Who is keeping livebearers???

[Livebearer]

I am very interested in folks out there as to what else is in your tanks...
I see ALOT of cichlid fans on this board,,, BUT their is more fish to fry out there, so who among us keeps livebearers in specific???
Who is devoted to these in Washington and surrounding states (and for you members in Portland, Idaho areas, etc.) Are there any A.L.A. members as well???
Thanks :sunny: 

 

[MorganEA]

I've always kept mollies and platies! I like how goofy they are and how easy it is to breed them.

 

[LuminousAphid]

I have guppies in my large tank and Heterandria formosa in my small one, and I love them! It's nice not to have to worry about eggs surviving or getting eaten, and I find that guppies, at least, have a lot of personality sometimes. I think it would get boring if you just had 1 and didn't get young, but watching the babies grow up and change from retarded little fry into into big fat females or nice flashy males is pretty interesting to me.

 

[MRTom]

Stop by the coop website, Cory there is a livebearer maniac. Posted some cool videos about breeding guppies (and Platies?) in a pond. I know there are a few more around.

I agree with the heavy cichlid love here, but we also have some non-cichlid folk. I myself go for minnows, danios, rasboras and anabantoids as much as I can (anything soft water like). May get into harder water fish now that I am dipping my toes into cichlids a bit.

 

[Anonymous]

I guess I am but use them as feeders for africans.  I still keep livebearers though.
:twisted:

 

[pbmax]

I don't think there are any hardcore livebearer folks (ALA) on here. I know JesseM keeps several different species of wild-type livebearers, but he doesn't post much these days.

I keep a couple of color varieties of domestic platy and h. formosa.

 

[Anonymous]

I know BillHN and jettej does platies and guppies. Hardcore.

 

[pbmax]

Last time I saw BillHN's tanks (probably a month back) he wasn't exactly hardcore on guppies, unless your definition is having population control problems. He did have a number of nice black mollies, however.

Hardcore on guppies to me means racks of tanks with just guppies - different color varieties being bred in parallel. Those guppy folks take it to the next level. :suspect: 

 

[Lamental Jester]

I just have Heterandria formosas in one of my shrimp tanks, they breed like bunnies though

 

[pbmax]

I just have Heterandria formosas in one of my shrimp tanks, they breed like bunnies though

Indeed; they've gone nuts in my 20g walstad. The thing is teeming with them...

 

[Anonymous]

This guy named jay does. He use to sell cobra endlers. http://www.wafishbox.com/t8036-fs-variety-of-fish-for-sale-pickup-ship-stanwood-wa

 

[CrazedAce]

I have a healthy population of guppies in my 28gal bowfront, about 15 adults. I'll be getting rid of most of the males and keeping only ones I've deemed "blue tuxedo" and moving them into a 55gal with the rest of my community fish. I am expecting a very bad "guppypocalypse" with this tank, so most of the fry will be feeders for, you guessed it, Africans! lol

 

[Livebearer]

Wow guys keep it up we need more non cichlid fans here!
  Luminous aide, I think you get it! These guys with their gangster fishes are all the same. The more they buy the more the L.F.S. will not stock anything else....It's a darn shame....:evil: 
 PBMax,
I use to have H. formosa a few years back and had discovered them at a local f.s. and were sold as feeders in the same tank with feeder guppies. I presume they came in as "wild" transients with these feeder gups.
I'll bet they slipped into the in-take culverts that feeds all the farm ponds at said fish farm in Florida.
An A.L.A. member wrote a great article on H. Formosa as well. He goes out to the local waterways and ditches, catches these wild and has done extensive studies/experiements with them. From hot/cold tests to subjecting them to elevated levels of ammonia/nitrite/nitrate tests, oil layden ditch waters, etc.
He claims they are a bullet proof livebearer of a 100 lives!
Hey keep it comin' guy/gals

 

[pbmax]

Haha, gangsta fishes... 8) 

I got my h. formosa "wild caught" from a Florida aquabid seller. I lost one large one in transit, but since then they've been doing pretty well. I think they prefer harder water than I'm keeping them in, but they're still breeding very well for me.

While all but 2 of my 5 adult panda platies have since passed on (and one of those two is on his way out), the fry the single female (who is the only one thriving) has given me are doing very well. :cheers: 

My petsmart sunburst platies have fared much better - zero attrits.

 

[Livebearer]

PBMax,
I'm trying to get a table at the upcoming swap meet fishlover ron is putting on at Auburn eagles in nov. (see events section on this board) and have a few cool easy to keep "unusual" livebearers to offer + young gups as well. And No gangster fish buyers either!!!

 

[Steelpony]

I've kept pineapple swords for a few years now, and love them. Adore platies as well but my little group recently died off due to a plague of cichlids. Currently I'm working on setting up a new planted tank and can't wait to fill it up with platies again.

 

[pbmax]

I'm growing out a bunch of gorgeous panda platy fry at the moment. And I'm slowly adding some sunburst platy fry to that list.

I've lost all but one of my panda adults (one female left; the males didn't like my water, it seems), but my sunburst adults are thriving and the fry are all doing very well.