Raising fancy swordtails in South Florida's tropical paradise.
Outdoor Miami 'fishroom'
Outdoor swordtail husbandry made easy under Miami's sunshine.
A basic concrete slab for flooring support, three racks of three reinforced shelves each, the whole setup strongly anchored to the concrete wall, a couple of large 80 gallon plastic barrels, and voila! I use regular 10 gallon tanks for breeders, 20 and 30 gallon tanks for raising fry, and 40 and 50 gallon tanks to raise the few young adults which 'survive' the harsh selective process of culling. A total of 34 tanks and 3 barrels. All tanks are gravel-free, and all plants (mainly dwarf Sagittaria and Hornwort) are planted in pots. Miami's sunshine does the rest of the growing, no artificial lighting needed here. Likewise, neither filtering nor heating are in use in any tanks, and well water (PH slightly above 7.6) does provide 100% of all water changes done twice a week.
Evidently with such a natural set up, avoiding overcrowding as well as bi-weekly water changes are a must. The emphasis of the breeding program is purely aimed at the development of fancy strains of hifin, sailfin, and few lyretail and regular swordtails (Xiphophorus hellerii). A small set up that does the job all right.
Website lattest update: 05/03/12 - New pictures 2012 ALA Convention.
Disclaimer: All photos on this site are NOT to be used and/or duplicated without prio authorization.
Contact: Karltrochu@hotmail.com
A basic concrete slab for flooring support, three racks of three reinforced shelves each, the whole setup strongly anchored to the concrete wall, a couple of large 80 gallon plastic barrels, and voila! I use regular 10 gallon tanks for breeders, 20 and 30 gallon tanks for raising fry, and 40 and 50 gallon tanks to raise the few young adults which 'survive' the harsh selective process of culling. A total of 34 tanks and 3 barrels. All tanks are gravel-free, and all plants (mainly dwarf Sagittaria and Hornwort) are planted in pots. Miami's sunshine does the rest of the growing, no artificial lighting needed here. Likewise, neither filtering nor heating are in use in any tanks, and well water (PH slightly above 7.6) does provide 100% of all water changes done twice a week.
Evidently with such a natural set up, avoiding overcrowding as well as bi-weekly water changes are a must. The emphasis of the breeding program is purely aimed at the development of fancy strains of hifin, sailfin, and few lyretail and regular swordtails (Xiphophorus hellerii). A small set up that does the job all right.
Website lattest update: 05/03/12 - New pictures 2012 ALA Convention.
Disclaimer: All photos on this site are NOT to be used and/or duplicated without prio authorization.
Contact: Karltrochu@hotmail.com
