Have you even just casually looked at your tank and then OMHIGOD

[hollyfish2000]

Who is that?
This morning, I was feeding my 58 gallon planted tank with the wildly productive rainbow daddy who raises gazillions of fry who NEVER live after a few weeks unless I remove them and raise them separately. The tank has he and his mate and three of their kids about two inches long, which I raised and returned to the tank a few weeks ago. There are a few tetras and rasboras leftover and I don't replace them when they die. And all of a sudden Holy Cow -- that's not a tetra. There's a rainbow baby that survived all by itself! He's maybe half an inch long and just hanging with the tetras. I was giddy. it's the first one who's managed to do it. He must be something special! I'm keeping him! :wub:

 

[rich_one]

Ha! Congrats!

-Rich

 

[scientist0724]

Aw...I love baby fish stories.

Arlene

 

[Andrewtfw]

Great news. Makes me wonder what else may be thriving in all those plants.

Sent from my DROIDX using MonsterAquariaNetwork App

 

[TOMMYN3D]

I get excited when I find baby fish also

Congratulation

 

[Avatar]

Huzzah!

I remember finding a semi-juvenile Corydoras adolfi in a tank during a massive rescaping/cleaning that involved removing the UG filter plates. Didn't even know the adults had spawned and yet there it twas...always fun.

Still trying to learn that when eggs disappear and there's no evidence of fry to wait a few days and then check again - parents have a habit of herding the hatchlings into small hidden clusters where they're hard to see while they don;t move and absorb the yolk sacs until suddenly there's a free-swimmming "cloud". Just spotted a passle of Nanacara anomala as such.

 

[hollyfish2000]

Sam -- I think it may be your water sprite, which is continually trying to completely take over the tank, which gave him the cover he needed to stay alive. I'm ridiculously thrilled.

 

[mscichlid]

I finally decided to change the water in the 120 planted and saw something small swimming around. This time I PUT ON MY GLASSES to get a better look. Ottcinclus baby!

 

[jonclark96]

Awesome Franny!

 

[Avatar]

Sam -- I think it may be your water sprite, which is continually trying to completely take over the tank, which gave him the cover he needed to stay alive. I'm ridiculously thrilled.

"Ridiculously" no less - sorry to be missing that....

 

[Avatar]

Skeptical

I finally decided to change the water in the 120 planted and saw something small swimming around. This time I PUT ON MY GLASSES to get a better look. Ottcinclus baby!

Are you certain? Could be your just CRACKing up again....

 

[mscichlid]

Hardy har-har

 

[hollyfish2000]

for some reason I didn't think otos reproduced in captivity. But, seeing as how cute a full grown oto is, I can only imagine what cuteness a baby exudes!!!

 

[dankdabe]

I have a similar tale concerning a lone survivor fry, but mine has a little twist... I have to very prolific spawners, a pair of Jack Dempsey's in a 55 gallon. They tend to lay and raise fry up to the free swimming stage every 3 weeks or so. They usually let the kiddoes survive for a week or so of free swimming and then then there all gone, out of nowhere (time to spawn again...hahah). Anywho, I was cleaning my 55 Mbuna tank and accidentaly scared a mouthbrooding Lab SRT Hongi into spitting out two little guys. Snatched em up in a net before any of the lively tank mates got to em and decided to throw em in the JD tank... Interesting idea. I figured that the labs might have a slightly better chance hiding out in the JD tank. 2 weeks later, all the fry are gone save for one Lab and one JD. 1 week later, just the lab. That lab proceeded to live on for 3 more months, using a cavernous network in and around a huge piece of driftwood to hide. I would catch the JD's at the moment that they noticed the survivor and watch them dart over in a futile attempt to get him. Long story short, I acclimated him and he now lives with his parents and kin, a group of 7 Hongis, in my Mbuna tank.

 

[dankdabe]

The baby lab reunited and the tank(s) he lived in (stacked one on top of the other). Sorry, photos taken with my iphone, not the best quality

 

[mchambers]

Otos

for some reason I didn't think otos reproduced in captivity. But, seeing as how cute a full grown oto is, I can only imagine what cuteness a baby exudes!!!

From what I've read, it's quite rare, but does happen. A few years ago, two of my otos were clearly trying to reproduce, but I never saw any fry.

 

[Tony]

I find random survivors in my African tanks from time to time. It's pretty rare though... especially in tanks with synos in them. I think that the best survival rate of any of my tanks is in the overflows of my 180.

 

[illpoet]

hooray for holly's fish! its a good spring for fry i think!

 

[verbal]

From what I've read, it's quite rare, but does happen. A few years ago, two of my otos were clearly trying to reproduce, but I never saw any fry.

There is a guy in the Richmond/spotsylvannia area who is having some success breeding otos. He posts a fair amount on AquariaCentral and I think some on PlanetCatfish.com.

 

[verbal]

I had a pair of Strawberry apistos and for a while I would get about 1 survivor per spawn.