It is not a very flattering photo, but it is one of the few I have of my male tussyae who celebrated his first birthday this month.
I thought I might as well update my blog on things that have been happening in my 'fish room' since the last entry I posted. To begin with, I sold my trio of Betta uberis as well as a trio of Betta burdigala to two different members of AusAqua. After some consideration, I also decided to move on my pair of Betta hendra. With the creation of a new Australian SMP on Facebook, I thought another hobbyist might like to try their hand at breeding this not so common species. I did have one addition to my fish room, in the form of a pair of wild-caught Betta stiktos. The male is shown above, while his female has thus far eluded my attempts at proving her existence on film! These are an absolutely stunning species, with a temperament very similar to that of a splendens. One species that is thriving, is my group of Betta persephone. I haven't seen any actual eggs or fry produced during the handful of times a pair has spawned, and I am assuming this is down to the large number of fish in the tank.
I am considering offering a single pair of this group for sale. I think in the interest of preserving wild betta species within Australia, it is important to have as many of these fish as possible in the tanks of breeders. I always hold concerns about iridovirus and the possible ramifications this could hold for the import of anabantoids into Australia. It would be absolutely devastating if these fish were ever to become ineligible for import. I haven't updated this blog in what feels like forever. The truth is, I have lost interest in breeding/keeping wild bettas. The constant battle I've been having with parasites in my grow-out tanks is draining, and while the rest of my fish are healthy and thriving, I don't want to have to face this issue every time my fish spawn and I get fry to raise. I've decided that while I will be keeping my adult pairs/groups, any juveniles or sub-adults I have bred (excluding my Betta rutilans) will be sold. Once my current lot of adults pass on I will not be replacing them. The plan is now to get the rest of my juveniles and sub-adults healthy and then either trade them, sell them or hand them in at my LFS.
I will be leaving this blog/site up and will still definitely update it with pictures and stories about my wilds. I just won't be as immersed in the breeding or collecting side of the hobby as I once was. |
AuthorLocated in Melbourne, Australia, I currently keep and breed a number of species from the coccina complex. Archives
November 2017
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