What was the first fish you ever bred?

[Ken B]

Mike

Those tanks looked great! Your old metaframe tank might hold water still. Thar black stuff was pretty tough!

I remember the Port Cichlids. I am now motivated to get out my old Metaframe, slate-bottom tank to use as a show piece (currently buried in my garage). I am not sure it could hold water. Back then, the "glue" to hold the tank together was a thick, black substance. It would likely take me a month to clean it to replenish with silicone. The tank is very heavy due to the slate bottom.

Mike

[Ken B]

I currently have Krobia xinguensis and Cichlasoma amazonarum which are both similar to the the port cichlids. Bright colors tend to trump subdued colors in the hobby so these fish have not been as popular as some other more colorful fish but I always liked the acara type South American cichlids.

[Linh Nguyen]

About 25 years ago a pair of convicts spawned in a community tank. I'm still breeding them, only now the fry are used as feeders.

[ptran]

How many fry can you typically get for convict spawn?

[fishman13218]

My first spawn was the Head & Tail tetra back in 1964.

[sayersweb]

African cichlids in 1985. This was back when they were fairly new (at least in east coast Virginia) and hard to come by. Started trading in the grown out babies to local fish stores for store credit. Went from a 55 gallon and a 10 gallon aquarium to 17 aquariums of various sizes without spending any money, just used the store credit for the tanks and supplies, food, etc. Only bred the more expensive Haps, Peacocks, Electric Blues, Frontosas, etc. Several of us would get together and order the breeding stock from Florida (pre-internet days, everything done by phone). We would have to go to the airport and pick them up as soon as they landed. Amazing how affordable they are these days and how you can have live fish shipped right to your home. :)

[mredman]

That is quite an accomplishment. Did you use soft water?
Mike

My first spawn was the Head & Tail tetra back in 1964.

[fishman13218]

Mike I was 11 years old and I really can't answer your question. I lived in Cleveland Ohio then. Also spawned corys also.
Spawned zebra danio also.
Had the aquariums in the basement.

[Linh Nguyen]

How many fry can you typically get for convict spawn?

It's hard to count when they're in the 'sticky head' phase, but at ~3 weeks I'd estimate around 75. A lot of them don't make it past the 1st week. I also breed jewels as feeders, they spawn almost as frequent, and IME less likely to eat their young.