I had hoped to maybe se 10 or so make it through the 3 week barrier, and boy did they…
There is no way of actually counting them (other than taking a picture and marking them) but a careful estimate I’d guess it’s between 40 and 60 of them now.

Today I’ve changed them over to a bigger tank, and in a week or so they’ll be ready for a “real” tank. For now it’s a BB tank (Bare Bottom tank) with no filter, just a pump and a stone.

As if this litter wasn’t enough, the parents are now nurturing a new litter. They’re currently at the wiggler stage, and should be swimming about in a day or two. I also have  a litter on my Pelvicachromis Pulcher, and they are swimming around in the tank with their parents. I’m guessing they’re about 2 weeks now, and boy are they big. I have guppies and zebra’s in the tank with them, but they’re still swimming around like they have no care. The parents are ferocious in their protection, and will chase off any “intruder”. Hope to see a few of these make it as well.

There’s nothing like having small fish in the house. I like to think of it as evidence that the older ones are comfortable. Sure enough.. These two species are simple to care for and relatively simple to get younglings.

Let ya’ll know how it’s coming along…

I’ve never had a go at raising chiclid babies, so this is all new experiences for me. The parents got to keep a few younglings (about 30-50 or so) just to see how they do at their first try. I have no idea of how many I moved today, but they are quite a few. Decided to keep them in a 31L tank for the first week (if they survive) to see the growth rate. As stated I have no clue, and this is to learn. I’m thinking of ways to keep them all when they gett bigger, and that means I have to get one or more bigger tanks. I have one tank I think I’ll get ready as soon as possible, because when/if they get big enough, they’ll need space quick. Not to mention that it has to be ready for them.

I found more heaters and a pump or two that I’ll set up to get started. The pumps/filters need a couple of weeks to get the bacterias right, but I’ll run them in a tank that’s allready going (along side the current pump) and that will hopefully speed up the process.

Having the camera and lens that I do, I tried to get a good closeup of the fry. Those things are small and FAST… Hard to get anything good, but I did get one I thought was good enough to post.

(Click on the image to see full size on my Flickr page.)