CanadaquaBetween Pond and Tanks

BN update

The second batch just hatched, they’re wriggling away,  still attached to the cave wall, all pale and see-through, and there’s definitely more of them this time. Around 20, maybe? Daddy’s keeping watch, and I don’t want to freak him out w/ the flashlight.

BN eggs

Update: The babies are barely 3/4″, and we already have eggs again. At this rate I’ll have to part the lovers. I don’t have room for so many babies. They’re awfully cute, though, I must say.

BN hatchlings

This morning all but three have left the cave, but daddy’s vigilant to the end. He’s just declared a blood feud on French-cut green beans.

BN Hatchlings

I think 5 of them have left the cave now. Here are some pics of daddy doing the guarding thing, the cave dwellers and one of the bold explorers.

 

BN Eggs

The first two or three enterprising youngsters have left the cave and are whizzing around all over the tank. Daddy’s still faithfully guarding the bulk of them, chilling in the cave.

BN Eggs

Just snuck a peek into the cave with a flashlight. Very briefly, so as not to set daddy BN off again. Some of the eggs seem to have hatched, still attached to the wall, but lotsa wiggling going on in there.

BN Eggs

He’s fanning those eggs furiously every time I look. And when he sees me coming around the corner, he turns and displays his barbs. He might only be two inches long, but he’s fierce, baby.

BN Eggs

Came home Sunday night to my BN pair’s first eggs. Only a few of them in the cave, but the male is taking his daddy duties very seriously. I was trying to help him along today by dropping an algae cookie by his side, and he wen completely ballistic. Muck churning, he drove that little tablet as far away from the cave as possible. I think we can safely say the algae cookie is dead now. Whoa.

Quiet Sunday

A bit of clean-up around the house in preparation for The Big Freeze ™. I was just going to do a round of checking on things, but it was so nice outside that I spent about 2 hours, snipping here, moving there, weeding a bit, storing pots, watching the fish in the pond … Very restful.

Otherwise spent the day around fish tanks, doing water changes and cleaning filters. The guppy family seems to have settled in nicely, as have the little goldfish, who don’t scare the minnows anymore. Not too much, anyway.

We had another glorious day

… and did the fall clean-up. The tiger raked leaves, and I heaved the tropicals out of the pond (he helped me with the big one) and potted them up, and cut down the perennials. Most of the water hyacinths landed on the compost. I just left three in there to give the fish some cover, but they do turn very icky after the first frost.

Finally I netted the goldfish babies (I found 5) to overwinter them in the tank downstairs. Two of them are about 1 1/2″ inches and thus prolly big enough to survive on their own, but the other three are under 1″, so they all came out. Easier than trying to catch only the little ones, and why take chances.

The minnows immediately schooled tightly and went into partial hiding, but the suckermouths were completely unfazed by their new tankmates:

goldfish