toddnbecka
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After cleaning the tank Saturday and relocating a female with a badly chewed tail, I was somewhat surprised to find a swarm of wigglers hanging in the Najas tonight. The pair has shown a recent increase in territorial behavior, keeping the other chanchitos "locked down" and under cover. The injured female was hiding under a plastic log, but her tail must have stuck out too far. They still don't seem to mind the pleco's though. I'm guessing the eggs were laid in the sunken ship ornament, the only thing I didn't disturb when I siphoned the sand (and moved the driftwood, rocks, etc. out of the tank in the process.) Then the nearly bare tank was left with a powerhead and quickfilter running for several hours to clear the water before putting the tank back together and pourung in 10 gallons of fresh water. I noticed the pair rearranging the Najas clump last night, but figured it was simply because it had been moved along with nearly everything else. One of the interesting things about these fish, the female hangs the fry onto plants rather than digging pits in the substrate. I looked into the tank a while ago and saw a mass in the floating Najas that I first thought was a clump of spixi eggs. Then I noticed the "spixi eggs" were a bit darker than normal and vibrating rapidly. Not only are they first-time parents, but the disturbance and subsequent rearranging of the tank would have been enough (I'd expect) to make 'most any fish eat their spawn.
Here's some pics of the wee ones (center, top) and the fierce pair:
Little Momma, stretching for 3":
The Swarm, yolk sacs and eyeballs sticking to the Najas:
Here's some pics of the wee ones (center, top) and the fierce pair:
Little Momma, stretching for 3":
The Swarm, yolk sacs and eyeballs sticking to the Najas:
