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In my research for this website I came across an expert called Jeff. He is a professional fishkeeper and breeder on the East Coast of Australia with over 20 years experience.
Click “Aquarium Fish Interview” to download this 2meg interview as an MP3 recording - or read the transcribed interview below.
Aquarium Fish Silver Arowana
I started by asking him about the benefits of being in a society.
Jeff: The best thing about being in a club is that you have a wide body of people you can discuss your problems with. You can find out ‘species relevant’ information such as habitat, and just general knowledge information from people who have done it before.
Nigel: How do you choose which species of fish to breed that will be viable for you?
Jeff: Personally I try and breed species that I haven’t done before, or people (in the club) haven’t bred before just to keep the challenge and keep it interesting. Fishkeeping is one of the things where if you enjoy doing it you will get a lot out of it. If you are doing it solely for money purposes – it is hard work, and you don’t tend to do the work so it becomes a non-viable option.
Nigel: And how much experience does a person need to be able to keep fish successfully?
Jeff: Experience… or Right Information. It depends on the type of fish, but if you have no experience and you get good information you can go and breed fish tomorrow. It’s just a matter of finding a quality shop or breeder who can pass on information and is willing to do so.
Nigel: What is the best set-up if you are looking to breed strong lines in a specific species?
Jeff: With selecting stock, I find the best way is to get 3 or 4 different blood lines from different sources. I then take boys from one pair and cross them with girls from another pair and vice versa through the 4 different pairs. Then I would look for the strongest coloration, finnage and body shape for the results I am after, and then cross them back through the mother or the father. You are better off breeding back along the lines against their parents, rather than brother and sister.
Nigel: And if you are getting genetic defects in any of your fry, how important is it to clear them from your system.
Jeff: Very important. Some of the Americans are no longer able to be imported into the country, so when those blood lines are lost or ruined, we won’t be able to have them again.
Nigel: Separating parents and fry is important for survival rates, what equipment do you suggest is needed?
Jeff: It depends on the fish you breed. With some fish you will need a spawning tank, and then maybe 2 or 3 fry size tanks and then a grow-out tank.
Nigel: And how does it feel to successfully breed a species you haven’t bred before?
Jeff: Satisfying.
Nigel: How long have you been keeping fish, and how long do you expect to be?
Jeff: I’ve been doing it for about 20 years, since I was a kid, and plan to be doing it for most of my life.
Nigel: What are some of the challenges people can expect when getting into fishkeeping?
Jeff: The main challenges will be filtration, learning how many fish you can load into a tank, and water capacity. With breeding; trying to figure out different ways of inducing a spawn on demand rather than waiting for them to do it themselves – that’s probably one of the hardest things to do and figure out.
Nigel: Can you explain the difference between having all of you tanks hooked up as a system, or keeping them as individual tanks.
Jeff: Personally I don’t like systems, even though a lot of people do. They find them easier to work with because there is less upkeep and gives them a bit more free time. Personally I like all my tanks to be individual so the water, or a problem stays in the one tank. It is a little more work, but the security of everything being in quarantine its whole life – until you move them, has more benefits than you can imagine.
Jeff gave me an incredible amount of time and information. He is one of the most dedicated fish enthusiast I have met – and I am thankful for the opportunity to share a little of this information with you here.
[...] are many fish experts out there you can learn [...]
I had 3 tanks set up in a system so the filter could share the load. I introduced a new fish – and then all of the fish in my tanks got sick. It may have just been a coincidence, but after that I wont do system setups anymore.
I don’t think that was a coincidence Sarah. I would suggest not doing that in the future but hey, you live and learn.