[hydrophyte]

I don't understand why livebearers aren't more popular in the planted tank hobby(???). There are some really cool ones and their subdued patterns and colors go really nice with plants.

I just ran into a really cool one that I have never heard of before, Phallichthys quadripunctatus. There is an aquabid auction for a group of them right now.

Just look...

Google: Phallichthys quadripunctatus

 

[skylsdale]

Agreed.

 

[leviathan0]

I guess the majority of planted tank keepers are more into colorful schooling species. There's a subtle beauty to most livebearers, but it doesn't make a whole lot of people go "Wow!"

 

[10gallonplanted]

Plus they breed like shrimp.

 

[zachary908]

Nice looking fish. I've seen some really nice sailfin/lyretail mollies come in at work lately.

 

[hydrophyte]

I want to someday do a setup with a nice group of wild sailfin mollies. If you feed them good food they will grow up really big and impressive.

 

[mistergreen]

Wild sailfins look the best. I'm thinking of raising some in a pond next year.

 

[hydrophyte]

Goodeids are really cool too. The more you feed them the bigger they get and the more showy their colors and patterns become.

I have also been pondering a loose Mexico biotope setup with a goup of Xiphophorus montezumae maybe and whatever cichlid might go well with them.

 

[WallaceGrover]

Live bearers are cool, but I would be afraid that they would overpopulate the tank and I wouldn't know what to do with the babies. Plus I'm pretty sure most people just view them as lowly beginner species when they see livebearer...

 

[hydrophyte]

Live bearers are cool, but I would be afraid that they would overpopulate the tank and I wouldn't know what to do with the babies. Plus I'm pretty sure most people just view them as lowly beginner species when they see livebearer...

If they are something unusual or especially good-looking you can sell the babies to your fellow hobbyists then use the money you make to upgrade your plants and gear!

Many of the most attractive wild livebearers actually won't breed so well in a display tank anyway. They need to be in a breeding-dedicated setup and conditioned with real good food and the right environmental parameters.

That is the problem...that most people think that livebearers are just platies and guppies and not much else. There are hundreds of species of livebearers.

It seems to me that just a few different species of characins (tetras) and minnows (rasboras) and a few other things like angelfish and apistos became popular in the plant hobby, and then people did not explore much beyond those.

 

[scags]

I keep Endlers myself. Really colorful little livebearers always catch my eye.

I think most planted tanks just aren't conducive for livebearers. Many people use aquasoil or equivalents and the water is too acidic. And livebearers tend to breed out of control.

Plus nothing says peace and tranquility like a school of tetras.

 

[hydrophyte]

Yep that is true most livebearers prefer neutral to basic water.

But soft/acidic water is more typical for high-tech setups. Tehy are still great candidates for medium-tech or low-tech planted.

I really like the group of Limia vittata that I got a while back. They are a really nice display fish.

 

[10gallonplanted]

Speaking of livebearers, I lost my oldest guppy today.. Big Momma.

 

[houseofcards]

Isn't the lack of any real schooling behavior part of it, especially in planted where some schooling type behavior works very well with hardscape and plants.

 

[WallaceGrover]

Isn't the lack of any real schooling behavior part of it, especially in planted where some schooling type behavior works very well with hardscape and plants.

Most schooling fish don't school in the average aquarium anyways...

 

[Jeffww]

My absolute favorite live bearer: xiphophorus helleri " rio otapa"...one day I'll have space and money for them....I think most people look down on livebearers because they're "beginner" fish...I mean I think all of us started out on guppies, platies, mollies and sword fish.

 

[hydrophyte]

A while back I saw some amazing video from Mexico showing hundreds of Xiphophorus (can't remember which) in a spring pool. The water was crystal clear and it was amazing.

I should try to go find that video. I think that Marco Arroyo might have shot it.

 

[houseofcards]

Most schooling fish don't school in the average aquarium anyways...

I agree that most don't school tightly all the time, but there is still much more schooling type movement even if it's only a few of the total group among for example tetras and rasboras then their is with any livebearer.

 

[hydrophyte]

Some kinds of livebearers will school more if you put them in a bigger tank in larger numbers and especially if there is some current in the tank. They will also segregate themselves by size. I have seen goodeids and mollies do this in a tank. It looked really cool.

 

[mgamer20o0]

i think its because most people think livebearer its allways the common ones at the lfs they just dont know about some of the really cool other ones around. there is a pretty big group of livebearer people here in so cali and i am always picking up some random ones.

so many people with nano tanks why not heterandria formosa.