Oh no, not now, it's too soon, we're not ready!!!!

[sherry]

Okay.. one of my little girl apistos is all yellow and the new male cac, here for just a week, the one I thought wasn't as virile or as handsome as the fella who died, is following her around as they explore every cave in the joint.

I even threw an extra coconut shell into the tank since the rosenthal caves I bought to protect them from my mean plecos became homes for each of the 2 said mean plecos.. I ddn't even think they could fit.

And the horrible rummies have yet to be caught and tank evicted.. tho the fish trap is on it's way I swear ...

so I don't have much hope for this brood, but my kids are trying to make kids.

Oh and aspen, mike, you both were so right about my plecos. The fish I thought I loved are now lurking around the coconut shell as if they KNOW something is going on. I am beginning to resent them.

Pencils are comign slowly, splash tetras are here... but the bad guys are still in teh picture.


will my cacs try again or will they be so traumatized taht they will call it quits?


I can't believe this is happening already. the girls are barely an inch long sans fins.. the boy is bigger but not nearly as big as the old male...

I thought they were all still kids!!!

today's youth!

 

[aspen]

just as an fyi, i watched 2 very young dwarf spotted bn plecos stalk, attack and eat cacatuoides fry which the parents couldn't defend. the plecos are max 1".

she had moved the brood into a wide open area of the tank and the plecos would stalk them, springing on them from around a flower pot. plecos BAD in tank used for raising fry. i wouldn't have thought these 2 tiny plecos would do that. oh well, next time. they are in another tank now. it is just the trio in there now.

male cac is a decent size, female is max 1 1/4".

my macmasteri pair are in a 35 with a 4" bn pleco who takes up residence on top of the pot the female is in, with his mouth over the hole. guess what he's doing. he actually will spring on the female and the male trying to catch them. maybe i should start feeding these guys, but i don't want pleco shi# all over the place in that tank. i've got some oto's and some sae's for that planted tank in quarentine.

rick

 

[sherry]

yeah. I do hear you.. it is depressing.

It's not that I need to go into the breeding biz, it is just that I hate the idea of the fry not having a chance. I think the plecos may find a home in my friend's 125. She loves plecos and would probably accept a couple more.

I think it is too late for this brood... It will be a few days before I have the rummys all caught too.. but soon.

I came to the cacs and pencils plan backward. Originally my cacs were supposed to be "centerpiece' fish for everyone else. I just fell in love.

 

[aspen]

i moved the last of the fry. that was not smart, i wasn't really set up and they were too small. if i had that decision to make again i'd have gotten the buggers out of there.

use 2 nets, it is easy to guide the fish into a larger stationary net with a smaller mobile one. rummy's are very quick, but you know that already.

the stupid pleco thing with me would have been better solved before i had the fry than after. but i kinda like them. they'll like their new home, but the food won't be as good.

rick

 

[sherry]

I tried two nets, several times and got exactly one out of 10 rummys out. The tank is well planted.. pretty to see but tough to work with when you want to "evict" a tenant.

I ordered the fish trap .. the professional version of the diy one.. .which has the fish swim in thru sort of a funnel, which makes it harder for them to find their way out the tinier hole.

It is on its way and may be my best chance of NOT tearing up the tank.

You sort of catch everyone at one moment or another but you can pour the folks that are staying back into the tank.

I don't have hope for this particular brood.

I feel terrible about the plecos. but they will have a very happy life with four times teh room in a pal's tank. Too bad my nyc flat is so tiny. or I'd give into multiple tank syndrome in a flash