Christmas Surprise!

by **jacuzzi7755** » Fri Dec 26, 2008 6:00 am

That awesome I have my own batch of peacocks about 50 and I am enamored with them. I check them every time I walk in the door, temp, water quality, size. They grow so fast and now are now ravenous, swimming crazily toward anyone who comes near the tank hoping to be fed. Can't wait until I move them to their 40 gallon to grow some more. To think they were so small that at first I had to really look to see them, now they always are looking to see me. Good luck

by **dizzcat** » Fri Dec 26, 2008 6:35 pm

I think what is so fascinating with this is we do not get to see the fry at this stage with live bearers or with the holding cichlids. By the time they come out they are a month old. These little ones are only a week old. :-)

by **dizzcat** » Fri Dec 26, 2008 6:45 pm

Last night I watched as I turned the lights off in the tank. When I turned them off the whole batch, ALL of them, made a mass exodus to the fathers side of the tank! They swam past the divider and went to his side! I turned the light back on and they did a mass move back to mom's side! When I turned them back off, back they go to dad. How weird!! So then I peeked about an hour after lights out with a flashlight and there they were, all still, huddled in a big pile under the dad.

Got Wonderful pictures today!
#1: Finally a close up! They are on day 4 of free swimming. About day 9 since the spawn.

#2: Close up of Mama watching over them.

#3 Close up of Papa with his group.

#4 Mama is "sleep" colors with a batch under her.

#5 The divider set up. Mama on one side, papa on the other. I have been hesitant to take it out because the suction from pulling it out of the sand may bury some.

Here is a close up video of the fry. mama was attacking the camera :-)

http://s530.photobucket.com/albums/dd35 ... loseup.flv

by **dizzcat** » Sun Dec 28, 2008 10:49 pm

So, its now day 9 since I found the wigglers. They are now swimming all over the place. Still stay within a 5" distance from the parents tho. There are some that are taking a nap right now LOL. All huddled down sleeping under a plant. A few have died. Probably because they were not well. In all I'd say there are still about 100 in there.

I took out the divider a little bit ago. All was well for about 2 minutes, then mom started charging pops. There is a definite line drawn in the sand and if he crosses it she charges him. He does have his little group around him tho. She is in her corner, where most of the fry are and he is over under a plant. I moved another Amazon sword into the middle so that it gives a bit of a natural divider. I will keep an eye on them and if it gets too intense will put the divider back up.

#1: Another fry close up. Day 6 since going free swimming:

#2 Mom changes papa

#3 Mom and papa fighting

#4 Mom chased him away

#5 Mom in her corner

by **dizzcat** » Sun Dec 28, 2008 11:09 pm

This one is closer

by **Tmercier834747** » Mon Dec 29, 2008 12:25 am

looks like this batch is official eh? congrats dizz. Let me know if you find a way for male GBR's to become asexual for a brief period. I'm stymied by all the LFS's within a 100 mile radius...nobody has females ''for sure''. :(

by **dizzcat** » Tue Dec 30, 2008 1:45 am

Yep, looks like these ones will make it. At least some of them anyways. Don't know what to tell ya about the GBR, never had experience with them.

Anyhow...Day 10:

Not much has changed in the past day. The fry are a bit more adventurous today, swimming farther away and exploring. I found about 10 dead little guys. I think the ones with health issues are passing on. I have noticed the ones who don't look very strong are about half the size as the strong, adventurous ones.

by **yasherkoach** » Wed Dec 31, 2008 9:58 pm

dizzcat, I am happy for your sucess...Happy New Year friend

by **j_bball_rox** » Thu Jan 01, 2009 4:01 am

happy new year's to all and wow i love your little wigglers :) soo cute man now im actually thinking of getting another tank to have some rams of my own any suggustions on size and specs that i might need ??? thanks

by **dizzcat** » Fri Jan 02, 2009 1:14 am

Well, today is day 10 since they became free swimming. I had noticed that the parents were starting to loose interest in protecting them and also that a lot were starting to die off. I think they were starving :-( So, last night I put my breeders net in and used a little medicine dropper and caught all that I could find and put them in the net. There are only about 15 left out of over 100. I then dropped a 1/4 of a chunk of frozen baby brine shrimp into the net for them , so it would defrost slowly and they could eat. When I first put them in all but one were very weak and slow, just hovering on the bottom. There is one who I had a heck of a time catching, it was fast and is about twice as big as the others. Figure this one got himself a lot of food. Well, when I checked on them this morning all were back swimming around instead of hovering at the bottom like last night. They look a bit fatter too. I will leave them in the net for a few days, so they can find their food with no trouble, then transfer them into the 10 gallon where they can grow out.

The problem was, even tho I squirted the bbs into the group 3-4 times a day I guess it just floated off with the current before they could really eat enough. :-( I was even squirting it on the sand and into some Java moss hoping some would stay for them.

The first batch they had I moved about 30 into a 5 gallon the day after they became free swimming. Out of those I ended up with 8 that grew into juvies before I gave them away. I wonder why that group didn't have the feeding problems this group did?

So, as of now I am doing my best to help the tiny guys get their strength back and fatten them up.

Fingers crossed!!

Christmas Surprise!

24 posts • Page 2 of 3

Christmas Surprise!

24 posts • Page 2 of 3