3 July 2009, 8:14 PM
We got home from shopping today and noticed that Boris and Media Luna were in the process of laying eggs on the uppermost Amazon Swordling. There was evidence last night that this might happen. All fish were being chased from the right side of the aquarium, and Boris was moving sideways through the water. Breeding tubes were showing. Just one week ago the wrigglers were removed with a turkey baster.
I am not sure if I have the room to try to raise this batch of fry. Time will tell. Media Luna is reflected in the glass in some of the photos.
Update on three recent spawning
6 July 2009, 10:20 AM
Yesterday, Boris and Media Luna moved their freshly hatched wrigglers to a lower leaf. This coincided with the addition of 7 Algae eaters, Otocinclus species, that I added to the community aquarium. I still haven’t decided what to do about this spawning.
Lefty and Digitalis have swimming fry in the aquarium. They are growing, but the numbers may be declining. Signs of a predator lurking in the aquarium, perhaps?
Boris and Media Luna’s previous spawn are doing well in the nursery aquarium. They are growing. They are about three weeks old now.
Update on three recent spawnings
12 July 2009, 2:08 PM
First off, this is the first addition to the website from the brand new fast computer. We expect to be able to make many more postings each day now. Several days ago, possibly Thursday, I moved many of Boris and Media Luna’s latest fry with a turkey baster. I left about 30 fry in the tank with them. They had been moving the fry at least twice a day. From the leaf, to the glass, back to the leaf and back to the glass. I placed the wrigglers in a plastic box that attaches to the side of the nursery aquarium. The fry have been swimming for two days now and they are eating well. They are significantly smaller than the previous batch of fry from the same parents, and I am a bit nervous to release the younger siblings into the same 10 gallon aquarium. I think I will do it tonight as I fear the small box, that can’t hold more than 2 cups of water, is far too small for the growing fry. The parents tried protecting the swimming fry for about a day. I watched the last 6 fry get eaten by the Cardinal Tetras when the parents were distracted.
Boris and Media Luna’s older fry are starting to look like cichlids, but not like angelfish yet. They are about a month old.
Lefty and Digitalis are surrounded by their fry in their own aquarium.