Tanganyika: Kilesa and Friends

[ptran]

Show and tell time...

[ptran]

welcome. i tend to do most of my trades now with them.

i was calling around trying to off load my massive black convict. he grew up huge and looked like a mini tank. wasnt mean, great looking, but i didnt want the geos with him. every store kept saying we will take him for nothing as a "convenience". or an insulting we will give you a dollar maybe. for a 4-5" convict i wanted more than a dollar

fish gallery looked at him and gave me a number....deal! was more than i had in my head to even ask. their reaction was "that is one big a$$ convict"...haha...sold him as an "XXXL Convict"

Sounds like a reasonable place. Good deal man!

[ptran]

How was the strip bro?

Will let you know after I strip her tonight lol.

[ptran]

Good luck....i have never brought myself to stripping yet. i hear its very delicate and i am always worried about hurting the female.

Talking about being delicate, these Kilesa is probably one of the most delicate specie I keep so far. Lost half of my group to water change. Later found out that pH out of tap is not high enough for them. So I'm really nervous with the fry now. Honestly, surprise that momma is still holding thus far. Knock on wood.

[morpheus]

welcome. i tend to do most of my trades now with them.

i was calling around trying to off load my massive black convict. he grew up huge and looked like a mini tank. wasnt mean, great looking, but i didnt want the geos with him. every store kept saying we will take him for nothing as a "convenience". or an insulting we will give you a dollar maybe. for a 4-5" convict i wanted more than a dollar

fish gallery looked at him and gave me a number....deal! was more than i had in my head to even ask. their reaction was "that is one big a$$ convict"...haha...sold him as an "XXXL Convict"

[Austy16414]

How was the strip bro?

[ptran]

Gotcha. Thanks for the info.

[morpheus]

Cool man. Wondering how much they pay for the fry. Can you PM me this info?
I have some electric blue and red top that I need to move to free some tank space.

sure thing. pm sent

[ptran]

Cool man. Wondering how much they pay for the fry. Can you PM me this info?
I have some electric blue and red top that I need to move to free some tank space.

[morpheus]

i cant say i dont lose any....but i think i get a majority out. once she spits them in the net breeder i load it up with fake plants so the fry stay clear of the edges. main risk is if they get between the plastic frame and net. could get crushed if an adult does peck. the plecos really is the only ones that pay close attention to the breeder now. they suck the excess food through the net.

the adults dont seem to care about the fry in my tank. its as if they arent worth the effort to try to eat, but the fry hide in the deep holes of the coral rock. they dont stray too far from their safe haven. even i have a hard time getting them out. a net appears and they disappear so freaking quick into those rocks.

typically i get around 20 fry each spawn growing out. i have 23 i think in my grow out tank now in the 1.5" range....another 15 maybe in a breeder net in the 1/2"-3/4" range....and she is about to spit more now.

fish gallery gives me a very fair price for them when i rotate each batch in the net breeder into the grow out tank.

its an endless cycle from this lab...but her fry alone have redecorated my 29gal, and got me 3 adult mbunas for my 75gal :)....next is redecorate the 56gal

[ptran]

Morph, I guess you are lucky not losing any fry.

I strip 30 SRTS Hongi still with egg sag the other days, put them in the floating breeder box, only to come home the next day and all the fry was magically gone. Dam hungry Hongi suck them out of the box without any problem. Live and learn I guess.

[morpheus]

Good luck....i have never brought myself to stripping yet. i hear its very delicate and i am always worried about hurting the female.

my yellow lab is ready to spit hers out pretty soon....but whenever i see a little one swimming in the rocks/plants....i just put her in a net breeder and she usually spits like 80% of them out for me in a few minutes. i scoop up the rest as i see them. lots of cover so i dont think i really lose any.

[ptran]

Thanks bro. Never strip a Kilesa. I feel like she's ready to spit anytime now.

[Austy16414]

Best of luck bro

[ptran]

Stripping tomorrow. Stay tune!