Marine Betta

[TriggerFinger]

Did you decide on a grow out tank yet?
I know it’s early, but do you have plans on selling/shipping babies when they are ready?

 

[ThRoewer]

Did you decide on a grow out tank yet?
I know it’s early, but do you have plans on selling/shipping babies when they are ready?

I will have to by the end of the week as I will need the tank for the next batch.
And yes, I will have to sell them as I have not the space for so many Marine Bettas (I already have 4 pairs or potential pairs)

 

[User1]

About how many are left out of curiosity?

Not sure if I have asked but have you reached out to say BIOTA and shared what you are doing and success? I do not recall that they are raising them. Maybe they have and stopped due to the effort in vs out.

Keep up the great work. A lot of time and passion it seems. So cool.

Edit: And if you do - please put me on your list. I'd love a pair.

 

[ThRoewer]

About how many are left out of curiosity?

Not sure if I have asked but have you reached out to say BIOTA and shared what you are doing and success? I do not recall that they are raising them. Maybe they have and stopped due to the effort in vs out.

Keep up the great work. A lot of time and passion it seems. So cool.

Edit: And if you do - please put me on your list. I'd love a pair.

No idea how many are left - they are good at hiding in the woodwork (or algae in this case). From what I see under the shards it should be somewhere between 50 and 100. So far I only found one of the settled dead and that was one of the smaller so it seems due to feeding pods all along sudden fright isn't an issue. That was my main reason for high losses in the past.
As for Biota, I think they concentrate on more challenging species. They did the Plesiops corallicola (I got a pair of those from them) but it seems they were not enough of a seller to breed more.

 

[User1]

No idea how many are left - they are good at hiding in the woodwork (or algae in this case). From what I see under the shards it should be somewhere between 50 and 100. So far I only found one of the settled dead and that was one of the smaller so it seems due to feeding pods all along sudden fright isn't an issue. That was my main reason for high losses in the past.
As for Biota, I think they concentrate on more challenging species. They did the Plesiops corallicola (I got a pair of those from them) but it seems they were not enough of a seller to breed more.

Ok, thanks for the information.

I was not sure what their business model is like. Challenging, rare, or longer term aquaculture. Or any combination I guess. They have the Cuban Basslet's which I've always wanted and a reasonable price and wager they will only get lower as they work through their process. I wrongly assumed they have a wider scope but what you said makes sense.

50 and 100 small marine beta's is still an amazing number. Love the thread and I check daily

 

[ThRoewer]

Ok, thanks for the information.

I was not sure what their business model is like. Challenging, rare, or longer term aquaculture. Or any combination I guess. They have the Cuban Basslet's which I've always wanted and a reasonable price and wager they will only get lower as they work through their process. I wrongly assumed they have a wider scope but what you said makes sense.

50 and 100 small marine beta's is still an amazing number. Love the thread and I check daily

I think they hoped for better sales with the Gramma degongi but all the high rollers in Asia had already gotten theirs via DeJong Marinelife in Europe and the demand in the US was never that huge. One of the key issues is that the price was waaayyy out there. I think they could have sold a lot more at $200 each and still made a profit. The +4k they were offered for in the beginning were just too much for a fish that is just not different enough from a regular Gramma you can get for under 30 dollars in the US. Add to that the fact that Gramma don't change sex and that you would need to buy at least 5 to have a good chance of having at least a male and a female - the price was just prohibitive.

 

[ThRoewer]

Just saw that the dejongi have come down a lot to a more realistic price of "just" $600... still a bit too steep for my wallet at the moment...

Good news/bad news on the C. argus front...
Good news first: I managed to get another one to pair with the well-established one that currently resides with my Amphiprion milii... After two weeks in quarantine so far the new one looks healthy and is eating copepods, adult Artemia, Mysis, Krill, even flakes thanks to the little bicinctus I tossed in with him to make him less shy and to show him that that funny stuff floating in the tank is food...



The video also features my new Assessor flavissimus pair - eating well from day one despite the not so warm welcome from the bicinctus gang.

The bad news is that the last surviving C argus from the 3 I got at the beginning of the month isn't doing well and the prognosis is rather dire after 4 weeks not eating. Still trying my best to turn her around but at this point there isn't much hope left...

 

[ichthyogeek]

Just saw that the dejongi have come down a lot to a more realistic price of "just" $600... still a bit too steep for my wallet at the moment...

Good news/bad news on the C. argus front...
Good news first: I managed to get another one to pair with the well-established one that currently resides with my Amphiprion milii... After two weeks in quarantine so far the new one looks healthy and is eating copepods, adult Artemia, Mysis, Krill, even flakes thanks to the little bicinctus I tossed in with him to make him less shy and to show him that that funny stuff floating in the tank is food...



The video also features my new Assessor flavissimus pair - eating well from day one despite the not so warm welcome from the bicinctus gang.

The bad news is that the last surviving C argus from the 3 I got at the beginning of the month isn't doing well and the prognosis is rather dire after 4 weeks not eating. Still trying my best to turn her around but at this point there isn't much hope left...

Unsure, but what are your thoughts on syringe feeding the last C argus? Making some sort of slurry so the fish gets at least some form of nutrition into it? Did it ever beat the bacterial infection?

 

[ThRoewer]

Unsure, but what are your thoughts on syringe feeding the last C argus? Making some sort of slurry so the fish gets at least some form of nutrition into it? Did it ever beat the bacterial infection?

Unfortunately, she was already dead when i came home.
But I should be on track to a pair once the latest is done with quarantine. That one is by now eating multiple krill each day and getting less shy.

 

[ThRoewer]

Clutch #9 of pair #1 is going to hatch this Saturday night but since they are now on a stable 11 day spawning cycle I will probably let this one go so I have the time to get my Parvocalanus cultures set up and going for clutch #10.

 

[ThRoewer]

Found one of the little ones dead today. Good opportunity to take a picture:

 

[User1]

Just saw that the dejongi have come down a lot to a more realistic price of "just" $600... still a bit too steep for my wallet at the moment...

yeah - I've been watching them and the price. Would really like to have one but still 400 over my budget. I would really love to have one or two but not yet.

I do have one of their yellow assessors and love the fish. It is a bit of a recluse though in that I won't see if for a week or so then all of a sudden he/she is out and about. Loves to hang out under one of my rocks and cave area. Upside down more often than not unless it is doing some open swimming a bit. I like these size of fish and would like to have a few more assessors but not sure if one can keep multiples. I've been reading up on them to see how they behave in the wild.

How are the betta's coming along?

 

[ThRoewer]

yeah - I've been watching them and the price. Would really like to have one but still 400 over my budget. I would really love to have one or two but not yet.

I do have one of their yellow assessors and love the fish. It is a bit of a recluse though in that I won't see if for a week or so then all of a sudden he/she is out and about. Loves to hang out under one of my rocks and cave area. Upside down more often than not unless it is doing some open swimming a bit. I like these size of fish and would like to have a few more assessors but not sure if one can keep multiples. I've been reading up on them to see how they behave in the wild.

How are the betta's coming along?

Marine Bettas coming along slowly. At this point it is basically stuffing them with food and wait. The issue with them is that they are slow growing.

Same here on the dejongi. At half the current rate I may think about getting them but I would want a pair. So let's wait and see.

The Assessors do best in a tank where they are not threatened and with the right buddy fish like pipefish and other timid fish. Ideally is a low light tank like you would have for NPS and the like. I hope to breed with the two I just got once they are thru quarantine and grown up. I will probably make a specific tank for them and my Janssi pipefish, something where they have an overhang to sit below. Breeding them should be easier than the Marine Betta as they seem to grow faster. Their larvae are about the same size.

 

[Acroporakiller]

Ive always loved these fish. The plan has always been to eventually get a pair once i get a larger tank going. I nearly pulled the trigger on one when i had my 120g up, but decided i liked my shrimp too much lol.

 

[ThRoewer]

By now, the largest are twice as big (long) as the smallest. I need to see that I get them to take frozen food.

 

[ThRoewer]

 

[User1]

Looks like they are getting bigger and a good number are still alive and kicking. Doing great. So what sort of food now or are they still small and the video is misleading?

You are doing amazing and thanks for the update. I've been checking in to see how things are going

 

[ThRoewer]

They are getting bigger but are still pretty small. Still feed primarily live food (Artemia & Tigriopus) since it is easier.

 

[flampton]

Been following along for awhile and just want to give a big thumbs up.

I wish I was better help with the infections from your first set of arguses. If you have problems in the future I can help design something that will have a better chance of working. Do you have access to a microscope? Or know someone who does? As there's a really strong chance this was a eukaryotic infection or mixed infection that led to uncontrolled inflammation and ultimately death.

 

[laverda]

Looking great! Good job.