 |
Common Name- The "One-sided" Livebearer
Water Conditions- Clean conditions,
Aeration, Some water movement,
plants, 70-76 degrees.
Behavior- A social, peaceful fish.
Breeding- 5-10 large young
approximately every 6 weeks.
Size- Females- 3.0 inches, Males- 2.0
inches
This fish is rarely seen in the hobby, and though a few
hobbyists keep them going for long periods, they
are not routinely kept. A strikingly attractive
and active fish, they will do well when provided with a
few
simple requirements.
They are kept at the same
temps as most of the fish here,
around 72-78 degrees. And they do not require
a large tank, though I would provide them with at least a 29
gallon as they are active, and the females will
grow to about 2.5 inches, the males slightly larger than half that
size. I keep 3 pair of breeders in a 10 gallon,
moving any fry to grow out into other10 gallon tanks, and
full grown fish are kept in 30 and 40 breeders. An interesting belief
surrounded this fish for many years, which has only been
recently disproven.
Nicknamed "The One Sided Livebearer", it was thought the
males could only swing their gonopodiums in
one direction, either to the left or the right. At the same
time, each female was born with a genital pore
able to accept fertilization from only one direction- from
the left or the right. So to have a successful
fertilization, a "right-handed" male would need to mate with
a "left-handed" female, and vice-versa.
It is odd this species has been kept in the hobby for as long
as it has without this having been finally
settled- my experience has been that they breed just like any
other. My initial group was 1 male and
4 females. All 4 females became gravid, and repeatedly. If
the one sided characteristic was true, and
the distribution of left/right was even, the one-sidedness
would be very unlikely!
The secret to keeping these fish is to meet their metabolism
needs- these are an active, busy fish.
They seem to respond to each feeding as if they hadn't eaten
in days- yet they may have just been
fed a few hours before. They will survive on once a day feedings,
and will even breed, but generally
will do best if given more frequent feedings. I have found
that when well fed they will not bother new
fry the first few hours after birth, and the young can then
be caught and raised separately. The fry are
fairly large and active from birth. Most fry seem to survive
if left with the adults, when they are well fed.
Because of the heavier feeding, effective
filtration that
provides some water movement and aeration
should be provided, along with consistent
water changes. Though big
eaters, they are not a "dirty"
fish, in that they put out a lot of waste.
I have kept this fish a number of times over many years, and
have always kept them by themselves-
not because they weren't good community fish, but
because they are highly valued, and I never
wanted to risk having them injured by tankmates. Customers
who have put them in with other fish
tell me they are excellent tankmates, and a great addition to
a special tank!
See other Care Guides
Here
|
|
