>2. What size tanks are used for spawning and grow-out?
My smaller species are spawned and grown out in ten gallon tanks. My
larger are grown out and spawned in 20's. If I was into raising fry in
large quantities I would grow them out in 40's. As it is I typically
sell them off young or cull down to smaller groups.
>3. Do you use individual sponge filters and heaters or a central
>filtration system?
Never ever rely on a central system. That's my motto. I prefer sponge
filters. I have picked up a couple of plagues over the years that have
wiped out entire tanks in very short order. Had I a central system
everything would have been gone. One plague wiped out a 55 gallon
community tank and was accidentally moved to my 125 gallon, before I
realized how serious it was. I did manage to save most of the fish in
the 125, I figure I transferred it by moving my wet hands from on tank
to the other about a week after introducing it to the 55 gallon. If
you are extremely careful about quarantining you can be safe. And I'm
saying always quarantine for at least six weeks and never go sticking
you hand from your isolation tanks to you central system. Also you get
stuck with one water type with a central system.
I do have a friend with a fairly good central system. Actually he has
5 central systems plus quite a fair number of isolated tanks. He's
also built the system so he can easily separate any tank from the
central system. Keeps a sponge filter or a box filter with gravel
bubbling in every tank too. Actual this seems like a great hybrid
filter system, giving him the options and benefits of central and
isolated systems as he needs them. If (when) I rebuild I'll probably
follow this method.
Another note that many fish folks in Minnesota have learned the hard
way. If you're building an enclosed high humidity room, install a
vapor barrier on the inside of your fish room. I know a few people
that have had to do some rather expensive joist replacement because
the joists rotted out from the humidity. My rooms are open and the
tanks heated separately. The tanks act as humidifiers to the whole
house in the winter and the central air pulls out the humidity in the
summer. Cost's a bit more energy wise, but it allows me to live with
my fish rooms rather than being separated from the rest of the family
in my fish room. Now wife and daughter can at least see I'm around and
talk to me when I playing with the fish. The family room is actually
part of one fish room and though an open door way to the other. I got
rid of that problem about never seeing me becaues I was with the fish
or the fish not getting the attention so I could give some to the
family. Its also harder to ignore the fish or the wife when they're
staring at you :~)
Cary Hostrawser
Minnesota Aquarium Society
http://www.mn-aquarium.org/
Rainbowfish Study Group of North America
http://home.earthlink.net/~sbuckel/index.html