Pictorial Betta spawing log [Archive]

TheMightyQueenPixie

10-06-2005, 12:54 PM

Welcome to the bubblenest...I am going to attempt a "blow by blow" pictorial log with my pair of Cardinal HMs. These fish are 4 months old and this is their first spawn..Could be successful, could be a dismal failure...The male is a little "dense" and probably the worst bubble blower in history...Guess we willhave to wait and see what happens...Worst comes to worst, i have back up pairs...And on with the show...

Hmm, this looks like a nice place to build a nest...
http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8463368/114116399.jpg
I actually thought that he had clued in...Turned out that he is more interested in trying to eat the styrofoam then blow bubbles under it...Did I mention he is dense?

And then he noticed the heater...
http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8463368/114116413.jpg
I mighty battle ensues...I think they decided to call it a "draw"

WHOA! There is a girl here...
http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8463368/114116416.jpg
Ok he has noticed the female...Looks like it is over between him and the heater...They were no good for each other anyway. Notice that the female instantly starts to posture with her nose down...A good sign, albeit earlier then normal...Maybe their is hope for them...

I see you baby, shaking that tail...
http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8463368/114116422.jpg
His entire demeaner has changed, he is now strutting for all he is worth, trying to impress her...

Stay tuned for updates as they happen...

TheMightyQueenPixie

10-06-2005, 1:53 PM

10 gallon, half full
Good old Big Als water conditioner, pinch of aquarium salt and some Maroxy to prevent egg fungus.
pH- 7.8
Gh and Kh- cant recall offhand...High and unshakeable...
Temp 81 degrees
Food- Preconditioned for 2 weeks with mosquito larva, FD blood worm and regular betta bits.
Frequent water changes are just as beneficial as a good varied diet--they get 100 percent change every other day.

These photos are the bare bones of an article I will compose at a later date...There is no guarantee this will be a successful spawn, so I thought it may be an interesting bit of "reality aquarium"..Whatever the outcome, i will keep posting the progress...

TheMightyQueenPixie

10-06-2005, 4:48 PM

Well, not much going on in the spawn tank...Alot of anxious pacing and showing off but that is it...Still no bubblenest or anything looking even remotely like it...I have set up another pair just to be on the safe side...Usually I give the male till the next morning to make a decent nest, however some males never do prepare one..Just sort of make it as they go along collecting eggs...One way or the other, they will be released at 8 am tomorrow...Start praying for big Red...I think he will need all the help he can get lol.

TheMightyQueenPixie

10-06-2005, 8:06 PM

Well not much to report...I caught him "embracing" himself in the corner...Ofcouse I didnt have the camera...I do have a couple of new pics that are bang on to his colour...Photography has been tough in this house, but I think I have finally figured it out....

http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8463368/114155143.jpg
Still oogling her

http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8463368/114155129.jpg
Posing for the camera...FOR ONCE

No more pictures please....
http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8463368/114155136.jpg

TheMightyQueenPixie

10-07-2005, 9:46 AM

Good morning all...Fins have been flying in the spawning tank...As predicted, Big Red never did figure out how to build a nest...I realeased them around 8:30 and all seems to be going well....She pretty much made a b-line to the "spawning site"...Ofcourse not a bubble to be found...
http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8463368/114191646.jpg

A little interaction near the site...She is digging him
http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8463368/114191650.jpg

First attempt at an "embrace" As you can see, she will have none of it...
http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8463368/114191654.jpgI do give him points for slickness though..He is a real smooth operator...

Female retreating into the plants...
http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8463368/114191659.jpg
Big Red wont take no for an answer...He is pacing wildly trying to lure her out...
Stay tuned, updates as they happen.

TheMightyQueenPixie

10-07-2005, 6:57 PM

Good eye EMG! All signs indicate that it is just a matter of time before they try to do the deal...
A little wooing on his part...A little hard to get on hers...
http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8463368/114191659.jpg

Hmmm, this looks ok...Perhaps I will let him father our kids...A little sparse, but he is a bachelor...
http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8463368/114234706.jpg
Another close call...HEAVY vertical striping...a good sign
http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8463368/114234716.jpg

Closer still...An embrace is eminent...
http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8463368/114234746.jpg

Just about a half a second after I snapped this pic, her head spun around 3 times and she beat the crap out of him...Yes, exactly like the Exorcist...She ripped him to shreds and contentedly ate what was left of his fins floating in the water...I have never seen a male flee so quickly...He couldnt get away from her fast enough...For the next ten minutes he was positively terrified...He jammed himself behind the filter to get away from her...She waited for him like Jaws
http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8463368/114234881.jpg

At this point I knew no good would come from this...This spawn is over...

HOWEVER- Being the smart girl I am, I had a back up....And low and behold-
AN EMBRACE

http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8463368/114234886.jpg

http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8463368/114234890.jpg
They had been so docile towards one another that I was quite suprised to see it...

Here is is releasing her...You can see the eggs falling...
http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8463368/114234900.jpg

Well needless to say, this continued for about 3 hours...Took him a while to figure out to pick them up, but a few seem to have made it to the nest...We are not in the clear yet though...Still so much that can happen....Stay tunned.

TheMightyQueenPixie

10-08-2005, 8:25 AM

Oh that last picture of the reds is the female...The male was hiding behing the filter refusing to come out...

UPDATE-
Well, my second pair were much more successful at spawning, but unfortunately the male has decided that they eggs made a better snack...He is really doing a great job of guarding an empty nest though!

Well, there you have it...The joys of Betta breeding...I will recondition the two pairs and hope that the next time is sucessful...It is not uncommon for them "not to get it right" the first time, but be successful in other spawns...I promise I will have baby pics in the future ;) Thanks for sharing!

TheMightyQueenPixie

10-08-2005, 1:45 PM

Well, im glad everyone enjoyed it...Sort of a real life glimpse at how challenging these little guys can be...It will take about 3 weeks, to heal up the reds and condition them...The Blood Gold HMs (the ones that look like my avatar) maybe 2 weeks...They were virtually unscathed...Ofcourse I always have other pairs ;) There is a Royal Blue pair and Some Black Coppers being introduced to each other...

Is it just me, or does there seem to be some sort of "etheral light" on this little guy? Perhaps Tiny Tim will save the day?

http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8463368/114298781.jpg

TheMightyQueenPixie

10-10-2005, 10:08 AM

Well, looks like my Tiny Tim managed to pull it off...sort of...Once again, a good daddy for about an hour, then SNACK TIME...I removed them before they could eat every last egg....Now what??? Well, now i am a surrogate daddy...Swishing the eggs in my mouth, reblowing the bubble nest...No, I am not serious...Daddys wash the eggs in their mouths to protect them from fungus...Luckily so does Maroxy...I have lowered the tank to about 2.5 inches...Just enough to cover the equipment...The eggs are looking good and should hatch out sometime between tonight and tomorrow night if all goes well...The fry dont need to surface for about 4 days or so because their labyrinth organs are still developing..The key is to keep the surface as low as possible so they can get their on their own...I have never tried this, but apparently it can be successful...Once again, stay tuned.

TheMightyQueenPixie

10-16-2005, 5:05 PM

Well the "undaddied" eggs rotted....:( However I have another spawn planned for next sunday...Maybe one will get it right lol..I promise you there will be fry pics-----someday lol

TheMightyQueenPixie

11-04-2005, 3:12 PM

Well, here we are a month down the road...Everyone has grown a bit and starting to mature nicely...Although Bettas can breed as early as 4 months, 6 is better and much more common...Ofcourse I had to try lol....
My little Black Copper made a huge bubblenest yesterday, the biggest and most substantial one to date....I said "boy, get yer breedin shoes on..."
And he did.......

http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8463368/117595277.jpg [url]

WELL, HELLOOOOOOOO THERE...

http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8463368/117595298.jpg

MUST BLOW BUBBLES, MUST BLOW BUBBLES......

http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8463368/117595289.jpg

Cant let those eggs get away!

http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8463368/117595387.jpg

A Full nest!
http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8463368/117595393.jpg

Perhaps some dangly tails tomorrow????

Stay tuned!

TheMightyQueenPixie

11-05-2005, 8:20 AM

Well daddy has been a busy little fishy....I got up at 4 am (fretful grandmother) and he was workin away...COMPLETELY consumed by his task...Barely paused long enough to notice me there...

8 am feeding time was not much different...Normally they all go berserk because they know breakfast is comming, not him though...Too busy tending eggs...Fed the female and offered him a taste...He paused long enough to eat a couple of crumbs and back to work...

Noon will mark the 24 hour period...I can expect "tails" anywhere between then and noon tomorrow...The tank is a little warmer then usual, 82 degrees, so this may speed up the process a bit...

Not much to do now except wait and hope he keeps up his great daddy skills :)

TheMightyQueenPixie

11-05-2005, 1:23 PM

Not much to report....This pair has been cursed with constantly dropping eggs...Sometimes it happens, as fast as he puts them up, more drop...This can be a tiring process another reason why you use healthy young stock...Takes alot of energy to chase the eggs...Eggs left on the bottom will eventually rot so the fact tht he is intent on keeping them up is a good sign...

Proper conditioning is so essential, particularily in this situation...He is using a TON of energy...Without proper feeding he would have never been able to do it.

Updates as they happen :)

TheMightyQueenPixie

11-05-2005, 4:17 PM

Eggs are still a bobbin...Daddy still goin strong...The good news is I can see a tiny grey speck in the eggs...A baby is in there! Good news because
a) I know they were fertilized and
b) I know nobody is sterile...
I took a few pics, but it is impossible to see them on film...I had to squint with a magnifyng glass to spot them...To put it into perspective, you can fit about 3 eggs on the head of a pin...Most of that egg is yolk sac...

No matter how many spawns I have, I am always fascinated by these tiny mircles...It is almost impossible to immagine that these teeny specs will be beautiful young adults in 3 months. Hope I havnt cursed them lol!

You know what they say about counting chickens!

TheMightyQueenPixie

11-05-2005, 6:47 PM

Yes, just saw an egg drop down with a tail hanging out! They have begun to hatch... The eggs are dropping faster now...The fry are trying to break out of their "cysts" and they are totally helpless...Daddy is REALLY working now, trying to keep them up in the nest...Over the next several days their internal organs will develop as well as their labyrinth organ...They have no functioning swim bladder and are unable to control any movement...Basically all they can do is fall to the bottom...Good parental skills is imperative for the fry to survive the first few days of life...

TheMightyQueenPixie

11-05-2005, 10:24 PM

I managed to get a half way reasonable pic of the fry guys...So tiny, almost impossible to photo...Most of them have hatched now, and clinging for dear life onto the side of the styrofoam cup :)

http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8463368/117760600.jpg

Daddy is still working his fins off...No rest for the wicked!

TheMightyQueenPixie

11-06-2005, 11:03 AM

Well things have finally settled down in the bubble nest...No more frantic parachuting from the nest...Daddy is finally getting a break! I just took a picture of the fry guys...Notice how much darker they are!
http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8463368/117813333.jpg

Their yolk sacs will be depleted by tommorow or the next day so they should start trying to get into a horizontal position...As soon as the can move about "horizontally" they will start looking for food...Daddys job will finally be done and he can go home to get some much needed rest.

Taking care of your breeding stock is very important after spawning...The process is long and tiring and your fish can succumb to infection and disease easily in this exhausted state... Feeding should be done sparingly, but more often...Remember the male has not really eaten in 3 days, so gobbling up a bunch of food at once can cause stomach upset. Split a normal portion into 2 and feed twice instead of once. I also soak mosquito larva in a shot glass with some Kent ZOE in it...A liquid multivitamin that will help them on the road to recovery.

TheMightyQueenPixie

11-07-2005, 11:56 AM

I removed Daddy at 9 am this morning after a job well done...Not as many fry as yesterday, however they have started to leave the nest and investigate their new world...Probably be a few weeks until I have an idea of how many there are...Their bellys are not as full as they were, so they have almost consumed their yolk sac...They will start really looking for food tomorrow or so.
I noticed a significant number missing last evening...They were not free swimming yet so I was starting to worry...WHere did they go? Did he eat them??? I figured that he did, so i thought it was a good time to give him some larva...Low and behold he ejected about 20 out of his mouth back into the nest and had a real snack...Seems that he is enjoying mouthbrooding...He is a funny guy!
Daddy is now back in the adult tank and recovering nicely...Already flaring at his neighbour :)

As always- updates as they happen

TheMightyQueenPixie

11-10-2005, 11:19 AM

You asked, I snapped :)
It took several attempts to get a pic, but I did manage to get two...
http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8463368/118288225.jpg
http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8463368/118288233.jpg
Fry are doing well and eating lots...Not much else to report really...Gonna be a few weeks before they really show up on film...

TheMightyQueenPixie

11-19-2005, 12:19 PM

The little fry guys and gals are doing well...Still not much more then bellies with eyes...

Still wont see even the slightest hint of colour for a few weeks yet :(

TheMightyQueenPixie

11-23-2005, 10:54 AM

Well they babies are doing well...A smaller spawn then I would of liked, but oh well...You can see them much more clearly in this latest pic...Still mostly belly, but definitly looking more like fish and less like E.T.
http://themightyqueenpixie.tripod.com/spawn_pics/index.album?i=6&s=1
Water quality is very important now...They are actively growing, eating non stop really and it is critical to maintain great water in order to carry them on through their development...This is one of the reasons why the 10 gal is only filled half way during spawning...Removing water is almost impossible with the microscopic fry in there, so we add instead...Now that they are actually big enough to see, I carefully "vaccuum" the bottom with airline tubing into a clear glass container...Wait for it to settle (making sure no babies are in there) dump and repeat...Water is replaced via another piece of airline tubing...It is a slow method, but the only way to ensure they are not getting "jacuzzised"...
updates are they happen :)

TheMightyQueenPixie

11-29-2005, 5:28 PM

growin, growin, growin....Well the "brood" has finally hit some sort of photographical size....Look MUCH more like fish and not aliens...Or some sort of slide at a "clinic"...
http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8463368/120398461.jpg

Here is a good close up...
http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8463368/120400466.jpg
Look at the size of that BELLY!
They are all a pretty consistent size, 4-5mm now...As always, updates as they happen...

TheMightyQueenPixie

12-13-2005, 10:45 AM

Ok, finally got a few pics of the little guys and gals...They are really starting to grow out nicely...The largest being almost a half inch, the smallest around a quarter inch or so...Still a nightmare to photograph, but you can see all of their internal organs in these pics...Hopefully they will start to show a bit more colour in the next couple of weeks...The largest is starting to colour up, he has a slightly bronzy sheen YA!
http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8463368/121715037.jpg

aww, look at his little face :)

http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8463368/121715050.jpg

TheMightyQueenPixie

12-29-2005, 12:00 PM

New pics... A few of the larger babies...
http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8463368/123382032.jpg
http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8463368/123382024.jpg

Their colour is really starting to fill in now...Still seems to take FOREVER lol

TheMightyQueenPixie

01-04-2006, 10:17 PM

I shall post some new pics in the morning...The 2 largest fry have decided to eat their smaller sibs :(...Soooooo, it is one puny spawn...The are currently in segregation and probably will never go back into the tank without a divider now :( Ahhh, the painful jarring process...They are barely over 1/2" and are already showing the sterotypical Betta agression...It doesnt take them long to go from helpless fry to "warrior"...

on a lighter note, my black masked blues did the "deal"...A nice big spawn that I have high hopes for...

TheMightyQueenPixie

01-05-2006, 12:03 AM

It was a tiny spawn to begin with and honestly I wouldnt normally continue to raise it, however I had to produce SOMETHING for this log LOL...Im not too bent out of shape about it...The parents are being conditioned right now for another round...i am running out of spawning space lol

TheMightyQueenPixie

01-06-2006, 2:20 PM

Oh jeeze, maybe about 4 little dudes plus the 2 brutes...It started off about 200 or so, then dad ate 3/4 of the eggs, lost the odd one (normal) then the "brutes" decided to rip their sibs heads off and drag their carcasses around the tank (think Lord of the Flies)...I have a few new pics of the "brutes" in "fish jail"...
http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8463368/124667362.jpg
http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8463368/124667363.jpg
http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8463368/124667365.jpg
http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8463368/124667366.jpg
http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8463368/124667367.jpg

TheMightyQueenPixie

01-06-2006, 3:40 PM

Thanks MKML- It really has been fun to do :)

Fins are DEFINITELY getting longer and their behaviour much more "betta like"....Their development is going to go nuts (hopefully) over the next few months...The colour is still hard to see, but definitely has a copper sheen...
Not sure about sex ratio...Do you believe I havnt bothered to look? I think the two Brutes may be boys...
Updates as they happen....

TheMightyQueenPixie

01-12-2006, 5:45 PM

You are not going to recognise these guys...http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8463368/125468829.jpg

http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8463368/125468827.jpg http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8463368/125468902.jpg

Also got a pic of a "new daddy" This little guy was the unfortunate victim of spousal abuse, so he lovely butterfly pattern has bit the dust...He is growing it back, but it will never be the same :( He does have an incredible load of fry though...These guys hatched about 30 hours ago...
http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8463368/125468830.jpg

TheMightyQueenPixie

01-17-2006, 9:37 PM

You are welcome Persimmon...:) And welcome to AC!!

Well, the 2 biggest babies were officially separated a couple of days ago...Little dweebs were chomping on each other...Baby #1 got his first taste of Melafix...Should take care of the tears... My royal blue spawn is starting to colour up...I think this is my favorite part of breeding..Seeing the colour start to develop..New pics tomorrow!

TheMightyQueenPixie

02-10-2006, 9:48 AM

Here are a few pics of the girls at feeding time..
http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8463368/128894772.jpg
Here is one of the girls up close...All bent out of shape for some reason lol
http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8463368/128894771.jpg

TheMightyQueenPixie

02-27-2006, 7:06 PM

Im glad you are enjoying it... Today was a mile stone for my wee black coppers...They are officially "big fish"... They moved into the adult tank today.. I threw them a couple extra worms to get over the "home sickness"..They have been eating "big fish food" for a few weeks now and it was time to leave the cozy little spawning tank :(

TheMightyQueenPixie

02-28-2006, 12:58 PM

Ok, just snapped some pics of a pair "mid spawn"....

mom and dad...Gettin frisky...
http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8463368/131250053.jpg

Momma helping papa with the eggs... For some reason most of my females do this.
http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8463368/131250051.jpg

Proud papa... A bit battered, but non the worse for wear...Isnt he a pretty boy??? He seems to get nicer with age...I swear if he eats these eggs I will lose my mind...
http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8463368/131250052.jpg

TheMightyQueenPixie

03-11-2006, 12:35 PM

A pringles lid would probably do it... I use bubble wrap sheets quite often...
The nest doesnt need to be that big...they will sometimes build "beyond" the spawning site anyway...

Here is a pic of one of the nests my cardinal builds... It extends WAY beyond the 5" long piece of bubble wrap...It was about 1" thick
http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8463368/132760595.jpg

It takes him about 3 days to build his "masterpiece"... He gets really snitty about it too...

And ofcourse, he cant build just one...
http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8463368/132760599.jpg
I think he figures he could handle about 4 women lol

TheMightyQueenPixie

03-13-2006, 9:09 AM

TURQS!!! The fry guys from page 9 are colouring up nicely... Even got some turquoise :) PLEASE GOD LET THEM LOOK LIKE DADDY!!! I would love some marbles... Butterfly marbles would be AMAZING.

The fry from the spawn on this page ( black and blue) are doing great... Big fat bellies and lots of activity... Also have a Mustard gas spawn doing well... Just a few days old... Zipping around like out of control water bugs :)

The only thing I hate about fry is that they are impossible to photograph...Must be boring just hearing about it lol! I will be moving my office in the next few months... Gonna try to set up a "spawn cam" that can be logged into... That way one could actually see the process live...
Good idea?

Ofcourse you may actually catch me walking around in my jammies... Sorry folks, the price you have to pay for "live entertainment"

TheMightyQueenPixie

04-02-2006, 9:36 AM

Lets take a trip back....
Way back in November I spawned a pair of reds... Not the pair that you see here mind you, but a really nice pair.. I sold the spawn to a friend...Little guys were only a week old... Anyway, they have changed a bit since then lol
http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8875347/136802721.jpg
http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8875347/136802719.jpg
http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8875347/136802718.jpg
http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8875347/136802717.jpg
http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8875347/136802716.jpg
http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8875347/136802714.jpg

New fry pics to be added soon!

TheMightyQueenPixie

04-23-2006, 4:53 PM

Ok, I have been lazy....I took a few pics today, but im not sure if any of them are worth posting... Ill go through them now and post any that look interesting...

TheMightyQueenPixie

04-23-2006, 5:30 PM

Ok a few pics to amuse.... You may notice that some are starting to develop a butterfly pattern...One of my faves! Not the best pics on the planet, but not bad either...
http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8463368/141621556.jpg http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8463368/141621555.jpg
http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8463368/141621554.jpg http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8463368/141621552.jpg
http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8463368/141621548.jpg http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8463368/141621546.jpg
http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8463368/141621543.jpg http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8463368/141621538.jpg
http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8463368/141621535.jpg http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8463368/141621532.jpg

TheMightyQueenPixie

04-24-2006, 7:55 PM

Apparently 7:30 pm EST is the time to photo this tank....
I call this one- YOU LOOKIN AT ME ?!?!?!
http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8463368/141942543.jpg
It never ceases to amaze me... Inch per inch (ok, he is a big 1/2 inch) they are the most territorial little devils I know. I have seen nice big spawns only days old cut down to a dozen or so in a few days by their siblings... Needless to say they grow like the dickens ;)

A pretty decent close up...Notice the butterfly pattern emerging.
http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8463368/141941289.jpg

A few more of the "clan"
http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8463368/141941287.jpg

mmmm, tasty filter crud
http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8463368/141941283.jpg

TheMightyQueenPixie

05-02-2006, 10:12 PM

Yes, a very depressing topic, but a necessary evil... I culled a pile of fish this last weekend... I hate to do it (I really do) but when you have weak specimines, or ones that are deformed it must be done... I must of culled 40 and im not there yet...One can only handle so much murder in one day lol. I culled one entire spawn... Not a single baby left... now THAT sucked... I had really high hopes for that spawn, but they were all garbage....The good news is I have 5 spawns that are really growing out well...

My most predominant scourge seems to be missing ventrals...There has been a ton of debate regarding this and no one seems to have any concrete evidence...Perfectly formed fish with no ventrals is SO FRUSTRATING! SOme say it is from pH, others say genetic and still others think it is some sort of infection...I am tending to lean to the genetic angle...

Anyone have any insite? Id love to hear some theories on it...

TheMightyQueenPixie

06-09-2006, 10:19 AM

Yes, I have been lax... I took a few pics the other day, but they turned out like crap... I do have some pics of the "system"... It aint pretty, but it works very well and cost about 1/2 of what the more conventional setups do...It is very simple and works via gravity feed insted of a sump pump...One "box" houses 6 juvies... Cost me about 7 bucks a box vs. approx 35 bucks to house the same number of fish using the "beanie box" design
http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8463368/154532557.jpg

Closer view of the sump... http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8463368/154532552.jpg

Juvies growing out safely http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8463368/154532555.jpg

The flow is really nice and gentle and the babies are growing like mad...All together I can fit 54 babies in and free up alot of tank space... It is also easy to clean with a turkey baster.

TheMightyQueenPixie

06-18-2006, 10:25 AM

a few baby pics... the quality stinks, but some are not too bad...
http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8875347/157529815.jpg
http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8875347/157529810.jpg
http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8875347/157529807.jpg
http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8875347/157529798.jpg
http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL836/4050065/8875347/157529795.jpg
This guy is really unusual...