MORE BABIES!!!!!!

[freshmike]

These guys are about 3 weeks old.......and already half the size of the brichardi....

Strange, considering they are a type of brichardi......


They are SOOO cute though!!! and really really mean!

 

[freshmike]

 

[freshmike]

*peeks*

 

[freshmike]

....last one

 

[JoKeR]

nice feshmike fotm for the second one

 

[freshmike]

Please excuse the tank....it is DIRTY due to the lack of even one pleco....they killed one and almost the other

Such pretty fish...and so mean

One of the moms and some babies....

 

[freshmike]

...another with the same mom, probably same babies

They have had 2 batches already...at a total of around 60 fry.
I found only one site and article on breeding these fish and the guy said that he could only seem to raise 5 fry per spawn....so needless to say, I am feeling pretty lucky!

 

[wuvmybetta]

omg'sh, they are so stunning The pic of the mom (or dad ) is just...*sigh* I love them I want,I want!!!

 

[freshmike]

Babies w/o the mommy.....I still think it is odd how the female tries to get the male to spawn....a little weird for the cichlid family, even the brichardi family of which these fish are related.....because even with the brichardi, things don't work like that.....also on the same site, they said that brichardi have spawns of 100....I wish, that would be so much better than my spawns of 300!!!!

 

[Inchworm]

Hi FM

Such sweet little babies they are.

 

[lucky62]

Please excuse the tank....it is DIRTY due to the lack of even one pleco....they killed one and almost the other

Such pretty fish...and so mean

One of the moms and some babies....

"looks good to me" don't your babies graze on the algea ?, are those fish herbivores , or omnivores ? I don't know , that's why I ask .

 

[freshmike]

They are omnivorous, as most cichlids are, but with enough food, as most cichlids as well, will not go anywhere near algae......although I think the secret to being able to raise 100% of the fry has something to do with the fact that I do have some pretty good algae growth....not for sure though....just letting the tank do what it wants, to make it as natural as possible for them, being wild fish and all.

Also VERY clean water....do water changes every 4 days at around 33% per change and have an aquaclear 500 on the tank itself....its a 33 gallon, so that's 15x an hour that the water is being cycled...lol. I love overfiltration!

 

[DrOizo]

Which tank is that one FM? is it a breeding tank? But you are right they are soooo Cute

 

[freshmike]

It's a 33 gallon breeding tank, with 1 male and 2 females....proven wild breeding trio...hee hee

Apparently wild specimens are supposed to be worth $150-200 each US....I got mine for 50 each CAN....3 in the breeder and 1 in the 180...she wasn't part of the group and probably would be killed if I were to include her in the tank

Only the 3 parents in the tank and they just won't stop doing it!

2 spawns and getting ready for the third.....luckily, the babies grow pretty fast and still hold true to the brichardi way, babies look after babies routine!

 

[freshmike]

One of the moms and the dad, march 11.