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Darwin at work, I tell ya..
By lomelindi from the mommy 'lindi department, Section Diaries Posted on Wed Jul 20, 2005 at 05:42:09 PM PST

Rambling about my babies, and a mini-update. And two pictures.

I take it back.. undergravel filters don't so much suck baby fry into them as the fry themselves dive into the gravel and get stuck. It's not the suction.. I've seen them (or maybe the same one?) do this twice now, and once with the bubbles off. Always seems to be the smallest, this one little swimming skeleton who never seems to eat. I think s/he's suicidal.

I'm bound and determined not to sequester this little lost soul and make sure he eats. I can't save them all. It's against my instincts already that I dig him out every time...

Always ends up right against the glass, right near my face. Maybe his suicide attempts are just ploys for attention. =P

Or maybe this is all evidence that I've been sitting here watching the little guys much too long.

For those interested, in any case, my main tank is doing much better. The water is crystal clear, and all the fish look much happier. The girls are flashing a little still, and they all seem to regurgitate from time to time, but they're putting on "weight" and I think with a few more water changes and a resetting of the cycle, they'll be okay. I've noticed at -least- four fry in the big tank, and noticed with some satisfaction that the adults are not eating them... they just chase them a bit, looking curious. I've never seen a fish look curious before, but darned if they do.

Just for fun, a shot of my male, and a great one of the pleco...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v610/lolonque/prettyboy.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v610/lolonque/pleco2.jpg

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· lomelindi's Diary

Darwin at work, I tell ya.. | 6 comments (6 topical, 0 hidden)

Beautiful (none / 0) (#1)
by angelhologram on Thu Jul 21, 2005 at 06:16:48 AM PST

Those are very pretty fish, is that the daddy?
I've had the same thing happen with one of my fry, but being that I've only had six in the last 3-4 months I rescued it and put it in the breeder net until it gets a little bigger. Maybe it's just part of their instinct to hide from the adults?
*BEFORE you buy fish make sure you understand what "Cycling" a tank means <- quoted from miskaral* ~Trying to make a difference one fish at a time~

Re: Beautiful (none / 0) (#6)
by lomelindi on Thu Jul 21, 2005 at 04:45:17 PM PST

*smiles* Thank you...

I think he must be the father of some of the smaller fry... but I'm not sure.

It's possible, but like I mentioned to Unclescott, they almost never seem to hide anymore in the fry tank... so... *shrugs* who knows. :)

[ Parent ]

Neat pleco! Is it possibly one of the (none / 0) (#2)
by unclescott on Thu Jul 21, 2005 at 09:57:10 AM PST

Pterygoplichthys? I'm often lost at sea among the Loricariidae. Planet catfish lists photographic examples of over 500 species in 73 genus. (See below.) If you go to their front page they also have an article on food for catfishes. For the veggie eaters they suggest a surprising number of our food items. In some cases, the trimmings when we are preparing dinner might be great for them (uncooked in many cases - the vegetables that is). They also offered a good rule of thumb, if the veggie item has been in the tank 24 hours, it is softening and probably is then unpalatable for the fish. Toss it (compose pile it at the Davis') before it fouls the tank.

All the best!
unc;e

http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/loricari/pterygop/g_thumbs.php

[ Parent ]

Re: Neat pleco! Is it possibly one of the (none / 0) (#5)
by lomelindi on Thu Jul 21, 2005 at 04:43:33 PM PST

Honestly, I have no idea what sort he is. The pet store attendant person picked him out of what seemed to be a huge assortment of breeds, when I expressed worry that, when I was younger, I could never keep one alive for long. She called him a "normal" pleco, which is of course not very helpful.. =/

Thank you for your compliment, though, I am rather attached to that fish. I'll look through this site and see if I can identify him.

[ Parent ]

Oh! As for that one fry, is he suicidal or (none / 0) (#3)
by unclescott on Thu Jul 21, 2005 at 10:56:41 AM PST

looking for a place to hide? Would a thicket of floating hornwort or water sprite or a bottom thicket of Java moss, Najas or even a clean, soapless, unraveled plastic pot scrubber or a spawning mop be of use? :)

All the best again!
unc

[ Parent ]

Re: Oh! As for that one fry, is he suicidal or (none / 0) (#4)
by lomelindi on Thu Jul 21, 2005 at 04:41:23 PM PST

*grins* There's a good bit of java moss in the fry tank... my best serious guess is that he was poking around for food scraps after a feeding and went in too deep. They've all six been in the fry tank long enough that they know there's nothing to hide from.. they all swim about the "open water" much more than the fry in the big tank do. So I don't know exactly what's going on in his fish-y mind. None seem to harass him.

[ Parent ]

Darwin at work, I tell ya.. | 6 comments (6 topical, 0 hidden)

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