332 replies to this topic

[mattknepley]

Dang, and I feel accomplished getting gambusia fry. Just what kind of sleezy joint are you running up there?!

Teasing- that is awesome man. Keep us posted!

[Chasmodes]

LOL.  I didn't do much.  Maybe tons of detritus is a fish aphrodisiac?  

[Chasmodes]

Update:  I just completed a water change, and afterwards sat down to check on everything.  I noticed that my skilletfish laid another batch of eggs, the third batch in two weeks.  Also, my blennies laid eggs last night or this morning again.  I wondered what happened to the older skilletfish eggs as they seemed to disappear...

 

...well, a few minutes later, I found out...I found fry swimming around my tank, most likely skilletfish but could be blennies, I guess.  They're about 3/16 of an inch long right now.  I think that a few went down the drain with the water change, I suspect!

[Chasmodes]

They're a bit smaller than I thought, maybe 1/8" long at most.  It wasn't easy, but I was able to get a short video of them:

[Doug_Dame]

I counted one zillion two hundred and nineteen ? Looks very busy. 

[mattknepley]

Doug's got better eyes than I do. I only got one zillion two hundred twelve.

Congrats, Papa! Whatcha gonna do with all those fry? Don't forget to fill out a BAP form, once you know who the new kids are!

[Chasmodes]

Update:

The skilletfish lay eggs weekly now.  The blennies lay them about every three weeks that I can tell.  The fish fry from either species hang around for a few days and become fish food, I suspect.  All of the fish are really fat these days!

 

I love this picture, male striped blenny, Chasmodes bosquianus, lookin' right at'cha!:

[Chasmodes]

Here's a better video of the fish fry that are in my tank. I'm not sure if they are a mix of skilletfish and blennies, or all of one of a species. There are much more than usual. Right now, there are two blennies guarding eggs (and only one female in the tank) and at least one skilletfish guarding eggs. These guys hatched yesterday morning and by last night, had the calmer surface water in my tank covered. The fry are there for a few days and either die or get eaten. Someday, I'll set up grow out tanks and try to raise them. Right now, I don't have room and it's not in my budget. So, they'll be fish food unless a miracle happens and some live longer. I feed my tank Reef Nutrition Oyster Feast and frozen baby artemia for the filter feeders. I hope the fry will eat these foods and live longer, but I doubt it. They oyster eggs are small enough, less than 50 microns, but from what I've heard, the blenny fry like live rotifers. Anyway, for now, it makes for a fun video:

[gerald]

Maybe some local aquarium club friends would want to try raising some of your fry?

[Chasmodes]

Thank you for the suggestion Gerald.  I'll check and see if anyone wants them. 

[Chasmodes]

I tried moving some of the fish fry to my other tank. The lasted a couple days there. I think that they all became chow for my three anemones, and perhaps eaten by shrimp, crabs and worms. Right after adding them, I saw three go into the large anemone. I thought that might happen. I need to have tanks set up to specifically raise them without predators. They also might be starving, so I'd need to start up a live rotifer culture. I don't have the space to do this yet, but perhaps down the road.

[littlen]

Why not just add one of these to your 20 long? Maybe some of the stuff in there they are feeding on can pass through the mesh and sustain them.

 

[Chasmodes]

Thank you Nick.  I'll purchase one and give it a try.

[gerald]

Wow, looks like those breeder net cages have not changed a bit in 45 years.

[Chasmodes]

The naked gobies laid eggs.  Now, all three species are spawning.  Here is a video of a male naked goby (Gobiosoma bosc) guarding eggs, but most of the eggs have already hatched:

 

At the same time, the male skilletfish is also guarding eggs.  If you look closely, around the 7 second mark, you can see a baby fish swim toward the surface:

 

There are fish fry swimming at the water's surface just about every day now.  I believe that the ones currently swimming around are naked gobies, but it is very hard to tell them apart.  These seem a lot skinnier with smaller heads than the ones that I caught on video previously. 

 

I picked up a breeder cage from a LFS the other day so I can try to see if I can keep them alive.  I need to find another way to hang it from the tank because the metal hanging devices that came with it will most likely rust.  

[littlen]

I don't think they'll rust.  They are the same metal that they wrap aquatic plants in.   (Lead?) Regardless, you could try to adapt them like this if you have some spare suction cups from old heaters or powerheads.

 

 suction cups.PNG   1.3MB   1 downloads

[Chasmodes]

Thanks Nick.  I think that this is the one that I got.  All it says is that "It attaches to the side of the aquarium with bendable metal hangers" in the product description, but doesn't say what kind of metal it is.  I don't think that I'll chance it.  I like the suction cup idea and will try that, or I will fabricate some plastic hangers.  I also thought about gluing some styrofoam foam board pieces and just have it float.

 

https://www.leesaqpe...-breeder-detail

[lilyea]

The metal brackets on breeder cages could also be aluminum which is fine for freshwater but not recommended for saltwater. Another option (although not nearly as inexpensive) is the German Breeding Ring from Swiss Tropicals (or something similar). Good luck with the fry!

[gerald]

... or fishing line tied at the two corners with a small weight hanging outside the tank (metal washers, keys, etc).  Fishing line will allow the lid to close fully in case any of these fish are jumpers.

[lilyea]

... or fishing line tied at the two corners with a small weight hanging outside the tank (metal washers, keys, etc).  Fishing line will allow the lid to close fully in case any of these fish are jumpers.

Yes, fishing line is a very effective and low cost option - just be careful what type of metal that you use around saltwater tanks. Salt creep and metal can result in rust stains which can be a pain (don’t ask me how I know!).