My Deepwater Cave Basslet is pregnant

[stklaw]

Hi there. I am pretty convinced my Deepwater Cave Basslets have taken a shot at captive breeding, which could be a first from what I have/haven't read. If someone could confirm this would be great (pic attached). My plan to collect the larvae is to hopefully be home at the moment she releases them into the water column, and both catch with shrimp net and suction with small Python syphon into isolation tank. They would be in a 5g with a bio sponge filter aerating. Add live copepods. Try phyto and zoo plankton. Live baby brine. But I would covet any advice you can share. Thank you,
Steve

 

[JohnL]

How cool. Good luck Steve.

 

[reefing102]

Hmm I’ve never bred any fish besides mollies before, so I’m not sure what these guys are as babies. If it’s anything like a hatched fish, feeding live copepods may be risky at first and may need to feed live Rotifers (and plankton as you mentioned) before the baby brine. @VWD @wvned I think they have some experience breeding fish or at least sea horses (though not this particular type)

 

[wvned]

I have raised many cichlids but no marine fishes. Newly hatched brine at first was all I needed for them.

 

[griss]

Awesome and best of luck.

 

[kharmaguru]

Not to be discouraging, but any fish I ever had that looked like that had digestive issues and was constipated. They never made it.

 

[JohnL]

Not to be discouraging, but any fish I ever had that looked like that had digestive issues and was constipated. They never made it.

Maybe @leebca has some thoughts.

 

[leebca]

Not sure this fits the 'picture' of a pregnant fish as that of a fish with abdominal stress. Has the excrement been seen and if so, what does it look like? Is the fish still eating and if so, eating what? How long has this fish been in the aquarium?

I'd like to see a 1+ minute video, under white light, of this fish (as best as can be, since they do like to hide).

This is an article of which I am aware that describes the Rearing and Spawning of Liopropoma spp.