# How many types of live-bearing fish do you keep



## skiffia 1 (Oct 3, 2012)

How many types of live-bearing fish do you keep and how many fish tanks do you have. What Livebearer do you consider to be very hard or easy to keep or breed


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## LizStreithorst (Jul 16, 2015)

I have only egg layers. I have 14 tanks. I think that the most difficult live brearer to keep and breed are Ray's. They need a huge tank and big daily WC.


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## skiffia 1 (Oct 3, 2012)

*r2 lol.


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## LizStreithorst (Jul 16, 2015)

you asked....


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## skiffia 1 (Oct 3, 2012)

14 fish tanks are not a bad number to deal with, I have 6 egglayer tanks, the rest are for livebearers. Now we've worked out the most difficult species lol.

The most easiest is got to be the guppy although some fish keepers seem to find them to be difficult.


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## Auban (Aug 8, 2010)

I think the easiest species would have to be the gambusias. The hardest?

Not sure. Zenotoca eiseni? The ones I kept liked to beat the crap out of each other...

Most of the live bearers are pretty straightforward. Feed them good food, give them clean water, and they will produce. 

The highest number of live bearers I kept at one time was was five or six different species. Gambusias, heterandria formosa, various guppies, mollies, platties, and the zenotoca. I think there was another, but I can't remember.

At the time I had about thirty tanks running.


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## SHAZZA (Aug 14, 2015)

I have two tanks and breed one type of livebearer - Elder's livebearers. They are easy to keep and I have them in with Red Cherry Shrimp and they all seem to get on well. '14 tanks' :fish-in-bowl:*pc*r2*w3*r2


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## BBradbury (Apr 22, 2011)

skiffia 1 said:


> How many types of live-bearing fish do you keep and how many fish tanks do you have. What Livebearer do you consider to be very hard or easy to keep or breed


Hello skif...

I keep Guppies, Platys and Swordtails. If you keep the fish in pure water conditions, they thrive. I have 7 larger tanks and the tanks get 60 percent water changes every week.

It's all about the water. Keep it changed and you'll have no tank problems.

B


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## skiffia 1 (Oct 3, 2012)

HI Auban, xenotoca eiseni can get a bit aggressive among them selves but rarely come to any harm. When kept in a large groups the aggression tends to level out however you may occasionally come across a very aggressive individual. I find they do well when kept in groups of 6 to 8 and as with most goodeids they need a large tank.
I have kept many species of gambusias some of them are very good fry eaters one of my favourites is gambusia-holbrooki speckled form. once a very popular fish among fish keepers. I sometimes wish I only had 30 tanks especially when it comes to water changes.

SHAZZA, I think red chery shrimps and endler’s are a very good choice I have 3 wild type endler’s a very pleasing little fish. i will always find the time and tank space to keep them.

BBradbury I agree 100% a good weekly water change is a must if you know how to look after your tank water it will take care of your fish. I keep a number of Guppies swordtails what strain of guppies do you keep


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## Arthur7 (Feb 22, 2013)

Right now I have Guppies and Platys.


But I already had many others.

Mollienesia sphenops (Black Molly). I like with Lyra Tail.
Mollienesia velivera (high fin, normal color) Molly's with a little
salt.



Platys: Mondplaty, Korallplaty, Tuxedo Platy, (red with black fins) Platy Berlin, (red with black spots). All X. maculatus.


Parrots Platy X. variatus. Very nice and colorful. But a problem: Only one dominant males colorful, the other pale. If removed this, a other is colorful.


Swordfish, green, red, Berlin. ( all Xiphophorus never with salt.)


Heterandria formosa. Very low number of fish juvenil 
Halfbeak (Dermogenys pusilla)


Priabella intermedia. Looks in a swarm of very good with the blue eyes. But the keeping and breeding was difficult. Need clear, flowing water.


All livebare sensitive to acidic pH. They start to oscillate and clamp the fins. It should be buffered with sea lime.

Greetings


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## emeraldking (Apr 30, 2010)

I've got several kinds of livebearers overhere...

*A follow up:
*

30 strains of endlers (N- and K-class)
Girardinus uninotatus
Wagtail platies
Phalloceros caudimaculatus reticulatus
Poecilia reticulata doublesword fancy guppies (several phenotypes)
Choco mollies (shorttail and lyretail)
Limia nigrofasciata
Albino red platies
Girardinus metallicus yellow belly
Poecilia reticulata Rio casanay wildguppies
Poecilia reticulata Congo wildtype guppies
Poeciliopsis gracilis
Xiphophorus pygmaeus
Xenotoca eisini
Aneatobius towerii
Ameca splendens
Poecilia reticulata wildtype guppies "Hortus botanicus VU"
Poecilia reticulata Rio solimoes wildguppy
Poecilia reticulata Snakeskin sharktail fancy guppies
Poecilia reticulata "University of Utrecht"
Poecilia reticulata Japan blue lyretail 
Poecilia reticulata "Surinam green"
Heterandria formosa 
Poecilia reticulata "Isla margarita"
Poecilia reticulata "Cayenne" wildguppy
Poecilia reticulata "8090" wildtype guppies
Poecilia reticulata "Ede" 
Poecilia orri
Micropoecilia picta
Poecilia reticulata vienna emerald bottomsword blonde
Phalllichthys pittieri
Limia tridens
Limia melanogaster
Xiphophorus milleri
Xiphophorus gordoni
Poecilia reticulata Lac du Rorota wildguppies
Liberty mollies
Poecilia obscura
Poecilia reticulata Paramaribo wildguppies
Neoheterandria elegans
Poecilia reticulata Orangeline Rio Morichal wildtype guppies
A mixtank with all kinds of endlers and guppies


When it comes to endlers:

Yellow top sword
Limegreen
Flare red scarlet
Crimson red scarlet
Snakeskin
Red chest
Orchid
White pearl
Chilli (outside the US they're called "red scarlet")
Blonde snakeskin
Blonde blue star
El tigre
Rainbow
Campoma nr.7
Leopard
El silverado
Blue diamond orchid
Staeck
Red panther
Rio oro Aquas de Moises 2006 (spotted)
Rio oro Aquas de Moises 2006 (stripe)
Blue star
Tiger hybrid "Blue diamond"
Campoma nr.3
Tuxedo red chest
Ruxedo silver chest
Black bar
Blonde red chest
Tiger hybrid
Light blue top sword

This is the current stock.

This coming weekend will also be introduced to my place:

Limia chica
Phalloceros caudimaculatus auratus
Limia vittata


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## Auban (Aug 8, 2010)

Skiffia 1, I guess the number was part of my problem. I only had three. 


So far as water changes go, I practically never did them
I used hair algae to keep the water quality good. I practically never did water changes. With the algae sucking out all the nitrogen in the tank, there was no need. 

I


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## LizStreithorst (Jul 16, 2015)

skiffia 1 said:


> *r2 lol.


I just bought 3 trios of guppies. I found a place where I can set up a rack for separation of sexes once they pop. God help me. I don't want more tanks but I will soon need more tanks.


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## skiffia 1 (Oct 3, 2012)

That’s a very nice selection arthur.
i like the priabella intermedia. i have a small group of priapella olmeca , i find thay will eat there newborn fry if given a chance 
I have some dermogenys pusilla that have recently produced fry i think they are very interesting fish
I have Tuxedo swordtails very similar to Wiesbaden swords.


`wow' that is some collection of endlers/Guppys Emeraldking 
The Phalloceros caudimaculatus reticulatus are they black speckled or gold. over here the gold variety can be very difficult to find. 

Auban I have a 100 tanks on occasions I have left water changes for two or three weeks with so many tanks regular water changes is a must for me to keep up with things 

Lizstreithorst with 3 trios of guppies you will soon need more tanks .


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## LizStreithorst (Jul 16, 2015)

skiffia 1 said:


> Lizstreithorst with 3 trios of guppies you will soon need more tanks .


I know. I have room for one more rack behind the sofa in the fish room. I just need to build it. I have time. It will be a while before my existing females pop.


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## emeraldking (Apr 30, 2010)

Well Skiffia1,

I do have the grey ones overhere. The so-called reticulata version. The gold version is called "auratus". I used to have those golds in the past. But a german breeder who's got some pairs promised me to give me some offspring when he's got sufficient of those golds.


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