Y'all should see these half black kids

[LizStreithorst]

Oh shit, I'm out of two mil bags!  I need to call Jehmco now!

[waterboy]

Want me to ship yours Monday, Dale?

Yes Yes Yes Pant Pant Pant can't wait!

[Mugwump]

Want me to ship yours Monday, Dale?

Yes Yes Yes Pant Pant Pant can't wait!

....

[Babers]

They are so small but they have all turned.  I am impressed with what this pair that I paid too much for has produced in it's first spawn.  I'll take a pic and post it may be Sunday.  Too tired now, and haven't eaten yet.

Sorry, I was just trying to catch up on reading previous posts. I know this post is a few months old. I've heard of so many tricks on "helping" them express...lights, food, temperature, background, black gravel/sand....and I be heard of just good husbandry. I've had a few spawns and all I got were a few expressing Halfblacks. Nothing spectacular like yours. Can you share what you've done to get this high of expression on this batch?

[LizStreithorst]

I treat them same as I would Discus.  WC every day and feeding 3 times daily when they're young.  I feed mosquito larvae when they're available and the babies are large enough to take them.  I don't if that's why I have good luck or not.  It's just the way I've always done things.

I did run into a problem with a line I started years ago.  I crossed a Zebra from Angels Plus with a Half Black from George Garcia.  Out of around 500 fry I had one with a black tail and one that was 1/3 black.  They turned out to be a male and a female.  When I bred them together all the babies were half black.  I bred sib to sib and back to parents for so many generations that they became inbred and slam quit turning.  I can think of no other reason that happened.  That's why I'm so into fresh blood this time around. 

[Babers]

Did you have to limit their light exposure to an "X" number of hours per day? One of my halfblacks here , dark area on body fades but tail remains black when exposed to long periods of light. So I'm thinking lighting can be a factor too? Idk.

[LizStreithorst]

I don't do anything special with lighting.  I set the timers for 5 minutes on and 5 minutes off.  I just use cheap fluorescent from the hardware store.

[Mugwump]

I don't do anything special with lighting.  I set the timers for 5 minutes on and 5 minutes off.  I just use cheap fluorescent from the hardware store.

....

[Babers]

I don't do anything special with lighting.  I set the timers for 5 minutes on and 5 minutes off.  I just use cheap fluorescent from the hardware store.

Is this alternating on/off continues throughout the 24 hour period on them?

[Mugwump]

I don't do anything special with lighting.  I set the timers for 5 minutes on and 5 minutes off.  I just use cheap fluorescent from the hardware store.

Is this alternating on/off continues throughout the 24 hour period on them?

..it's border line hypnotic.......

[LizStreithorst]

On at 7 am off at 7 pm

[waterboy]

I don't do anything special with lighting.  I set the timers for 5 minutes on and 5 minutes off.  I just use cheap fluorescent from the hardware store.

Why the on - off blinking?  If you don't mind my asking.

[LizStreithorst]

I don't do anything special with lighting.  I set the timers for 5 minutes on and 5 minutes off.  I just use cheap fluorescent from the hardware store.

Why the on - off blinking?  If you don't mind my asking.

I must have been drunk when I wrote the 5 minutes on 5 minutes off thing.  I don't know what I was thinking.

[Mugwump]

I don't do anything special with lighting.  I set the timers for 5 minutes on and 5 minutes off.  I just use cheap fluorescent from the hardware store.

Why the on - off blinking?  If you don't mind my asking.

I must have been drunk when I wrote the 5 minutes on 5 minutes off thing.  I don't know what I was thinking.

....LOL......