Round Four

[BelldandyShanny]

Well here we go again, 4th time's a charm or something right?... I've left both parents in with the would be babies and they've made it to wigglers. There seem to be many more than previous batches so that's good right? I really hope this is the one that makes it! but I say that every time =p
 
One thing I've noticed with them however is that mommy is ever the watchful guard but when she's out daddy gets all flustered and pink looking, puffs up his fins and tries to block her from getting back in the cave.  She always makes it back in though and when she does his fins go all limp and he goes gray again.  At least once I've seen him in the cave with them, and they haven't been eaten.  Always something new to observe.

and there's more than shows in the pic, but just can't see from that angle.

 

[BelldandyShanny]

https/www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10202975180408907&notif_t=video_processed
 
Here's a short video of the mommy daddy patrol outside the wiggler den

 

[BelldandyShanny]

fishy mommy and daddy are moving the wigglers to a new location! I've never gotten this far!

 

[BelldandyShanny]

swimmies, I got swimmies! eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

he's all hey, you lookin at my bebes?

 

[benthyer]

That's so cool. Can't until I get to have experience with breeding fish! Keep us posted

 

[BelldandyShanny]

looks like mom and dad keep trying to tuck them in for the night but they want to play still and keep sneaking out

 

[misterpro]

Congratulations (fishie) grandma ;-)

You can start feeding them a few times a day now (don't overfeed) with some very fine powdered food. I've been using Hikari First Bites (that I gently squirt at them with a pipette)

 

[BelldandyShanny]

I had a small scare when I came downstairs today and I didn't see any of them! but they were just on a field trip to the corner of the tank I can't see very well.  I have some powdered food, it's a mix of flake, mysis shrimp, blood worms, and algae wafers that I crushed myself with a mortar and pestle. The stuff is so fine I could wear it as makeup! (not that I would eww!)  It's what I feed my guppy babies as well.  When can I expect to be able to do a water change?  Will the parents still be spooked if I go in now?  Or should I wait till they are a bit more independent and do it when I remove the parents?

 

[misterpro]

If you can, wait a week perhaps, to be sure.  The little ones swim much better after a few days.
 
I do it before light are on, and the tank is in a unlit room.  So the wigglers are all sleeping/herded inside the nest, untill lights go on.
 
I'd avoid gravel/sand vacuuming if possible to not freak out the parents (or accidentally suck up lill' ones).

 

[BelldandyShanny]

yeah I just want to do a water change, not gonna bother with anything more in depth.  Problem is there's lights in here from windows before I turn on their lights. I can certainly wait a week though.  I just love looking in there and seeing my babies!

 

[BelldandyShanny]

oh, if I'm to acquire a pipette myself, do I mix the food in a little bit of water and suck it into the dropper then squirt at fish? I imagine dry wouldn't work

also where can I get them? at the pet store or should I be looking at a craft or drug store? or any of them?

 

[misterpro]

I use a tiny jar that I fill with tank water.  Put the powdered food in, give it a swirl.  95% of it will settle on the bottom very fast.  Suck in that water/food mixture.
 
I then pretty much stick my whole arm (because they're in the big tank, explanation is below) in the tank, to very gently squirt it at wherever the little ones currently are.
 
I got this juvenile pair to get some new breeders in the future (I have an old pair of Kribs in one of my smaller tanks).  I didn't expect them to breed any time soon because they're very small, and the male didn't even look mature.  But they immediately did...  They're currently in the 460liter tank, since I had no breeding plans for them yet anyway.  They even fend of the platydoras armatulus catfishes that are pretty much 5 times their size, and they haven't lost a single fry in 10 days freeswimming now (+/- 45 little boogers, just like on day one) .  My mouth pretty much fell open.  The parents are small but darn did I seem to have picked up some nice parents.

 
*edit *Not really sure where I got my pipette from.  But something like a turkey baster works just fine as well.  You should be able to pick that up pretty easy.
If you can't find it, you could put a tiny amount of the powdered food between thumb and index finger.  If you stick your arm in the tank, and then gently rub those fingers hovering the babies, it'll fall off at the wanted spot.

 

[BelldandyShanny]

I went to the drug store and got an eye dropper while I was out  =)  actually two of them, one straight and one curved.

 

[BelldandyShanny]

a lovely family outing

 

[misterpro]

So cute

 
Here's a cellphone pic of mine (nothing else available to photograph with atm).  About 1/3 of the youngsters are visible in it.