Rare Livebearers

[paudie22]

i was in my lfs today and saw a tank mark new livebearers with the tag livebearers sp. i asked the staff but nobody have seen them in before and didnt no a name for them. they were easily sexed so i got a pair but i cant get a picture off them as there very fast. there a silver nearly see through colour the male has a yellow tint to his tail. there bodies are kind of triangular as they go out to were there stomachs are the move in towards there tail. i have looked through the pics on here but to no success yet

 

[OldMan47]

It sounds like it could possibly be one of the heavier bodied goodeids except that a new person would not be able to sex them. It is possible that it is one of the many fish in the limia group which can be sexed much like a platy or guppy. Pictures will be a must if you want much help with identification. There are several of us who could actually help a bit if we had pictures. If you are fairly unfamiliar with rare livebearers, chances are you are looking at something in the poecilliid group since others are not sexed the same way.

 

[helterskelter]

Have a look at some of the google images links below.
The Problem is there are over 350 species and only 5-6 types are common, so it's a big job with out having any pic's.

priapella sp.

Girardinus

 

[OldMan47]

Thanks for the helping hand Helterskelter. I have a fair knowledge of goodeids but am afraid that anyone saying they can readily identify the fish's sex is looking at a poeciliid which I do not know as well.

 

[helterskelter]

Thats ok Oldman Goodeids is my expertise too

Like you say it's east to sex so it's gonna be Poeciliid, so just trying to think what else is triangular in shape.

 

[dunchp]

Alfaro cultratus?

 

[paudie22]

heres the fish not great quality anyone know what it is?

 

[OldMan47]

The body shape, about all that I can start to see, is reminiscent of a pike livebearer or a halfbeak but seems too short for that. Is this close to your fish? http/www.rarelivebearers.com/images/Male%20Halfbeak%201.jpg

 

[paudie22]

definately not one of those

 

[dunchp]

Looks like Alfaro cultratus to me.

 

[paudie22]

yes thats them thanks any info on them would be greatly appreciated

 

[dunchp]

Fairly easy livebearer.

They need relatively warm temperatures to thrive, 75-80 degrees but will be OK from 68, below that they will start to suffer.

They appreciate some water movement and are mainly carnivorous; this should be reflected in their diet and they will appreciate some livefood or frozen bloodworm, if feeding them frozen bloodworm do not defrost first as they prefer to take food from the water surface (it will float).

They will eat their fry and you really need to separate the female or plant heavily to have any real chance of saving fry in large numbers although they will have 15-30 fry every 4-6 weeks. The female does not fill out as much as other species.

 

[helterskelter]

Ye i love these fish the first rare livebearer i breed

I found getting fry was always a skill with these species but the generally give birth at night.
So I used to go and check the tank before first light and often found fry.

These do not swell up at tall when pregnant, if you think they look slightly pregnant then their very close to giving birth.

I found that mine always did much better with a good flow rate and always used a power filter in their tanks.
Temp's as Duncan already stated.

Good luck with them