Whiptail eggs.

saraya · Post by **saraya** » 12 Dec 2006, 20:48

I have eggs! (About 40.)
http://s25.photobucket.com/albums/c80/s ... t=egg2.jpg
Will try for better pictures.
A whiptail has laid eggs on my Fluval 4. Itâ??s sitting over the top of them and fanning them.
I am a little surprised as I only have 2 whips, and Shane IDâ??d them as being different species. One a Sturisoma aureum and the other a Sturisomatichthys leightoni.
Can these whips cross breed?
Or is there a chance the ID was wrong?
Should I be doing anything? (Apart from panicking?)
They are in a 200L with a L47, L333 and L128, (All about 4 inches.) Cardinals, Praecox, Neons and Pentazona Barbs. Do they stand a chance of surviving â?? or do I have to try and move the filter and parents?

I will go and read up as much as I can. In the mean time, any advice much appreciated!

Thank you!

flash · Post by **flash** » 12 Dec 2006, 23:27

hi saraya
i breed both sturisoma and Sturisomatichthys they will cross and the eggs do hatch .the best way to save any is to remove the eggs at day 5 when they go dark .they will not survive in a mixed tank .the cardinals love em .but saying that its not realy a good idea to let them cross as there are to many hybrid/cross fish .the sturisoma family aneus,panamense,festivum all interbreed easily and i have seen young fish in the shops that i realy cant tell apart if i were you i would leave them in your tank and look for opposite sex partners for your fish and then split the pairs up .

flash

saraya · Post by **saraya** » 13 Dec 2006, 06:10

Thanks for your reply.

In the unlikely event of any surviving in my experienced hands â?? I will definitely hang on to them. Being my first spawn ever though â?? I canâ??t bring myself to get rid of the eggs â?? and will try my best with them.

From what I have read, getting eggs is the easy part and getting fry to feed is really difficult. Is there any advice you can give me there on food and feeding methods?
Many thanks!

saraya · Post by **saraya** » 22 Dec 2006, 08:54

I have 4 fry in the breeding trap. (Day 2 from hatching.) I couldn?t find any other survivors in the tank though. I haven?t a clue if I?m doing things correctly! I have the trap on the front of the tank they were spawned in - in the direct flow of the spray bar.
I?m unsure as to if they have fed. I?ve fed some powdered fry food. A lot of it just sticks to the sides of the net trap, but the babies do seem to hover around that area. I also added a shelled mushed pea last night. 2 were on it this morning ? but they could just be using it the way a plec likes to hang on to bogwood I suppose, as there is no where else for them to hide.

I was a bit worried about the lights heating the water at the top of the tank too much ? so I have kept the lights off, except for feeding and siphoning off powdered food from the net. I hope to try and find some micro worms from somewhere this afternoon.

Mum looks really fat, and they are both hanging out on the filter again. I?m not sure how quickly they can spawn again ? but this is what they did prior to the first spawn.

I realise the chances of survival are almost non existent ? but they are so cute! Even at this size the tan saddle markings are visible. I?m still trying to get clear pics.
Any other suggestions for feeding would be much appreciated.