Jenynsia Onca Biotope tank build

You may have already seen this - these are cute little fish as well...I think you must be a member but it looks like they have some links to keepers of these cats☺

Great project Junebug!

 

Cool new fish…where did you first hear about them?

 

You may have already seen this - these are cute little fish as well...I think you must be a member but it looks like they have some links to keepers of these cats☺

Great project Junebug!

I am a member. Haven't had any luck getting in touch with those folks. Don't think they use the forum any more.

My best bet will be sourcing a wild caught trio from Argentina or Uruguay. Hopefully Uruguay but I'll take what I can get lol.

Cool new fish…where did you first hear about them?

I was bored one day and looking around the livebearer sections of Aquabid. I came across a listing for them, and just fell in love. They're beautiful and fun. And uncommon as of yet so I'm stepping outside the box with my livebearers. I've wanted a wild type livebearer for a while and these guys ended up being just perfect.

Plus I got the challenge of creating a biotope tank for an area where there's not a lot of info.

Speaking of which, I'm having serious issues keeping the brazilian microsword in the substrate. Any ideas? I'm starting a thread on it in a few, as I'm just about to tear out my hair trying to grow the stuff.

 

I too have been enamored with the Jenynsia onc, and became inspired by your posts here to move ahead with getting some. I found some listings on Aquabid, and also contacted the source you got yours from. I ended up buying mine from 'Showfishing' on Aquabid because he said he would try to sex them for me, true to his word he was quite successful in sexing them and I appear to have the 1.2 ratio I was seeking. I had a VERY good transaction with him, fish were well packed and I had no losses either during shipment or during quarantine after they arrived! maybe he can help you even out your sex ratios.

 

Speaking of which, I'm having serious issues keeping the brazilian microsword in the substrate. Any ideas? I'm starting a thread on it in a few, as I'm just about to tear out my hair trying to grow the stuff.

I have tried in both gravel and sand to plant these, very frustrating. I finally ended up taking some of the spun rock (the packing that most aqua plants in a pot have around their roots) and making lines of it where I could place the microsword roots on the spun rock, with the blade up above it and roll it up. some I made in little circles some in longer lines/ovals. so far has worked pretty good for keeping them in the substrate, limits you to little clumps instead of spreading it out more. I have never worked with the substrate you have so not sure of its limitations. hope that helps or sparks an idea. good luck!

 

This substrate is very similar to fluval substrates. Just small granules.

I'm thinking of either gluing it to some poster holders or similar, with the roots inside, and letting it spread from there, or just getting a plant that doesn't hate me. LOL.

Hmm, so Showfishing has these little dudes now? Might go female hunting soon then.

 

I really, really want to hyperventilate right now.

Joshua from Batfish aquatics HAS THE HISOs!!!! I WANT THEM lol. He just emailed me letting me know his guy in Argentina is holding them for him. They are going to be expensive to import, which was expected, and he needed to know how many I wanted before he figured out what we were going to do, if he is able to get them into the country.

I want them. I want them so bad.

 

Looks like Hisos may have to wait until December. But December is nearly a sure thing, so it's not so horrible.
piedcrow - I went ahead and emailed "showfishing" about these fish, even though they aren't on their website or AB listings. They said they can't 100% guarantee sex, but picking out three females shouldn't be an issue. They are on their way to me now Thanks so much for letting me know about them!

 

Looks like Hisos may have to wait until December. But December is nearly a sure thing, so it's not so horrible.
@ - I went ahead and emailed "showfishing" about these fish, even though they aren't on their website or AB listings. They said they can't 100% guarantee sex, but picking out three females shouldn't be an issue. They are on their way to me now Thanks so much for letting me know about them!

Good deal!!! Of course we want updates AND pictures

 

You will get both.

I need to take a picture of the brazilian microsword lol. ALL but one plant are floating at the top of the tank. I think the one that stuck has part of the root system pinned under a rock haha.

 

Photos confirming one lilaeopensis brazilensis remains planted, a bunch of algae, and some fish lol.

The males have begun fighting. I'm hoping that when the additional females arrive, that will dissipate. If not, my boyfriend may be getting a few unexpected pet fish lol.










I also took a picture of the floating microswords. Why? Because I find it hilarious.

 

Looks great!! And as far as I'm concerned Lileaopsis Brasiliensis is a floating plant... How people get then to stay put I will never know!!xx

 

Yeah, the only one that stayed, I'm pretty sure is half under a rock lol. The only other plant I've had this much trouble with is pennywort, and that's not even because of rooting issues, it just melts half the time when it's close to the substrate.

 

Well, the new (probable) females are in the tank! I will get pictures of everyone soon. Tank is currently blacked out to let the new girls get accustomed to things.

Edit: The boys are going COMPLETELY out of their minds. LOL.

 

Well, the new (probable) females are in the tank! I will get pictures of everyone soon. Tank is currently blacked out to let the new girls get accustomed to things.

Edit: The boys are going COMPLETELY out of their minds. LOL.

glad to hear getting the females worked out well for you. sounds like the boys confirmed they were females!

 

Oh they were all definitely females lol. One of them had very obviously recently given birth, and they were all quite large and fat. Heck, I may be seeing babies that aren't from my males yet haha. Assuming these fish hold sperm like other livebearers, but I have no idea if they do because there's just no research on them. I may end up separating a single female after she gives birth to see if and when she continues to do so. Just as an experiment.

One thing I've noticed with these fish is that when the females are stressed (like during shipping) they literally clamp their analfin until it looks like a gonopodium. Just something to keep an eye out for if you're going to be purchasing them. They also do not appear to get dark gravid spots, possibly due to their coloring. I have other domesitcated livebearer girls that never appear gravid due to albinism or opaque coloring over the ovaries.

 

Well an update; these fish are MAJOR plant eaters. But only specific plants. They haven't touched the echinodorus species in their tank, or the pennywort. But they've demolished the hornwort almost entirely. A few leaves are left, but any time the fish get bored, they go nuts and yank leaves off the poor plant. I'm going to uproot some and let it float in the tank, see if that helps it recoup. If not, at least I know they're getting their veggies.

 

Funny, I read your post right after I had taken the Jeny's out of quarantine and put them in my 125 gal. planted tank - I thought OMG what have I done! they really haven't bothered the plants much, they do like the duckweed and eat fair amount of it, but have mostly left the varius anubius, sword plants, sag's, crypts, and Bolbitis alone.
Have you had any babies yet? have you given thought on how to save babies? it seems that the Jeny's eat just about anything and can't believe they wouldn't just scarf up all babies! I also have a hard time seeing these active schoaling fish in a 'baby saver' type container.....I suspect that a couple of my females have given birth, but no babies to be found. really not surprising considering they have plenty of tank mates that would also happily remove the babies from the 'active' list

 

I haven't had any babies yet, or if I did, they ate them so fast I never saw them lol. Mine have been eating the heck out of the hornwort in their tank, but they mostly leave other stuff alone. They do nibble a lot of the softer plants but miraculously leave the pennywort alone. They eat brazilian microsword though lol.