First babies leave home... *sniff*!

[NicoleC]

Wow, that was hard! They all trustingly swam right into a specimen container and I scooped them out for inspection. The too-small ones and the rejects snuggled with my hand as I was trying to put them back in the tank. Finally two trusting little clowns got dumped into a bag -- THEN they got awfully scared! Awwww...

And the guy took my favorite, of course! She had no tail stripe and just a dot for her second stripe. But she was also the meanest bully. It didn't take long for the other big bully to start putting everyone in their place.

I should have at least a couple of more go in the next two days, to try to lighten the bioload on the baby tank before I go out of town -- and I have a volunteer coming by to do a 5g water change halfway through my trips, so I think my babies will be okay.

It's hard not to want to keep them all! (Even with the daily water changes.) But I guess they don't stay babies forever, and it's gotta happen...

 

[gemini aquarius(t)]

im sorry but its your first thing to make money back

 

[NicoleC]

LOL! There's no danger of me making any money at this.

 

[Nagel]

Nicole,

Glad to hear they are moving to other places! You gotta be proud to at least do a little part in relieving some of the wild caught pressures (yeah yeah, its not alot in the grand scheme)..

Let me tell you, when I had my breeding pair of Banggais a few years ago, the first few that I sold / traded / gave away were tough. But to hear from their owners in a year or two that THEY were now spawning, producing grandbabys for my parents, well now, that makes it all worth it. I think the clincher was I managed to blindly pick a pair for a couple who really wanted a PAIR.. at the size they took them, there was no way to tell, and when they told me they were raising spawns, it made it all worth it.

Now don't start to scare me. I have regularly spawning black and orange ocellaris, perculas, and a few other non-spawning pairs, plus I should be grabbing a spawning pair of wolf eels soon (I got 2 dozen day old babies from their current owner last night!)

I fear vacation is a word I might never get to know again..

 

[ediaz]

 

[NicoleC]

 

[mako56]

Must be a Ma thing. I have my babies now about 3/4" long and was talking about where to sell them when they get big enough and my wife who is not really into the tank thing that much says you can't get rid of them. :lol: How old are yours that you are selling now?

 

[NicoleC]

They were hatched January 15th, so they should be... 96 days?

A few more went tonight. I think all my big bullies are gone now -- I am sure they will be replaced soon, but at least I get to see if some frayed fins will grow back.

Every fish I sell means 10 left in the ocean... every fish I sell means 10 left in the ocean...

 

[David M]

Nicole/ Nagel, speak English please. What the heck is a vacation ??

 

[Kathy55g]

Nicole, how many did you get from this your first hatch?

 

[NicoleC]

I had about 50 hatch out; about 20-25 survived the first 3 days, I did not lose any more after that. I *think* I had 22, but it might be 23... too hard to count!

 

[Kathy55g]

That's fantastic for a first try! Congrats!

 

[NicoleC]

Yeah, well I went through the Watchman Goby Training Course, so I had some of the basic skills down already. Too bad I got such a lousy hatch rate, but considering I just tossed in a tank on a whim with an airstone, I guess I did okay.

 

[spk]

Nicole,

Always the hardest time. Saying good bye to those that you hae raised.

Vikki, better half , felt the same with the Bagnaii's, but she wanted tank size, location, feeding regime information too

But hey less from the wild and that is the goal.

Wait till you have to let one of the kids go that is even worse.

Steve

 

[mako56]

:lol: Ya I guess I will see how it feels sure hope it ain't as bad as kids didn't think that was going to be such a big deal either but I had a hard time sleeping for a couple nights when the oldest moved out on his own.