When to move on?

YAL05T

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May 22, 2009
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North of Sydney
Okay, this isn't about me getting out of L keeping, it's a theoretical (at this stage anyway) question.

I have a breeding colony of about 15 L002's. I have bred them for the last 6/7 years and have literally produced hundreds and hundreds of fry, in fact I have 5 males fanning batches as I type this and it's part of the reason I am on this train of thought.

I am looking for opinions, would you keep on breeding them or would you offer them up for sale/trade and focus on your other species or perhaps pursue a new species altogether?

I look forward to all your responses.

Cheers,
B.
 

beencees

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Nov 5, 2011
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Brisbane
I actually got more serious about breeding L's as a stop gap until i moved and had space for the large planted display tank i want. I focused on a few different types as they were all appealing in their own right and each presented their own challenges.
I now have my big display and am scaling back on the L's but have found that i still enjoy them alot and have decided, for the moment at least, that i will continue with at least a couple of them.
If you have only been keeping L002's then i would suggest you diversify a bit and enjoy some of the other L's that are out there. I'm sure you would get alot of pleasure from the new challenge and the different fish.
 

zeebo

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Jun 11, 2010
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hi, just the fact that you are thinking about it says alot. It would be a challenge to switch to different L's after so long with what you have, but there are so many to choose from, and a show tank in the Living room can be a show-stopper , for sure. If you are ''on the fence'', keep 1 pair and you can still try others.

Good luck whatever you decide. Let us know :)
 

axle

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Sep 4, 2009
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Perth Australia
Wow that's a lot of males fanning at once!
What size is your tank?
Why not thin out your colony a bit? Maybe put a divider in your tank and try something else in the other side? If they like similar conditions that should work nicely.
I also like the display tank idea.
Maybe just set up a nice display tank with a couple of different (compatible) Ls in there and get it looking how you want it.
I seem to go thru stages in the hobby too but always come to my senses before doing anything too drastic. Good luck.
 

Brengun

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Apr 22, 2009
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Considered more a bread and butter fish it depends what you want to do with the fry sale proceeds?
My L397 fry sales support my keeping the rarer L's who rarely breed at all.
Someone has to pay the power and food bills. :)
 

YAL05T

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May 22, 2009
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North of Sydney
They are in a 6x2x2, I still have the 333,66,104,168,397,080,201,134,004,270,278 plus pepps, and 144's all breeding, hence covering food etc but my vamps, cactus and flash could do with a higher rate of effort.

I think I'll strip the tank down in December when I'm on Xmas holidays and offer them up for sale. I might leave the tank empty until we buy a house and I can set my room back up properly again, it could do with a new coat of paint and some tlc.
 

axle

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Sep 4, 2009
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Perth Australia
Who ah sorry didn't realise you had so many other species. That changes things a bit haha.
Maybe just keep a pair or trio otherwise you might regret getting rid of the whole lot.
 

YAL05T

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May 22, 2009
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North of Sydney
No worries axle, I do have an Amazonian display, so I considered maybe hanging on to a trio and moving them into it. I am fairly comfortable that 002's are not going to disappear from Australia, I know that I have put a truck load out there, so I think I will focus on some of the others that are a little less common so to speak. The other species produce enough fry to keep me going for food etc, and the ancistrus breed so much that I use the money from them to buy a new species every now and then. It's a LOT of 3-5cm peppermints per Hypancistrus zebra!
 

zeebo

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Jun 11, 2010
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Who ah sorry didn't realise you had so many other species. That changes things a bit haha.
Maybe just keep a pair or trio otherwise you might regret getting rid of the whole lot.
right ! wow, so it sounds like a plan :thumbup: