Breeding the Blue Gularis
Aphyosemion sjoestedti
By Ralph W. Taylor
Vol. 1, No. 12 The Newsletter of The Tri-State Aquarium Society November 1999
Aquarticles
As I sat here this lazy Sunday night picking eggs from a mop, I got really excited.
This mop contained over 200 eggs of the beautiful and quite expensive Blue Gularis.
After many years I have finally gotten pretty good at breeding and raising these fine
fish. Considering that a pair of Gularis brings at least $7 when trading among breeders
around the country, and also that in many areas in large cities a pair may bring as much
as $50, even Jethro Clampett can figure that these fish can help buy a lot of hobby
supplies.
Having a good strain of fish is of prime importance. I am lucky to have one of the
nicest strains in the country and will share with anyone who is serious about trying to
breed them.
Terry has spoken on numerous occasions about the importance of water quality, and that
goes here, too.
Tank size seems to matter little to the fish. I have bred them in as small a tank as
one gallon and as large as five gallons.
The substrate is also not important. In order to keep the tank absolutely clean, I most
often use a clean slate-bottomed tank.
I have, however, on occasion used another technique - an undergravel filter covered
with pea-sized gravel is prepared. Lots of floating plants seem to help, also. A trio of
adults is introduced and allowed to remain in the tank for about two weeks. After this
period, the adults are removed to another tank and the breeding tank is watched for a
couple more weeks. In less than a month, the plants are alive with dozens of young fry.
The main technique that I use is to put a pair in a small two-gallon tank with a mop on
the bottom. The pair is fattened on white worms and an occasional earthworm. The mop I
picked tonight with so many eggs is from a pair which has eaten an earthworm apiece for
two straight weeks. I really think that earthworms are among the best food available to
fish if they are large enough to take them. I even chop worms up to feed even small
Gularis.
Eggs may be incubated two ways:
- The mop may be removed from a breeding tank and simply placed in a hatching tank of a
gallon or two. Most often the mop will contain unfertilized eggs and they will fungus
readily. But small success is possible with this technique.
- The most successful method is to pick the eggs from the mop by hand. Handling the eggs
gently will not harm them. They are next placed in a small plastic container, half-filled
with tap water, where they will remain for about 16-18 days and then hatch. Any eggs that
fungus must be removed as soon as discovered.
An alternative to water incubation is a technique where the eggs are placed on damp peat
moss in a tightly closed container and placed in a dark location. This method takes a
little longer for the eggs to hatch.
After about six weeks the eggs will turn a dark chestnut brown and one can see tiny
eyes through the shell. That is the time to force hatch the eggs. Ripe eggs are placed in
a small pill bottle and tightly closed after exhaling into the vial. The bottle is then
placed in a pocket next to your body and you carry the bottle with you for a couple of
hours. Check the container frequently: in about two hours there will be fry swimming
happily in the container. There is some question about what makes them hatch this way.
Some folks contend the build up of carbon dioxide is responsible; others claim body heat
and motion are the cause. I just know that it works for me and will for you also.
Fry are large and can take microworms immediately and are ready for baby brine shrimp
in about three days. These fry are not too picky and can be raised fairly easily. Males
must be separated when about two inches in length or they will shred fins.
Good breeding!
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