I'm A Grandmother!

[dwarfgourami]

Did my first water change on the Rio 240 today and found somebody swimming in the dirty bucket. Couldn't be a bristlenose fry: I've only had them a week and Daddy Bristlie has been out and about in the tank every day. Couldn't be a platy fry: the platies are my own girls, who have been brought up on the strictest principles and not allowed men followers. Besides, this was no platy fry, this one could SWIM.

So it would have to be either the portholes or somebody who hitched a ride. Looked in the tank and there were 3 more of them. And they definitely are portholes. They can't be much more than a day old but they are big compared to the parents, and they certainly do know how to swim. At least one more porthole female looks pregnant, and the males are working hard at the rest.

According to Baensch, these livebearers are difficult to breed. Looks to me more like an add-water species. Though it may of course be that they will all succumb to some fatal disease in week three. Will keep you posted.

One thing I don't think is going to happen though is them being eaten. These look like they could outwit any platy on the planet.

 

[Spader]

thats awesome! congrats, and good luck

 

[nmonks]

Well done! I hope we get some pictures soon. What are you feeding them? I found small daphnia and mosquito larvae to be very useful. This time of year, but a bucket outside for a few days, and it'll have lots of nice small larvae in, just the right size for young livebearers. There's no better food!

Cheers,

Neale

 

[Silverlady]

That's great, they must like your tank.

 

[dwarfgourami]

Well done! I hope we get some pictures soon. What are you feeding them? I found small daphnia and mosquito larvae to be very useful. This time of year, but a bucket outside for a few days, and it'll have lots of nice small larvae in, just the right size for young livebearers. There's no better food!

Cheers,

Neale

Thanks- I'll tell my husband to do that. I'm off to a conference today, so timing isn't brilliant, I'm not really geared up to looking after babies. Still, these seem fairly capable of looking after themselves, they are clearly feeding off tiny particles in the water (planted tank)+ I have fed liquifry. Hopefully, they'll still be around when I get home on Thursday night; if not- looks like I won't have long to wait for the next batch.

 

[dwarfgourami]

Back from conference-and I've now got 6 little ones!
Sadly, the mother succumbed- not clear from what, if the birth went wrong, or she was stressed from the journey while heavily pregnant, her tail had also been nipped.
But the little ones look fine. These are the most accomplished fry I've ever seen, they are excellent swimmers, and really look a lot brighter and more mature than common livebearer fry. They seem to school together more, and I've noticed that with the adults too, they do move more like schooling fish. So you probably don't want fewer than 6 or so of these.

 

[timmystood]

Well Done!!

 

[nmonks]

Hello there --

Been here before, with halfbeaks. I feel for you. It does happen. Anyone who tells you breeding livebearers, the rare ones at least, is easy, obviously hasn't kept them. So much seems to be able to go wrong, and frankly we just don't know why.

If you think about all the things people do when raising fish eggs, to deal with fungus and whatnot, but what care can we take with pregnant livebearers? Presumably we should, but what? It's all a mystery to me.

On the plus side, you have the babies, and they'll give you plenty to do for the time being. Keep us posted on growth rates and what foods they eat! And some pictures would be nice, too!

Cheers,

Neale

Sadly, the mother succumbed- not clear from what, if the birth went wrong, or she was stressed from the journey while heavily pregnant, her tail had also been nipped.

 

[dwarfgourami]

Hello there --

Been here before, with halfbeaks. I feel for you. It does happen. Anyone who tells you breeding livebearers, the rare ones at least, is easy, obviously hasn't kept them. So much seems to be able to go wrong, and frankly we just don't know why.

If you think about all the things people do when raising fish eggs, to deal with fungus and whatnot, but what care can we take with pregnant livebearers? Presumably we should, but what? It's all a mystery to me.

On the plus side, you have the babies, and they'll give you plenty to do for the time being. Keep us posted on growth rates and what foods they eat! And some pictures would be nice, too!

Cheers,

Neale

[/quote]

I might have been able to do something for her had I been there. I noticed she was looking stressed and had a nipped tail about 5 minutes before I had to leave for the station- no time to free up a hospital tank for her.

Have another pregnant female now, and am in two minds whether to move her or not. I could free up a tank for her- those males are incredibly active- but then it's hard to tell whether the stress of being caught might not be worse. There is no such thing as sneaking up on these portholes unawares. I wish they did tank dividers for these big tanks, that would probably be the least stressful answer. Maybe I should try to move her?

The babies seem to eat pretty well anything that goes in the tank: infusoria from the plants, powdered fry food, bits from the jellied bloodworms, mashed pea. They have grown very noticeably in the first week.