My First Baby Pictures!

Cichlidoclus

Cichlidoclus

Medium Fish
#1
Jun 20, 2009
51
0
0
Guam, Mariana Islands
www.tropicalfishforum.org
#1
Hello everyone. What a pleasant surprise I had this evening when, while watching my fish eat their evening meal, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed something move out from under a rock near the front left corner of the tank, and then back in again. This is the same area of the tank where I took the pics of Bully Boy and female #2 several days ago. In fact, this rock is one of her favorite resting places.

At first I assumed that the object was simply a piece of algae, but then I reasoned that the current in the tank wasn't strong enough to do that, and algae certainly can't move in one direction, and then in the opposite direction of its own volition.

So, I rolled by chair over to investigate more closely, and to my surprise, there was one of the three fry I had put in the tank six days ago, darting in and out from under a corner of the rock, eating who knows what. He is currently about a half inch in size, and like many fry, is a silvery color. This little guy, possibly the sole survivor of the three, has now been dubbed "Junior". Yeah, I know, really original, right? :)

I tried to take a short movie of Junior with the Casio Exilim EX-Z50 digital camera, but being as he was hovering too close to the rock, the lighting was too dim; so, the three images below, extracted from three much larger images, will have to suffice.

For most of you hardened, old-time pros, fry pictures probably don't impress you anymore; but hey, for me personally, to know that at least one member of the very first spawn in the tank has managed to survive this long is a special moment.

Happy six-days-old Junior! :)





 

Cichlidoclus

Cichlidoclus

Medium Fish
#3
Jun 20, 2009
51
0
0
Guam, Mariana Islands
www.tropicalfishforum.org
#3
Hello there fellow Teenie Weenie Fish!:)

While I've bred a number of fish before -- bettas, discus, angels, copadichromis borleyi -- just knowing that at least one of those three fry has made it this far along, was, and continues to be, an inspiring moment. What is also interesting is that while female #2 frequently rests in that very spot, and must be aware of Junior's presence, she has made no attempts to eat him -- and it's not even her fry. He belongs to female #1 who released her fry on June 17th. Oh, the love! :)

Right before coming to this board, I saw a picture of a Pseudotropheus Elongatus. Another online friend had mentioned this species to me before, and suggested that Bully Boy -- who is Junior's father -- might be one of those, or at least a hybrid of one of those, but after looking at a picture of one, I was doubtful. However, the image I just looked at a few minutes ago bears a striking resemblance to Bully Boy. The main difference is that Bully Boy only has about three and a half vertical bars which fade out about halfway up his body. If you want to see the image that I am talking about, go here:

cichlids.com: P.ndumbi, and P. elongatus.."mpanga"

The other two males in my tank also bear some similarities to the above fish. So I am wondering if my fish might be one of these hybrids:

Melanochromis Johanni x Melanochromis Cyaneorhabdos
Melanochromis Johanni x Pseudotropheus Elongatus
Melanochromis Cyaneorhabdos x Pseudotropheus Elongatus

Anyway, it will be interesting to see if Junior survives, and if he does, what he will grow up to look like.
 

SmokeyN'Tiger

SmokeyN'Tiger

New Fish
#8
Jun 27, 2009
1
0
0
#8
Congrats! I just got a 5 gallon tank, as a starter, since I have never had fish before. I didnt know anything about the fish, i had a molly and a platy. the molly was super energetic and playfull...while the platy would hide often. I was concerned since I am new to all of this. Well i believe it was week two..I came home from school one day and by the filter, there was this little tiny thing moving very fast. Come to find out, my platy had babies. I was scared because I didnt know what to do. haha. I dont remember exactly how many she had but about 3 hid in the rocks, i believe my molly ate 2...Another week after that, I was getting ready to leave one day, and i saw one come up from the rocks and go back down. Since then I have not seen any of them, both of those fish also died....the molly im sure overate... when i went to feed both of them, he would eat anything that came his way. The platy lived longer, she went last week.

I recently got 2 more platies for my tank.
they seem to be doing fine and they are happy little fish!
=]
 

Cichlidoclus

Cichlidoclus

Medium Fish
#9
Jun 20, 2009
51
0
0
Guam, Mariana Islands
www.tropicalfishforum.org
#9
Hello SmokeyN'Tiger. Sorry to hear of your loss.

As you probably learned from your experience, it is always good to research the kind of fish that you are going to buy, prior to actually purchasing them, in order to learn what their specific requirements may be. This can help you to avoid a lot of problems and heartache in the future. There are so many online sources where one can obtain this information, such as on tropical fish related messageboards like this one.

While I can't tell you exactly why your fish died, being as I am not familiar with your setup, I would advise you to educate yourself regarding the nitrification cycle and "new tank syndrome", as this may possibly have something to do with the death of your two fish.

If there is one thing which I would suggest to you, it is read, read, read, and research, research, research. Our aquatic pets deserve the best treatment that we can afford them.

Thanks!
 

Cichlidoclus

Cichlidoclus

Medium Fish
#12
Jun 20, 2009
51
0
0
Guam, Mariana Islands
www.tropicalfishforum.org
#12
Hello there ValRasbora!

Actually, I already know who his parents are. It is Bully Boy and female #1.

Today, Junior is 3 weeks old since he was released by momma.

He is almost an inch long, I'd say.

He has now developed some distinct yellowish-orange color in his dorsal fin, ventral fin, and tail.

His main body color is now a rather light greyish-bluish hue.

If I recall correctly, he may also have some light vertical bars. Bully Boy has about 3 and a half dark vertical bars which start at his belly, and go about half way up his body before they fade into the blue.

I've been trying hard to get some new pics of Junior, but this little guy darts around too fast, so all of my pics have been blurry thus far. He is also becoming much bolder, and has now explored about half the tank -- the left side -- but still seeks the safety of the rocks quite often. However, he does cruise the open water a bit in the upper levels of the tank, just above the rocks, where he knows the rest of the fish rarely go.
 

Cichlidoclus

Cichlidoclus

Medium Fish
#13
Jun 20, 2009
51
0
0
Guam, Mariana Islands
www.tropicalfishforum.org
#13
Hello again everyone!

Well, today completes three weeks since little Junior was released by momma. As you may recall, his parents are Bully Boy and female #1.

Junior is now almost an inch long, I'd say.

He has developed some distinct yellowish-orange color in his dorsal fin, ventral fin, and tail.

His main body color is now a rather light greyish-bluish hue. It depends a lot on what light he is under.

If I recall correctly, he may also have some light vertical bars. Bully Boy, his father, has about three and a half dark vertical bars which start at his belly, and extend about halfway up his body before they fade into his main blue body color.

Lately, I've been trying hard to get some new pics of Junior, but this little guy darts around too fast, so all of my pics have been blurry thus far.

Junior is also becoming much bolder, and has now explored about half the tank -- the left side -- but he still seeks the safety of the rocks quite often. However, he does cruise the open water a bit in the upper levels of the tank, just above the rocks, where he knows the rest of the fish rarely go.

He's one "aquarium-smart" little fish! :)
 

Cichlidoclus

Cichlidoclus

Medium Fish
#15
Jun 20, 2009
51
0
0
Guam, Mariana Islands
www.tropicalfishforum.org
#15
I suspect that the yellowish-orange color came from his mother, as she likewise has faint hints of that same color in the same places, while Bully Boy has absolutely none.

And speaking of this lovely pair, today there was quite a stir in the tank, as Bully Boy went totally berserko and was on the rampage again, seriously persecuting the other three males.

I immediately suspected what was going on; and sure enough, when I caught sight of her, female #1's ovipositor was extended again, and she was holding for the second time. The first time was on June 1st, so this makes her second spawn in exactly forty days. I knew that her time was near, as she was really gobbling down food during the past week, getting ready for the long incubation period ahead, during which time she would do without food. Last time, it lasted for seventeen days before she released her fry, and began eating again.

I am not certain who fertilized her eggs this time. I suspect that it may have been Bully Boy again, but with the other three males fully mature now, going crazy in the tank, and aggressively flirting with female #1, who knows. Maybe it was a case of fish polygamy! Eek!

Anyway, earlier, I had decided that this time around, I would just leave female #1 in the main tank, and let the fry take their chances with all of the adult mbunas. However, once again, I am already softening in my stance, because it is apparent that she is not going to get any rest; and as long as she is in there holding eggs, Bully Boy is going to be on the war path with the other males.

The thing is, there are so many rocks in the tank, stacked in such a particular order in order to create an established network of caves and tunnels, and now nicely covered with algae, that just the idea of tearing down the tank in order to catch her, does not appeal to me. I am thinking that maybe if I drain the water really low, she might come out into the open, and I will have an opportunity to catch her and put her in one of the waiting twenty-gallon tanks. Of course, if I lower the water level, Bully Boy will really have the other three males cornered, and will probably do a number on them.

And then there is dear little Junior. I would really feel terrible if the little guy became somebody's snack while the water level is low. He has been doing so well with his survival skills; and I have great faith that he will continue to elude the hungry mouths in the tank. But if I lower the water level, will that turn out to be a fatal mistake?
 

Cichlidoclus

Cichlidoclus

Medium Fish
#19
Jun 20, 2009
51
0
0
Guam, Mariana Islands
www.tropicalfishforum.org
#19
Sorry, no new pics of Junior yet...and it is not due to lack of opportunities either. He has been out in the open quite a bit. The problem is that I can't remember the camera settings that I used in order to obtain the original clear images of him. I've tried a few times now, but they keep coming out fuzzy or too dark. I'm sure that I'll figure it out eventually, so please just be patient until then. :)
 

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