well, from my counting it appeared there was closer to 600 eggs in that last nest. marina, i also thought the current was too strong in that particular spot, which is while i put my tiles in areas of slower water movement. but apparently it didnt matter, the eggs were still very dense and definetely all fertilized. as of last night, about 95% of original nest was still present and very ready to hatch. so after the lights when out i stayed up to watch...but again, every time i checked, nothing was happening.
and, as of this morning only about two dozen or so eggs remain. so, i think im just missing the hatch. even though hours after the lights go out, the nest still looks the same. perhaps mine are hatching very early in the morning. what happens to the egg cases after the fry leave? are they consumed by the parents, or do they detach and drift away?
my rotifer populations are blossoming, ive gotten the phyto culturing down, and one of my favorite local stores, WAVES, has been sponsoring me with any of the reeds mariculture products i may need. so this next nest i should be ready to rear.