Fry surprise!

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fishorama

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Jun 28, 2006
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I haven't posted about my "river-ish" tank in a while. Today I saw a sewellia lineolata fry! It's about 1/4 inch long & it's fins are just starting to grow into their hillstream loach shape. I haven't seen fry for a couple years, probably about the time I added leopard danios :oops:. In fact, that's how I noticed it, a danio was mildly harassing it on the front glass :(.

I'm pretty sure my gastromyzon ctenocephalus (another hillstream loach) have died out, I haven't seen 1 in a long time (a year or more). I was kind of hopeful, 2 looked the same underneath, 1 different. I got them, the first sewellia juveniles & some gobies from an "AC friend" ~6.5 years ago. The tiny adult gobies died out after a few years (sniff) but I've seen at least 1 of the other, bigger stiphodon gobies this week too. I don't feel very bad about the stiphodon, I knew they wouldn't breed & have fry survive, they need a saltwater period to grow to adults but they were very interesting, fun & pretty fish.

For those that might be interested in hillstream loaches here's my set up: 55g with 2 AC 70s HOBs & a Maxi-Jet 1200 powerhead; lots of live plants. Eco substrate & lots of smooth rocks. It's next to my computer & was my first tank after a coast to coast move. Very different than any tank I'd done before, but extremely fun & interesting :cool:! I'm glad I tried it :D
 

FreshyFresh

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Joel
Congrats!
 
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OrionGirl

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Always exciting to find fry. And so weird how it happens after a period of nothing going on. Wonder if the parents changed where they were leaving eggs, or if the danios just aren't as motivated now...they are devourers of eggs, even their own.
 

fishorama

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Well, the plants were very overgrown so that probably helped. I believe the loaches are egg scatterers. I did a major weeding a month of so ago & if any fry were danio bite size I made them easier to find. I'm happy with a survivor or 3 once in a while.
 

FreshyFresh

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If you had a bunch of them, would you be able to net them out without destroying the tank?

That's the scenario I'm pondering with my 55g.. Just the other day I found 3 more tiny baby bristle nose plecos. There's probably about 8-10 of them now in my planted 55g.

I got lucky during a WC and sucked one into my bailing pitcher. I plopped that tiny one into my 29 w/out any plecos.
 

fishorama

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No, I'm pretty sure I couldn't catch them without a total tank tear down or almost. That's 1 reason I'm glad there aren't many fry. Sewellia are the BN easy breeders of the loach world, lol.

I have read of people using a home made trap to catch BN fry, shrimp & snails. I think it's a smallish water bottle with the top cut of where it starts to narrow. Then the top is reversed so the neck opening is inside the lower part. Put in some food & check often. I have never tried it.
 
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FreshyFresh

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That water bottle trap idea is genius! I may try that.
 
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