What's something you wish was more available in the hobby?

Hey guys. I don't want this to be one of those "what should I breed?" threads. I know the value of research and hard work. I also know I'm not going to make money. But, I have been breeding snails for a while, and I love giving them to friends when they want them or have algae issues. I've realized it's helping out other hobbyists that I really like.

So my question is: What's something you wish was more available in the hobby? I don't want to be a trailblazer here. I want it to have a proven track record of breeding in captivity, but still not widely available. Where should I focus my efforts?

 

Any type of ram in the hobby will benefit from being bred by you instead of a farm. Same goes for dwarf gouramis

 

I had given a lot of thought to DG actually. Is iridovirus still a large problem coming out of the farms, or has that mostly subsided by now?

 

I agree with dwarf gouramis. I've never had any luck with LFS ones, which is sad because they're such beautiful fish.

 

Considering that every single one I've had in the past year have died for absolutely no reason, and I always see threads of people asking what's wrong with theirs or why it died with no symptoms. Yes it's still a big problem

 

3 spot gourami color morphs. lavender or platinum. Dwarf gourami is good too if you can breed some healthy ones and find females. I've had some live for days and some live for years.

 

I'd like more species of shrimp and other freshwater invertebrates available. A species I can't find in the hobby, although the shells are very popular in shell dweller tanks, are Neothauma tanganyicense, snails of Lake Tanganyika. Unfortunately, if it ain't colorful or shiny, people don't want them.

 

I'd like more species of shrimp and other freshwater invertebrates available. A species I can't find in the hobby, although the shells are very popular in shell dweller tanks, are Neothauma tanganyicense, snails of Lake Tanganyika. Unfortunately, if it ain't colorful or shiny, people don't want them.

Dude, snails and inverts are my bread and butter. My absolute favorite part of the hobby. If you can point me in the direction of a supplier, I'll start that project tomorrow.

 

Dude, snails and inverts are my bread and butter. My absolute favorite part of the hobby. If you can point me in the direction of a supplier, I'll start that project tomorrow.

That's the annoying part about it; I don't know anyone selling them. But you'll find plenty of overpriced, empty shells for biotope setups! Conspiracy? Perhaps.

 

These are the types of ideas I'm looking for. Keep them coming guys!

 

Differently colored mystery snails. All they have by me is the gold. I would love to be able to purchase magentas and and blues and well all of them lol.

I'd like more species of shrimp and other freshwater invertebrates available. A species I can't find in the hobby, although the shells are very popular in shell dweller tanks, are Neothauma tanganyicense, snails of Lake Tanganyika. Unfortunately, if it ain't colorful or shiny, people don't want them.

Just order some raw escargot lol

 

Healthy platies. Yes, platies are common in fish stores, but they've been so inbred that those stocks are weak and somewhat temperamental.

I've seen YouTube videos of gorgeous, healthy platies from Maidenhead Aquatics in the U.K. Healthy, vibrant, active, colorful.

Thank you for asking!

 

I had a really hard time finding celestial pearl danios anywhere near me (took me a year and a move several states away!), as well as peacock gudgeons for sure. Both breed in captivity well, but aren't widely available. To be fair, CPDs get really pale when they're in bare sale tanks, and they're already tiny, but I love mine now that they're colorful and plump. My LFS sold them for $5 each, and if someone wants a decent batch of ten, that's $50 right there. And peacock gudgeons will most likely bicker in a bare sales tank, but they keep their colors and my LFS was successfully selling them $13 a piece.

I also have a hard time finding regular old decent grade cherry shrimp near me; I see some of the half clear ones, and some of the expensive Bloody Mary ones, but nothing that's just a solid regular cherry.

Wild variety livebearers and bettas are incredibly hard to find, but even the wild livebearers breed like mad (except for halfbeaks - which are also really hard to find) and from what I understand, wild betta relatives can be bred in captivity with just slightly more difficulty than domestic bettas, and there are some really beautiful species (like macrostoma). These would be a really fun and rewarding challenge.

If you really want a huge challenge, scarlet badis. They don't even import females often if ever (only males), from what I understand, but I think they can be bred in captivity (??). If you somehow miraculously got your hands on a female and successfully bred them, I would buy a pair off of your hands in a heartbeat.

OH, also, rabbit snails!!!! I know they come in multiple color morphs but I've only seen the yellow and brown ones. If I saw other color morphs, I would scoop them up. They are easy to breed, but they only lay one egg at a time, but they are large eggs and hatch as large babies.

 

Maybe some of the rarer shrimps. like blue velvets and neon yellows. They're not rare exactly, but 5 shrimp for $35-$40, um what, no thanks.

 

Does anyone have any other ideas? Particularly more snails would be of interest!

 

Red racer nerite snail? You would need salt/brackish water to hatch the eggs though.

 

Differently colored mystery snails. All they have by me is the gold. I would love to be able to purchase magentas and and blues and well all of them lol.

There are several members on here that sell most of the colors if you're interested.

Does anyone have any other ideas? Particularly more snails would be of interest!

Gold racer nerites, red racer nerites, Japanese trapdoor snails, Chopstick snails, ghost wizard piano snails and pagoda snails. All available through aquaticarts but I've never seen them anywhere else. I know the nerites and I believe chopsticks all need brackish water to reproduce though. Not sure about the others.

Another thing I'd love to see more of is more cory species and healthier panda cories

 

Here's some of the cooler snails I've seen "here or there", that I think you'd always find a sellers/traders market for:
- chopstick snails
- spixI snails
- marbled limpets
- hedgehog snails
- rabbit snails

 

Here's some of the cooler snails I've seen "here or there", that I think you'd always find a sellers/traders market for:
- chopstick snails
- spixI snails
- marbled limpets
- hedgehog snails
- rabbit snails

SpixI snails. That's so interesting. What are hedgehog snails? I don't get any results when searching them

 

The one thing I've had a hard time getting is Amano shrimp. I love them, they're great cleaners. Nerite snails are always a good one but I've never had a hard time finding any. I live in a city surrounded by cities so I really don't ever have a problem finding things.

 

What are hedgehog snails? I don't get any results when searching them

I've only ever seen them once, and only at this one store in my area. The look like a half-helmet, covered with small spikes.

 

I've only ever seen them once, and only at this one store in my area. The look like a half-helmet, covered with small spikes.

Interesting, thanks! Similar to the horned nerites

 

Does anyone have any other ideas? Particularly more snails would be of interest!

Japanese Trapdoor Snails might interest you. Unlike Mysteries, they're livebearers. You likely won't find them in fish stores, however. But they're pretty common in pond and garden centers because they're temperate, and people usually buy them for ponds. I have 2 adults, male and female, with a few babies here and there. The cool thing about them is that their shells have a rough texture, not smooth, so they can have some nice algae growth, growing on them.
Here are some pics:

 

I wish there were a wider variety of styles in stands and hoods. At this point in my life, it isn't about what I can afford, it's about what my wife will let me get away with.

 

Man I can't wait until I can have a fish room. So many promising projects!