babies can handle.

My tubs are semi-outside, in my fishroom, with an open door. I failed to put a thermometer in with them during the hotter weather, but would guess they got into the 90s F. One of the huge advantages of the big tubs is that they will stay cooler and at a more constant temperature than smaller shoebox-like containers. Our swings were from mid 60s at night to 110 +/- during the late afternoon.

To save you from calculating or looking it up, 65F is about 18C, 90 is 32 and 110 is 43 or so (off the scale of my dual-scale thermometer). [I forgot to change batteries, so the RPN (scientific) calculator in my Palm isn't functional until I reload it.]

Wright

[Svein]

I have a strain from Aphyosemion striatum; Moyko GJS 00/32. I have bred them for 4 months now and I got a lot of eggs from a trio.
Iuse a 12l tank, and the temp is normally 22 C,
We have a breeding contest in Norway where the scale is from 1 (easiest) up to 20. Striatum get 3 points so we have always consider striatum as an easy species to hold and breed.
What interesting me however is using Grindal worms. I have always thought that this is a very fat food and had to be careful with it. It's thats true? I give Grindal twice a week, but I have lot of it and the fish loves it, so I would give more of it if it isn't dangerous for the fish?
Regards
Svein

[RonWill]

Folks,
The striatum pair offered is now under the care of a fellow forumer. Let's await for further updates from him.

I have a strain from Aphyosemion striatum; Moyko GJS 00/32. I have bred them for 4 months now and I got a lot of eggs from a trio.
Iuse a 12l tank, and the temp is normally 22 C

Svein, I still believe that nice cool temps is a key to prolific breeding. When you have established a sizable population, I hope you can conduct an experiment for me.

Raise the temp to between 26~28ºC and see if egg production drops. Observe for non-viable eggs too. Thanks.

[whuntley]

Mine have been at 28C for a while, and I don't see an egg.

I'll lower temp. and see what happens.

Wright

[keehoe]

Just a short update:

The fish that i collected looks kinky (always rub against each other). They are always near the top mop that i had put in for them to play. But have not manage to find any egg in the mop.

[Svein]

Raise the temp to between 26~28ºC and see if egg production drops. Observe for non-viable eggs too. Thanks

I will try raising the temp.
Regards
Svein