Fry, baby, fry!

When I came home from my week-long vacation in Italy, extended by a linguists' conference trip to Helsinki during which I stayed at Amoena's place, I had a really nice surprise waiting for me.

My adorable little rainbows which I introduced in the previous post came 'running' to get food, having been more or less starving for the last two weeks. The tank was in a need of a water change, as well. My brother had fed the fish once and cleaned up the tank, but rainbow cichlids have an endless appetite.

However, one of my four babies was nowhere to be seen. Eventually I found her in one of the back corners, showing off strong colours and reluctant to come to eat. My first thought was, she must be guarding spawn. My rainbows have spawned a couple of times already, but the catfish always ate them.

Despite eyeing the corner from every angle, I couldn't find the spawn. Then I noticed something wiggling right in the front of the side glass. FRY!!!!!!! My babies had got babies of their own!!

Here's the angry mother trying to will me to take my face off the glass and her babies.



The fry is actually in plain sight here, hugging the base of the plant on the righthand side right at the front. But there is very little light in this part of my apartment, and my camera is not very good either. But believe me, it's right there.

I have no idea how they managed to protect their spawn this time. Perhaps they found extra courage to fight the catfish because I wasn't around and bothering them all the time?

Whatever the truth, I bought some eggs yesterday so I have something to feed to the fry once they start swimming. As long as they hug the ground/roots of a plant/whatever, they are still using their yolk sac as nutrition. When they start swimming, they will need something superfinely ground food.

Poor woman's option for baby fish food are boiled egg yolks, which as you know can be smashed into very fine powder. I also have 10 -years-old dried baby fish food from an aquarium shop, but I don't have it here in Tampere, and in all likeness it no longer contains any vitamins or nutrients. My artemia-breeding apparatus is also at my parents, gathering dust.

Now all I can do is buy a very thin plastic tube with which I can siphon the yolk right where the fry is gathered. Egg yolk is fortunately rich in protein, fat, vitamins and other important nutrients.

Here's the new daddy on the left at the bottom of the tank, just about to lock jaws with the other male rainbow. The one on the top is the other female.



The other male has gotten jealous of the pair that has successfully breeded. That's why he's challenging the new dad by literally mouthing him. It's very entertaining. It's difficult to get pictures of them fighting, however, because as soon as I take out my cameraphone, they see my movement and stop and come begging for food.