About a week ago I noticed something in the sturisoma's tank which looked like a whiptail egg. Just one sat on the sand in an area where the bogwood has formed a bit of a cave. I couldn't be one hundred percent sure that's what it was without fetching it out which I meant to do but I got distracted and the object disappeared - I presume wafted somewhere out of sight. I couldn't see that it would have been fertilised anyway and the male whips were not in that area at all. It was very early for it to be an egg too given the pattern of the last three spawnings. None of the other fish in there would produce an egg that looked like that. There are none that would eat either eggs or young either unless it was the parents who have never shown any sign of interest.
So this morning I'm sat watching the fish when I suddenly spotted a baby whiptail on the glass! It was pretty recently hatched and seems very healthy. No sign of any others. The female is looking very rotund at the moment and I am expect her to spawn some time in the next few days if she follows the usual pattern. I can only assume it was an egg I saw, the timing is right for the gestation(?) period of previous eggs.
So, is it usual for them to drop just one egg like this? I'm very surprised it was fertilized. Now I come to think of it, some time yesterday I was admiring the male that has fathered the recent litters who was sat on the sand fanning his fins in the way he does when he's looking after eggs. I didn't really think that much of it, thought it might be a sign that he was getting ready to look after another brood.
Two days ago I moved that tank which meant draining it down quite a way and removing all but one bit of bogwood (and therefore most of the plants) which sat dry in a bucket for a couple of hours. I thoroughly hoovered the whole tank in the process so I am amazed the egg survived all that.
So this morning I'm sat watching the fish when I suddenly spotted a baby whiptail on the glass! It was pretty recently hatched and seems very healthy. No sign of any others. The female is looking very rotund at the moment and I am expect her to spawn some time in the next few days if she follows the usual pattern. I can only assume it was an egg I saw, the timing is right for the gestation(?) period of previous eggs.
So, is it usual for them to drop just one egg like this? I'm very surprised it was fertilized. Now I come to think of it, some time yesterday I was admiring the male that has fathered the recent litters who was sat on the sand fanning his fins in the way he does when he's looking after eggs. I didn't really think that much of it, thought it might be a sign that he was getting ready to look after another brood.
Two days ago I moved that tank which meant draining it down quite a way and removing all but one bit of bogwood (and therefore most of the plants) which sat dry in a bucket for a couple of hours. I thoroughly hoovered the whole tank in the process so I am amazed the egg survived all that.
