Aiming at BAP Awards...suggestions

[darkdep]

Hey folks,

I've decided that as I near completion of my fish wall, I'd like to spend a little time attaining some BAP awards, both from OVAS and from CAOAC.

In order for me to get the CAOAC Basic Merit award, I need to breed 6 species with three different spawning habits.  As I'm about to get my 6th African species to give birth, I have the numbers down but need to breed two species with different spawning habits (than mouthbrooding).  The OVAS BAP general Level 1 also requires 8 species from two categories, so I'll be going for both of these with the same initiative.

So, As I'm intering a new area for me, I'd like to ask for suggestions on some easy-to-breed fish that use methods other than mouthbrooding, so I can "get my feet wet" in these new areas.

[pegasus]

Concicts & guppy!  Enjoy. That's why I don't bother with BAP.

[gonna_b_no_1]

i gots guppies!  lol  and 1 convict that I can't give away! 

Have you thought of corydoras?  Livebearers (there's not only gups ya know!) 

Seriously, pick up a trio of guppies or mollies or platies.  Gups are every 28 days, giving birth(no eggs!) to anywhere from 10-50ish fry.  All you need is a trio, a birthing net/trap and an extra tank as a grow out.  Takes anywhere from 3-4 months to get gups to a sellable size.  Easy to feed (crushed flake) And if you see a guppy "mouthbrooding" it's not a good thing!

[Laura]

What about one of the more unusual looking danio sp? See here http://www.danios.info/Contents/species/danio9.asp

My pearl danios have spawned in the community tank - of course it became a khuli loach buffet. 

I would avoid the commonly available zebra and pearl danios and try one of the others (choprae or others) as I think they would be easier to sell - check the links out above, the home page breaks the danios into old, new and future sp.

[oenology]

I have a pair of angels that breed regularly and will parent raise their fry. I'm going away for 2 months - wine time again - so if you would like to borrow these guys while I'm away you're welcome to  - one less tank for hubby to worry about. In fact now that I think about it I can also lend you my L. marunguensis pair. They have just hatched out their first brood. So that would be 2 different egg layers and sticking to the cichlid world.

[darkdep]

Might take you up on that oenology, thanks!  When are you going away?  I am HOPING to be ready for water again by end of month / early Sept.

I don't really want to do convicts; I was planning to put a little convict tank together for feeders down the road as I get some more carnivorous fish. 

I'd like to get to some of the higher BAP levels, but at this point I want easy fish in different areas to get used to their habits.

How do you tell when a livebearer is pregnant?  It just gets fat?  How long do they hold before they release generally?

[mseguin]

Well a good fish to get started on for egg scatterers are cherry barbs and glowlight tetras, I'm sure dpatte could give yuo advice on spawning those. Kribs are always a blast to watch their parental care, as well as jewels.

[Sarah Bella]

Betta - Anabantid -  Bubblenest builder

easy to breed, relatively easy to care for and can spawn in as little as 2gal (a young pair).   

Fun and interesting to watch as they grow.   i can lend/give/sell you a pair if you decide to go that way...   

[darkdep]

Thanks for all the ideas folks!

[oenology]

BTW both pairs can be "plug and play" ie their housing can go with them. The angels are in a 30g and the lamprologus are in a square 15g

[darkdep]

Won't be able to do that, no room for more tanks at the moment (what with the 8 empty ones waiting to be installed )

[BigDaddy]

Get some Jewels... will satisfy your weird African fetish   

Probably second only to convicts for easy breeding.  Conversely, they are actually nice to look at in breeding colours!

[mseguin]

I know Colin just brought a breeding pair of jewels to BA Innes to trade in, the male is gorgeous.