I had four females holding as of this morning: 2 young Yellow Labs, 1 Acei, 1 Cop. Azureus. The first Yellow Lab spit during the day, and I now have 6 fry happily swimming in the breeding net.
I put the new mom into my 6G as a holding tank for her since she'll go into my 33G with several other labs and the Demasoni when I finish setting it up.
Suddenly I notice: there's a DARK fry in there with her! "Oh, no," I think, "she spawned with a dark species and now I face the dilemma of baby hybrids!"
Then I see another dark fry and I remember what happened 3 days ago: I came home and found my Lab. Hongi female had spat with no survivors in that very tank.
The lesson for me and a good reminder for others: I assumed too readily that there were no fry in that tank. It turns out 2 L. Hongi did in fact survive from this second brood... but I might have missed them and done something fatal to them with the tank had I not seen them with the Yellow Lab.
So by comparison the ending is a happy one. I'll combine the Hongi and Yellow Lab. fry, and add in the others who will be about the same age when their mothers spit within the next couple of weeks. They should make a nice batch to grow out together.
Congrats, Don! Bouncy
Glad to hear the hongi fry are safe! the Clap
I've had fry turn up in the strangest places, Don...
We've transferred them with nets from one tank to another, found them living in the filter system, and everytime we remove rocks to deep clean we unearth all kinds of fry!
You may have more you just haven't found yet!
Kim
I've had the same thing happen to me. When you make a lot of good hiding spots for those little fry, they take advantage of them and you can have a really hard time spotting them.
Like Kim, I've also found a few in filters on the main tanks. I don't know how they survive in there!
I'm glad you didn't have to deal with hybrids. That's always a tough one for me.
Heehee I had that happen to me once and pretty much said the same curse words until I realized I had a previous spitter that ate all her fry and some little grey peacocks showed up in my yellow labs mouth!