Keeping Wrestling Halfbeaks With Low Sg

[GL-P]

Hello again!

I plan on setting up a number of wrestling halfbeaks when the come into the local fish shop. The knowledgeable staff there are convinced that salt is important for them to keep the longest. What is the usual range of SG for wrestling halfbeaks? How well do they do without salt? Is there a way for them to do without salt and keep them reasonably stress free?

Thanks
Greg

 

[nmonks]

Wrestling halfbeaks, Dermogenys spp., absolutely DO NOT need salt. Feel free to browse the Aqualog livebearer book, the Aqualog brackish book, my brackish book, the Baensch Aquarium Atlas, or any other modern aquarium book to confirm. The story they need salt is based (probably) on misidentification with true brackish water species. This is the same with glassfish (Parambassis spp.) which are also said to be brackish water fish in many older books. Anyway, Dermogenys pusilla is found (rarely) in slightly brackish water. SG 1.005 would be about right, possibly higher after acclimation. Dermogenys sumatrana and D. siamensis DO NOT live in brackish water and in fact do better (breed more readily) in soft and slightly acidic water.

Cheers, Neale

I plan on setting up a number of wrestling halfbeaks when the come into the local fish shop. The knowledgeable staff there are convinced that salt is important for them to keep the longest. What is the usual range of SG for wrestling halfbeaks? How well do they do without salt? Is there a way for them to do without salt and keep them reasonably stress free?

 

[GL-P]

Okay, that's what I thought from reading the FAQ and a few other sites.

I do admit that when I read some websites, they don't differentiate between each of the kind's needs.

That's good though because I have some Elegant Corydoras that I would like to keep in there.

Might just be that the fish are bred in brackish so the shock of moving them into the shop kills only the ones which aren't put in brackish. I may just have a isolation tank where I'll start the water based on the SG of the shop and slowly change the water over a week to acclimatize them to local freshwater.

Greg L-P

 

[helterskelter]

Neale know's his stuff..

One thing about all healfbeaks is that they all rearly need live some live foods.

Blood worm and fruit flys if u lucky enough to have then

Garyfish48 here posted an article on breeding Dermogenys pusillus Wrestling halfbeaks
Here

 

[nmonks]

This may be true up to a point, but one critical issue is that most (perhaps all) halfbeaks are at least vegetarian to some degree. According to fish collectors, Dermogenys spp. feed on pollen, for example. So while adding live food is useful, and does help condition fish for breeding, do not ignore the importance of a balanced algae-rich vegetarian flake food. You can but this type of flake food formulated for livebearers and African cichlids. Halfbeaks will usually take it readily. I'd say try to aim for a 50:50 mix of meaty and vegetarian foods. Besides live food, I've found frozen bloodworms to be readily accepted, and I hand feed my Dermogenys (using forceps) with them. This helps to "tame" the halfbeaks, reducing their likelihood of jumping out of the tank or getting scared. I think taming halfbeaks is very importants, as they're quite highly strung animals.

Cheers,

Neale

One thing about all healfbeaks is that they all rearly need live some live foods.

 

[GL-P]

Beautiful little fry!

I hope to eventually breed them when I get the aquarium settled. Till then I will be biting my nails...

Greg L-P

 

[helterskelter]

According to fish collectors, Dermogenys spp. feed on pollen, for example. So while adding live food is useful, and does help condition fish for breeding, do not ignore the importance of a balanced algae-rich vegetarian flake food

Pollen... I must admit this is the first I've heared of it, I'll tell Gary to try it out.

It's amazing what you will see in nature going on, which is why i cant wait to goto mecixo collecting Goodieads

 

[chibi]

They don't need it, however it won't hurt them. My tank has 1 tsp per gallon (29 gallon tank) and my halfbeak is fine.

 

[GL-P]

Ahh, I would be perfectly happy to add a little salt in for my halfbeaks. The issue is that I have 3 elegant corydoras currently in there and after a knowledgeable employee at the aquarium shop tried to convince me that salt was the way to go with halfbeaks, I wanted to confirm my thinking here that it is not necessary.

Thanks!

 

[fish48]

This may be true up to a point, but one critical issue is that most (perhaps all) halfbeaks are at least vegetarian to some degree. According to fish collectors, Dermogenys spp. feed on pollen, for example. So while adding live food is useful, and does help condition fish for breeding, do not ignore the importance of a balanced algae-rich vegetarian flake food. You can but this type of flake food formulated for livebearers and African cichlids. Halfbeaks will usually take it readily. I'd say try to aim for a 50:50 mix of meaty and vegetarian foods. Besides live food, I've found frozen bloodworms to be readily accepted, and I hand feed my Dermogenys (using forceps) with them. This helps to "tame" the halfbeaks, reducing their likelihood of jumping out of the tank or getting scared. I think taming halfbeaks is very importants, as they're quite highly strung animals.

Cheers,

Neale

One thing about all healfbeaks is that they all rearly need live some live foods.

hi

I have never fed vegetation flake food to my livebearers . or any other type of vegetation foods I am sure that the fish may benefit from this. However most of my fish tanks have live plants so I believe the fish are quite happy living on the algae and plants in their tanks l feed all of my fish on a good quality flake and I feed as much live food as possible. I have been running a livebearers fish house of 80 tanks for more than 20 years I have breed many livebearers. my main interest is breeding goodeids as most of my fish tanks has a species of goodeid in them.



fish48

 

[chibi]

My panda corys are fine with the salt as well, if you were curious about corys and salt. Just don't overdose. 1 tsp per gallon of freshwater aquarium salt is good. You can buy it at your local fish store. I got like 2 quarts of it for $1.50

 

[nmonks]

I agree that this approach can work very well in most cases. But halfbeaks cannot graze algae because they are so perfectly adapted to eating stuff floating on the surface. For halfbeaks, adding veggie flake probably does make a big difference. Halfbeaks are often reputed to be fragile and die easily, and I wonder if diet is a key thing often overlooked.

Cheers,

Neale

I believe the fish are quite happy living on the algae and plants in their tanks...