L397 tricked me

[Brengun]

I saw a juvie L397 in the tank last night but he was too fast for me to catch so today armed with my net and camera I went fishing.

I knew the male had fry in his log and assumed the escaped fry was one of his.

I got the torch and started peering under the driftwood and bonus! A 6cm L397 that had avoided capture in I don't know how long. I put it in the growout tank, didn't think to take pics or sex it.

Onward to looking for the loose fry and I turned up two of them which I siphoned out into a container. They had their colors and no egg sacks at all.

Then I thought, while I am here and so as not to disrupt the tank again, I would steal the rest of the fry from the males log.

I lifted the driftwood near his log and a huge fat female took off. Obviously she wants to lay again so best to remove the fry.

Using the fill log with water and tip upsidedown into a container (repeated many times) method I emptied out most all the fry. Oops, they still have their egg sacks these ones. Oh well, nothing for it but to set up an egg tumbler where they can cool their fins while the egg sacks go down and they can go in the fry saver with the older few then.

My tanks only 1ft high which is why the tumbler lays on its side. Those endlers would love to get at those tasty looking eggs with head and tails.

 

[Mooo]

Wooohooo!!! Congrats on the new batch and the extra surprise one..Love how you have so many fry, you have some that you miss from time to time..love it..

 

[bigbird]

wow the L397 wizard has stuck again...well done....am jealous...cheers jk :thumbup:

 

[Joby]

Thats a lovely number of little ones there, congrats on the finds :thumbup:

Would you say that if you have another female that is ready to spawn and a male has fry that its better to remove the fry so he can spawn with the other female?

 

[jessonthenet]

I saw a juvie L397 in the tank last night but he was too fast for me to catch so today armed with my net and camera I went fishing.

I knew the male had fry in his log and assumed the escaped fry was one of his.

I got the torch and started peering under the driftwood and bonus! A 6cm L397 that had avoided capture in I don't know how long. I put it in the growout tank, didn't think to take pics or sex it.

Onward to looking for the loose fry and I turned up two of them which I siphoned out into a container. They had their colors and no egg sacks at all.

Then I thought, while I am here and so as not to disrupt the tank again, I would steal the rest of the fry from the males log.

I lifted the driftwood near his log and a huge fat female took off. Obviously she wants to lay again so best to remove the fry.

Using the fill log with water and tip upsidedown into a container (repeated many times) method I emptied out most all the fry. Oops, they still have their egg sacks these ones. Oh well, nothing for it but to set up an egg tumbler where they can cool their fins while the egg sacks go down and they can go in the fry saver with the older few then.

My tanks only 1ft high which is why the tumbler lays on its side. Those endlers would love to get at those tasty looking eggs with head and tails.

That contraption is quite cool what is that how does that work? What's with the marbles? Is it something homemade or do you buy those? Never seen that before.

 

[Brengun]

Yes Joby its a lot easier to raise fry with egg sacks than perhaps later when I take the fry with the egg sacks all gone and a bunch of eggs to raise from scratch.

I only have the two females and 2 males of lealea bred stock. Only one male breeds. The other lives in hope the cranky pants one will die one day and let him be king of the tank. He acts as more of a teaser to the females until they are ready, then they shoot up the other end to the main male to actually lay.

The tank is 4ft x 15" x 12". Its on the bottom of a 3 tier stand and access between the stand was limited which is why the tank is only 1ft high. Plecos who love floor space more than anything else don't seem to miss the height.

The egg tumbler is made fry Fishyone, a commercial trader on the forum here.
http://www.plecoplanet.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5203

The marbles hold it down so I don't need any silly suction cups to hold the tumbler still.
The airstone works by the air escaping from the tube. It displaces the water and draws a current up past the marbles and through the tube where the fry are.
I have it fairly gentle on the fry but for eggs I would have it a lot stronger to stop fungus growing on them.