Purple Harlequins Spawning!

[Akasha72]

I got myself 5 new purple harlequins on Friday to bring my shoal back up to 9 (I have some older one's but they've started dying of old age) 
They're currently in my 30 litre tank as they're really small and I'm worried they'll become angelfish food. I'm feeding them up and last night I gave them a few bloodworms. I got up this morning, fed them and let them be and I've just glanced up and seen them acting odd. My first thought was 'oh no, don't say they're sick' but no ... they're spawning 

 I'm shocked 

 
these are them yesterday ... still colouring up a bit
 

 
and this morning!
 

 

 
 
Now, I would have said they're far too young for this but they appear to have other idea's. I've seen several 'tail wraps' (where the male wraps his tail around the female) and there's two tipping upside down (as in the photo's) and appearing to be laying eggs! It would seem from the new 5 there's 2 females and 3 males. 
 
I'll let you all know if I get any babies .. I doubt I will but you never know!

 

[betta fish]

Oh wow, that's amazing! mine are displaying to one another but that's about it lol, I have heard you need soft water for them to breed, is your water soft? mine is on the hard side so don't think they will spawn for me 

 

[Akasha72]

my water is really really soft - Ph of 6 and Kh of 2 (not sure the Gh value but it's soft) I'm just shocked that I've had them 2 days and they've attempted to spawn already! I told my lfs and they were shocked too!

 

[betta fish]

Hi Akasha, how are your Harlequins doing? I notice they have spawned on the heater! or on the filter? 

 

[Akasha72]

Hi again, well I've got up this morning and one is missing 

 ... I can't even find a body. I'm stumped as to where it's disappeared to. I've just fed them and I'm giving them an hour or so (giving myself time to wake up too!) and then I'm gonna remove the remaining 4 into a jug and strip the tank. There's only the filter, heater and piece of bogwood in there and I've lifted up the bogwood already ... all I can think is it's somehow got sucked into the filter but I don't see how - they're too big!
 
I'm a bit upset 

 

[betta fish]

I'm sorry to hear that 

I have read they are very good jumpers, perhaps it is on the floor somewhere? I am scared of mine jumping, I have good surface cover with duckweed and water lettuce so hopefully this will deter them, I have a glass lid too but there is a couple of little gaps that they could fit through where the heater and filter cables go.

 

[Akasha72]

I've just been checking the floor but I can't see anything. There is a lid on the tank aswell - there's the plastic lid that it came with and a condensation tray underneath - because there's no light for this tank I've been lifting the plastic lid off during the day time and just keeping the tray over it so they get some daylight. I suppose it could have jumped when I was out yesterday. The only place I can't see it around the back of the tank so when I do a water change in a moment I'll pull the stand forward and look down the back - it would seem the only answer to the mystery

 
 
Well, I've cleaned their tank, checked every nook and cranny of the wood, checked the filter, checked the heater. I've been on my hands and knees and checked the floor all around the tank - nothing. No body, no remnants of a body - nothing. 

 
This leaves one other option and it might explain why they wern't that hungry this morning ...