8 replies to this topic

[aquaholic99]

Hello everyone, I am in Brisbane and looking for Hoplo cats. Not the small ones, Hoplosternum thoracatum. I have two mature females 10 cm long and a bigger male who isn't interested in breeding. He gets close with a purplish chest occasionally but even water changes and temp drops don't get him going. He is currently in with both females. One female once seen with some eggs clasped in back pair of fins but he wasn't interested. Hoping someone out there has another sexually mature male I can buy/swap for fish. Would also be interested in some younger hoplos as well as i am patient enough to grow up a group and try again if necessary. Any other tips on breeding also greatly appreciated.

I am also after some Royal Whips, prefer aureum but any will do. Please email me at aquaholic99@hotmail.com or leave a post here.

[Terry]

I have both species but I'm not breeding them (or parting with them) ATM. My wife and I wrote an article a few years ago on Hoplos you will find it here
ausfish.virtualave.net/articles.shtml
Hope it helps
Cheers Terry

Edited by: Terry at: 2/21/03 9:50:22 pm

[aquaholic99]

Thanks for the reply Terry, Yes I have read your article several times quite thoroughly. I have even collected fresh cold rain water during heavy storms, mixed in a handful of mud (works well on other species), and slow siphoning into the tank overnight whilst similtaneously circulating the tank water through a powerhead and showerhead to get that "rain" effect. They did like this but no closer to breeding. I am still persevering since I love these guys but I think another younger male will help. A challenge for the older guy or a younger keen male. Boy they have a lot of character.
Do you think a temp rise may be better than a temp drop? Being summer at the moment I was going to wait till winter to try this. I have tried frequent water changes, in-frequent water changes, large and small water changes, hard (tap) and soft (rain), & leaving them in shallow water for up to a week before fillig again. All these are not straight after each other of course. Anyway, it is an interesting challenge although people tell me they are easy to breed. I feed mostly OSI shrimp pellets, froz bloodworm and live blackworm (their favourite). Females are always nice and fat. They eat right out of my palm. I have also tried a ten day fast before a heavy feed too. Tank is 36" x 18" x 18" bare botttom but end on since I like to give all my fish space privacy to get away if they wish. Currently all three are together but I have tried in pairs as well.

Will let you know if I do get another male or make any progress.

[Terry]

Give them a strong current at the surface and lots of feed the female needs a high spot to perch under the nest, a piece of driftwood with a ledge will do. Then next time a storm is predicted give them a large waterchange with aged water and switch of the pump. Dont have any other fish with the pair (including spare hoplos) and don't get the female to fat or she won't be able to hold the eggs. When I was breeding hoplos I didn't give them any fresh water, all water changes were done from a large pond with just a few goldfish to keep the filter working. I don't think just ageing tap water for a week will be good enough.
Good luck
Terry

Edited by: Terry at: 2/20/03 10:24:22 pm

[aquaholic99]

Thanks for additional tips Terry. Females currently seem more interested in each other so I was about to seperate one out anyway. I have a hexagonal ceramic pipe and the fattest one likes to lie on top of this. I also have a dark blue ice cream container lid, and a polystyrene sheet 20cm x20cm with some floating elodea, wisteria. It's been raining most of this week. I will let you know how your tips go.
Winston

[Link 2 Hell]

Hi Winston
Try Pet City at Mt Gravatt/Wishart in Brisbane
they usually have both at reasonable prices for a LFS

L2H

link2hell2002@yahoo.com



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I'm still just a rat in a cage

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[danros129]

I have a breding [pair of haasemarnis
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Qld Cichlids

[aquaholic99]

Hi Guys,
I am doing an update to show my appreciation for everyones input. Nothing worse than not knowing the end to a story.

Other advice i got was that my male may simply be too large/old to breed so i have been searching for another male just to make sure. I finally managed to find another male Hoplo at GCAS auction on the weekend. He was only about 8cm TL but clearly a male. I put him and the smallest female together in another tank alongside the tank with the first older pair. He was only about half the size of the female and clearly pretty scared so I gave some half flowerpots (cut lengthwise) and PVC pipes as well as another blue ice cream lid and some floating Elodea and Wisteria. Anyway just 2 days he started to blow his bubblenest under the blue lid. He is still very timid but he is blowing a huge nest with lots of fine bubbles. No sign of interest from his female though.

The other large male next door has been observing this and now has ALSO started blowing a nest. His bubbles are a lot larger and nowhere as neat but he has also started defensively patrolling the front of his tank (a real attitude change in his demenour) and most importantly, his female is helping him blow bubbles and doing a few dummy runs under the ice cream lid. They swim up under the lid and then roll over so they are upside down. (Makes me wish I had a video camera) All fish have very good colour and dots are particularly black and distinct. Purplish stomach on males is not that yet dark however. She inspects his crappy handiwork and fixes it by sucking in all his large bubbles and spitting them back out as fine ones. All her dummy runs have been with pelvic fins still open and so far no eggs but this has just started happening late last night and I am hoping to see some eggs when I get home tonight or maybe early tomorrow morning.

Fingers crossed. It is pretty exciting to see 2 males in adjacent tanks both blowing bubbles after all the attempts I have made.

[Tammy Brisbane]

Hi Winston,

Great story,, doesn't sound like it will be to long and you'll have loads of little hoplo's swimming around.

Anyway let us know how things go, will definitely be interested in a few if all goes well.

Tammy