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Sylver's Fish Updates

82K views 575 replies 13 participants last post by  Sylverclaws 
#1 · (Edited)
I currently have a beautiful female Creamsicle Lyretail Molly, who, until the other day, had never been interested in the boys. lol She is almost full grown, I think they get to be four inches long, she is just over three and a half inches long. To my knowledge, this will be her first brood! She took a liking to my male Black Sailfin Molly, and have been...dancing for the last few days. Now, she is about three quarters of an inch larger than the male fish, and she runs my tank. Haha, so if she gets tired of him, he'll know it. I have ten females and two males in the tank, and I haven't noticed any bullying from the boys, they seem to be rather gentle for males who usually practically attack the females while breeding...Bah. The two males are also interested in three other females at the moment, so she isn't getting too bothered, and to my knowledge only lets my black sailfin near her.

Well, in anycase, I was wondering what the estimate on the brood size is for Creamsicle Lyretail Mollies. I can't find anything on it when I googled. lol They usually add in all the molly species, and I know they can all interbreed and are basically the same species, just different sizes and colors. I also know that bigger fish can have more babies, but it is her first time, again, to my knowledge. She was pretty small when I got her. I've had her for several months now, and she's grown from about two inches to her near four inch size. She really is rather pretty, as is her male "buddy."

Also, for those curious, I have a breeding net which I will NOT be putting her in to have her babies. It has nine fry from a gold dust and silver molly in it right now. I was also afraid it'd be too small and stressful for her in that thing. I have improvised a roomey area for her. I made a large net that I have tied to a very large, two gallon picher(pitcher? I hate that word lol), that I will be putting into the tank, it's used only for my fish water changes and holding for big tank stuff the fish shouldn't be present for or if I have an issue that requires them moved, so it has nothing yucky in it they can't be near, like soap. I need a separate tank for this, really. LOL But I haven't gotten one yet, I intend to get one later this year.

Anywho, yes, makeshift net tied in there, and weighed down. The whole thing can go into the tank, only temporarily, no more than a few hours I am hoping, or the other fish might get upset with me. But this way I don't have to worry about her being in there out of the tank and risk a problem, like oxygen or tempurature, or a spill. I intend to have some plants in the bottom and some gravel for the babies. When they're born, they should fit through the net and be able to get to the plants and hide until mom is done giving birth. I've also made sure it's roomey and that the net wont move or collapse, and it wont catch on her and/or cause damage. This way I can try to minimize loss of babies to being eaten, and lessen stress to the mother and other fish, it wont really be a move, she will just get sorta scooped into it and stay in the tank. I did let a different, very expectant mother go in it last night, I thought she was in labor and I had been up almost two days, I had to sleep or be sick! She did not give birth and I removed her after I had a five hour nap, she seemed not to care. If anything, she wanted back in and tried to do so. ^^; Afterwards, I will remove the fry to the breeding net and let mom have an hour or so to rest before going back to the tank, I don't want the other fish picking at her while she is tired and smells of afterbirth. Would YOU want someone poking at your rump when you just shot out a bunch of babies? lol


SO, anyone have an estimate for me on the possible brood size, or should I ask later once she gets her size on? :3 Also, what do you guys think they will look like? Creamsicle Lyretail Molly with a Black Sailfin Molly. He's pure black except the top edge of his sail. It's bright yellow across the whole top edge! Mom is a very nice orange color with a lighter colored belly and dark eyes. The male has very odd eyes, the top half of his eyes are kinda dark brown/black, but the bottom half seems to be a bright shiny gold color, maybe copper would be a better wasy to explain it. Odd eyes. lol One of my gold dust females has a black eye and a silver eye though, I guess I am used to funny-colored eyes.
 
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#53 · (Edited)
You have your own life, you don't have to push yourself to come on for me when you have things of your own to do and not enough time for everything else. lol But I appreciate it anyways.

All my fish are going back to normal, and I'll test my water again in a few hours. I have no oddly swimming fish anymore, they all seem normal. The pregnant dalmation female I have is a little stressed still and hiding, but I think she's planning to give birth soon, so I'm giving them space incase it was a stress thing and unplanned. And the menu for today is cooked peas! I seem to get constipated fish when I first buy them, maybe the food doesn't agree with them at the shops, but it's an easy fix usually with some peas, and that also seems to make them very happy too. lol
My very pregnant blue mickey mouse platy was hiding a lot, but she comes out to watch me through the glass now, I'm not used to new fish being that brave and curious.
My pregnant balloon molly, now she is something. She's huge. Her belly is roughly four times the size of my males tummy, and about twice the size my last pregnant balloon molly got. I pity her back. lol Boy she is one grumpy lady. When I got her, she was in labor and all the fish were picking on her, that's why I got her in the first place. She doesn't want anyone near her. I'd love to give that to her and my dalmation, but I'm afraid to move them again after yesterdays fiasco. Her labor -seems- to have stopped, but she is acting the part of a fish about to give birth soon.
Not sure if I mentioned this yet or not, but once her babies are born, and she recovers, I'll see about giving her and Romeo(The other balloon molly), to my little cousin. I've actually gotten kinda attached to the little guys. Haha, they may not be the healthiest fish, but they are fun little things, and they have pretty colors too.

Of course I'll update on my fish and any babies I might get later on! :3
 
#55 ·
My super-sized balloon molly looks like she's trying to give birth again. As I said, I'm getting used to the whole "Now I will, nevermind, next day maybe..." things they do. Sometimes they're JUST not as ready as they think. lol But she's hanging out in the plant most of the time, and others she goes over to a corner of the tank no other fish are at and just hangs there, every once in a while she will "Bounce" her back end and jiggle, usually tells me a fish is either trying to give birth, or can't poop. However, she had herself some peas last night, so I'm doubting she's having a poo issue. lol I am assuming she'll either give birth today or tomorrow, but I could be wrong! It is up to them, afterall, and they have tricked me before. =) My black molly was doing this a lot, but she actually held them for about a week! Three days before she gave birth I noticed she was...I think bleeding. She would look like she pushed and a dark fluid would come out. My balloon did that day before, but hasn't since. The black molly was the same, three days after that, she gave birth to many healthy babies.

Hopefully my water will right itself soon, I doubt it will in one day, but it does seem to be getting better, the Nitrates just keep spiking, but that means it's trying to fix the cycle, right? Possibly anyways. I am keeping an eye on it.

I was wondering, once I get everything fixed up properly...do you know what kind of algae eater would do well in my twenty gallon with the gravel? I am considering giving away my cories after that size scare I got! I did move them to my ten gallon with the sand. It's smaller and not meant for them, but it's less chance they will hurt their delicate selves. Maybe my cousin will want them, I really have gotten attached and I am torn here worse than anything. In the end, it's they who matter the most, not what I want. But I DO need an algae eater, one that will go good with my fish and water type, my tank size, and not need to be in groups of more than two. Preferably I'd only like one, but if something is able to be happy in a twenty gallon with two of them, that's ok too. I WILL have a bigger tank, and I am wanting to keep my two cories until then. It may be anywhere from one to two+ months though, it's not a sure thing! Right now they're only about two inches long. If that. I thought they were a bit bigger, but I tried to measure them. lol Two inches max, one is smaller.

My nursery is getting too full! =o Didn't think that would happen with a ten gallon tank! However, I have four or five different broods of different ages in there. lol Did you see any of my recent videos of the nursery? The three baby balloon mollies I got from my sick girl a while back...are pink. Yes, PINK. They have a nice sorta bubblegum pink color, and they have longer back fins that are bright red. Interesting little stinkers. I hope they stay that color, they wont last long in the store. Not many people like pink, I suppose I like it ok depending what it's on(It's cool on animals, not so much on clothes...), but on fish, they will probably get a nice quick home. lol

I look forward to updating about my new incoming babies. I have a very pregnant blue mickey mouse platy, a pregnant mottled Dalmation Lyretail (Not the normal white spotted ones you see, she's darker and has so many spots it's kinda like dirty snow lol), and that Balloon. She's rather pretty, she's more red than my other female was, but not as bright as the male is. She also has big, flowey, BRIGHT yellow pectoral fins. So help me...I have gotten attached to them, never thought I would, as interesting as I may find them and their fat penguin looks and overly curious personality...But I am seriously considering keeping them and adopting out my other marble and Silver molly instead. ^^; -sigh- What's a girl to do? I guess I'm just a softy. I need to win the lottery so I can get myself "The House of Tanks" I intend to make later in life. x) It'll also be the "House of Ferrets" too though. I intend to adopt and take in unwanted or neglected ferrets, and if they can be, adopt them back out. =o My cat loves the two I have...but just think of his sanity! It'll be gone after he has ten ferrets climbing on his back. lol


I have to show you that, these are my own pets aside from the fish.



The one in front was also neglected before I got her and has been stunted. You can't tell from this photo, but she's about a third the size she should be, and has an impossible time gaining weight. So yes, I am such a softy. ;D That's Ren, she's my little stinker. Cooper is the one next to my cat Leo. Leo was abandoned at a shelter because his previous owners said he wouldn't stay off the counters! He does have an issue with that, but I've taught him where he can get up and where he can't, easy as pie. He was at the shelter for six months, they usually only keep them for two or three at the most, but the shelter became fond of him and gave him an extra chance. He's also the coolest and nicest cat I've ever met, and he's huge, he weighs about 20 pounds. People are just irresponsible. =p Cooper was purchased soon after I got Ren since the shelter didn't have any for about three months! She needed a buddy. He's about twice her size, maybe a little more. He looks like a bear compared to her, really. And he still has some growing to do. ^_^ When I got him he fit in the palm of my hand! He was smaller than the two month older Ren, who was starved and stunted. I got her when she was three months old, how can people treat a baby so badly? =(


Here they are now in their new cage, you can see how big Cooper is to Ren. xD



Anywho, I hope you enjoy those photos, they're cute although a little off topic. lol I will keep you updated on my fishies. x)
 
#56 · (Edited)
Ah, I got some new babies! :3 I'm not sure who the mom is...again. o-o; Sometimes my fish carry two batches and it's hard to tell since they don't fully skinny up, and also some don't get very big to begin with! But I got four pretty babies. My goodness, they are so unbelievably tiny. They look perfect, just extremely small. Even my premature silver mollies weren't this tiny! I'm wondering if they came from my new Pineapple swordtail that I rescued. She had that dark spot in her belly, I heard it was eggs, not babies when they look like that...but I don't know. That would be lovely though. =) I just can't believe how small they are. I was worried they may be premies, still am...but they look ok. They swim good, as of today, I just found them yesterday. When they're new they just kinda hang out. lol But now they're swimming around and foraging, they really look fine...just...I dunno, they're maybe two centimeters long and practically invisible! The only reason I found them was because I saw one between the glass and the breeder box I have in there. I put a little bit of flake food dust in there, made it as small and dusted as I could, and the food was still too big for them to eat out-right. ^^;

Still keeping watch on my Creamsicle, I don't think she wants kids. lol ^_~ And my Balloon molly still hasn't popped. She was in labor for quite a while, got rid of what looked to be a blockage, and then acted normal. I'm starting to think the blockege was just that sucky, peas cleared that right up. lol She may not have been as ready as I thought she was.

However, I do have a blue Mickey Mouse platy that is looking close to poppage. :3 I really can't wait for those babies!

I took a whole lot of juveniles to the shop the other day because I have three-five females that look to be ready to go soon. Wow, baby central. lol I moved the older juveniles I am keeping to the bigger tank, the three I kept from a previous brood from my Gold Molly, Miss Orangey. I left my red platy fry in there though, they're still a little too small. Well, not really, but small enough to get bullied. I thought they would be full red platy, but one of them got a lovely Mickey Mouse on his tail recently, the other isn't showing that yet if he's going to get it. I kinda hope he wont. lol I like MM platy, but I've always wanted one of those pure red ones! Not the red-wags with the black tails(Although I like those too, don't get me wrong), just pure red. But it doesn't matter that much, I'll still like them nbo matter what color or markings they turn out to have.

My cories were displaying some breeding behavior earlier, so I'm also keeping an eye out for eggs. x) That would just be lovely, especially if I managed to take good care of them. I've been reading up on it just in case I do get some eggs! Better to know before than to rush and find out after. lol
 
#57 ·
Sounds like you're having fun baby wrangling! I'm SO relived to hear that your little Balloon Molly is doing well. I was nervous for her! Cories seem to be pretty easy to breed, from what I've read - I've never kept them, but I'm SURE you'll get babies eventually - the way you're going, probably sooner than later ;)
 
#58 ·
Haha, yup. I got some more this morning. I found a couple Dalmation Lyretail babies. Once again born in the main tank so I only got three or four of them. x.x I -was- going to move her, and I want to move my Orange molly too, she's about to explode, but I had a little ich go through the tank, it seems to be under control now. But I can't move them and spread to the other tank too, that'd be horrible since I have cories and loaches there who can't handle salt, and I'm broke so I can't buy the stuff with copper or ich treatment. That stuff is expensive!

Well, in anycase, it wasn't anything huge, one fish had a couple spots and it spread to another, but they were light. I turned up the heat and added salt, everyone seems happier and there are less spots. I only see it on one of my platy and a little on my Creamsicles tail, but all her spots are gone already. I noticed it a few days ago and have been treating it since. But you know, I found something weird in my tank this morning when I did the weekly water change...just before it actually. I was catching babies with the turkey baster. There was...actually I'll message it to you. LOL
 
#59 · (Edited)
Another baby update

Haha! My orange molly gave birth...again. She's a real baby popper that one. x.x I think this is her fifth or sixth batch in the last four months(I know she had two batches about two weeks apart once, and I think another only three weeks apart). I love it when she has babies though, she -always- has healthy babies and I never lose any of them...except to other fish if I can't save them first. She's the mother of those spotted orange ones I get, and the other ones too, that come out grey and end up spotted and beautiful. They always grow fast and end up being so pretty!

Anywho, I caught about six of them and put them in the breeder, the rest are in the nursery. I saw three more in there at least, I know mom ate some, she always does. x.x But I don't know how many there actually are in there, I've counted nine for sure. I moved out all the older juveniles except the two smallest ones(One is a balloon molly, one is a dalmation lyretail), and the two adults...so if I lose any, I'll know it was the loaches and/or cories. ^^; They've never bothered them before though, and I have so many hiding places in the nursery it's perfect!

Speaking of my Dalmation Lyretail baby (the one that was born a few weeks ago, not the ones born three days ago), it's growing ok now that I have it in the nursery instead of the breeder, they always double or more in the first week living in the big tank. I like to move them out of the breeder at one and a half-two weeks of age for that very reason, but sometimes I can't if I have a mother in the nurser. x.x Anywho, I accidentally gave its sibling away with the fry I took to the shop last week. I kept accidentally catching it and I figured if I kept putting it back he was going to get really stressed and die, so I just gave him to them. LOL The one I have is really starting to get spotty. This particular baby started completely silver like the other one, but he got a spot on his head within the first three days of life, his sibling was just barely getting them when he went to the shop. It's going to be a nice looking fish, I can tell. With his mothers looks, there's no doubt. :3

I have given in to the fact that my Creamsicle loves me and doesn't want any of her babies to take away her attention. lol So she's not having any. I keep thinking she's getting big, I can even see eyes through her skin...And then I think she HAS had babies, she just ate them ALL. =-= In fact, she looks pregnant again. lol I need to save at least ONE! She was the only fish to really breed with my black sailfin molly that passed away. Even though they wont come out black sailfins, they will surely be interesting...and I'd like to have at least one of his offspring.
 
#60 ·
heehee, congrats on the new babies!!! I do hope that little creamsicle gives you some littles soon! I've had fish that do this exact thing. . . you KNOW they're pregnant. . . then. . . they're not? These guys can be soooo sneaky!!! Can't wait to see what that little dalmatian looks like - and I'm glad everything is happy over there! Did you ever figure out what your little critter was? WAS it a mosquito larvae, do you think? Never heard back from you on that one!
 
#61 ·
I never did find anything on the -worm- critter. I think it was a mosquito larvae. I think this because I got mobbed by two female mosquitos today when I dumped some water into the sink. I haven't found anymore. I hear they make good fish food as is and wont hurt them. lol At least that's what I hear.

I've changed things up a bit too. I gave away a lot of older juveniles today, I moved all the babies I have to the big tank too, the new ones will be in the breeder for the first two weeks or so, as usual, and then put in with the adults to grow until they get their new homes. I've made the "Nursery" into a platy tank. Well, three platy and a swordtail...speaking of my swordtail, I thought she was a Pineapple, but apparently she's a neon, I think a Red Neon to be exact, but she may be a blue. They look very similar to me, but I did find a red female almost identical to her. Also, the one I found that looked just like her, she has this very dark spot in her belly I initially thought was babies, and then I heard they were eggs...But the more I look into it, the more I find it sounds like pregnancy, not eggs. =) So I am expecting babies from her eventually. lol

I also gave away my two balloon mollies. I REALLY didn't want to give Romeo away to the shop, even though I know they take good care of them and adopt those out fast(Fish brought in go for free, they aren't sold, especially if they may be mixes), but my cousins canceled their visit and I probably wont see them for another month. And I needed the space for the juveniles I am keeping and they need more room. =) So there's now three less fish in there, about fifteen less if you count the juveniles I gave away. They're just as dirty as the adults...I think they may even go more often! x.x So now I'm down to the two males I want and five females(I can't tell with the three juvies yet, but if any ome out male, they'll go to new homes as well).

So like I was saying, I gave away a lot of fish today and made perfect amount of room for everyone. ^_^ I still have some babies to raise of course! But I've been dying to have a platy tank again. So I now have my two female blue MM's in the other tank with my swordtail, and I got a male Red Tiger Platy to complete the set. Three girls and a boy if I count the swordtail, and I know they can interbreed, so I thought she would be happier with them instead of the mollies. This male was very interested in breeding with the girls at the shop, so maybe he will will my platy and everyone will be happy. lol I was going to get the female with him, but I thought since the swordtail female would probably be happy with them, I'll do that instead and make another space in my tank. I think I'm set. x) Now I just have to keep myself back from buying more fish. xD So help me, it's hard to resist! Hopefully this one final new addition before having a QT tank wont bite me in the butt.

You know, I have been asking about female dwarf gourami at the shops, they say they get them in only very rarely...I initially thought that meant because people got them whenever they came in to breed them, but the lady there told me they don't get them often because people -don't- get many breeding projects and the females just sit in the tanks forever. =( That's very sad. But I suppose it's responsible! If you don't want babies, why get girls? A lot of people buy both and then just let the kids get killed, which really makes no sense to me. Why breed them if you don't want them? Males are prettier and do well in bachelor groups most of the time.

I've also renamed my Gourami. I call him Capone. He doesn't mess with anyone unless they mess with him, but he kinda goes slowly around the tank and looks at whoever is looking at him. Like when I sit there and watch, he'll slide over real slow and then stop to look at me. You can see his eyes move, he watches you. But he's got to be the sweetest fish in my tank, tough as he looks! My grandma loves that. I'm playing the game "Shadow Hearts: From the new world" So that helped me out with the name as they have Al Capone in there. xD He just looks like a mob boss, but he doesn't act the part unless he needs to.

Well, hopefully my next news (Aside from news on babies), will be that I finally got my QT tank. LOL And maybe my bigger tank too. I'm keeping an eye out for a bigger tank..in otherwords, I'm in the market, but I may end up having to wait for my aunt first.
 
#62 ·
Woot! BLUE

My Blue Mickey Mouse Platy is giving birth! I noticed she looked a little laborey earlier, but then she seemed to go out of it, usually when they do that they wait for another day or so. But I noticed my Kuhli's kept whipping something up, I went to suck it out thinking it was a piece of food I missed...It was a little baby! :3 I didn't find anymore, but she's still in labor, so I moved her in the big breeding net and put a divider in there for her. She was sick a little while ago(She had what I thought was her intestines came out or something, but they went back in when I moved her to QT, and it may have been a stuck baby I am thinking now)...So I've turned off the lights and covered the tank up. I'd LOVE to film it, but since she was sick, I want to make sure she has as little stress as possible. The net I have her in is pretty big, even with a plant and divider in it, so she should be ok for a few hours. Hopefully she wont stop her labor from the move, even though it wasn't -really- a move since I just kinda scooped her up in the breeder to begin with and kept it in the same tank. The second reason I moved her into the net was because my swordtail female and my other female blue platy were picking on her.

Well, I have one baby so far, wish me luck! Wish her luck too, I'm worried about her since she wasn't well before going into labor to begin with and the baby is fairly small. I would love more blue platies. n.n
 
#63 · (Edited)
Alright...now I'm confused. Haha. I have one baby I thought was from my blue platy because she seemed laborey. I put her in the net overnight...got up this morning and there were no more babies in there with her, but there was a little red baby just outside the net. I haven't been able to catch it though, and don't even know if it survived the adults. ><
Is it possible for my Neon Red Swordtail to have given birth without showing any signs of labor at all? I mean she's been swimming around normally with everyone else, going for the food, and isn't very big, though obviously she's got the black gravid spot...I thought she was only a week or two into pregnancy since she's just a little bit plumper than an unpregnant fish. All three females still look pregnant, and aside from the one I THOUGHT was giving birth, are acting normal...Well, this is what I get for having so many pregnant girls, eh? LOL Hopefully I will find that baby, just because it was red doesn't mean one of my blue platies didn't breed with a red male of some-sort, they ARE mickey mouse Platy afterall, and the most common Mickies I've seen were red or orange...


And no, there are no holes in the net, and I keep it about half an inch out of the water at the top so my cories don't jump into it(I had that happen before). I checked it thoroughly for holes, not even a pull anywhere. x.x Maybe they're all popping out a few here and there to lessen...the pressure, I don't know! xD I found some blue platy babies over a week ago or so, didn't know what they were for sure, but now I'm sure they are infact blue platy. They have a lovely light blue shade to them, are more square than mollies or swordtail, and have a slightly higher, rounder dorsal fin. =o So maybe one was carrying more than one batch at a time. I know mollies can do that, can platy also do that?
 
#64 ·
LOL! You and your babies!!! To the best of my knowledge, ALL live-bearers can carry more than one brood at a time, it also is very common for them to 'pop out' one or three babies here an there, every few days or so, instead of dropping the whole brood at once. I've given up on trying to figure out WHY livebearers do what they do - such silly fishies! :roll: Good luck with your new fry!
 
#65 · (Edited)
Oh hey, another birthday surprise for me: I went to feed my mollies in the big tank and saw some really small babies skittering about that shouldn't be loose in there, look like newborns. I think they're from my Marble molly, wouldn't that be something? I was hoping she'd have babies, she was looking really plump for a while and isn't today, she got really skinny overnight. Some are white and spotty, the others are black and spotty.
I also found some more that looked like my Blue Platy babies, but they're really interesting looking. So now I'm wondering if there were some other fishes eggs on my driftwood or something, they have kinda butterfly-like fins and remind me of those long-finned butterfly tetras, or a long-finned Danio. I think that's what they're called, not sure. I saw some in the shop that looked similar. I certainly didn't buy any though. lol They look like they have wings but they're kinda bluey like the other babies I have in my net, these are smaller and I haven't had my blue platies in there for over a week.

What are those tetras that look like they have wings? One wing for the dorsal fin and another on the tummy that kinda remind me of a giant fly wing. I can't remember what they're called...I guess I have to wait and see. It's almost impossible to tell which babies are whose when they're new. Especially when they look nothing like any fish you already have.

Well, today is my birthday, so it was a nice surprise with all the not good I've gotten so far. I got up horribly sick last night at about 11pm and haven't been able to get back to sleep. It's after three thirty AM and I'm dead tired. c.c; My grandma got me three African Dwarf Frogs, one male and we think two girls. lol I was telling her about Chesh's sick frog and reminiscing about the frogs I used to have, so she went and got me some for my birthday without telling me. I think it was more for her though, she LOVES frogs, but at least she picked something compatible this time that wont get bad genes in my tank like the Balloon mollies, cute as they are. ^^; She also bought me one of those expensive API Master Freshwater Test kits, guess she heard me complaining about the test strips being sucky.

Well, I'm set, I like the little froggies. I fed them soon after they settled in and now they come see me whenever I'm near the tank, I could get used to this, even though I'm more used to frogs you can hold. Can't hold these guys, but boy are they fun to watch! Problem was, it was a random surprise so I had to clean up the tank in a hurry. x.x Wanted to make sure any salt I had in there was gone, although I only put a small sprinkle in there because of an ick scare, but my kuhli's and loaches don't like it, but frogs absolutely can't handle it. Ahh! @_@;
I used to have an African Clawed frog named Mister Bubbles in Elementary school, also can't hold those(But he was the coolest thing ever, had him for three years and then one day he mysteriously vanished and we never found him!), and some Green Tree Frogs when I was a little older, which you can handle. They sing pretty too. =p I really do miss them, frogs are some of the best little critters.
Now I just wish someone would get me the Final Fantasy VIII Game since my copy fried and I'm set for life. ;D Oh yeah, and a homemade cherry pie, maybe a pumpkin pie too...I usually go out to my favorite restaurant and get ribs and fries, but since I can't keep anything down, I don't think it's a good idea. Same with the pies. v.v;
 
#66 ·
Happy Birthday!!! And Congratulations on the new little froggy friends! ADF can handle a bit of salt in their water if they have to, similar to the loaches. . . of course you want to avoid it, but if it's necessary, it's okay! I hope they do well for you! ADF are soooooooo sweet!!! Are you thinking of Black Skirt or Black Widow Tetra (they come in white, too!) It's the only thing I can think of. Wow, that would be amazing if fertilized eggs survived the transfer and hatched in your home!!! You'll have to keep us updated on how these tiny guys grow - and what they are!
 
#67 · (Edited)
No, they look quite a bit different than the black skirt tetra. Their fins look like wings on a giant fly. lol I guess we have to wait and see. They're quite a bit longer and more narrow shaped than my other babies are. I'm wondering if it's some kind of fish that needed brackish water to hatch in. Because of the ich from my platy(All of my adults are spot free now, just a few babies got it, though most have lost their spots too), I've added a lot more salt than I normally would to keep the mollies happy. I've been slowly turning it into fully brackish water. lol Didn't want to just DUMP it in and shock them, so over the last week I've been adding a good bit. The mollies are sure loving it. xD

As for my frogs and the salt...I heard they couldn't handle ANY salt because it dehydrates them. =o I didn't want to test it regardless. Heh. Oh yes, are African Clawed Frogs and the African Dwarfs the same kind of frog? o-o I may be mistaken in the frog I had. It was a fully aquatic frog, as fully aquatic as they get like the dwarves anyways(Still need air but don't need land), but he was huge and didn't have spots. About the same color though, but he was about...oh, if I remember correctly he was about five inches across...and now that I think about it, I think "He'' was actually a "She." lol I think I got him when I was five and had him until I was almost nine. x.x So I don't remember his type...I remember him perfectly though.

Let me tell you, I've fallen inlove with these guys! They are cute and funny. I put some shrimp and blood worms in there for them, the big male sat there infront of the small pile and stared...and stared...and then CHOMPED real fast and kicked himself in the face to knock off the stuff he didn't want. LOL It floated off and one of the smaller ones I think is a female snatched it up and fled with it. They come look at you when you're near the tank unless noise was made.

Did you know they sing? UNDERWATER! I did not know they made noise! But watch this:


Oh yes, this isn't my video. lol It was in the list when I uploaded my frogs though. That's just so cool. Sounds kinda like a cicada underwater.
 
#68 ·
*shrugs* I dunno... what kind of tetra looks like it has fly wings, lol! I'm SURE that once you figure out what you're talking about it'll be obvious - one of those things. . . can't wait to find out what you have swimming around in there!!!

There ARE two different types of African frogs that are commonly sold in pet stores - I've owned both. The easiest way to tell them apart is by looking at the webbing on their 'hands' and 'feet'. African DWARF frogs have webbing between their fingers AND their toes, but African CLAWED frogs only have webbed feet. The requirements for these two is very different, so double check to make sure!

So happy your little male is singing! Isn't it the CUTEST THING!?!! It's hard to tell the genders apart until they reach sexual maturity at around 9 months old - in MY experience, they're usually mature by the time they reach the chain shops like PetSmart - your male certainly is if he's singing for a mate! Boy frogs are smaller and thinner than females, and have a small white or pinkish ‘pimple’ on their side, just behind their armpit. It’s called a post-axillary subdermal gland, and it's pretty obvious when you look for it. Female Dwarfs tend to be much larger on the whole - roly poly little things, and in my experience are very aggressive (compared to the males, lol) when it's feeding time. Their tails are longer, too. . . Salt is NOT recommended with these guys, no. If you ever need to treat for ich again, I'd suggest you remove the frogs from the tank while treatment is taking place. They aren't carriers for Ich, so that won't be a problem. HOWEVER, in some circumstances frogs can be treated for various illnesses with a light dose of salt - I just wanted to let you know to ease your mind JIC there was some salt still in the tank when you introduced them - they'll be fine :)

I, too, am a HUGE fan of ADF. They're such wonderful, adorable little creatures!
 
#69 ·
That wasn't my video, it was someone elses. But I'm hoping mine will sing. I have two males for sure, and -possibly- three girls. I have to wait a little bit, they're too small. But two of the ones I think are female are still too small to tell, but they look plump. I now have five frogs. My brother misread my facebook saying I -want- frogs, so he got me two. And two beauties at that! They're older and fully formed, so it's easy to tell one is male and the nice very chubby one is female. lol Unfortunately this means I am over-stocked. @.@ I also need a new top to my aquarium, the door broke off on my ten gallon, so when we go get that new top, I'm gonna take back two Loaches and three Cories. That'll put me at five and five and give me some open room.

Man, those frogs my brother got me are gorgeous. He went to a good shop, the shops I go to are starting to fall quite a bit. I'm gonna try to find this store he goes to and go there. =) They may even buy my fry and fish. If not, well, they're still darn awesome at fish care! It's a place called Neptunes, and they're rumored to be pretty good, I just haven't found the shop until my brother told us where it is. :3 I was so excited about seeing those frogs though. LOL The highlight of my Birthday, because let me tell you...nothing went right yesterday and nothing has gone right today. My computer is trying to die, you may not see me for a while. x.x I FINALLY got it going, that made me feel better. lol
 
#70 ·
My Creamsicle is pregnant again, or possibly even the first time since I've never been able to varify it for sure...but this time I can see a dark spot in her belly. lol

Also, I got a photo of one of those mystery babies, maybe someone can tell me what it is. =) He's got some big fins, so do all his siblings, compared to any of my other babies or adults. I have no idea what it is, but again my best guess is a blue blaty...but those fins just don't match up with that. I haven't seen platy come out like that...maybe they're hi-fin blues? Mom isn't though if they're hers.
Sorry, not a great photo, but it's the best I could get after days of trying. ^^;



 
#71 ·
:D I've been looking and looking at this picture, and all *I* can see is a Platy with a big fin, too!!! LOL! It sounds like your BlueMickey had babies afterall! <3

but then. . . why are these taking so long to grow?!! I guess we'll just have to wait and see :)
 
#72 ·
Well, I have found that platy seem to grow a great deal slower tham my mollies do, if that's what they are anyways. My two red platy, they have gotten absolutely GORGEOUS, especially the one with a perfect mickey mouse on its tail. They also are only a little more than half the size of my mollies of the similar ages. I think they're about a week younger than them maybe...I knew at one point, but I can't recall for sure right now. Even so, a week doesn't make quite that much difference. lol And once they get close to the inch mark, both species slow down a bit on growth.

Bah, so hard to get good PHOTOS! Especially of the kids, they move around so fast. I tried to get some of them together, but they don't seem to like the camera. It aims at them, they move. =-=



 
#73 ·
Haha, well I can see that they're really super bright, at least!!! Your camera probably shines a light out when it's focusing. They do this so that they are able to judge the distance the subject is from the camera and adjust focus/flash to properly compensate. Of course the fish don't like that much :)
 
#74 ·
No, no light. I set it on the setting without the light. The video has one though, which is annoying, so I usually cover it up, or I have this little red light in the center of everything. lol Those two are pretty bright anyways, but I think it's more to do with the light on the tank. The platy that isn't a micky is really bright red compared to the other though. I love it. =) Always wanted a red platy with no other colors. They both started that way, but one grew a mickey. lol
 
#76 ·
Yup, he "Grew" it in. lol He started out completely red like the other one, but after a couple weeks he got black marks on either side of his tail, I thought he may end up as a red-wag or a twinbar, but then he got a very shadowed mickey that slowly darkened up over time. The other one doesn't have a single mark on him, completely red. I hope it becomes one of those really bright red ones and stays there! Those are hard to find without some orange, yellow or black on their tails.
Actually, I am hoping they're both females still. It's hard to tell, but I think they're -at least- four months old, and still look female. Chances are they will stay, yes? Or do I have to wait until they're 6-8 months to tell for sure? I know they can change. I just hope they wont. xD

I'm not sure if I said here or not about our dog that got injured. If so, here's an update on him: He just got his surgery today, he completely severed his cranial cruciate ligament, which is liek the ACL in a human leg, and damaged his miniscus(Dunno if I spelled that right, it's part of his knee area), they said they completely repaired everything and that he did well in surgery. We'll get an update tomorrow, but they said we can probably take him home in the afternoon because he's doing so well. ^_^ His getting fixed is our Christmas for the year. =p My tank money went to his surgery as well, so my 55 gallon will have to wait. And I'm fine with it so long as my dog isn't crippled for life! X)
 
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