# Other Aquarium Forums > Freshwater Fauna > Killifish >  Species maintenance - Aphyosemion striatum Lambaréné

## RonWill

Dear all,
I'm down to my last pair of _striatum_ and due to my tank cut-back, this *breedable* pair of beauty has to go.

As stipulated in earlier maintenance-related threads, there is no free lunch and the hobbyist who's *really really* keen in propagating the _striatum_ is obligated to update us on the progress.

One other requirement for this species to be prolific and in it's peak form, is cool water, 25ºC and lower, in a permanent species-only setup. If you cannot provide these requirements, please don't request for the pair.



Gan (Turaco) is the other person I know, who's maintaining the _striatum_. It is appreciated that those who've received fishes from him, to update us, regardless whether the fishes died or you're caring for the next generation.

Your silence don't mean that all is well (I trust the statement is simple enough to understand)

Interest parties please note that there's only ONE PAIR and it is not for sale. Follow up your interest in this thread and please, no PMs or private emails.

----------


## keehoe

I suggest the fish to be return to Gan for spawning. I would love to try on this fishes again but not when it is the only pair in Singapore. I am not qualify for that yet. But in event that really no one take this on. I would volunteer to try my best to be the host of this beautiful species. Until someone more senior willing to take over.

Wil put them next to my EXO and let them live like King there. (I think keeping them alive might not be so much of a problem but spawning them...... beats me.

----------


## RonWill

The _striatum_ were originally from Gan and while he still maintains a small group, it is also his wish to have the species propagated and spread out to a wider group of like-minded hobbyists.

My last 2 fishes, and fortunately a pair, are what survived from a grow-out tank of 6 fry. It was my tardiness and lack of frequent husbandry that caused the demise of the other four.

Kee Hoe, if you're willing to take on the challenge, drop by my place for collection. I'll share what I know or experienced with this species and hopefully, the pair finds a better home with you than what I can provide.

I know of some people who've bought/received _striatums_ from Gan and it's really appreciated if we can collect some feedback on the status. Thank you.

----------


## turaco

Kee Hoe,

Beside their needs of lower temperature, they can't take drastic water change. Sure you can cater to their needs?
I hope Eric Yeo from this forum can give some feedback on the fish I passed to him way back.

----------


## keehoe

OK Ron, I will be going to your place on Saturday. What time is it convenient to pickup the fish, chitchat and possibly help out a bit here and there?

I will shift my magnificus up and put them on the middle tank with gravel and more plants. They will share a fan with my EXO once they stabilize. For the time being two 230w fan. Should bring the temperature down to about 26.

I just bought 3 pieces of 4 x 1 feet acrylic sheet to use as cover.

Looks like all set to go.

----------


## whuntley

> OK Ron, I will be going to your place on Saturday. What time is it convenient to pickup the fish, chitchat and possibly help out a bit here and there?
> 
> I will shift my magnificus up and put them on the middle tank with gravel and more plants. They will share a fan with my EXO once they stabilize. For the time being two 230w fan. Should bring the temperature down to about 26.
> 
> I just bought 3 pieces of 4 x 1 feet acrylic sheet to use as cover.
> 
> Looks like all set to go.


First, do not try to use acrylic sheet as a tank cover. It is hygroscopic and will warp like crazy if one side is more wet than the other. If you glue some ribs to it, it can hold down the warping a lot, but polycarbonate or styrene or other clear plastics are much more practical, and don't need the stiffening ribs.

All this talk about the subject species being tricky, I find amazing. Here, we have been treating the Lambarene as a great beginner fish because they are nearly foolproof and so gaudy.

They originally are a warm-water fish, coming from the coastal plains of Guinea and Gabon. Ideal temperatures are from 23-26C, but they tolerate and thrive at well outside that range. Many others of the _striatum_ group come from the Gabon highlands and do need much cooler water.

I am currently keeping this strain, because I want to have some fish that I can use to get beginners started, and they are an easy mop spawner. Am I making a mistake here?

Wright

----------


## RonWill

Wright,
For some reason that puzzles me, there are a couple of 'known-hardy' species that I can't manage well. The _striatum_, _exigoideum_ and even _Fp. sjoestedti_ tested my patience and many others here.

My personal observation contradicts the statement, "_Ideal temperatures are from 23-26C, but they tolerate and thrive at well outside that range_", where above 26ºC, the _striatum_ remain inactive with poor appetite, only to waste away slowly.

Tucked away in the shade with good wind circulation, an airstone and a Henri running, they look much happier, eat better and even flirt with their mates although I've yet to see any fry in their 3gal critter keeper.

The Lambarene is gaudy but a damn fine bait, to hook unsuspecting beginners into the hobby. No mistake there as new blood is needed in sustaining any hobby.

SIDE NOTE:



> If you glue some ribs to it, it can hold down the warping a lot, but polycarbonate or styrene or other clear plastics are much more practical, and don't need the stiffening ribs


 Apparently the styrene 2" x 4" sheets are also available in different thickness. Not aware of that, I ordered 10 slightly thinner sheets and when supported only at the ends, these do sag. Ribbed length-wise, it is more rigid and easier to handle.

Will post a pic when I can.

----------


## keehoe

I think the this particular STR strain that we have is winter strain. I have been talking to someone in china having the same species and location code but survive 35C of room temperature (about 30C water temperature) and the fish still spawning. Although all egg turns into fungus ball after 3 days.

Gan, with a FAN blowing over the fish tank. The TDS will go up 20 everyday. I will add water once every two days or so and a 50% water change every week. I still have the female Lep.Minimus with me after the "male only" disease hit. Since with only one female, i can't do much with it. You might want it for more spawning. Or if you can spare me another male in about two weeks time :P....

My Notho are all carefree at this point of time. Working on the Rivulus Tenius/ Simp Ignues / Simp Magnificus this week and next is BIT,EXO and STR. Lep is quite challenging so i will concentrate on it for a few weeks.

Wright, I am going to cut the acrylic sheets to smaller piece so that it can rest on the partition that i put into the 4 feet tank. Maybe a door type of opening so that feeding and maintenance is easier. (without taking out the whole piece.)

----------


## whuntley

Nearly all of our tanks have upper and lower rims of plastic. The upper rim provides a lip all the way around the inside, on which any tank cover can sit. We usually use glass strips (sometimes with plastic or silicone hinges), with one plastic strip that can be cut away for filters, tubes, feeding hole, etc. 

The acrylic will swell on the wet side, so it bows up at the ends and sides, leaving a nice little gap for the jumpers to exit through. 

The tank lip also prevents sagging of thinner styrene fluorescent light covers, even when 4' long. Most of our tanks that long also contain a center brace that provides even more support. The brace serves two other functions: it keeps the sides from bowing out due to water pressure, and it drives us mad when trying to net fish.  :Very Happy:  

I just got a "bargain" on a 55G tank (12X48X22) at the local thrift shop (US$15), but that center brace is broken and covered with duct tape. Since it blocks too much light, I dread having to untape and replace it. Easier done now than when it is filled and full of plants and fish, I guess. This is the tank I wanted to make cheap imitation Power Sand for. The Schultz APS is still about $16 for a 25 lb bag.

Back on STR, I suspect that the Lambarene collection has been in the hobby so long that some differences can be expected. I don't really know what mine would do when too warm. I have been keeping them at 24C and they started leaving eggs when the males were barely getting some color. It is possible they were warmer during our recent hot spell, but I didn't want to know, so I didn't check. Basically, I think most egg production for all species I'm keeping nearly stopped about that time. Of course I couldn't order any blackworms, because they would die in transit, so that may have been involved, too. 

I don't think Daphnia, Moina, and frozen bloodworms are a good substitute, and I only recently got mega-production of Grindals going. I now can harvest an ounce or two a day, if I'm diligent (rare). I have two tightly-covered 35lb plastic bins, originally containing kitty litter, about 1/3 full of a mixture of peat and sand. A row of 1/4" holes is about 2" above the base, to allow drainage but hold a good reservoir of water to keep the surface nice and damp. 

I sprinkle the soil surface with Koi pellets, fish flakes or dog-food pellets and cover with an 8" X 10" piece of glass with a knob glued to it for a handle. The day after feeding, I can wipe up to an ounce of fresh worms off the glass of each tub. I need to harvest/feed daily to keep that high rate of reproduction going. 

This should be an excellent way to provide useful amounts of live worms in your climate. Do I need to do a pictorial? 

Wright

----------


## RonWill

Guys,
For further discussions on tank covers, let's either continue at the '*Hamburger MattenFilter/Henri deBruyn' tank topic* or kick off another thread. We're moving further away from the striatum.  :Wink:

----------


## FC

> Most of our tanks that long also contain a center brace that provides even more support. The brace serves two other functions: it keeps the sides from bowing out due to water pressure, and it drives us mad when trying to net fish.


 :Laughing:  That's true. There is 3rd function, it served as a makeshift table where I used it to hold container to collect plants trimmings. Very handy.

----------


## RonWill

> Basically, I think most egg production for all species I'm keeping nearly stopped about that time


 Lack of rich foods never stopped any fish from having sex but I think the slow-down in grindal production may also coincide with the warm spell.

Wright, when the weather is cool and you're collecting heaps of viable eggs, try jacking up the temps to 28ºC. The increase won't kill the fish but let's see if viable egg count can be maintained.

To rule out one variable, keep to the same diet throughout the pre & post-test period. I'd be keen to hear of your observations. [If you're maintaining SPLs, I'm sure the results will be similar to the STR]

Pictoral? A picture speaks a thousand words, so why not?

----------


## whuntley

> Originally Posted by whuntley
> 
> Basically, I think most egg production for all species I'm keeping nearly stopped about that time
> 
> 
>  Lack of rich foods never stopped any fish from having sex but I think the slow-down in grindal production may also coincide with the warm spell.
> 
> snip...
> 
> Pictoral? A picture speaks a thousand words, so why not?


My Grindals didn't really slow down in the hot weather, that's why I suggest them for you guys. I just didn't get around to moving them from little shoe boxes to the big rectangular tubs, that do so much better, until recently. [Of course you have Tubifex, which I think are almost as good as mossie wrigglers for causing egg extrusion.]

I was getting great gobs of Grindals when the fishroom was at 105F and above! It just happened nearer the end of the heat wave, that's all.

Pictorial coming up. Where should I post it? I would think a new thread under "Killies Arena" might be appropriate. Something like "Live Food in Useful Quantity?"

----------


## RonWill

> I was getting great gobs of Grindals when the fishroom was at 105F and above!


 hmm... odd. Mine and others whom I've distributed the cultures crashed, regardless whether it was traditional peat/soil, vermiculite/soil or synthetic media. Could we be each dealing with different species or collectively-grouped 'grindal worms'? [like moina is lumped with daphnia]




> ...a new thread under "Killies Arena" might be appropriate. Something like "Live Food in Useful Quantity?"


 Wright, that will be great. Looking forward to it.

----------


## whuntley

I just fed, for today, so need to wait for a good collection of worms for the results photos. Maybe tomorrow.  :Question:  

I agree that we may have different kinds of "Grindals" and those more closely related to white worms will definitely fail in hot weather. Mine are, unfortunately, very tiny but that seems to go with heat resistance. They do, however, provide lots of tiny worms that pretty small babies can handle.

My tubs are semi-outside, in my fishroom, with an open door. I failed to put a thermometer in with them during the hotter weather, but would guess they got into the 90s F. One of the huge advantages of the big tubs is that they will stay cooler and at a more constant temperature than smaller shoebox-like containers. Our swings were from mid 60s at night to 110 +/- during the late afternoon.

To save you from calculating or looking it up, 65F is about 18C, 90 is 32 and 110 is 43 or so (off the scale of my dual-scale thermometer). [I forgot to change batteries, so the RPN (scientific) calculator in my Palm isn't functional until I reload it.]

Wright

----------


## Svein

I have a strain from Aphyosemion striatum; Moyko GJS 00/32. I have bred them for 4 months now and I got a lot of eggs from a trio. 
Iuse a 12l tank, and the temp is normally 22 C, 
We have a breeding contest in Norway where the scale is from 1 (easiest) up to 20. Striatum get 3 points  :Sad:  so we have always consider striatum as an easy species to hold and breed.
What interesting me however is using Grindal worms. I have always thought that this is a very fat food and had to be careful with it. It's thats true? I give Grindal twice a week, but I have lot of it and the fish loves it, so I would give more of it if it isn't dangerous for the fish?
Regards
Svein

----------


## RonWill

Folks,
The striatum pair offered is now under the care of a fellow forumer. Let's await for further updates from him.




> I have a strain from Aphyosemion striatum; Moyko GJS 00/32. I have bred them for 4 months now and I got a lot of eggs from a trio. 
> Iuse a 12l tank, and the temp is normally 22 C


 Svein, I still believe that nice cool temps is a key to prolific breeding. When you have established a sizable population, I hope you can conduct an experiment for me.

Raise the temp to between 26~28ºC and see if egg production drops. Observe for non-viable eggs too. Thanks.

----------


## whuntley

Mine have been at 28C for a while, and I don't see an egg.

I'll lower temp. and see what happens.

Wright

----------


## keehoe

Just a short update:

The fish that i collected looks kinky (always rub against each other). They are always near the top mop that i had put in for them to play. But have not manage to find any egg in the mop.

----------


## Svein

> Raise the temp to between 26~28ºC and see if egg production drops. Observe for non-viable eggs too. Thanks


I will try raising the temp.
Regards
Svein

----------


## keehoe

Latest update: Found an egg in the mop. Is their incubation period similar to AUS? 7days in our weather?

----------


## RonWill

Wright & Svein,
Thanks for the kind participation with the temp trial. It's something I needed to know, lest the effort I've put in just wasn't good enough.

I cannot justify the investment for a 'real' chiller and my TEC peltier project is temporary shelved (until my friend decides to spend time on an electronic-idiot), which means that cool water killies and those that need 'the chill' to spawn, will be a no no for now.

If, and a big IF at that, egg production do pick up after the temp is lowered, what can we confidently say? Have we really achieved something here? Does it debunk some of our beliefs, between keeping the killies alive and being able to spawn them?

Kee Hoe,
The _striatum_ will take close to 14 days in water incubation. Best to just dunk the whole mop into a container and add a fresh one into the breeding tank.

I realize that, like the _annulatus_, their eggs also don't take well to handling, so don't pick it, not even with a tweezer.

Frow what I recall, the 6 fry I initially raised, were collected from a 5gal permanent setup. By the time I saw them, these were already fairly 'big', about 8mm. Grow-out is slow, compared to _Ap. australe_, so patience is required.

BTW, there's a side bet going... but that's another story...  :Twisted Evil:  [don't ask, you'll know when you're raising a whole bunch of striatum fry  :Wink:  ]

----------


## whuntley

Well, I dropped the thermostat reading on my _striatum_ heater from about 78F to 72F. 

[The temperature I posted earlier was probably way too high. I was using one of those el-cheapo Chinese digital thermometers, and it is currently showing 80.2F (26.7C) when a real (glass bulb) thermometer agrees exactly with the thermostat setting -- 72F.]

Anyway, I did find a couple of eggs this AM and some pieces of chorion that indicates some egg predation, either by the fish or the plentiful ramshorn snails in that tank.

Best I can guess is that the temperature where I was seeing no eggs was only about 26C, so these guys want it much cooler than I would have guessed.

Sorry to be bearer of sad tidings to your tropical paradise. Guess you have to add it to your poor ski facilities as a minor drawback for SG.  :Very Happy: 

Wright

----------


## Svein

According dr. Huber (Killi data) this species tolerates temp from 22 - 32 degree.

It looks that is huge different in the temp in the biotope where A. striatum can be found?
I have raised the temp yesterday from 22-23 degree up ti 27, havn't check the mop yet.

Regards
Svein

----------


## keehoe

> According dr. Huber (Killi data) this species tolerates temp from 22 - 32 degree.
> 
> It looks that is huge different in the temp in the biotope where A. striatum can be found?
> I have raised the temp yesterday from 22-23 degree up ti 27, havn't check the mop yet.
> 
> Regards
> Svein


I think we should also record other water parameter such as water dept etc into the observation. How about atmospheric pressure?

----------


## Svein

2 days isn't much, but in a temperature at 27.2 degree I didn't found any eggs on the mops. They normally give eggs every day.
Regards
Svein

----------


## whuntley

I do not doubt Prof. Huber's information, but tolerating and breeding can be two different ranges.

Radda and Purzl list the proper range as 23-26C, and I think we have just established that breeding reduces or stops at or just above that upper temp.

My tds is near ideal for Western Africans (90 ppm and 60 as CaCO3 equiv.), and I have long-ago established that pH is pretty unimportant in clean tanks. My water depth is that of a 5G tank, which is standard at about 8" (20 cm) in the US.

A tiny change in water depth is a much greater change than normal atmospheric pressure changes can cause, so I'm pretty sure they cannot feel a storm coming by pressure alone. Reported storm effects on spawning are more likely due to changes in ambient light amount and duration.

Light certainly plays a strong role in fertility. I once accidentally sterilized a strain of guppy, I had spent 3 years developing, by just leaving their light on 24/7 and excluding any outside light changes (they were in the basement, with no windows).  :Sad: 

Wright

----------


## whuntley

Well, as far as I'm concerned, the verdict is in. _Aphyo. striatum_ Lambarene breed better in cooler water.

I neglected to feed all my fish since Thursday, as I prepared for surgery, yesterday.

I finally got around to feeding them, today, and pulled both mops for a quick count. I found at least 16 new eggs, which is a dramatic change from when I was getting none for weeks. Right now, the tank has drifted up to 75F (24C) because it's hot in the house. I just turned off their light, as they get some from the next tank over and from a window behind the tank.

Because someone here reported they don't like handling, I added a weak mix of acriflavin and methylene blue to the Petri dish the eggs are in. I'll dilute it over a few day's time so the dyes don't harden the chorion and make hatching difficult. Also should add a sprig or two of moss.

It is difficult to be certain when one cannot compare, side-by-side, but I think I see more color in the males than they were showing earlier. The heat may have tended to retard their maturity. These are quite young fish, just recently coloring up.

Wright

----------


## whuntley

Time for a little update.

Thanks to our friend Bill, the Farang, I have no STR babies.  :Smile: 

When the eggs in the Petri dish mentioned above started to hatch, I dumped them into a "vacant" 5G tank that was supporting a wad of "weeds" Bill had kindly sent me.

A few days later, I was amazed to see a single large baby. It looked to be a week or two old, and not several days. Well, it had a nice meal on the STR babies and eggs.  :Sad: 

After a few weeks, it is beginning to look like a female, but IDK what species it could be. The anal and dorsal fins are set well back, like some annuals, and the anal fin is rather long compared to most killy females. If it would color up and be a male, I probably could ID it. As is, all I can ask is for Bill to give me a clue. :o:  

Egg production had been less than at first, until I finally got in a pound of blackworms, early this week. From Tues. on they have had cool water and constantly available blackworms. I pulled about 20 eggs from their mops this AM. 

Cool weather lets me order worms again. Aquatic Foods switched to FedEx, which is the one (only) service flying a daily plane into Bishop. Shipped from Fresno on Monday, they were on my porch when we got back from the Tues. AM hike, about 10 AM.  :Smile:  DSL always took at least 2 days.

I have some annuals to hatch, too, so I need to get a better setup for raising babies. I like shoeboxes with floss/pvc filters for that. I'll just nuke any plants from Bill before using them with baby boxes.  :Smile: 

Gotta get some pics of my STR soon. Will post.

Wright

----------


## ruyle

> Time for a little update.
> 
> Thanks to our friend Bill, the Farang, I have no STR babies.


Glad to be of help...not! Geez, that sucks! :Opps:  I wasn't paying attention to
what tanks I was pulling plants from..were the plants the E. densa?
Could be one of my Eppies....what shape is the caudal, can you tell? :d: 

Surely you meant DHL, not DSL...

Let me know when you want some more plants!  :n:  

Bill

----------


## whuntley

> ! I wasn't paying attention to
> what tanks I was pulling plants from..were the plants the E. densa?
> Could be one of my Eppies....what shape is the caudal, can you tell?
> 
> Surely you meant DHL, not DSL...
> 
> Let me know when you want some more plants!  
> 
> Bill


Yeah, E. densa than hell! ;-) That's why I didn't even see the big-mouth baby.

Caudal looks pretty round. Full belly, nearly like a female guppy. Could be an Epi, but I expect them to be pretty slender. This is shaped more like a female _Simpsonichthys_ but lacks the side spots.

Yeah. DSL was on my mind from the VOIP hastle I'm going through. It was DHL. DHL and that brown-colored one don't appear to fly into Bishop, so all their stuff takes at least an extra day and rides a truck up from LA.

It's a great time to send plants, for they are not likely to cook, these days. My furnace is set pretty low, but it still kicks on at 5:30 AM when the thermostat is timed up to the day/wake-up setting. I'm wondering the best way to keep the eggs warm at night.

Wright

----------


## ruyle

Humm, the baby tanks, did they have watersprite, too? I didn't have those
plants too long before I sent some to you. Could've been from the guy I
bought the plants from! Curiouser and curiouser....geez, I got 'sprite in
my Mundemba tank, too!

I'll send you more 'sprite and E. densa, and one of my Anubias barteri
var. Coffeefolia if you want one. LMK.

Bill

----------


## RonWill

> It's a great time to send plants, for they are not likely to cook, these days...


 Wright, I was wondering if parcels declared as "Aquatic Plants & Specimens - PERISHABLE" will be frisked. [I'm dying to clear up one of my partitions... damned pygmies seem to eating alot more these days!  :Rolling Eyes:  ]

As for eggs with warm toes, why not rig up an incubator using an 5w incandescent bulb? Temp, or light output, can be adjusted with a dimmer. Just a thought.

----------


## whuntley

> Originally Posted by whuntley
> 
> It's a great time to send plants, for they are not likely to cook, these days...
> 
> 
>  Wright, I was wondering if parcels declared as "Aquatic Plants & Specimens - PERISHABLE" will be frisked. [I'm dying to clear up one of my partitions... damned pygmies seem to eating alot more these days!  ]


As far as I can tell, if the package is from Singapore, it *WILL* be opened and inspected, almost for sure. Do not *ever* declare contents different from the actual goods. That guarantees confiscation, and can even bring criminal penalties in some cases. They may not catch _you_, but they do have _me_ by the short hairs! [SG is on a watch list because of a foiled terrorist incident there, a year or two ago.]

What is worse, the agricultural rules are more draconian than for animals. The US Dept. of Agriculture refuses to allow in any plants whose roots are not fully exposed for inspection. They need a phytosanitary inspection certificate (whatever that is) and studiously check all plants for nematodes, etc. As a result, we cannot even usually get any of the lovely plants from Tropica! [Their roots are in rock wool!]

I really want some Downoi, but have resigned myself to getting a start from someone here who already has it. Safe importing is just too much time and trouble.

CA state rules are even worse, as they try to protect our huge agriculture business from everything harmful, such as the Mediterranian Fruit Fly, etc. If a fish shipment is found to contain any plant matter, the package sits for weeks in an unheated warehouse until an Ag. inspector gets around to checking it. By then, the contents are usually dead, so they throw it out.

Don't do that to your fish. Courier services, such as FedEx, UPS, DHL, etc. are quite legal, but fish and other animal matter (dead or alive) are strictly against the law in international mail (postage) service. Don't mail fish or eggs if you want them to arrive. 

Always use the correct Latin names to ID the contents, as they will be checked against CITES and some local lists (for forbidden piranhas, etc.). Locations do not matter, just the binomial Latin name, number of each, estimated customs value (US$0.50/fish works), and a statement that relieves the inspector of some responsibility. I like to state:

"Domestically produced tropical fish. No endangered or threatened species. For use of recipient only, not for resale."

For club shows, I change that last to read: "For exhibition only, not for resale"

A few fish don't require me to have an import certificate. IDK the exact number, but if you want to send more than about 50, they would have to go to BAKA, SCKC or someone who has paid the $50 or so annual fee. There is no customs duty on tropical fish, so if the value is below $400, there usually should be no customs fee. [There is an inspection fee from Fish and Wildlife if they have to do the inspection outside regular business hours. Usually not a problem, but it does mean your shipment _must_ enter at one of the 10 or 11 International Airports with a F&WL office attached. FedEx knows about that.]

For me, LAX may be a full day closer than SFO, if you have any choice (ask FedEx). I also get FedEx shipments a day quicker, as they actually fly a plane into Bishop daily. All others use trucks and don't control temperature all that well.






> As for eggs with warm toes, why not rig up an incubator using an 5w incandescent bulb? Temp, or light output, can be adjusted with a dimmer. Just a thought.


Sounds like a good plan. I may just bury a small aquarium heater in jar of fine sand, and use a good styro box as the incubator. I have a 25W heater with a cracked glass that would be perfect. I probably need more than 5W, here.

Wright

----------


## keehoe

Hi all, a very sad note. Today i came home and found that the male died. It were surviving without the chiller since i collected from Ronnie. Last sunday, i place the pair into weather conditioned box with average temperature set at 24C. I last check yesterday and it was OK swiming in water. In fact that was the most beautiful colour fish i have ever seen. (Even compare with EXO)  :Sad:  

Sorry guys, i lost the battle. But why always the male?

If anyone have spare male or don't mind taking over the female. Please let me know. I am beaten flat by this fish.

----------


## stormhawk

Kee Hoe, they have been pretty fragile for most of us here too. You shouldn't be too upset. Things like this happen.

Well, there's always next time and try, try again.  :Wink:

----------


## RonWill

> I am beaten flat by this fish.


 Kee Hoe, you may be beaten flat, but I won the bet.

The _striatum_ is not a very easy fish to handle (in our weather) and truth is, there was a bet whether you could keep the pair alive beyond 2 weeks, which you did. For that alone, I'd say you have done well.

I've lost more striatums than I can remember and it's a pity for a fish so pretty, to be so hard to keep alive.

Someone else will have to carry on from here. I'm feeling somewhat burnt out and besides, I need to work on the _elberti_.

----------


## turaco

> ... but I won the bet.


When do you want your prize to be deliever sir?

So, I'm still the last man standing with the striatum in Singapore!  :Laughing:  

Kee Hoe, I admire your never give up attitude in aquiring the Diapteron, do you know how many kamikaze warriors before you?  :Laughing:   :Laughing:

----------


## RonWill

Gan,
I've forgotten what the wager was but for now, I'm short on time and tank space. Perhaps I'll collect when the fish is big, fat and ripe!  :Laughing:  (was that the _auratus_ or _suzarti_??)

As the last man standing with the _striatum_, you deserve a prize. Drop by my place and take a pick when you collect the walter worm culture. Mine crashed and recently resubbed. The new culture should be ready by Saturday unless you want it sooner.

Frankly, I'd want to try the _striatum_ again when I'm not so stressed but how's your population doing? Stable and multiplying?

Now that Kee Hoe has gotten himself a real chiller, and if you have an extra male, perhaps you'd like to give him another chance at propagating the species? I'll leave that decision to you.

----------


## whuntley

After lowering the temp., I have been regularly getting STR eggs. I just looked carefully in the 5G I have used for growout and see at least 3 babies there. I suspect all six I put there may be alive.

I want to start another thread on the temp vs O2 thingy, so will go do that.

Ronnie, I'll send you some new blood one of these days. Mine are the Lambarene collection. Aren't they the same as yours?

Wright

----------


## RonWill

Wright, as per thread heading, population maintained is Lambaréné.

My last pair went to Kee Hoe and I no longer have these. Gonna concentrate on some SPLs instead and hopefully, Gan is still maintaining the STR.

----------

