A Blue Pair, What to do?

[Dan S]

Hello,

Bucket , I caught them at it this time Dont worry tanks are on the way, despite the lack of space and Imnot quite sure how I will fit them into my sitting room (sadly I dont have a fishroom). Im also plannning on stacking a growout tank ontop of my water but, I will build a frame for it to sit on.

The second pair have now spawned, fortunately I can just see the eggs and I caught them at it, just. Ive been out and got back to find them doing the last few runs.

The first pair still have thiers and Im really impressed by how attentive they are. The eggs are looking good, so Im really excited, my only hope is to find out if they are viable then I can relax then I can start planning how Im going to proceed for the future.

Dan

[klys]

looks good very nice fish you´ve got there btw

[bucket]

Cool!

I dont have a fish room eighter, but i have an fish apartment

Just wait when the first couple get free swimming frys around them.

I love the pictures

[Dan S]

I have wrigglers!!!! Im now the proud owner of a proven pair!!!

I have no idea what has happened, but I went in a few minutes ago to check on them and found the male eating the eggs, but the female caught my eye, she was further up the branch and slightly round the back of the branch and she was tending 100+ wrigglers, so I guess she must have laid in the 2 different places. Its brilliant, Im so pleased!!!!!

So fingers now crossed they survive the night!!!!!

Hello Bucket, I think Im now going to have a fish apartment!!!!!!

Sorry the pics are bad, I struggling to get the camera to focus on the wrigglers

[Poddan]

Now we talking.

Possible that the pair moved the wrigglers and the male eat the dead eggs

[Dan S]

Hello Poddan,

Thanks for the suggestion I wasnt sure whether that was something that could happen or not, but that would make a lot of sense, because when I was watching the female she did pick some wrigglers up in her mouth and put them back into the place she wanted them.

Good thought, thanks for that.

Dan

[tofomi]

congratulations +

[Dan S]

Hello,

The second pairs eggs have hatched this evening, Ive tried to get a photo but its pretty bad Im afraid, they are in a very awkward place for photos, very inconsiderate of them really.

The first pair are guarding thier brood brilliantly, I think they are about to move to the parents any hour now as they keep moving off the branch so regularly then the parents are desperately trying to keep them on there and the female has gone a much darker colour in the back half of her body and you can see a wierd layer on her which I guess is the secretion ready for the fry.

Its also interesting seeing how the breeding fish, thier fins have gone a really dark smokey colour and some of the fish in the main group have this to, judging by the behaviour of the main group, if there was space Im positive other pairs would have formed up.

The first pic shows the female from the second pair, Im not sure if you can just make out the newly hatched fry, she is pointing directly at them.
The second two pics are the original pair looking after thier brood.

Dan

[bucket]

Looks like a big batch of wrigglers there

I just love the colours of the parents

[Dan S]

Hello,

Well the latest is, after a brilliant start, last night was not so successful. I sat watching as the fry moved over to the parents on the first pair and they seemed to be lost which Im guessing is due to the dark background I have and the poor parents while trying to guard from the other fish (especially the Cardinals) and keep track of 150+ little wrigglers lost the plot abit. As it stands today they have about 30 fry left feeding on the parents. So Im guessing by tomorrow majority of them will have gone. Having said that, the female is already cleaning the spot again.

The second pair, now thier behaviour has been very strange today, they have definately lost some wrigglers but this is not suprising as they share one third of the tank with 10 other hungry fish plus Cardinals. But whats strange they have been racing across to the other pair and attacking them, Im not quite sure what they are trying to achieve with that?

Dan