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</DIV><H1>Spawning Mops</H1></DIV><DIV id=Qtextbox><P><STRONG>Author: danceswithdingoes</STRONG><BR><BR>Hi, just a quick question on spawning mops. Every book I have read on the subject recommends using a "green yarn spawning mop" for rainbow egg collection. What is yarn? (wool polyester etc) and how are they actually constructed? Any help/links/pics gratefully appreciated....Jason

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</P></DIV><H2>Replies »</H2><DIV id=Atextbox><P><STRONG>Author: Melbourne Bill</STRONG><BR><BR>As an initial point I am most serious - scientific studies have shown that fish like the softest possible material for spawning. That is, wool yarn over polyester. Yarn is that roll of wool that you knit with.

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The materials that I use to construct a spawning mop are:

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paperback novel

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roll of wool

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large cork

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scissors

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I wrap the wool around the novel a number of times (from top to bottom) until I get the desired number of strands (which equate to the thickness of the mop) then cut the wool at one end of the novel, tie the wool mop around the cork so that the cut ends are hanging down.

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The difficult task is then soaking your spawning mop until the wool becomes water logged and the ends hang down in the water.

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At least this method works well for me

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</P></DIV><DIV id=Atextbox><P><STRONG>Author: blue gularis</STRONG><BR><BR>Hi,

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Don't use wool for your mops, it rots. One of the synthetic yarns will do, most people will recomend dark coloured wool as it is easier to see the eggs. White is good to use if you have fish that like to eat thier eggs as they lay but it is also hard to find the eggs when you look for them.

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Once you have made a mop boil it for a couple of minutes this removes any excess dye and this also forces any air out of the fibers so the mop sinks.

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Another thing when using mops placement is important when I get a new species I will set up a tank with a sinking mop(no float), the standard floating mop and one attached to the tank by a suction cap. Untill I find which one they prefer. With some species you need to make a really thick mop and wrap it with rubber bands so the fish has force thier egg into the yarn.

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With rainbows another good way (have not tried it but been told) is a tank full of java moss. Throw a pair in there for a couple of days remove them and start feeding vinegar eels and microworms.

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When you mastered the art of mop making I will have to send you some killie or blue eye eggs.

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Gary H-H

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</P></DIV><DIV id=Atextbox><P><STRONG>Author: Melbourne Bill</STRONG><BR><BR>I agree that wool does rot with time but have found that there are better yields of eggs with wool than with any synthetic yarn.

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The thing is that everyone has different views, each of which works well for different people.

</P></DIV><DIV id=Atextbox><P><STRONG>Author: mudrat77</STRONG><BR><BR>I use Java Moss with my Rainbows, works fine.

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</P></DIV><DIV id=Atextbox><P><STRONG>Author: Melbourne Bill</STRONG><BR><BR>Mudrat77

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Perhaps my rainbows are just plain stupid but have you ever had a problem where the rainbows become entangled in the java moss and end up killing themselves.

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Any suggestions as to what to do?

</P></DIV><DIV id=Atextbox><P><STRONG>Author: mudrat77</STRONG><BR><BR>I haven't had a problem with them getting stuck, only with them jumping out. I'm keeping Melanotaenia maccullochi at the moment. They are on strike and not breeding at the moment, but they'll start up again soon.

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</P></DIV><DIV id=Atextbox><P><STRONG>Author: griffin</STRONG><BR><BR>we've used polyester yarn spawning mops and done well with them for Boesmani rainbows and Praecox, our dither fish rainbows that are in with various cichlids happily spawn constantly in java moss. The trick I think with collecting large batches of eggs is to collect the eggs at about 9am in the morning - most rainbows like to spawn early in the morning, if you collect the mops and put them in a fry raising tank at about 9am they will have finished spawning but won't have had a lot of time to go around eating the eggs.

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Jess and Julian

</P></DIV><DIV id=Atextbox><P><STRONG>Author: danceswithdingoes</STRONG><BR><BR>Thanks for all the valuable advice folks and H-H I may just take you up on the killies/blue eyes (tried to breed killies once but they near suffocated in the tank with all the peat floating around :-) Seeing I have some xperts online, do you mind giving me the advice on the following. This is my current setup, 2 x std 4' display tanks, 2 x 4' x16 x16 tanks with dividers, 3 x 3' x12 x16 (30 gallon short) 2 x 2' quarantine tanks... I plan to breed the following: M. Praecox, G. Incisus, M. Bosemani, M.S.Rubrostriata or M Parkinsoni, I. Werneri and T. Occellarus (Peacock Gudgeon) If possible I wouldn't mind tring me hand at Celebeses and P. Gertrudae.....any pitfalls I should watch for? I plan to use both the materials suggested rather than the Java moss, I plan to rotate the mops daily for a week or so as I understand they lay over a long period and only G. Incisus is a noted eggeater. The fry will be hatched in two 18" 'green water' tanks before being transferred to a 30 gallon long....any advice gratefully accepted......Jason

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</P></DIV><DIV id=Atextbox><P><STRONG>Author: hieuc</STRONG><BR><BR>why don;t u just buy a mop head and use that instead of making it. and is it true that boosemani become more duller every generation born in a tank. i your opinions which rainbow do u ppl think is the most colourful.

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melbourne bill, u have any rainbows, dwark cichlids or any sutiable planted tank fish for sale?

</P></DIV><DIV id=Atextbox><P><STRONG>Author: blue gularis</STRONG><BR><BR>Hi,

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With rainbows you will want to set up species tanks, as the different genus and species will breed together. One thing the native hobby needs is more hybrids. Have a display tank full of different males.

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Try to get your breeding stock from ANGFA members. Most rainbows have location or population name as well thier scientific. These location names are important as the same species from seperate locations may have colour and behaviour differences, once they enter the trade the location names are dropped and they just become an aquarium strain(dither fish). If you are planning on keeping gertrudae this very important as every location is different. I have gertrudea Ankabadirri because of the location name it is easy to find out this population was collected 13/8/01 at billabong on the side of the Cadell river the pH was 7.43, temp 30c,KH<10ppm,GH<10ppm and billabong had a laterite base high in iron.

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Breeding and raising fry is different for every species and different in each fishroom. Trial and error is the best way to go. Keep notes.

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With the preacox it is important to try and get some from the ANGFA breeding program. The ones available in the trade are crap.

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I had a small disaster in my fishroom when I am up running again will send you some eggs if you want. Have M monticola and P furcatus that I wont to distribute.

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Gary H-H

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</P></DIV><DIV id=Atextbox><P><STRONG>Author: Melbourne Bill</STRONG><BR><BR>

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I agree entirely with Garry that you need to know the locality of the fish that you collect and that you need to keep different locality types separate.

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For those in Victoria, the bi-monthly ANGFA meetings at the Melbourne Zoo (please go along tonight and support ANGFA) are a great source of fish by locality type. Or the next time you take a holiday, go to Queensland and collect your own fish (subject to various rules, restrictions and "salties").

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St Kilda Aquarium is also pretty good at keeping locality types of rainbows separate. But pseudomugil - well outside ANGFA you will only get the species name. But even that is good news when you consider gudgeons.

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For Mogurnda, you dont even get the species name - let alone the locality type - it is just a purple spotted gudgeon. If Garry is worried about hybridisation between rainbows, the beloved PSG is a total disaster. There is only one place that I know of that sells PSGs by species and locality type - and that is Mark's place in Adelaide (look up on the Australian Fish Forum).

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</P></DIV><DIV id=Atextbox><P><STRONG>Author: danceswithdingoes</STRONG><BR><BR>Thanks folks, H-H are you NSW based? I had better part with the thirty dollars for anfa membership I think. Would many of them breed the NG varieties (bosemani/incisus/praecox/parkinsoni) I plan to breed these as they seem to be the only fish the local lfs will accept (coloured as juvies) I did manage to buy two of the smallest peacock gudgeons I have ever seen (15mm) so It will be a while b4 I breed them :-).....Jason

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</P></DIV><DIV id=Atextbox><P><STRONG>Author: blue gularis</STRONG><BR><BR>Hi Jason,

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I am in Adelaide, and still not a member of ANGFA I am waiting for my membership to a couple of overseas killie associations to run out before joining any new ones. Mailing eggs interstae is to easy, have sent them to Denmark and Portugal with no problems.

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The four species you mention are some of the hardest to get good breeding stock. Because of the same reason you mention. With rainbows it is being in the right place at the right time for colouration. The monticola are reasonably dull fish most the time but if you catch them at the right time of day the male is soot black with a bright orange stripe from the first dorsal to the tip of the nose, awesome.

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The peacock gudgeons are one are one of my gonna fish that I never getta around to doing.

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members.optushome.com.au/chelmon/

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A link to a good rainbow site, just in case you have not been there.

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Gary H-H

</P></DIV><DIV id=Atextbox><P><STRONG>Author: Pumbaj00</STRONG><BR><BR>Sounds like you got some things sorted out there.

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I am up in Queensland and breed quite a few different Rainbows when the weather warms a bit.

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Currently I have breeding stock of

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M. Maccoulichi (etty bay)

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M. Australis (alligator rv.)

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P. Gertrudae (olive rv.)

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M. S. Splendida (sweet ck)

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G. Incisus

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C. Campsie

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M. Parkinsoni

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P. Tennelus

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P. Signifer

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M. Inornata (got the ck name around here some place)

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M. Nigrans (got the ck name around here some place)

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Unfortunatly most of my N. Guinea species where stock from shops, and therefore arent as nice as some fish I have seen, but still nice nevertheless.

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I spawn them in Standard 18" Tanks with a several different mops of varying lenghts. Mops are out of the cheap synthetic wool from Big W.

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i could send you some mops of eggs later in the year when it warms up a bit if you like, or fire away with any questions you have.

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Matt

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</P></DIV><DIV id=Atextbox><P><STRONG>Author: danceswithdingoes</STRONG><BR><BR>Thanks folks, Matt what are the spotted blue-eyes (p.gertrudae) like to breed? The problem I have here is ignorance with most lfs in my area considering aus rainbows as nothing more than silver sardines, thats why the praecox and bosemani are 'sellable' I saw a rainbow in the display tank at St George that was black with a yellow stripe, also saw a pair of Glosselepis sp. (started with an m.) that I might get next time if they're still there. They ought to rename rainbows as 'hardtokillifish' :-) keep the thread goin, I'm starting to learn something :-)

</P></DIV><DIV id=Atextbox><P><STRONG>Author: Pumbaj00</STRONG><BR><BR>The gertrudae are just like any other blue eye to breed. In the warmer months I keep them outside in planted foam eskies, a trio to a esky- works great.

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This is the easiest way to breed your fish during the warmer months, and gets them to a saleable size in a month or so, with very little work on your behalf. It works best with blue eyes and werneri.

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In a tank they are pretty easy, just so long as there is microworms/ vinegar eels handy. This isnt really needed but they sure do grow quicker when on them.

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They can be spawned in quite small tanks too.

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Any of the Glosselepis sp. besides incus are pretty sort after as they are very common.

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Matt

</P></DIV><DIV id=Atextbox><P><STRONG>Author: Alan Caboolture</STRONG><BR><BR>I still have and use synthetic mops that are over 30 years old. So with a bit of care and maintainace looks like the fiddley time consuming job of making them is once in a lifetime chore!

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Thank goodness for that.

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Alan

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</P></DIV><DIV id=Atextbox><P><STRONG>Author: Melbourne Bill</STRONG><BR><BR>Sorry (hehe, just being polite) but I have to disagree with the idea that Australian rainbowfish are dull and drab while PNG rainbowfish are beautiful.

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The public (including lfs) just needs to be educated about aussie rainbows. They are some of the most beautiful fish in the world. Nothing could go past a small school of M trifasciata where the males are radiant in their beauty.

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Why not try breeding these beautiful fish - there are people who know these fish that are screaming out for more.

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Keep aussie natives ...please

</P></DIV><DIV id=Atextbox><P><STRONG>Author: danceswithdingoes</STRONG><BR><BR>Bill I bought some goyder river tri's from an lfs for $3 each (5cm) because he had them for over a month without a single enquiry. I'm trying to get them to setup a 'native' display tank so I can give them some adult natives to show the punters with correct lighting etc. BTW I have purchased 3 incisus at 5-6cm and they are still a silver-brown colour, are they females?

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