Photos of the rewarding part of breeding fish
 

These are 3 spawns of a few hundred fish each. Many different kinds of angelfish with 50% wild blood in these.

http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/m...to-1-20430.jpg

http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/m...to-2-20429.jpg

I find looking at these guys one of the most rewarding part of breeding fish.:-D

Very cool, I see you use the jar in tank method for the early fry, read about that a few weeks ago, pretty neat. Be interested to hear what volume of tanks you use for how many/how old fry also what your water change and feeding schedule is like.

To start, once I get a spawn to wigglers and off the breeding slate, they go into one of the fry rearing jars. I use three of these within a 30gal tall. Each jar can have about 250 fry, so up to 750 in the thirty gallon at up to half pea size. As this tank has excellent bio filtration, I do a 30% water change 2-3 times per week.

Once they are about half pea size, each jar gets emptied into a 10 gallon tank. They stay in here for a week or two, until they are above pea size. The 10 gallon tank makes it easy for them to find the food, but also requires lots of water changes. I try to do a 50% change every day or every other day on the 10 gallon tanks.

At above pea size, each spawn (~250+ fish) goes into a 30 gallon. Here 50% water changes every 2 days. I raise them here to just about dime size then I do my first cull.

After the first cull they go into 75 gallon grow out tanks where I continue to cull as I grow them out to quarter+ size for sale. With large water changes and good bio filtration, I can easily grow out (to quarter size) 100+ angels in each 75 gallon tank.

As for feeding, they get hatched baby brine shrimp until they go into the 30, where I make the transition to microgrind and fry starter pellets. I feed only 2 times each day, even for the newly hatched fry.

With my current set up I can leave the fishroom with no feedings to go on vacation for up to 7 days, even with batches of newly swimming fry with essentially no losses. I just turn the heat down from 80 to 70, and they do fine.

Also, my spawns average in the 250-300 fish range. But there are differences. I've raised spawns of 100 fish, as well as spawns of more than 500. Anything under 100, I don't bother with and leave then as a snack for the parents.

Here's a spawn on the large side that I pulled the other day. Look closely to see the eggs on the slate.

http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/m...pawn-20441.jpg

Hope this helps:-)

Very cool and good information. Would love to see pictures of the setup you got going there so I can drool and plan! Also I take it you supply some local retailers or what other methods do you have of selling these guys?

Also how many pairs do you have going?

For a couple years I did just supply local retailers, sold them at local fish auctions, sold to specialty breeders meeting through the internet. Have decided that at least through the winter I'll start putting stuff on Aquabid to try and make it a little easer. With so many fish in the system, with some batches I really like, I'll pick the absolute best fish and let the rest go. The only way to have several breeding pairs and ending up with about a spawn every day.:roll:

As of today, I have 6 pairs actively breeding. Some pairs breed every 7-8 days, others, every 12-14 days, some every 10-11 days -- you get the picture.

Sure I can post post pics tomorrow.

Wow - that's a lot of fish :)

Welcome to TFK and thanks for sharing.

Wow that is really cool and a ton of fish. I cant wait until I am able to start breeding some of my fish

Wow, excellent. I read about your work, your set-ups and am amazed. I couldn't find the time (not even if I was paid to!) to raise not even one batch of my discus wrigglers. I had to sit sadly by while I watched the other fish in the tank eat the free swimming fry. Oh well, I can live vicariously through you!! :-D

PS. That is one huge spawn in that pic above...impressive!

You make me sooo jealous. The pics were great and you have an amazing setup going on. I can't even raise guppies! :roll:
Good job though!