Baby somethings!

[DiscusEden]

I'm almost too wexited to type, but I just did a w/c (the tank is still filling, and I've got black/brown babies about 1 cm ea, sucking on the glass. They look like tadpoles with tails like whips abou 2-3x the lengthe of the bodies. I figure they could be peppermint bristlenose (bought as babies a few weeks ago, almost adult size now) or royal whiptails, but the whips haven't been seen for 3 days except at feeding time.

What do you think guys?

Will attach a photo if I can get one, but the 1st attempt the camera won't focus 'cos they're too small.

Yay! (Just tell me it's not some exotic parasite)

Oh, what should I do with them, anything in particular? Or just leave them?

:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

[DiscusEden]

It ake that back.Still can't see the parents, but found another 40 - 50 babies!

[fish_r]

wow that didnt take long DE a big congrats to U :)

[mcloughlin2]

I'm guessing they're peppermint BN. Whiptail fry are generally very lazy and wouldn't be sucking up and down the glass.

However, how'd you grow peppermint fry up to breeding size in a few weeks? How large are were they when bought?

Pepps take 2 odd years before they're breeding age or so I've heard.

[mcloughlin2]

Actually take the above comment about the whiptails back. Perhaps they are whiptail fry since they have tails 2-3x the body length.

BN have a tail alot smaller then that. :?

[DiscusEden]

The adult whips are right in the middle of the pack. The babies are just kind of hanging on the glass. The peps were 2-3 cm when I got them a couple of weeks ago.

Rotten FOTU is sucking them up. I don't think these will last long. Even if I am around to yell at him.

Might put the whips in a seperate tank when I get the QT tank cleared. How long before they might spawn again?

[Kingkat]

DiscusEden, They are baby whips. If you condititon them well they should spawn again soon. As soon as they spawn take the female back out. Then when they hatch take the male out. They are fairly difficult to raise though.

[DiscusEden]

Thanks Kingkat!

I'll have to put them in their own tank - they did this in the community tank. Discus have just eaten about 1/2.

I've put 10 in the quarantine tank with 2 rams and some cardinals & left the rest with dad, who seems to be guarding them pretty closely.

The other tank's not cycled yet. I've got a 6.6 L tank on the way & could put some in there if they live that long.

Will need to find out what to feed them pretty soon if they survive. Any tips?

[Kingkat]

DiscusEden, The father might eat them too. I have mine in tanks on the patio which have good algae growth and also i feed them brine shimp naups. Some people also make up spirulina and agar jelly for them.

[DiscusEden]

Thanks Kingkat!

Just came home to find very happy discus, a well fed ram & 1 left in the qt tank and about a dozen in the 6ft. I've caught as many as I could & put them in a net, but I don't hold much hope for the rest by the morning. Clearly a seperate tank is required.

They're cute as! Up close they're mini whiptails, with a club instead of a whip & a big yolk attached to their bellies. Dad has lost interest & is with Mum feeding on beefheart again.

What size tank is best to breed them in? I take it it should be a sponge filter instead of an overhead orca/ aquaone?

Thanks so very much for all of your help & support!

[samir]

manage to get any pics ? how are the peps going ? i've never seen mine eating :?

[DiscusEden]

Working on the pics, a few with spots that are fry, but none with a clear shot of what they look like. I was very happy with my camera until I started with photos of fish, now thinking of upgrading - after getting more fish, lights, tanks, you get the idea.

Peps are going well. Lost 2 early on (about 2 weeks in) - I thought at the time I'd done something clearly wrong, now can't remember what. The rest are growing like little rabbits.

They spend 99% of their time on the log, but when I feed beefheart, 2-3 come off & pinch bits from the discus. These are getting really big - over 5cm now.

I drop 2 algae wafers on the log each night & some spirulina flakes.

[Kingkat]

DiscusEden, A 2ft tank would be ok and sponge filter would be good with extra aeration as they like lots of water movement. I have a power filter in my tanks until the eggs are nearly ready to hatch then I just ut it back in the main tank for a while. Condition them up with high protein foods and good luck.

[DiscusEden]

Thanks Kingkat!

Just to check I know what you're talking about, by power filter, do you mean an internal filter like this:
http://www.aquariumsuppliesaustralia.com.au/store/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=2266

Or a cannister like this:
http://www.aquariumsuppliesaustralia.com.au/store/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=450

Or a sponge filter like this:
http://www.aquariumsuppliesaustralia.com.au/store/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=2211




When you take the filter out for the eggs to hatch, how long do you leave it out for?

Just to update, the ones in the net are going fine, the rest have disappered - no way around it, they need their own tank! I've stuck the net in front of the spraybar & have someone with a better home for them picking them up (I hope before it's too late), while I get set up properly for the next batch.

Thankyou so very much for your help! I can't get over how generous & helpful you guys are!

[Kingkat]

I would have a filter like the first one going in the tank until after they spawn which I would then take out until the fry are big enough which will be almost a month. You should have a big sponge filter like the bottom ones going the whole time from before spawning. I have been using the spirulina and agar jelly on my current batch and it's working well in conjunction with the artemia naups. I have my tanks for the whips out on the pation where they get a lot of indirect sunlight which is great for algae growth for the fry to eat but it's easy to do that in North Queensland without heating. Also once you have fry do about 10% water change per day.

[DiscusEden]

Thankyou!

New shopping list written. I'll keep everyone posted if/when they spawn again.

Thanks for all the help & support guys!

[fish_r]

got a photo 4 u DE :)
thx very much for the fry, i really appreciate it :)
i brought a little net tank on the way home and have it hanging in the 3 foot tank and have it in the path of the outlet from my filter to give it some water flow.
hopefully i can raise them to adults as i have never raised any fry before but will do my best :)
i chucked a cpl of tiny bit of hikari wafers in for em but going to try feeding them on some biotec ultra fry plus tomorrow and see how it goes and also got to get some spirinula tomorrow too...

[DiscusEden]

No probs fish_r! :D

Just remember, no matter what you do to them at your place, they've got a far better chance at your place than they did at mine! Glad to see you got them home OK!

I'll hopefully get the tank set up before the next spawn - and I hope there'll be more where they came from.

Thanks for the photos - I think in one of my photos you could almost see a black dot. Yours are great! Thankyou!

Would you mind giving updates?

Thanks again for rescuing them! :D :D :D :D

[gfindura]

Hahaha! Awesome! That is so cool! I love the pics--they must be tiny! Hopefully this happens with my L-204's one of these days.

I have three pieces of advice that I'm not sure anyone posted yet: zucchini, zucchini, zucchini.

Or, in other parts of the world: courgette.


-Greg

[Kingkat]

Fish_R, Mine eat the bio-tec but it might fall through the mesh of the netting. Lettuce leaves that have been left out in greenwater in the sun is something thay also really like. Mine don't seem to eat zucchini until they are a bit older. Freshly hatched brine shrimp naups gets them going good as well. Ben on here is a bit of a whip expert so he would be worth talking too as well. There is also an article on PF about raising whiptails.
Cheers,
David.

[fish_r]

thx for all the info guys will give them all a go :) except the brine shrimp as i cant get it. will have a look on PF "pleco fanatics in guessing" ? too

will definitely keep u updated on how there going DE, got home this arvo and was the first thing i checked and there still alive :) 2nd thing i checked was the 3 new rams i brought on the way home too, just cant help myself lol :)

[DiscusEden]

Lol. Well done! On both counts!

[fish_r]

thx DE :) put some microwaved lettice in tonight so c how that goes ?

[mcloughlin2]

thx DE :) put some microwaved lettice in tonight so c how that goes ?

Don't put the lettuce straight into the microwave! :shock:

I just get a small section of leaf and then boil the kettle. Once the water is boiled i put the lettuce leaf in a cup and pour the water in. :wink: Leave it soaking for a few mins then it should sink straight to the bottom of the fry saver.

[fish_r]

i just put a tiny bit on a plate for 30 seconds lol "ooops"
"nothing exploded" ?
will make sure i do ur method next time.
thx for the tip :)

[DiscusEden]

Are they still alive fish_r?

I think I've been too slow - the female's back on the back of the inlet filter pipe, where she laid the last lot. I can't see if there's any eggs, but it looks suspicious. (The one spot I can't see!)

I thought I had time to clear the QT tank tomorrow, then put the whiptails in. According to my calculations, the last eggs hatched late Sunday (4 days ago), the articles said the eggs take 6 days to hatch & it should be 2-3 weeks between spawns. So I thought I had a couple of days at least. :?

I guess at least this way I know it wasn't a one off. :)

Should I still move them tomorrow?

[DiscusEden]

Guess who's got eggs again!

I think these guys have a filter fetish. They laid them on the powerhead for the aqua one overhead filter this time. I figure they're due to hatch about Sunday or Monday. At least they do it after the water change - they laid them so high up they'd be out of the water if I did a 10% w/c now.

So no cleaning for me until Monday! What a pity!

[Namn8r]

have you got pics? Let me know when some are ready love to get some off you! i love royal whiptails!

[DiscusEden]

Sodding camera isn't that good & when I get too close Dad makes like he's going to take off, so no, no pics, sorry.

Might be getting a little ahead of ourselves about finding them homes, but if all goes well they'll go on the forum before anywhere else.

I have to agree with you, these fish are endearing themselves in a big way.

They're getting braver too. The female's started arguing with the discus over the beefheart before admitting defeat & taking off. Since the worst she does is try to bat them in the face with her tail, I'm finding it a little funny.

[fish_r]

good to hear uv'e got eggs again DE :)
all 7 of the ones u gave me are sill live and kicking and i will be putting them in there own 2ft tank on sunday or monday when iv'e finished treating the peppermint i have in there @ the moment.
sorry been a bit slack with progress reports as iv'e been a bit buisy the last few days, will put some more picks up soon :)

[DiscusEden]

Didn't notice slackness. Figured you were looking after the littelys. Sorry there were only 7 this time. Glad to hear they're all going well! Thanks Fish_r! How big are they now?

Hopefully will be able to rescue more this time. Kind of ripped you off last time. Or is this counting your fishies before they've hatched? And you've caught them before greedy discus have?

I'll get the parents in their own tank next week, unless I catch all of these & put them in there first. Maybe I'll get one of those net things you got & I can do both?

[Namn8r]

Hey by the way DE where did you get your royals from originally? Did you et them full grown or did you raise up young ones?

[DiscusEden]

Me? Raise them?

I bought them about 5 or so weeks ago from Xtreme. Give or take a week. Got them shipped over. Couldn't believe the size of them! Fully grown and a half!

Pretty much put them in the tank & they started popping out eggs & hatching them! So very impressed!

When Bec (Xtreme) mentioned a breeding pair I was expecting 10cm fish that might or might not breed in 2 years. Talk about looking after me well!

[fish_r]

i am very happy with the 7 u gave me DE :)
whats this kind of ripped me off u talk about ? :)
not at all m8...
as for the net tank they are good "but" not too good if u want to feed em right imo. i cant wait to put em in there own tank so i can feed em the fry food i have etc and they have wood to hide under etc...
ur pair are very impressive too by the way :)

[Namn8r]

Have they got anymore? :)

[DiscusEden]

You could ask. Mine weren't in the shop. I pm'd or rang (can't remember) Bec & Wayne and asked & they ordered them in for me with the next shipment. Was well worth it for me, hope Xtreme wasn't too put out, but they were very good about it.

One of the other sponsers on here had them in stock as well - the reason I went with Xtreme instead was that I was already doing the shipment from them, but either I'm sure would be good. Just specify what you're after.

I certianly have no regrets at all going through Xtreme & am still grinning to myself when I look in the tank at what an outstanding job they did for me.

Oh and fish_r, the ripping you off comment was 'cos I promised you 80, but by the time you got up the FOTU had eaten all but 7. Sorry! Glad you're happy! (Easily pleased I think.) Will work on the tank.

[DiscusEden]

Well, They're at it again! :D

5 hatched out so far tonight, and lots more eggs to come! I've caught 5 so far & put them in another tank by themselves & covered the filter intake with fine mesh fabric similar to the stuff they make the fine white nets out of. I'm hoping I can leave the filter on, with the intake covered, to keep the tank cycled.

So much for getting my sleep cycle back in order - looks like an all night birthing vigil - on past performance if I leave them there for 30 mins they'll be eaten. :evil: I thought I only had to do this with calves & dogs!

Babies for me! Yay!

[fish_r]

ur onto it DE :)
wow an all nighter, ur keen...

[DiscusEden]

Not that keen, I gave up at 3.30, but by 7.30 got up to get the rest & on a rough count i think there's about 84. Yay! (Yawn)

[fish_r]

"wow" there good layers :)

[DiscusEden]

Yes, they are good layers. I missed the 12.5 second window of opportunity, and they've been at it again - more eggs on the intake filter. :roll: :D :D :D

I also found a baby that I must have missed last batch or the one before - it's nearly 2cm long & starting to hang out in the open. :D They might be algae eaters after all, 'cos I haven't been feeding it anything special (not knowing it was there).

I know this was one out of 160, but I'm planning to leave this lot be & see what happens. Fingers crossed!

Maybe I'll catch the parents in the heartbeat between spawns this time & I can put them in their own tank. :wink:

[DiscusEden]

Look what they did!

Not a fantastic survival rate on pure neglect, but have a look!

[DiscusEden]

Just an opportunity to boast - after following the excellent advice I received here, from the last batch of around 60 eggs, afew weeks on I now have 39 royal whips in the breeding tank, at 2-3.5 cm. Yay! Thanks guys!

Here's hoping they stay alive.....

Oh, and the one in the photo, which has been growing more slowly, is now a bit over 4cm. Yay!

I think I've got a way to go yet before I'm ready to part with any of them. How big do they need to be before I can/should sell them?

[scott bowler]

well i think you need to up date the pics to then DE hehe

[fish_r]

congrats DE and well done on getting them to survive :wink:
when there ready to go i will buy a few off u...

[DiscusEden]

Yeeesssss,

My photography skills haven't improved Scott, just my whiptail breeding, but I'll give it a go. Dull grey/brown fish on a black background may be problematic, but I'll try.

As for you, fish_r, we'll argue about payment later, but you're welcome to some if I can keep them alive. Thanks for the encouragement! You may need to pay by taking & posting pics to keep Scott happy. Your fighters are doing well by the way, thankyou!

Any idea how old/large they should be before I can safely move them on?

Thanks guys! Yay!

[fish_r]

i really want to see some of ur discus too, so when i can make the journey i will bring my camera along and see if i can get some snaps for u, not that i'm really good at taking pics either. but will see what we can come up with :wink: i'll try find out what size it's ok to transport them ?
good to hear the fighters are doing well, i'm sure u'll look after them better than i was :oops: