Maggie Posted January 20, 2021 Share Posted January 20, 2021 Three of the fry have started to move around a bit more. I'm feeding them Hikari First Bites and spirulina powder. I'm not sure how many are left - only counted 5 today but they are still so hard to see. Didn't see any in the aquarium today but there are lots of hiding spots. I guess I'll be real lucky if even one makes it. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OceanTruth Posted January 20, 2021 Share Posted January 20, 2021 Congratulations on the fry! Hope it's a whole heck of a lot more than one that makes it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maggie Posted January 22, 2021 Author Share Posted January 22, 2021 Update: day 5. Found 4 free swimming in breeder, 1 in tank 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OceanTruth Posted January 22, 2021 Share Posted January 22, 2021 Still a total of 5. Hope these cuties put on some size real soon, so you can breathe easier. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maggie Posted January 23, 2021 Author Share Posted January 23, 2021 Update: day 6 I am only updating today because I found 2 more fry in the tank for a total of 3. There are also at least 3 still in the breeder. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maggie Posted January 24, 2021 Author Share Posted January 24, 2021 Day 7: some live BBS got eaten and some got chased and picked at. I saw four very active free-swimming fry in breeder and two outside tank! Note the visible fin development! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobbit Posted January 25, 2021 Share Posted January 25, 2021 Ahhh the tiny fins!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maggie Posted January 25, 2021 Author Share Posted January 25, 2021 @Hobbittomorrow I'm going to try the 12 hour old BBS and see if that works better until they are a little bigger. These fry are still too small for "regular age" BBS even tho they're the same age as your cute honey gouramis! Full grown they're only about 3/4" and pretty slim - meant for a prime combo of maneuvering ability and speed, and the males can be absolutely vicious! They must be one of the smallest fish in the hobby, and not super popular, which is unfortunate because they are an endangered species. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobbit Posted January 25, 2021 Share Posted January 25, 2021 I don’t think mine will be big enough for bbs for another week or two. 😕 Right now they’re still living on infusoria. Once they can eat bbs though they grow SO much faster! I hope yours can get some down soon! Do you have any pictures of the parents? They sound hard to photograph 😅 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maggie Posted January 25, 2021 Author Share Posted January 25, 2021 Here are some photos from when they were in the 10 gallon (now in a 20L). They're much prettier with a black background. The males are very easy to distinguish by their color. These might be the parents but I have 9 adults, so maybe they're auntie and uncle. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maggie Posted January 25, 2021 Author Share Posted January 25, 2021 @Hobbithere are some new pics of parents I took this morning. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maggie Posted January 27, 2021 Author Share Posted January 27, 2021 Update - day 10. Only saw two of what appear to be the original fry found. But I've found additional fry in the tank and was able to move a few into the breeder, as I saw the adults doing some serious fry-hunting the other day. None of them are big enough for BBS yet, and I have no culture of anything so have been making do with First Bites and spirulina powder. I got film of the oldest fry eating - some pieces are too bit but he bites off chunks. I also filmed what appeared to be a hydra attacking one, poor thing!! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloryview Farm Posted January 27, 2021 Share Posted January 27, 2021 I am blown away here! I thought the baby guppies in my quarantine tank were small!! I look forward to seeing them grow. keep us posted. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FishyJames Posted January 30, 2021 Share Posted January 30, 2021 Nice. Keep us posted! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maggie Posted January 31, 2021 Author Share Posted January 31, 2021 Update day 13. Today I counted seven growing fry. They're really hard to photograph or film because they're not hanging out right at the surface or on the bottom like before. So I have trouble getting them in focus. But SEVEN - I can't believe it! They are still so tiny! I've found fry in the tank here and there and put them in the breeder. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloryview Farm Posted January 31, 2021 Share Posted January 31, 2021 they are sooo small, how are you catching them up and moving them? turkey baster? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maggie Posted February 5, 2021 Author Share Posted February 5, 2021 Hi @Gloryview Farm, I originally found them in the bucket after a water change as I've seen lots of breeding and was wondering if there'd be any fry. I have found a bunch since then and use a plastic cup to either trap them and slowly pull out the cup when they swim into it, or gently "suction" them in if they're close to the surface. Others I just leave in the tank. Here's a day 19 update. Six of them hang out a lot together so I guess they've started "shoal" and are in kindergarten! 💜 (note proper social distancing 😀) There are at least 3 younger fry in there that apparently aren't ready to hang out with the group, one of which I pulled from the tank this am. I couldn't get a pic of those 3 but here is the Kindergarten class having breakfast - zoom in to see them all! They are definitely perfecting their swimming skills and though they're still tiny (about 1/8" or so), they've grown alot! I feed them spirulina powder and Hikari first bites, and freeze dried brine shrimp ground up as fine as I can get it. Also add a little of these to the tank for my shrimplets and any other fry lucky enough to grab a piece. I took a break from hatching BBS but going to start a batch today. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloryview Farm Posted February 5, 2021 Share Posted February 5, 2021 @MaggieI find this just way too cool. I have platys, which have fry in the community tank, and then a batch of guppy fry that were born in my quarantine tank. they are still there since I don't want to move them yet, but they are sooo much bigger than these cuties! I can't wait to see them as they grow up, amazing that at day 19 they are just beginning to look the size of the newborn guppies. and I love that you are enjoying watching them so much. I spend a ton of time just sitting in front of the tanks and contemplating the wonders of the universe. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobbit Posted February 5, 2021 Share Posted February 5, 2021 (edited) 4 hours ago, Maggie said: I have found a bunch since then and use a plastic cup to either trap them and slowly pull out the cup when they swim into it, or gently "suction" them in if they're close to the surface. This is the method I’ve settled on as well. I used to try to suction them with a pipette, but as soon as they can swim they know to zip away from suction. Your fry are looking great!! Edited February 5, 2021 by Hobbit 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maggie Posted February 9, 2021 Author Share Posted February 9, 2021 Well I have no idea what happened but I appear to now only have 4 fry left in the breeder basket this morning. They swim in the middle where it's really hard to see on the phone cam (impossible to focus), so there could be more. I haven't added any new ones from the tank though there are always several in there. Here are four of them in the tank. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maggie Posted February 19, 2021 Author Share Posted February 19, 2021 Day ?? I added one fry to the basket during last week's water change and the total now I believe is 5. I believe only one fry is from the original batch. They still look so tiny yet have grown a lot. It's really hard to photograph them in the middle area of the water because the phone cam wants to focus on the top, bottom or sides. I was able to film one eating a BBS. I'm sure they ate more as they were darting about looking for them. Oldest fry is on far left. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maggie Posted February 28, 2021 Author Share Posted February 28, 2021 I saw five today. Here are three of them, including the oldest (approx 40 days old) who is just starting to get a little bit of a pinkish color and filling out a bit, but then she (PLEASE BE A SHE) got out of focus. It's so hard to film these teeny fish- even the adults are only half the size of an adult cherry shrimp! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maggie Posted March 17, 2021 Author Share Posted March 17, 2021 Update: there are four fry that now seem to be past the early critical stage of fryhood. Yesterday I added some new fry found in the water change bucket, so you can see the size comparison and how much the older ones have grown (they're still so tiny). 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobbit Posted March 17, 2021 Share Posted March 17, 2021 Wow they are soooo small!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maggie Posted March 18, 2021 Author Share Posted March 18, 2021 @Hobbitthis fish is so hard to see - when I first got them they were gray juveniles and I couldn't even always see them all in the 5 gallon quarantine tank. This am I found another adult in the basket! I was able to guide it out by turning the basket a bit and using a net, and then decided to raise up the top above the water line. Well I found 6 new fry in the little ledge at the top, so I scooped them through force of water into a cup and put them in the basket. I know most won't make it anyway but I think I might set up my little mini bow for them because I know I'm going to keep finding them and want to at least give them a chance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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