[shoe997bed263]

i have two irritans and i have read the info that was on opfee. it said that a well planted 100g tank could possibly keep irritans and have a small chance at breeding. i was thinking of trying it in a 180g tank that i will well plant. do u guys think it is possible and worth a try or am i just going to lose a fish. i realize that the odds r against me but every species has to mate at some point. and if it does work how amazing would that be. well is it worth a shot or not

 

[33truballa33]

id ont know if its worth a try cause with 2 ur chances of having male/female are relatively lower than if u had more than two.. and irritans are crazy as hell.. my lil irritan goes after my rhom all dya long so i dunno how that would turn out....

 

[hastatus]

shoe997bed263 Posted Today, 09:02 PM
i have two irritans and i have read the info that was on opfee. it said that a well planted 100g tank could possibly keep irritans and have a small chance at breeding. i was thinking of trying it in a 180g tank that i will well plant. do u guys think it is possible and worth a try or am i just going to lose a fish. i realize that the odds r against me but every species has to mate at some point. and if it does work how amazing would that be. well is it worth a shot or not

You have to start somewhere and the generalized information on water chemistry and habitat at OPEFE are good starting points.

Good luck and keep us informed on how it goes. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

 

[KrazyCrusader]

Man that's really risky. I'm all for trying to breed Serra's but putting 2 grown Irritans together.

If you do this keep a very very close eye on the fish.

 

[hastatus]

KrazyCrusader Posted Today, 11:12 PM
Man that's really risky. I'm all for trying to breed Serra's but putting 2 grown Irritans together.
If you do this keep a very very close eye on the fish.

If he read the OPEFE material, I'm sure he's quite aware of the risk. That's why the heavily planted tank is suggested. Provides hiding places.

It's seems odd you would have hesitation on this attempt. From what I've read and been passed on to me, your following some experimenter yourself.

 

[shoe997bed263]

well i was really expecting to just be called a complete moron but i will try. will be getting the 180 in a couple of days and hopefully with some bio spira and existing filters will be up and running in no time. will keep everyone posted

 

[shoe997bed263]

the article says "moderate" filteration. what does that mean i always over filter and was planning on doing the same with the 180. i assume the water parameters should still be kept as perfect. should i not over filter as i normally do

 

[hastatus]

shoe997bed263 Posted Today, 12:00 AM
well i was really expecting to just be called a complete moron but i will try. will be getting the 180 in a couple of days and hopefully with some bio spira and existing filters will be up and running in no time. will keep everyone posted

Good luck, just keep in the back of your mind (and in front of your eyes) that these fish swim solitarily in their native waters. IF there is a remote chance you may have a pair, then your odds of getting them to breed is still out there. It takes about 2 years for p's to adjust but that is not carved in stone. Just feed them well and keep their water chemistry within normal parameters.

Attempting to breed fish is not the same as attempting to create a "group or shoal" of fish. I hope you acknowledge why "moron" would not fit in with what you are doing.

shoe997bed263 Posted Today, 12:09 AM
the article says "moderate" filteration. what does that mean i always over filter and was planning on doing the same with the 180. i assume the water parameters should still be kept as perfect. should i not over filter as i normally do

S. irritans are not reverine fishes per se. So you don't need the heavy aeration (power heads) as used by S. rhombeus care. A moderate filtration means using a mechanical filter and just the return water from it. I use overfiltration myself, but I would think (and Hollywood can correct me if I'm wrong about this), it may not be a good idea to over filtrate as the nesting area needs some quiet areas.

 

[elTwitcho]

The only real problem I see with this is that you have no way of knowing if you got a male/female pair

 

[KrazyCrusader]

If he read the OPEFE material, I'm sure he's quite aware of the risk. That's why the heavily planted tank is suggested. Provides hiding places.

It's seems odd you would have hesitation on this attempt. From what I've read and been passed on to me, your following some experimenter yourself.

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[hastatus]

One other suggestion and not mentioned in my OPEFE article, S. irritans may need some surface cover (floating plants). For some reason that makes sense to me because of the abundance of floating plants in most of these Serrasalmus breeding areas.

 

[shoe997bed263]

thanx for the help. got the 180 today using bio spira so hopefully will be up and running in a couple of days. will keep everyone posted. if anyone has any more info that will help this work please let me know

 

[33truballa33]

n e ideas on what size these guys are mature at?? pm'd u shoe

 

[hastatus]

33truballa33 Posted Today, 08:06 PM
n e ideas on what size these guys are mature at?? pm'd u shoe

Its not big secret, they are sexually mature the same as most other Serrasalmin. 1 1/2 years or 4-5 inches, whichever comes first.

 

[33truballa33]

Its not big secret, they are sexually mature the same as most other Serrasalmin. 1 1/2 years or 4-5 inches, whichever comes first.

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i apologize for being a "newbie" and not knowing that

 

[hastatus]

Apology accepted newbie. Next time check out the pinned thread. I have info posted there.

 

[KRS one]

i find this very interesing myself, i love how you, hollywood and other pople are tring new things besides reds

have you thought about getting three irritan insted of 2, so your chances will be higher, or is somthing like that just out of the question

 

[hastatus]

irate Posted Today, 08:19 PM
i find this very interesing myself, i love how you, hollywood and other pople are tring new things besides reds

have you thought about getting three irritan insted of 2, so your chances will be higher, or is somthing like that just out of the question

Ideally 4 or 6 would be better. But the problem with S. irritans in a closed environment is not an ideal for the fish. The number 3 does give it a better chance of having 1 male and 2 females or vice versa. One never knows so the risk increases.

 

[HOLLYWOOD]

Just read through this thread and must say that Frank has dedicated most of his time to provide detailed information shared by experts in the field. Were lucky to have OPEFE as a resource.

As far as nesting area, I agree provide a quiet free clear of current area. It also helps to place your tank in a traffic free area.

S. irritans are not reverine fishes per se. So you don't need the heavy aeration (power heads) as used by S. rhombeus care. A moderate filtration means using a mechanical filter and just the return water from it. I use overfiltration myself, but I would think (and Hollywood can correct me if I'm wrong about this), it may not be a good idea to over filtrate as the nesting area needs some quiet areas.

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[KrazyCrusader]

i find this very interesing myself, i love how you, hollywood and other pople are tring new things besides reds

have you thought about getting three irritan insted of 2, so your chances will be higher, or is somthing like that just out of the question

[snapback]843444[/snapback]​

Frank is breeding Caribes, Hollywood is only breeding Reds, and this is the first i've heard recently someone giving Irritans a try. Is there anyone else trying to breed any of the similar Serra's?

I commend anyone that is daring enough to try and breed a rare Serra. Good luck to everyone with their endeavors