Where To Put Grown Up Babies?

[guppler]

Pinki and BC have quite a family by now. They might be spawning less often now that it's getting cooler, but I'm starting to wonder if the fry guys are close to breeding age from the first spawn or 2 and I do plan to sell some, but probably not all. The last time I found eggs it did look like one of the little ones was hanging around near the grown ups.
I almost took about 20 or more fry to a lps or lfs once, but decided to do more calling around before packing them up. Maybe even go back and visit some places. I have at least 3 places in mind, but haven't visited for a while. Sometimes they say they'd rather have small groups at a time. It looks like all the ones in the guppy tanks are normal, but 1 of the ones in the comunity is named and designated as a keeper. Flipper, who I called curly for a little while has slightly odd shaped pectorals. Then there's Winki. He/she is so little I still don't know for sure what's up with the right eye, but it's either very small, or possibly absent. I don't know if Michael and Phinnigan ( small for their age with short weak or curled whiskers and maybe skinny fins too) will grow up, but if they do I don't expect them to have healthy kids, and I might have some slightly crooked or shortened ones that I don't want to sell, and it looks like some of the younger ones might get the same curled or flipped up fins that Flipper has.
I can keep some in guppy tanks, but if they're non breeders I'd want to separate by gender, and that's not as easy as with livebearers. i could try them with bettas, but I don't know if that's safe, and I'm sure they'd want filters and aeration, which my bettas usually don't get. I would give some to friends if they want them, but I don't want to offer abnormal ones to a store. So, Is there a good way to tell what sex they are? How old do they have to be to breed? Can they live with bettas? ... if so what's the minimum space and aeration/filtration needed? I'm guessing they should not be in the same tank with big goldfish.
I'll be OK for now if I can get at least 20 half grown ones rehomed, but I don't know how soon I'll get around to it, especially if I decide the lumpy tetra and minnow in the comunity have something contagious. I've had them almost a year now. Maybe they're just getting old.
I think I won't rescue any more eggs from the comunity until I some of the bigger ones get new homes. from the last brood I only moved a snailful of eggs, which apparently hatched 4 apparently healthy but still rather small fry, and there's at least 1 the same size hiding in the comunity gravel. (brood 6, i think, maybe 7. I lost track, but could probably figure it out.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi guppler

I'm happy to hear about your successful spawns.

Pinki and BC are a bronze and albino pair, aren't they? Since both have been widely tank raised for many generations, and this means a lot of inbreeding could have happened somewhere down the line, it's possible that one of them has some kind of genetic problem that is causing your fry to be less than perfectly formed.

What are you feeding them? It's possible that it could be related to that too, but IMO, less likely.

When it comes to selling them, look for an independent lfs. If you can find one that will consider buying them, don't hesitate to point out the benefit of having a good source of healthy fish that have been raised in the local water. They are much less likely to lose any of them than ones that have been raised on fish farms and shipped from distant places.

Consider doing a trade too. If you agree to take other merchandise for your fish, you will be much better off in the dollar amount received. Since you need a good supply of food alone, and will have to spend the money there anyway, a credit slip is a good thing to have.

As for breeding more of them with possible deformities, just don't rescue the eggs. There is no harm in them spawning and there is no need to separate them by gender.

 

[guppler]

I'm happy to hear about your successful spawns.
Thanks

Pinki and BC are a bronze and albino pair, aren't they? Since both have been widely tank raised for many generations, and this means a lot of inbreeding could have happened somewhere down the line, it's possible that one of them has some kind of genetic problem that is causing your fry to be less than perfectly formed.

Yes Pinki is the albino dad. None of the kids look like him, but the more I look the more I see that some are lighter and some are darker. I think the darker ones are more BC's shade. I hesitate to admit it, but I think the flipper gene might come from BC. After noticing Flipper, I noticed that one of BC's fins might be slightly bent.

What are you feeding them? It's possible that it could be related to that too, but IMO, less likely.

They got some bbs at first , but then I got lazy and stopped doing that as much. I went out and got liquifry for the first ones, but when it ran out I just got more "first bites" baby pwder, and they get crumbled tropical flakes and freezedried daphnia and sinking "crumbles" and algae discs and bottom feeder wafers, along with whatever grows in the water without my help.. I may have seen a tiny worm or something and now they have a magor algae bloom or something. It looks almost like pea soup even if I change the water twice a day. (Actually I only did 2 changes a day once, and I probably need better filters.) Only the fry tank is green all my others are pretty clear despite less frquent cleanings.

When it comes to selling them, look for an independent lfs. If you can find one that will consider buying them, don't hesitate to point out the benefit of having a good source of healthy fish that have been raised in the local water. They are much less likely to lose any of them than ones that have been raised on fish farms and shipped from distant places.

Consider doing a trade too. If you agree to take other merchandise for your fish, you will be much better off in the dollar amount received. Since you need a good supply of food alone, and will have to spend the money there anyway, a credit slip is a good thing to have.

yeah. When I say "sell", I'm really open to credit and trades too. In fact the place I visited today that just happens to be pretty close to school has some nice little hatchet fish and coolies and some really cute upside downs, and they tried to talk me into a bigger tank, but I don't know where to put it. Oh, yeah, and don't forget the ADFs and I'll need meds once in a while and I already need more algae wafers and if i ever get into salt water i'd love to have some of those jellyfish that look like swimming mushrooms, and then there were the flounders, and I could go on, but I wonder if they would even give me non fish stuff. I don't know why not, and I do have 2 cats and a friend trying to get rid of several cockatiels, and they have so many other cool critters. This place even had a prehensile tailed skink once, and today some of the chinchillas were only about $100. I'd have to sell alot of fish fry to earn a chinchilla.

As for breeding more of them with possible deformities, just don't rescue the eggs. There is no harm in them spawning and there is no need to separate them by gender.
[/quote]
Oh yeah, um I've been watching, and from the last spawn or 2 I think I may actually have more fry in the comunity than in the fry tank.
I'm also starting to wonder if loaches would eat cory fry as well as snails, and what about upside down cats and ADFs?
Then there's the question about the lumpy minow and tetra.... I'm guessing and hoping those are no more contagious or scarey than my betta's beard, but I wish i could be sure.
I also don't really know how much credit or money to ask for. I got a quote of around $ 0.75 for guppies at one place and another said they'd match other offers. At this place they asked what I wanted first and then said someone else had the list that says what they would offer. This guy also said he'd rather have more than 10 at a time, but I don't remember where the person was that wanted fewer than 10 at a time.