Garlic & gelatine

Everything you ever wanted to say about "Zebra luvin", but didn't because you thought everyone would take the mickey! Plus general topics for discussion including everything from what you feed them to your personal experiences.

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Lucy
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Garlic & gelatine

Post by Lucy »

My fish are all going mad for my home made food (as per McEves recipie - many thanks for shareing it!! :D )

Just a few queries about what I can add:

1. Is it ok to put pieces of crushed fresh garlic in, as opposed to powder, or indeed to just drop some garlic cloves in - will Zebras chew on them like they do cucumber? Or is this likely to polute the water?

2. I've used beef gelating to combine it into little jelly cubes which works great at keeping it together in my other tanks (temp ~26C) but it just disolves in the Zeb tank (31.5C). Any other ideas for getting it to stay together? :?:

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John
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Post by John »

29-30C is enough 31,5 is overdone
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John
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Lucy
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Post by Lucy »

John
Thanks for your reply - I take it that you keep yours at the lower temp. but I was advised by the breeder & another member of this site to increase it as my smallest Zebra wasn't eating very much & it worked.

Out of interest what are your reasons for your choice of temperature - it's all very well stating an opinion but it would be nice to know on what it is based - please don't take offence as none is intended but quite a lot of people seem to answer posts with an opinion stated as though it's Gospel and no explanation . Which doesn't help people like me who are still near the bottom of the Zebra learning curve!! :)

Anyone got any advise about the garlic?

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John
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Post by John »

Temperature in the xingu river is between 28 and 32 dgrees depending on season, i like to be in the middle of that at 30 degrees.
My fish stay healthy and feed well with this temperature they even breed now and then and the young also grow well.
I don't think it's healthy in the long run to keep your fish constant higher then 30 degrees, because their metabolism works faster at this temperature and probably decreases their lifespan.
It's ok for a little while (around 6 months max) to get your fish eating, after that i think you should lower your temperature.
Greetings,
John
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Andrew C
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Post by Andrew C »

Hello John
Thirty two degrees is not much higher than thirty degrees and i find is a good temperature for conditioning zebras.
I see your point about the increased metabolism not being good over a very long time and maybe once they start breeding i will lower the temperature to 29/30 degrees.
Rob recommonds on his zebra article on the homepage, 30 degrees, but he even says it is only a guideline.

Hello Lucy
It depends on the size of the bits of crushed garlic, powder is better as it is very fine and mixes together well with the other ingredients, wheras small bits of garlic may have a strong taste, though the fish will probably just ignore it and eat the rest.
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Hi

Post by dave »

I keep my breeding colony at 32C, produced 80+ fry in 2006. 10 fry so far in 2007.

As for temperatures quoted for the Xingu, are the temperatures measured at the points of collection, as they supposedly live in rapids, is this the same temperature as the main body of the river.

Also these fish are supposedly collected at some depth, is it surface temperature or the temperature at the depth collected.

As for tank decor, I use ordinary gravel with undergravel filtration plates with a power filter or two. IMO maintaining water quality is important no matter what filtration system of filtration you use.

I agree with Lucy, too many opinions given, eg best set up for breeding from people who have never bred the fish. Bare bottom or not, they breed in both set ups. Diets, mine get crushed tetra Doromin, Tetra Prima, Frozen Brine Shrimp and Frozen Bloodworm.

These fish have been reported to breed in RO water, they breed in my untreated tap water.

I have had my fish breed in 3 different sized caves.

If there were difinitive answers to all the questions asked, then there wouldn't be a shortage of this fish.

Take care

Dave
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Post by TwoTankAmin »

I keep my breeder tank at a hair over 30C (86-87F). Got the breeders last mid April. 12-13 fish and at least 150 fry to date. I have two small growout tanks which are kept at 28.5-29C (83-84F).

I did start the breeders out at close to 32C for the first two weeks I had them and then lowered it to the current temp.

Mine breed in untreated tap water from our own well. I feed almost no blood worms nor brine shrimp, nothing homemade either

I dont think there is any failsafe formula. What I do know is we experiment until we succeed and then we stick with what worked.
What makes the common person uncommon is common sense.
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Post by hamish99 »

use banana to bind you mix together, zebs like it
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Post by Andrew C »

Hamish
How much banana do you put in your homemade food to help bind it together ?
I have the same problem as Lucy has with her homemade food, even with gelatine, it dissolves and breaks up too easily.
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Post by hamish99 »

i put 1 banana per mix, you dont need a lot
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Post by McEve »

I don't have this problem. Don't you just love it when people say that when you report a problem :P The food does break into pices after a while, but the zebs manage to find it just the same. It does take some maintanace in the tank though... Just as sinking tablets that dissolve does ;)

oh, btw - I spoke with a person that was down in Rio Xingu. He reported temps up to 33C in the water
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Andrew C
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Post by Andrew C »

McEve wrote:I don't have this problem. Don't you just love it when people say that when you report a problem :P
Nope, i hate it :wink:
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Post by McEve »

:lol: Know exactly what you mean :lol:
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Lucy
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Post by Lucy »

Gosh that did spark a debate didn't it! :o

Thanks for all your replies. We all seem to keep our fish differently - I guess they're quite adaptable. :?

Thought I might start a new thread where people can compare the different conditions people keep their fish in - that is unless there already is one?

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Post by smithrc »

just to get a few tips while the topic is in debate...

all my own mixes float... :(

what am i going wrong?
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