Celebes Halfbeaks

[CAC]

Hi, id like to breed my halfbeaks, and i have some floating plants (hornwort) which id like to put in, but because they like a decent surrface flow (and my filters 600lph) it just gets blown arround the tank...
Is there anything i can do?
Dont they like these plants, so its easier for cover etc.
Is there anything else i can do to help them breed, as ive allready seen the dominant male chasing the biggest female...
Any tips on keeping them happy?

Thanks alot, Mikey

 

[nmonks]

Well, for one thing you could check out my keeping and breeding halfbeaks web page. That pretty well covers my experiences and I don't really feel like re-writing it all here!

Yes, plants are important, but mostly as hiding placed for babies. Slowing down the water flow might help, or at least directing the flow of water downwards so that there is a region of still water near the surface. Halfbeaks seem not to like swimming into full strength currents, but prefer to be in the eddies nearby, presumably so they can snap up insects that drift by on the main current.

Nomorhamphus males seem to settle down eventually in a big tank. I've kept as many as four in one aquarium without serious problems. Yes, they fight, and only one gets to swim at the top. The others mostly hide lower down the water column.

Finally, don't forget these fish are partially vegetarian in the wild. Pollen, for example, seems to be important parts of their diet according to those who have watched them in the wild. So if you can, use a vegetarian flake food rather than a carnivore one. Diet is definitely one key to getting a healthy brood. Good luck!

Cheers,

Neale

 

[CAC]

Thanks for the advice. Ill direct the flow downwards abit more, and ill put the hornwort in, allthough im not too sure how it will be, as it might just float aimlessly
I havent got any flakes, as id rather feed a more natural diet, but i surrpose i could get some, or could i take the small 'inner' part of a pea, if i mushed it up abit???
At the moment, im feeding frozen bloodworm, and a mix of many crustaciens, which looks like it has brineshrimp, daphnia, bloodworm and some other things i dont recognise...I did have a bag of live brineshrimp, and a bag of live daphnia, both of which got used up...(anyone know how long they should last, and how to keep them alive for longest?)
Ill try and get a veggie based flake too.

Thanks alot, Mikey

 

[nmonks]

I havent got any flakes, as id rather feed a more natural diet, but i surrpose i could get some, or could i take the small 'inner' part of a pea, if i mushed it up abit???

Don't bank on it. Mine couldn't care less about mashed peas. Even my puffers eat frozen peas, but the halfbeaks, no sir-ee. Veggie flake is the best. Get a small pot to begin with, not all fish go for it first time, and some are picky about the brand. Perhaps the algae used has a certain flavour? Anyway, a small pot won't cost much.

Another alternative is to buy some mussels. The "guts" of mussels contain lots of partially digested algae, and fish seem to scarf this stuff up (I guess for the same reasons cats like to eat the guts of mice and birds). So while a bit messy, it probably does a good job of topping up the vitamin and mineral levels on these fish. Freshly caught daphnia, being algae eaters, are probably very good too.

Cheers,

Neale

 

[CAC]

Allright, cool
Theyve had some daphnia, quite alot, so they should be ok until i can get some of that flake...

Thanks, Mikey