Spink Posted March 15, 2009 Report Share Posted March 15, 2009 FINALLY!!!! It has taken me forever, and I have bred livebearers to death, and I have finally bred an egg layer. Story goes like this: Have been trying to breed pygmy cories for probably over 6 months now with no luck. Had a tank breakage, borrowed a divided one from a good friend. Decided it's about time to give the tank back so started making progress getting rid of or moving the fish around. Pygmy's were in one section, and I decided they weren't doing anything so I'd just chuck them in to another tank as a clean up crew for a while. Siphon siphon siphon, nothing, siphon siphon, oh dear there's a baby fish. Oh my gosh, there are some tiny fish! Tank that had been set up upstairs for swordtails then became a nursery and breeding tank for pygmy's. Didn't hold my breath but was hoping for the best, twice daily very small water change and micro worm feedings. Then we get to today: big family drama with step kids and ex wife blah blah, so decided to clean something furiously which is what I do when mad or stressed. Took a set of draws out from one of the kids bedrooms and decided to move the pygmy tank to on top of it to get more light. Good thing I did - the tank had lots of little eggs in it!!!! :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: Some of the eggs have fungused, so I carried on with the water change I was doing (had to empty half of it to be able to move the tank) and have put in some meth blue to help the eggs that are left. But I FINALLY did it! Now I just have to see if I can actually see 10 babies once they've hatched and get them all to 30 days for a certificate!!! YAY!!!! I'm so stoked :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: Just wanted to share Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkLB Posted March 15, 2009 Report Share Posted March 15, 2009 :bounce: Good stuff Spink :bounce: Congrats Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandysme Posted March 15, 2009 Report Share Posted March 15, 2009 Yay for you well done.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ally07 Posted March 16, 2009 Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 Congrats! Nothing beats the feeling of discovering eggs or fry that you'd been hoping and wishing and praying for! Well done! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted March 16, 2009 Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 I hope the fish are as excited as you are :lol: :bounce: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spink Posted March 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 I am still very excited, although there have still been quite a few eggs that have fungused. There's one little egg on the side of the tank that I have been following it's progress - I have a feeling it will hatch today or tomorrow, and I'm hoping I'll be home to see it!!! There are probably more fry in that tank than I thought, as I siphoned up a really small guy last night, and there are eggs all through the moss as well. Time will tell!!!! :bounce: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel Posted March 16, 2009 Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 Congrats :bounce: I bet they are only small - pygmy cories are such little cuties ... how exciting for you You'll have to keep us updated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted March 16, 2009 Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 Have you named it? (the egg) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spink Posted March 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 Have I named my fish egg? What sort of a person do you think i am Caryl?!......... I named it stripes coz they come out all stripey like a bumble bee.... I'm a geek... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracytrout Posted March 18, 2009 Report Share Posted March 18, 2009 :bounce: :bounce: Congrats!! Know how long you've been wanting to breed an egg layer Keep us posted and photo's when they're not quite so microscopic would be cool Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spink Posted March 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2009 I just did my normal scum siphon and sucked up some fry - they are so small it's hard not to! Here's some pics: the latest eggs on the front glass... and believe it or not, there are 12 fry in this little container!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke* Posted March 20, 2009 Report Share Posted March 20, 2009 Have I named my fish egg? What sort of a person do you think i am Caryl?!......... I named it stripes coz they come out all stripey like a bumble bee.... I'm a geek... lol! well done matey!! i remember moving from livebearer breeding to eggs too and at the time it seems like a really big step, fun to succeed tho aye!? i can imagine these would be tiny fish as the adults are pretty small too oh yea ps when you siphon the water get one of those soft white mesh nets and put that around the tank siphoning end.....that way the fry won't get sucked up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted March 20, 2009 Report Share Posted March 20, 2009 ha ha congrats Spink. You bred an egglayer. post more pics of the babies as they are growing up too! :bounce: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spink Posted March 27, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2009 OK, so I just got out of bed - lazy I know! :roll: - and went to do my usual rounds of turning all the lights on on all my tanks. I flicked the lights on the pygmy tank on, and low-and-behold, they were spawning! I actually got to see the behavior and watch them get together and make babies! :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: I thought I had one female and three males in with a few juveniles and the fry, but it turns out there are two males and two females - they seem to have paired up! I watched the pairs go off and do there thing, no T bar spawning like other cories but more quivering next to each other, and then the male would try and fight off the other male before the female laid the egg. It was SO cool to watch, and I counted about 16 eggs this morning too. Not bad for two females and considering they are only tiny fish! Got a feeling they've given up for the day though, who likes being watched while they do that! So count down begins again for three days before the eggs hatch - maybe this time I'll get lucky with that too and be able to watch my new fry hatch! YAY!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spink Posted April 2, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 2, 2009 here's an update: I haven't had any more eggs but most of the ones I did see have hatched, and I've only sucked up few dead fry. Here's a pic of some of my bigger fry: I cant wait for them to be 30 days to register them, and for them to be big enough to go in my other tanks! YAY! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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