LIVEBEARERS:

NOT JUST FOR CICHLID BREAKFAST ANYMORE

by Ken Zeedyk

GVAC Newsletter #45

            Livebearers. The word never used to mean much to me other than visions of feeder guppies, or the occasional red wag sword. Until four years ago I never appreciated what a diverse and successful group of fish they actually are. The closest I got to keeping any live bearing fish for any length of time was the feeder guppy who escaped my cichlid’s “amorous” attentions. Before I joined GVAC I had never really paid attention to what a Goodeid was, or appreciated the diversity of the wild swordtail species. Boy, did I miss out on a lot of really cool fish for most of my life.

            I think the coolest livebearers I have kept and bred so far have been the gold sailfin mollies, Poecillia latipinna. The males displayed pretty much non-stop, and reminded me of little saltwater sailfish. I found them easy to keep and breed, and I now regret auctioning them off just to make room for different fish. The goodeids I have kept and bred also rank up there towards the top of my favorite fish, and their babies are huge! They held their own with the Central American cichlids I housed them with, and usually outcompeted them at feeding time. It was also cool to see the fry’s “umbilical cords” after they were born.

            Currently I have been interested in the wild species of swordtails, and am always on the lookout for species I haven’t tried yet. I recently acquired a group of Nezys, (Xiphophoprus nezahualcoyotl), and two pair of Xiphophoprus birchmanni, (thanks to Tom Reynolds). The birchmanni never stop moving, and the dominant male’s dorsal fin reminds me of my old sailfin mollies. I hope to have success breeding them for BAP points.

            I have found for the most part that the Central American livebearers do really well in my aquariums. I have crushed coral/aragonite substrates in most of them, and use Lake Michigan tap water for water changes. These water parameters are also suitable for the Lake Tanganyika and Central American cichlids I often house them with. I have limited room, so I try to maximize my spawns per tank by housing a livebearer and cichlid species together. I also utilize floating plants like Najas grass, hornwort and floating root plants in these tanks for hiding and grazing places, and breeder nets work great for protecting fry of both species. Filtration in most of my tanks consists of a sponge filter, with the occasional boost of a back filter for some current. Water changes are also important, as I usually feed quite a bit and have a lot of fish per tank. I only have two thermometers between 15 tanks, and prefer to set my temp at 76 degrees on the Jager heaters and go by “feel”. For cooler temps I just unplug the heater.

            We in GVAC are fortunate to have many livebearer specialists in our organization. Many of these species are endangered or threatened in their natural habitats, and most of them would never be found in a pet shop. GVAC has changed my impression of livebearers from being lowly feeder fish to amazing survivors. I’m just waiting to get my hands on some Belonesox belizanus. That will turn the tables on those cichlids. Feeder convicts anyone?

 

                                                                                                Ken Zeedyk