Several
months ago I obtained some young dwarf "Hoplos," Hoplosternum
sp. "dwarf," from the Clarkes, who had succeeded in spawning
them. They confided that the secret they had been told by another
successful breeder of this fish was old water with very few and
minor water changes.
To raise the young to maturity as quickly as possible, I gave them
as much food as they could eat and maintained weekly water changes
of at least 1/3. The fish quickly reached a mature size. I was in
no rush to encourage spawning, but frequent, vigorous activity and
loud grating noises from their tank suggested that they may have
been ready.
Several weeks with no water changes did not persuade them to spawn,
but did make me apprehensive because I have that bad habit of overfeeding.
I eased my apprehension by renewing regular water changes and to
try inducing a spawn I used the secret ingredient of all serious
killi people--peat moss. I used peat pellets, compressed peat held
together by a plastic net and designed for raising plants. I didn't
sterilize them, but simply dropped two into the 15-gallon tank which
was painted with black latex on all outside surfaces except the
front and had a sponge filtration system. The temperature was kept
at 76 degrees F., a thick mat of water sprite floated on the surface,
and Java fern floated at midwater. Two plastic food container lids
(one brown, one white) were floated to supply a spawning site for
the active Hoplos; these fish spawn in a bubble nest at the surface
of the water. One week later, immediately following a water change,
the fish spawned overnight under the brown lid. The eggs were removed
for hatching.
The seven adults in the 15-gallon tank spawned every week, the night
following a water change. The eggs were normally found the next
morning attached to the underside of the brown lid. Only once did
I find eggs elsewhere, and this was on the bottom of the tank, under
the lid, which also had eggs on it. If left in the tank, the eggs
were eaten within a day.
The young were easy to raise; most hatched in about four days and
were free swimming a day later. The fry took any food offered: microworms,
baby brine shrimp, and finely crushed dry food and beef puree one
or two weeks after hatching. |
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