2.13.10 Where to put growing fry? Zen & the Art of Aquarium Maintenance

lisaemc2

2.13.10

Bad news. We had to say good-bye to Kitty last night. We gave her a proper burial at sea, as it were. It's for the best. She was suffering from dropsy. She hung on for so long it was admirable. That's not really a thing I should say but she didn't respond to any treatment. When it's your time to go, it's your time to go. Now, we have to find Bad Ass some new friends.

Several weeks ago, 3rd week in January I believe, I moved Nikki Finn to the lower tank because there was too much stress & tension what with 2 males. I moved the Neon Tetras with her. She seems to keep getting bigger & bigger even tho she gave birth to 9(?) fry. Only 3 survived. Her girth didn't slim down. 3 days ago I noticed 4 more fry scrounging along! I've read that Mollies can hold on to their babies for an inordinate amount of time. But this long? For 3 extra weeks? I'll be on the lookout for more. And she's still HUGE! She's 2"x1". Nikki is such a subtle beauty & her size allows me to appreciate this more. Her velvet scales, the iredescent design on her underbelly, the sea green of her gills. I find her to be a gem. Still, she looks very pregnant. However demanding she is, and she is demanding, I just melt. So, instead of Aquariums I have Maternity Wards. Now, I know Mollies are quite prolific. The present dilemma is where do I put these buggers? If you have ideas please let me know.

Sunday before last, January 31st, I adopted 2 females. A Silver Lyre-tail Mollie & A Black & White mottled Mollie. I knew the b/w one was pregnant so this is my doing. I named her Cele'ste. She gave birth to @ 24 fry the very next day. The very next day. 24 ha ha ha ha ha! Oh, my. What shall I do?This surprised me. I thought Girls need a safe & secure place to give birth. I assume this is why Nikki held on to hers for so long. And, and, get this, both girls are preggers again. I did this to myself.

lisaemc2

2.13.10

Bad news. We had to say good-bye to Kitty last night. We gave her a proper burial at sea, as it were. It's for the best. She was suffering from dropsy & she didn't respond to any treatment. When it's your time to go, it's your time to go. Now, we have to find Bad Ass some new friends.

Several weeks ago, 3rd week in January I believe, I moved Nikki Finn to the lower tank because there was too much stress & tension what with 2 males. I moved the Neon Tetras with her. She gave birth straight away. She seems to keep getting bigger & bigger even tho she gave birth to 9(?) fry. Only 3 survived. Her girth didn't slim down. 3 days ago I noticed 4 more fry scrounging along! I've read that Mollies can hold on to their babies for an inordinate amount of time. But this long? For 3 extra weeks? I'll be on the lookout for more. And she's still HUGE! She's 2"x1". Nikki is such a subtle beauty & her size allows me to appreciate this more. Her velvety scales, the iredescent design on her underbelly, the sea green of her gills. I find her to be a gem. Still, she looks very pregnant. However demanding she is, and she is demanding, I just melt. So, instead of Aquariums I have Maternity Wards. Now, I know Mollies are quite prolificso this is my fault. The present dilemma is where do I put these buggers? If you have ideas please let me know.

Sunday before last, January 31st, I adopted 2 females. A Silver Lyre-tail Mollie & a Black & White mottled Mollie. I knew the b/w one was pregnant so this is my doing. I named her Cele'ste. The other is named Emma as in Emma Frost. I'm not trying to be clever, but I kinda am. Cele'ste gave birth to @ 24 fry the very next day. The very next day! 24 ha ha ha ha ha! Oh, my. What shall I do? This surprised me. I thought girls need a safe & secure place to give birth. I assume this is why Nikki held on to hers for so long. And, and, get this, both girls are preggers again. I did this to myself. I'm thinking of putting some down w/ Nikki. If you have advice on that it'd be cool.

Everyone is getting along quite nicely. They chase & sometimes play rough but I haven't noticed any ripped fins or cuts & no one has been chased into a corner. Also I would like to announce that they've all gotten thier appetites back. Hurray! The girls have come down with Ick. I wouldn't have noticed except thier tail fins are transparent. I'm not sure if the boys have it, they're both so mottled. Leave it to me to buy designer fish. I started the treatment on Wednesday. I'm using Tetra Lifeguard. I've used it before back when Nikki had Velvet. & it did the trick. I have 1 more dose & about 36 hours till I do a 10% water change & return the charcoal. I'm seeing improvement. The dots are fading. Crossing my fingers for them to flourish once again.

Fostering life is what makes me happy. I can't have children physically, financially or emotionally so I've surrounded myself with plants, my boyfriend Klaus & now my prolific little clowns. I wake up eager to feed them & see if everyone suvived the night. Which, from what I've witnessed is just like having children. It's become a major part of our lives. I love that Klaus gives me advice on how I should run things (he's a Sagittarian too) & it's good to have a different perspective but he can't even keep a house plant alive. Sorry for outing you sweetheart. Keep up the good work.

I will, am putting photos on my Aquarium Log. Maybe even a video, if I can master this Point & Shoot. I hope you enjoyed my rambling diatribe. I get such a kick from this medium. It allows me to talk about all this & not bore my non-enthusiast friends with tales of my Underwater Adventures. I'm not the type to pull out photos from my iPod. But I might. Don't tempt me. If anyone feels compelled to give me advice or warn me of my mistakes I would welcome it. We're all here to learn, right? Till then Good-Bye & Good Fishing.