More Waiting

And so the festive season is now truly upon us - a very merry Xmas and a safe and happy New Year to you all.

I'm now on holidays! Yay! Time to catch up on all those little tasks I've been putting off in the Fishroom.

I have a new 9 bay barracks coming for Xmas. This will be for my breeding females. My current 9 bay barracks will revert to a men only domain. My current sorority will become the second growout tank, and I'm fighting with the tank ear-marked as the third growout tank - it wont settle the water parameters where I'd be happy with it...pH way too high, and the Nitrates are way too high. I've tried numerous water changes and have added a lot of plants to no avail. May have to break it down and start from scratch...again...or it could be the rocks I've got in there - might take them out first, do another big water change and then see where we sit...

Lots of container cleaning to be done. Nobody is in isolation currently, which is a good thing, but I've not felt the need to clean up all the containers from the recent spawning processes, or the recent QT episodes - naughty of me.

My Grindals wont transfer to my soilless culture box either. Second batch has been transferred over this morning. Fingers crossed these ones are happy in there.

Daily water changes (currently only every second day) on fry tanks to commence as soon as I setup the second water storage container, which will also allow me to do weekly changes on the bigger tanks and barracks. Need to build a new base for it to sit on so I can get a bucket under the tap.

Lastly, the room needs a good clean and sorting. There is stuff everywhere and I'm forever having to step over things, or dig around to find things. This will include the placement of some handy hooks...everywhere!

But, I'm waiting of Xmas for the arrival of the new barracks (and a new small three bay holding cell for photos and introductions). Xmas will also bring all the heaters and filters, etc I need.

Now I'm going to take the rocks out of the third growout tank, I'll need to wait on things to settle to see if that makes a difference.

Cant go an make a new base until I've gone and spent all my money on Xmas, so that will have to wait till the first week of the new year when I'm flush again - which means all the water changes will have to wait as well.

And there's not much point in cleaning and sorting just yet till I move the new stuff in so I know exactly what space I've got left - which wont happen till after Xmas!

So I shall go clean containers and remove rocks, and do a water change...and then wait some more...

Easist BBS Ever

A few months back, I couldn't hatch BBS for love nor money.

I researched all over the place. I tried many of the suggestions from members of  the AusAqua forum.

I tried many of the DIY suggestions from YouTube.

Then one of the AAQ members offered up this little gem of advice: Mike's Whatever - Hatching Artemia the easy way.

I took this original idea and have modified it to suit my needs and situation. I've found I will need to modify it further to produce more BBS, but whether that's by adding additional containers or larger containers I've yet to settle on...

This is how I do it now...

 

I use a small glass cup. I think this was originally for holding tea candles

I cut to shape, so it would fit snuggly, a piece of black corflute

There is a slight gap at the bottom, but the sides are snug

I then taped it in place for an added precaution

 

As you can see, I setup four of them

 

They are arranged in a semi-circle in front of a light source

The recipe for the salt solution was from another fellow AAQ member. If you don't have your own, or cant find one that works for you on the net, then join AusAqua where I reveal the ingredients as they were told to me.

 

Obtain quality BBS cysts. They are not technically eggs, but some still sell them as such.

I get mine from Elite Betta who post within South Australia free.

In the second and third pictures above, you can see a small white scoop/spoon.

I got this from an instant BBS product - which was good, but expensive.

The spoon gives me one full measure of cysts which is placed in the dark half of the cup

- the side furthest from the light.

 

Within 24-36 hours, the BBS will hatch.

For harvesting, turn on the light and wait for a few minutes.

The BBS will swim under the barrier in an effort to get to the light

This leaves their discarded cyst casings on the dark side...

and clean BBS on the light side you can siphon up as required.

 

Here you can see the discarded casings

 

I found filling the cups two-thirds full and adding half a scoop of cysts allowed me to feed from one cup, for a small number of fry (<20), for three feeds. I now have two young spawns requiring BBS, and they're both larger in number than the first spawn (combined 100+). My fry get fed three times a day.

I now fill the cups almost to the top, and add a full scoop of cysts. I need to make a new cup each day. It is just enough. If one fails, then I'll have to resort to frozen for at least that feed, although, there is normally some older BBS in the previous cup as a backup.

The scoop I place in front of the cup I last placed new cysts into (seeded), so I know at a glance which cup holds the freshest BBS. If fed to fry within eight hours of hatching, you will gain the biggest benefit from BBS. At least one feed per day consists of new hatched BBS for my fry, but new BBS are hatching out constantly (after the first 24 hours) in each newly seeded cup, so the fry gain a benefit from each feed - just not as much in the second and third feed of the day as found in the first.

If you are having trouble finding a solution to hatch BBS, or simply hate the sound of the air pump bubbling away overnight - give this a shot.

New Spawn...Going Postal

Two bits of news to convey:

1) Ghost and Pippa (see previous post) have spawned and started my third line of CTPK!

I have been trying to spawn Ghost almost since the day I got him, back in September. As with all things with Betta, patience and perseverance pays off.

 

After much trial and error, we finally got a cup full of eggs.

To the left, you can just see the bubble wrap I left in as a secondary choice

Ghost chose to use both, without building a bubblenest under either...

 

And shortly thereafter...we spied tails!

 

 So I now have three CTPK lines on the go. To successfully line breed, according to many successful and experienced line breeders in the USA and in Europe, you require multiple lines in the fish room to allow you to cross between them as required, to introduce new blood, and to improve individual traits.

The three spawns I currently have will all produce combtails in F1, but will give me CTPK in F2. Selective breeding should help me to produce a quality CTPK in a few years.

2) My green giants have been sold and have arrived at their new home...eventually.

I've heard stories of fish going missing in transit, only to turn up a week or two, or three, down the track - still alive, and apart from a little hungry, not really worse for wear.

I always thought these were somewhat exaggerated urban myths, kind of like fish only have a three second memory...turns out I was wrong.

Now, I don't condone the sending of live stock through a medium which specifically states it does not allow it, but we are simple hobbyist, trying to do the right thing by our fish, and by others who share the same passions. We do not make a living by the selling of fish (that is another urban myth). Most of us cannot afford to pay for dedicated couriers - so we use overnight parcel express, with heat packs, double bagging, and a wing and a prayer to send our fish around the country.

I'd sent an experimental parcel of vinegar eels to a fellow fish keeper as a trial run. It arrived successfully and without issue. I sold my giants at auction, double bagged them, fasted them the day before being sent, packed them tightly to reduce jostling, used a polystyrene boxed taped to within an inch of it's life, added heat packs, and sent it off for overnight delivery.

A week later...they arrived on the doorstep, hungry, but very much alive. They have now been fed and are being acclimatised to their new environment. A scary seven days...

Not sure long fin Betta would have survived. Not sure even short finned plakats would have...lucky these were giant plakats and had the stamina and fortitude to endure it.

So the lessons here are:

As the sender

• Ensure your packaging techniques are as good as you can make them
• Ensure your fish are in peak condition
• Do not feed for 24 hours prior to departure
• Always send in IAL and rock salt treated water
• Individually wrap the fish in newspaper (or similar) so they are isolated and in the dark
• Add in a heat pack (if needed) for longer than you think you need
• Be aware that things can go the long way round
• Be prepared to refund the cost of the fish
• Don't use parcel post if you're not prepared to pay the possible fines for sending live stock and/or if your parcel breaks open and destroys other mail items (it can be hefty).

As the receiver

• Be prepared to lose the cost of postage if your new purchase doesn't make the journey successfully.
• Always ensure the sender has a Dead On Arrival policy, and you know exactly what the policy entails.
• Do not go all belligerent on the sender if your fish arrive dead. They will feel just as bad about it as you do. Treat them kindly and with respect and they should return the favour in kind - if they don't, take your business elsewhere.

Facebook Stole The Love

A long time ago, I was a writer of fiction. I wrote a number of short stories, of which some were lucky enough to get published, and a few novel length manuscripts, of which none are worthy of seeing the light of day.

During that time I blogged, because that's pretty much what writers did.

I had a number of followers and a pretty constant stream of readers and commenters.

Now I breed Betta. I still blog (obviously). I still have a number of people who read my posts each time I publish one...but only if I publish the link on FB. Nobody comments on the blog :( A number of people post a comment on FB where I publish the link...which is nice, and appreciated, but it's not the same.

So lets run an experiment...

I'll post this shortly and I wont publish the link on FB. In a weeks time, I'll check the stats and publish how many have seen it. If you come to this page via any means other than through FB, please leave a 'Hello' in the comments.

If you have your own blog - let me know. I'd be happy to trade links.

But onto business...

Ghost is in the spawn tank with a turquoise CT.

He's very busy currently constructing his nest. This makes me sad, as no successful spawn in my Fishroom has come from a male who has built a bubblenest...but there's always a first time...

My week 11 CTPK F1 spawn (7 remaining) have been successfully moved into a bigger tank. They now look so small in there. Lots of plants and lots of places to explore, but nobody comes to the front of the tank for dinner time anymore. Hopefully they really start to put on some size now.

My 12 day old fry are also doing well. Their tank is almost full now and water changes are happening every second day, soon to be every day once I setup the second storage container. They are completely on live BBS now, and growing well.

If Ghost can get his act together, that will give me the three CTPK lines I want to work with.

After moving the week 11 fry, I now have another spawn tank free. I still want to get a line from my yellow CT, but the jury is still out on whether it is male or female. It definitely has a prominent ovipositor. It is definitely slim enough to be female, but it has a beard big enough to be male. It has had three shots in the spawn tank with Ghost of which all have been unsuccessful.

So I'll try to match it with another female and see if that works. If not, I'll try with another male...

What do you think? Male or female?

***Update***

4 days have come and gone and nobody has read this post :( So, I guess, this becomes my diary of things to remember as my fish-keeping journey continues, but if I want others to read it, I must share the link on FaceBook...sign of the times.

Why didn't I wait the whole week? I has news, which needs a new post...which will have to be tomorrow now...

***Update - part II***

On posting to FB - 8 viewers and 1 posted reply within the first hour or so... :)

So Little Time...

Famine or feast could be another title for this post...

F1 CTPK Spawn #1 has just passed the 10 week mark and, sometime this week, will be going into the grow out tank I have prepared for them. I have also started them on pellets during the last week. Greedy little blighters can barely get their mouth around them but they quickly tear them apart.

They've also seriously begun to grow, both in girth and length (not to self: must get some more photos!)

F1 CTPK Spawn #2 has just passed the one week mark, and I saw one fry with a caudal already visible! Every spawn I've had, they still look like tadpoles at this point, but there is definitely one fella who is ahead of the curve. Lots of fry still in there, although I did suck out seven dead ones tonight. I'm hoping it's because tonight was the first really good clean I've given the tank since they hatched.

I've been doing water changes since day two, and feeding VE and BBS, but I've only given a quick clean around the bottom to get the majority of the gunk mum and dad left behind. In that time, I found only three dead fry. I have a piece of drift wood in the tank with a small Anubias attached, which I got under to give a half decent clean tonight - maybe the dead were hiding under there (it is very close to where the nest site was so it's possible). Hopefully these are just the weakest of the spawn who never stood a chance. One or two a week I can handle...if I start siphoning out a half dozen every day, this spawn wont last long...

The one week olds have now been fully transitioned onto BBS. The ten weeks are now fully on pellets, but I'm going to introduce blood worm treats soon.

Sold my giant pair of HMPK's. I've thought about it for a while now and decided I will need the room for the CTPK project. No point keeping a perfectly good breeding pair when someone else could get more enjoyment from them...so they are off to NSW. Now I can spend the next few days worrying sick over whether they make the trip alright...

Still conditioning Ghost and a turquoise CT for the spawn tank. He, Ghost, the white dragon marble HMPK, just doesn't seem interested. He was quite down last week, so I increased the water in his spawn tank and turned the temp up a little more. He perked up almost straight away, but still doesn't seem keen on getting it together with any of the females I choose.

I shall persevere...and so to, hopefully, will Ghost!

On Wednesday, the father of my one week old spawn shall return to his home. Thank you again, Amanda and Brendan, for having enough trust in me to care for your boy for the past couple of weeks. With him will go the last two girls I got to fill up my sorority tank.

I'm switching from a sorority to a female barracks. I have my male barracks:

 

This pic is a little old, but you get the idea

 

And my female barracks will be almost identical, except I've asked my tank builder for some tweaks to the design to make my life marginally easier.

That will give me space for 9 males and 9 females. I have the current Aqua One Trio tank for three extras of either sex. I'll have two spawn tanks, one hospital tank, and two grow out tanks. I need to get some more containers of a decent size to house individuals when necessary, and I want a photo tank and a decent introductory vessel for the females.

That will be it for now. I'm concentrating solely on the CTPK project. Within the year, I suspect I'll have very few fish in my Fishroom that I haven't hatched and grown myself. By then, I'll be looking for either fresh fish from fellow team members of the CTPK project, or maybe even an import or two...

And of course, I shall be sending some to interstate shows and then putting them up for auction to spread the love for CTPK :)

A Change Is Coming

Today in Adelaide, South Australia, it got to around 38C. It was extremely hot with strong northerly winds.

Tomorrow it's forecast to be 22C. The change is expected to blow through my neck of the woods in about...an hour or so...

Spawn tanks set. Couples set.

 

Black Marble HMPK (please forgive the scratchy container)

 

Black Orchid With Red Wash Balok Ray CT

These two would make a wonderful beginning to a black orchid marble CTPK line

 

 

Turquoise CT (aunt to current F1 CTPK fry in spawn tank)

 

Marble Dragon HMPK

 

These two would compliment and have a great chance of enhancing the current F1 CTPK fry in the spawn tank. They would also help in the hunt for a better green CTPK.

 

Fingers crossed the drastic change in weather does the trick. Both pairs are in their respective tanks as we speak, with both males showing the females who's boss and working on their nests in between chase sequences. All looking good so far...

New Fish, Old Fish...Different Pairs

A couple local Betta enthusiasts was kind enough to allow me into their home today. Fellow South Aussies with a common interest in this beautiful fish - who knows where that could lead...a South Australian chapter of the IBC maybe...

I came away from there with a male black orchid Crowntail, and the couple in tow. Back to my fish room we came and talked about Betta, breeding and all sorts of other things...it was nice to have some Betta face time - so thank you guys. Noobie really enjoys his bloodworms ;)

He's in the process of being introduced to his new mate, so they are both excited - hence a bit difficult to photograph currently, but maybe tomorrow.

Ghost is also being paired up with a turquoise female CT. If all goes to plan, two new lines commenced in the hunt for the CTPK.

New Pair Lined Up For This Week

Still having trouble launching my second line of CTPK F1.

First line is fast approaching 8 weeks old - recap:

Sire:

 Dame

Fry

Second and third lines will, hopefully be sired by Louie and Ghost. Ghost I really want to spawn with a yellow CT female, but we've had three attempts without success so far. Reconditioning them for at least a couple of weeks before trying again. So this week we have Louie and a sister to the above female.

Sire

 Dame

Next week will be the attempt to launch a black marble/orchid CTPK line. If Ghost and his intended get their act together at some point, that will give me four CTPK lines to play with :)

Get It Together Already!

For the past four weeks, I've been trying to get my Dragon Marble HMPK, Ghost, to spawn with a yellow CT to create another line of CTPK for the CTPK Project Australia.

They'd spend a week being conditioned. By the end of it, he looks the equivalent of a few pounds heavier, and she looks nicely plumped up. He goes into the tank and is given a day to claim it as his own (including a couple of sessions with the mirror so he gets a chance to defend his patch of turf).

She goes into a beanie box like canister beside the tank, where conditioning continues. They are carded so they cant see each other.

One more feed each, usually on a Friday night, and then uncarded for 15-30 minutes. They go nuts at each other - all normal, all good. The pair are carded again and the lights off. By Saturday morning, he has a lovely big nest built under the bubble wrap.

Saturday morning, an isolation tube goes into the tank, followed by the female. I give her a few minutes to get back on program and used to her new surroundings. If all is good, she is released.

I check on them regularly, but each time I go in, they stop the chase and come to the front of the tank (side-by-side on occasions), begging for food. First time, I figured they weren't conditioned enough. The following week, after they were removed from the spawn tank, they were given lots more food for conditioning - same result the following weekend. So I tried more food over a longer period - two weeks of conditioning - same result!

People seem to have a lot more luck with live blackworms I think...must go source some locally and give them a shot.

After two weeks conditioning, these two have been in the spawn tank for the last three days, and two nights, without separation. Sometimes he chases her, once I've seen her chase him, a number of times they've done a synchronised dance from opposite sides of the tank as if neither can make up their mind, or change it as they approach each other - this I expect from him, but she's just being a tease!

So I've added some competition, in a container outside the spawn tank - lets see if this increases the action!

New Arrivals...& New Experiments...and a LONG list of spawns

Two packages today :)

First one contained a starter kit of Daphnia, and a starter kit of Grindal worms. My CTPK F1 spawn should be on Grindals now, but I'll be moving them to chopped frozen blood worms instead - mis-communications, inability to source locally, and a sudden growth spurt all led to me not being ready in time to continue this spawn on live foods as was the original plan.

Not to worry - the new live foods will now hopefully multiply like my Vinegar Eels did once I'd figured them out, and I'll be ready for the next spawn when they require them.

The second package are my latest, and possibly my last, purchased females. A yellow Cambodian and possibly a CTPK would be the only other females I would look at purchasing anytime in the near future. With the addition of these four, I now have 15 girls.

• 4 x turquoise CT's
• 1 x yellow CT
• 1 x turquoise giant HMPK
• 5 x assorted metallic long-finned (deltas, possible super delta/HM's, rose-tail) (some hands free)
• the 4 new marble HMPK girls below

 

Organised a possible out-of-towner for this girl to meet

 

A girl for Louie, my lavender BF HMPK

 

A girl for Jason, my marble HMPK

 

I'm not yet decided on who this lucky lady will be teamed up with

My biggest problem at the moment is the lack of males in the Fishroom. With the passing of Midas, Prime, and now William, I'm down to:

•  Jason (marble dragon turquoise with red wash HMPK and father of my current F1 CTPK spawn)
• Ghost (marble dragon white HMPK - currently in spawn tank with yellow CT)
• Louie (lavender dragon Butterfly HMPK)
• Hulk (Turquoise giant HMPK)
• 2 x surprise metallic males (a turquoise rose-tail and a copper possible HMPK)

I have a copper male and female I'd like to pair up, and the giants need another shot in the spawn tank. Jason and Ghost I want in my CTPK project lines, and I'd like to start HMPK lines with them as well. Louie is also being given a shot at a line of CTPK's but I cant find the right partner for min currently. He will be given a shot with the marble girl above showing a nice variegated fin pattern to hopefully produce more butterfly HMPK offspring.

The new black marble HMPK girl is hopefully being paired up with a friend's long-finned black CT male to produce a line of black marble CTPK's.

So that's one spawn currently almost at week seven...and nine planned spawns, before I look at the F2 CTPK spawn in about four months time!

I think my dance card is full!

RIP William

A very sad day today - the first male we'd ever bought not from a local fish shop died today of dropsy.

He was the first male CT in the Hunt For Green. He had one spawn but ate most of the fry when we tried to raise them with their dad. When we finally removed him, the remaining fry all gorged themselves on a feed of instant BBS to the point where every single one of them exploded from over eating.

We learned a lot from William and his spawn, but the toll of being with his fry for six weeks took it's toll and he struggled with fin rot from that moment on, which was probably the start of his slide into a very low immune system as we couldn't seem to get it nipped in the bud, regardless of water changes and medications.

He shall be missed.

Now I need to be on the lookout for one or two new male CT's...although, I still have five female CT's being paired up with male HMPK's for the CTPK Project, and my current F1 CTPK spawn is approaching seven weeks old and are looking good (touch wood).

Weekend Plans

A few things to get sorted this weekend and very little time to do them.

I need to setup my next spawning pair, I need to move my current spawn into a bigger tank, I need to clean and prep a tank for new arrivals while also removing a snail infestation, move 5 girls into the main sorority now they're big enough, catch a rogue Convict Cichlid fry/almost juvenile who was missed a couple of weeks back (they are super quick), do a bunch of water changes, and locate a local source of black worms so I can start my own culture...which will probably require me to buy another tank/vessel to keep them in.

Saturday I play cricket and Sunday I'm normally too sore to move, but these things have to get done.

My current F1 CTPK spawn are doing well, if not spectacular. They are a little behind on the growth charts, but seem to be forming well. The biggest is just beginning to sprout ventrals which is cool and a few are showing their irid layer - particularly in the fins. They are marble so the full colours will not be out for some time yet.

 

My biggest boy (that's not a ventral you can see underneath)

Good chance he'll be like dad I think...

 

The boss and the 2IC

 

Size differences...

The guy on the right is a little over 1 cm

The guy on the left is just on 1 cm

I have a couple smaller and the two above who are bigger

They are supposed to be close to 2cm if not a touch over...

Still, to have what I believe to be eight fry remaining, when I was thinking I'd be lucky to have five...or lucky to have any at one point...is a good thing. If they grow slow, then so be it. I'm not here to power grow fry so I can rush to the next step...slow and steady wins the...oh, who am I trying to kid - hurry up and grow already!

The biggest are clearly showing some webbing reduction. Not a lot at this point, but some, so it seems I'll have something to work with moving into F2 and beyond :)

 

A very blurry and blown up pic of one caudal where you can not-so-clearly see the combtail effect of the webbing reduction this little fry has inherited from his mum...and the potential for wide (possibly HM) caudal spread he's inherited mainly from dad (but mum wasn't to shabby either).

Very Cool

Not Much Happening

I'm waiting on the arrival of plants and some new females.

These new girls will be the last I purchase for some time I think. I want a female yellow Cambodian CT and a male butterfly CT...other than that, I'll play with what I've got.

Next year, maybe I'll dip my toe into the AquaBid waters...

The Crowntail Plakat Project Australia is moving along as is my current spawn. For the first time, my spawn has passed the five week mark without blowing up.

Plans are afoot for a second barracks system to house my breeding females - I'm not overly happy with the sorority system. I think it's fine for growing out related females but not for me in the long term.

Here's some pics of the 36 day old fry...

There's some size differences, but the irid layer (blue, steel, turquoise) is starting to become visible. There are two distinct colour groups - the darker bodies and light bodies. There is also the beginning of some webbing reduction.

I just wish they'd hurry up and grow now :)

RIP Prime

My eldest daughter gave us two veiltail Betta to start us off on this journey. When one died, we replaced him with another VT - our very first LFS rescue.

Being the first, he was named Prime. He was huge. At the time, we knew absolutely nothing about Betta and thought bigger meant better...not older.

We think Prime must have lived to about 18 months old. He had one shot at the spawn tank but he was never the same after that very short attempt. I think it scared what life he had left in him, straight out of him...regardless of what we tried, he never perked up again.

He was a beautiful fish, and will be missed.

Looking Sharp

Not a lot going on in the fish room currently. We have got rid of all our Convicts. They were over-breeding, as Convicts do, and the tank was becoming too small. So much so, the alpha male had attacked and killed, and then eaten, one of the first spawn juveniles - it wasn't pretty.

So they have gone and the new female arrivals have settled in. Unfortunately one of those has been killed and partially eaten as well - must be something about that tank.

The snail and two baby bristlenoses seem to have disappeared in the main sorority. I haven't seen any of them for days. I hope the little guys are okay.

My yellow female CT took a bit of a pounding in the spawn tank last week and is now recovering from her nips. She's happy to have a small tank to herself.

The boys are all patiently waiting their next turn in the spawn tank, but that will be a week or so away while I setup another tank.

My fry are still going well. On day 26 since birth, I have found another one. We started off with 60+, had a sudden die-off to less than a dozen, and then I figured there was only five remaining...today I counted six - fingers crossed there are still one or two others hiding around the place.

I thought I'd try and get some pictures to update my spawn log on AusAqua. Here's the best of them:

 

Just waiting on ventrals, colour, and webbing reduction

and for him/her to grow into his/her eyes

:)

Little Steps

South Australia currently does not have a local chapter of the International Betta Congress. Any breeder or enthusiast living in South Oz, and wants to be part of the growing Betta movement around Australia, must join another states chapter, or, more likely, join the Betta Australis chapter - which is based in Queensland.

But interstate members cannot attend meetings (unless you happen to be visiting the state your IBC chapter is in), and lack that community of like-minded hobbyists to talk to face-to-face.

But don't get me wrong - the Australian Betta scene has a lot of wonderful people in it, who are more than willing to help out anybody interested in the scene. I have found lots of great advice from lots of very experienced individuals. But I would like to see a local chapter established so South Aussies can help develop the Betta scene and knowledge base in Australia, and so locals can also have that tactile community and local friends in times of need.

So, to begin the journey to the IBC, we need to bring together those in South Australia. There are two steps which need to be done to initiate this:

1. To create the South Australian Betta Breeders & Enthusiasts Association Facebook page
2. To encourage all new members of the above page, to join the SA Aquarium Society

I'd also be looking to gain support from some local aquarium and fish supplier around town. Having gained some second/third-hand insight into other chapters around Australia, and how they hold their monthly meetings, support of local businesses would be a good thing to lock down.

But we also need some sort of constitution, some sort of committee, a bank account, etc, etc - it's a long list of things to do...and I am by no means suggesting that I'll be the one leading the charge or holding the reigns as this moves forward, but I'm happy to start the ball rolling, or possibly get it restarted (this may have been attempted before).

So if you live in South Australia, or knows someone who does, then head on over to the Facebook page and join the rest of your fellow South Aussies in getting the local Betta scene organised, or in touching base with others who hold a similar interest and may be able to help you out with a suggestion on where to get that elusive something for the tank, or that perfect specimen for your projects, or simply a handy tip.

New Arrivals...Again

 

These are my new arrivals. Many thanks to Sara for sending them over. Some of these girls are hands free (no ventrals)...and some of these girls may be boys!

 

Two of the little coppers had built lovely bubblenest in their isolation containers, while another has very long fins for a girl, but has an egg spot (ovipositor).

 

Nothing is ever straight forward in my Fishroom...

 

Currently they are all in a second sorority getting lots of food and having lots of room to move. I'm hoping they put on some size and reveal their true selves. 

 

 

Copper SD - possible HM female (keeping an eye on this one as a possible spawn candidate)

 

Copper hands free female SD - possible HM

 

A beautiful hands free copper/gold SD

 

Turquoise rosetail

 

Possible male rosetail

 

Turquoise SD possible HM

 

Turquoise/metallic turquoise HM female

 

Little copper hands free HM. This guy/girl had a very impressive nest but is a little behind all the rest in the growth stages.

CTPK Project Australia

Today, with the help of Dylan Farrar, we setup the CTPK Project Australia.

The Project is for Betta Plakat breeders, based in Australia, to pool their resources and knowledge, to produce a better Crown Tail Plakat (CTPK) - with an end goal of producing their own lines of show quality CTPK.

In the end, we will all be competing against each other at Betta shows, but at the same time, it is more than probable, that multiple breeders will have had a hand in helping develop any winning fish.

There is a lack of specimens in Australia of this fin type, let alone quality examples, so we are going to attempt to remedy this.

Pairs are being conditioned or are already in the spawn tank at the writing of this post...

Stay tuned!

RIP Midas

Woke up this morning to find the very first CT we'd ever purchased/rescued from the LFS had died overnight.

There was no signs of illness. He's been off his food for the past couple of days, and becoming extremely lethargic. We've had him nearly 6 months, and he was always on the large size compared to my b reeding stock, so I'd put him somewhere around the 18months old mark.

He had one shot in the spawn tank, but decided to eat his eggs, so his genes will not be passed on.

 

We will miss him.

On the 18th of July, I created this post: Breeding Goals. A whole 81 days later, the target has moved. Well not so much moved as become smaller. Let me explain:

My original goals were

• I want to create a true emerald green line.
• I want to breed Half-Sun Betta Splenden
• I want to breed King Crowns

These were conceived while my interest lay solely with the big-finned Betta Splenden. Now my interest has moved to the Plakat.

This is the short finned version of the Betta Splenden.

 

 

The reasons are two-fold...

1. Living in Adelaide, the water is extremely hard. Adding Reverse Osmosis water only helps so much. CT's, particularly big-finned CT's, are very susceptible to water conditions leading to fin rot, and general unruliness of their rays. Plakats, on the other hand, are extremely hardy little fish, rarely succumbing to the same maladies as their big-finned counterparts.
2. The Plakat, I think, is capable of being bred to met at least my emerald goal - so that remains. I'm also still keen to create a half-sun, but with a Plakat, it's called a 'small sun' - so that remains. I don't think Plakats have enough ray length to work with to create a King Crown, so that may have to be shelved for the moment. So most of my goals remain, they've just been miniaturized. 

And I have some new goals to replace the King Crown...including the Crowntail Plakat (CTPK).

So my goals are now:

1. To create two lines of emerald green plakats (HM and CT)
2. To create a small sun plakat (in yellow), which naturally includes...
3. To create my own line of CTPK from scratch
4. To create two lines of butterfly plakat (HM and CT)
5. To create a line of Giant HMPK, and possibly a matching Giant CTPK (maybe in time)

Number 5 is a peripheral goal at this point. I've purchased a breeding pair of giants, and so, they will get their chance in the spawn tank, but giants, and HM is not where my main interests lie.

I believe I currently have the resources I need in my Fishroom to begin most of these projects, but not the tank space, so the immediate aims are to begin the following projects:

1. A line of CTPK (fry in the tank)
2. A line of Butterfly CTPK (pair being conditioned)

These will hopefully be well under way before the end of the year (prospective breeders for next generation (F2) of project to be jarred).