Wow - A Fry Weekend!

[Athena]

I posted this in the wrong forum earlier by mistake - oops!

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Gosh - what a surprise I had this weekend. Firstly, I discovered about 8 baby sailfin mollies hiding by the top of the pump in one of my tanks - and they are all a good size so I've no idea if they were born at the weekend or during the week and I just never noticed them. There is already a baby guppy fry that was a lone survivor of a batch of guppy fry from a couple of weeks ago - it's over 1cm long now.

Anyway, I then checked my larger tank and discovered my Pink Severums have had a batch of fry, also!! At a guess, about 30 or so, I would say.

All I need now is for my platies in the third tank to join in and there'll be fry in all tanks!

The fourth tank houses my male Betta - so no chance of babies in there

I know the chances of all surviving are slim as I don't have a separate tank for the fry, so many will be eaten. I have to let nature take its course - survival of the fittest and smartest fry. Even if just one or two survive from each batch that will be great.

I love the way the Severums actually play the part of parents. So protective of their fry, taking them on little day trips around the tank and back to the nest at night. If any fry stray too far away, one of the parents will chase after it, catch it in their mouth, bring it back to the group and spit the fry out - usually sends the fry into a comical spin, whizzing round and around like a spinning top. And if any other fish DARE to come near the babies - they are chased off and head butted/tail whipped by the male Severum. I've only two other fish in that tank now, to keep stress levels low at times like this.

They are so funny to watch. The male severum is completely hen-pecked by the female at this time - she "tells him off" if he stays away from the "family" for too long and sometimes she will angrily go and fetch him to follow her back to the fry and you can see that she is annoyed and gives him a few head butts in the process. Poor old George! They are just like an old married couple - he just wants a short break away from it all for a drink down at his local pub but Mildred isn't having any of it and clomps him on the head when he returns, saying "...and what time do you call this? Leaving me at home all this time with the kids to look after!!"

Ok - sorry - I'm getting lost in my imagination but I bet I'm not the only one!!

Athena (I think this fishkeeping is sending me a little bit loopy!)

 

[tenohfive]

Don't blame the fishkeeping

Sounds like you've had an eventful weekend. I've toyed with the idea of getting into breeding but I've never been too sure about it...you're starting to sway me though. I saw some galaxy rasboras I'd love to try and breed once they're old enough.

Thats given me some food for thought

 

[JenCliBee]

LOL lovely story tho and congrats on the babies


jen

 

[Athena]

Don't blame the fishkeeping

Sounds like you've had an eventful weekend. I've toyed with the idea of getting into breeding but I've never been too sure about it...you're starting to sway me though. I saw some galaxy rasboras I'd love to try and breed once they're old enough.

Thats given me some food for thought

Well, I didn't actually make a conscious decision to buy fish that would breed easily. Severums will spawn every few weeks if their tank conditions are good - although they don't always produce eggs that hatch (where the male fails to fertilize them, a lot of the time). As for mollies and guppies - well, there's no stopping them once you mix male/females together - although once the fry are born the parents (and other fish) will eat them so you are lucky to get a couple that survive to adulthood. As you probably already know - livebearers tend to eat their fry and don't have any parenting skills, whereas egg-layers parent the fry and will only resort to eating them if they are completely stressed.

People who are seriously into breeding fish will have separate fry tanks set up and breeding nets etc. I don't have any of those, btw. Also, if you want to buy fish to breed them you need to make sure beforehand what you will do with them all once they are old enough to move on. Some LFS take a batch of juveniles in return for a fish or you can build up credit with them for other things (e.g. plants/decorations/equipment etc) - depends on whether you have built up a strong relationship with them as to what they offer I think. Or they may buy them off you. Or you might want to cut out the middle man and try selling them yourself.

I've got a good friendship now with my LFS and the manageress is always telling me that they will take any unwanted fish off my hands in exchange for other things.

Athena

 

[Athena]

OMG Got home last night, did the usual checking on each tank to see how things are with all the fishies and fry - reached the bottom tank and woah - what do I spot in there? Yep, you guessed it - Platy fry!!! After saying what I did in my original post ("All I need now is for my platies in the third tank to join in and there'll be fry in all tanks!"), I just thought that was so funny.

Yay, I'm a mummy again (but just don't ask "Boy or Girl?")

Awww, they are all such cute little things. Strange how the fry of the livebearers can look weeks old compared to the newly hatched fry of the Severums (you can barely see Severum fry, they are so tiny).

I don't know how they all managed to time it to have their babies at the same time, though!!

Athena