COBettaCouple

Last night, we went to our first meeting of the Colorado Aquarium Society (They hosted the BIG auction we bought our guppies, endlers, angels and julies at) and came home with some plants.. and more fish (not that we have room for more )

Anyway, these little girls are a very interesting type of livebearer that's extinct in the wild. We're wondering if anyone here has experience with them? We bought 3 fry last night and have them in a breeders net for now until we get a tank setup for them so hard to get pics of them now, but even as very young fry, they're beautiful fish.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ameca

Attached Images

	239 - Nov 3 - Ameca Splendens fry in a breeders net.jpg (262.2 KB, 5 views)
	240 - Ameca Splendens fry in a breeders net.jpg (295.2 KB, 7 views)

Chief_waterchanger

Yes they are.

Dino and I have a half dozen or so, and are quite happy with them. I think in the year or so we've had very minimal losses, and they seem to be fairly easy to keep. They are of course a goodied (pronounced go*D*ed). They have small batches of babies and have a long gestation period, but I think we've lost one baby since we've had them. Dino may have to correct me, but I think it is like a 60 day gestation period, and the babies are born about the size of month old guppy fry. (Course they are held a month longer, so that may be why .)

Very pretty, and we haven't had trouble with them jumping out of the tank. We have a couple of adults and some subadults in a 10g and they do fine.

Dino can probably fill you in on any scientific stuff that I might've overlooked.

Butterfly

Ameca splendens are very interesting little fish and will breed willing for you.
Ross is correct in that they have a 60 day gestation period.
Unlike other live bearers they do not store sperm, they have to mate before producing fry. The fry are large enough to eat crushed flake at birth and are not a bit shy.
It's a little hard to tell male and female apart but the male has a tiny little hook on the fin right in front of the anus.
Their common name is Butterfly Goodied.
Glad your enjoying the aquarium club there
Carol

Dino

Looks like CWC and Butterfly have the info covered.

Saddly, every last species of the goodied is in danger.
Habitat destruction and the introduction of non native fish are very rapidly removing these fish from their natural settings.

We are currently working with 7-8 species of goodied here.

Butterfly

Goodeids are also Viviparous. Viviparous fish are fish which give birth to live young, the eggs develop whilst receiving nutrition from the parent.(quoted from Wikipedia )
While other live bearers (like guppys) are ovoviviparous. Ovoviviparous fish are fish which give birth to live young, the eggs develop without any nutrition from the parent. (also quoted from Wikipedia)
I've heard that occasionally Goodedid young will still have a bit of umbilical cord still attached after birth.
I remember being told all this at one of the Atlanta Club auctions but couldn't explain it very well so Wikipedia came to my rescue
carol

COBettaCouple

Thanks everyone! They are such an interesting fish - how sad they were wiped out in the wild.

I'm glad to have found out about these little fish and have an opportunity to help with the captive population. As you know Dino, it's a deep desire of mine to raise healthy fish in the threatened status. I just keep finding out about more & more species in this sad state.