SkyCrystal

This is a thread that I can post the progress and events in my 10 gallon. Right now I'm breeding Convict Cichlids. I am aware that they will out grow the tank after awhile, but for the moment they seem comfortable.

A couple of nights ago I discovered eggs in the bottom of my flower pot! I'm anxiously awaiting my first batch of fry.

-SkyCrystal

SkyCrystal

Well, earlier today I thought that all the fry were abducted by aliens! They dissapeared! But I re-discovered them in the gravel near the bottom of the flower pot. The fry are rapidly growing, and most of them don't even have any more egg to absorb. I fed them some brine shrimp, making sure to get some in the area that the fry are located. All seems well in my 10 gallon!

-SkyCrystal

SkyCrystal

I got my water tested again today. Even after adding not 1, but 2 capfulls of Prime, the nitrites are still at dangerous levels! The tank is cycled (Well, it's supposed to be!), and I have no idea what's going on.

While I was at the LFS, I got a sponge filter. The lady was very nice, and she gave me one of the ones they were using with all the good bacteria on it. It's a little large in the tank, but my Anubias Nana hides it a bit along with another fake plant. I'll be doing a 50% water change tonight and adding extra Prime again.

I'm also looking to start hatching baby brine shrimp for the fry. It looks expensive though... I'll see.

-SkyCrystal

SkyCrystal

The fry are free swimming! They are so adorable to watch! Every once in awhile 2 or 3 of the little itsy bitsy fry wander out of the flower pot, and then one of the parents will suck them up in their mouths and spit them back out in the flower pot (Or sometimes the fry will find their way back in the flower pot by themselves). I fed them some more brine shrimp, but I think the parents got most of it. I may have over-fed them.

The hatching baby brine shrimp thing is going to be to expensive after all. But if I crush up the brine shrimp enough, they fry will eat it... so I think I'm good (I also crush up some flake food really small).

SkyCrystal

I guess I have a problem with over-feeding my fish. I was again. I kept thinking that not all of the fry got something to eat. Brine shrimp was to big for their tiny mouths anyways, so the parents couldn't eat all of the extras. I got my water tested today, and not suprisingly the ammonia was up. I got some baby food, so this shouldn't be an issue any more.

-SkyCrystal

SkyCrystal

I took out the sponge filter last night and put it in the 46g (to help get over the nitrite hump... it's been like that for awhile). I put it back in this morning. The fry are rapidly growing, and they actually look a lot like puffers right now. They have a hint of color, but nothing distinct. They are so adorable to watch!

EDIT: I forgot to mention that I'm not feeding them Brine Shrimp anymore. I got a food called First Bites. It looks like very fine sand. I'm feeding that to the babies, and the parents are getting flake food.

SkyCrystal

While my nitrites were still high in my 46g, I didn't put the sponge filter in for the last couple of days. I thought it more important to the fry to eat off of it than for my tank to cycle faster. Instead I added extra doses of Prime. That took care of it.

Now enough about my other tank! This is a thread on my 10g! Since yesterday I noticed that my female was hiding and not paying very close attention to everything around her as usual. This morning I discovered her laying on the gravel, smooshed to the glass behind the sponge filter. First thing that I did was get on Fishlore. Turns out it's a parental control thing. Once the fry leave, the problem leaves with them. I have the female in a 3 gallon bucket right now with one of the fake plants (so she has something to hide in). Hopefully I'll be able to get a divider tonight, but if not, then tomorrow definitely.

The fry are doing good. They've started coming up to the surface. They aren't growing as fast as I had thought they would though. So tiny!

-SkyCrystal

SkyCrystal

Well, I got the tank divided today. The male doesn't look to happy that Coal's back in the tank. He keeps nipping at the dividing screen every time Coal gets close to it. I think he'll get used to it after a couple of days. I'm going to keep the divider in there until the fry are big enough that they don't fit in Coal's mouth. She ate about 25 of them a couple of days ago... I don't want to take any more chances. I'm going to get a video up of the fry tommorrow (well, I'll TRY to at least). Happy posting everybody!

SkyCrystal

Things are remaining pretty much the same in the tank since I divided it. I did a water change last night on the female's side... I'm still not brave enough to vacuum the gravel on the babies' in fear of sucking them up. Last time I did that, I found one of them dead inside the bucket. Poor thing. I only have about 20 (probably less) fry left. I still can't believe it! I had around 75 when they first started free swimming. Although they're not growing in numbers, they are growing in size. They're even starting to develope some colors.