When I pour the wigglers in with their parents they are still too young to eat BBS. They still have to depend on their parents. But I do add newly hatched very tiny BBS on day 3. Most of them don't even look at it for another day or two, but I squirt it on their parents backs so I'm sure that they get a taste of it earlier than most fry.
The size of the male of the contest pair is 7 7/8" Mom is about 6 inches. I pulled dad out a while back and put a tape on him, so I know for sure. Mom's size is just an educated guess. My other pairs from the same line are younger and not quite as big. They're not the fastest growing fish I've ever had but they do get quite big.
Mama Bear
Beautiful pair, Liz!
Wigglers this morning. I'm sure that Pat and Al, with their great knowledge and great equipment could get a pic of the little 'uns wiggling, but I'm afraid I'm not that good....yet(?).
Mama Bear
Last time they didn't except for mom. She started chowing down on fry on day 3. By the time I set up a tank for her and got her moved she had eaten half of them. I removed her and dad did fine with the rest of them. I just don't want to take a chance on trying what didn't work once in favor of trying them on the way that did work once.
Mama Bear
this evening when I do WC I may lower the water level in the tank and set the pitcher on the bottom so the pair can get used to the lower water level.
Mama Bear
Liz
Do you RO change on you pitcher?
Chuck
Just Call Me Chuck
Disclaimer : I am an old man and all this information is from the top of my head so any mistakes noted I claim the 5th
Once the babies are about to start wiggling I change about half their water with the water I use for their parents and other fish.
Mama Bear
I moved the pitcher to the bottom of the tank and gave the pair till this morning to get used to the lower water level. In the pics and real life, there are few wigglers and mostly white fluff. It scares me every single morning. I have to remove the air stone and look a the cone from the top before I'm able to get a good look at them. They're still there, all bunched together in the middle of the fluff.
It was interesting to me to look at the pics from first to last. I can see daddy darken slowly every day as things progress.
Last edited by LizStreithorst; 11-11-2023 at 10:04 AM.
Mama Bear
So Liz, how are you going to introduce the kids to the parents, considering the difference in water parameter's. Jim in Ohio
I've been changing the wigglers water with the parents water so there will be no drastic change. I wait until just before or right after the eggs start wiggling.
Mama Bear
The closer the time gets, the harder the wait gets. The parents feel the same way. They can't take their eyes off the pitcher. I tried for a pic, but dad always leaves the cone so he can kill me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDJ_Mz8ftqI
Mama Bear
Mama Bear
Anticipation time is over. The kids are with mom and dad. Now I'm: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycbgHM1mI0k
Mama Bear