daily fry pics

Catfish fry Lucky.

Here in the same spot, with Momma nosing the substrate alongside.

This pic really shows Lucky's size. Momma is about to run over the fry. It's the little gray blob right in front of her nose- fry is facing forward.

I fed the cories gold pearls, but concerned the fry wasn't getting much. It kept searching back and forth against the tank wall, whereas the food was getting pulled slightly further into the tank by the filter current. Adults rooting around so avidly after the food I worried they would find all of it before Lucky got enough. However, a close look a little later showed me Lucky had a tummy full with the color of the food.

I had a bit more of a worry with the filter, my own mistake again. After rinsing it out the day before yesterday, I'd replaced the fine poly media (its just a little strip) in a different position- just under the sponge but outside the ballast housing. I thought this would reduce the bubbles getting caught under the poly and making a blub-blub noise. It did, but I think it also diverted flow from actually going through the main sponge- it was probably going readily thru the gap between layers instead. Because next day I noticed there was a lot more fine debris in the water column moving around in stronger current, the fry held its tail pinched and sat around listlessly, and the oto was in one spot breathing hard. I took the filter out and put the poly back inside the chamber. Tried to work the air out, but didn't get it all. There's a blub-blub again. Flow is normalized, stuff is obviously getting trapped on the sponge again, and the fishes feel better. Oto perked up immediately, and the fry recovered soon after.

I think it's better for the others, too- since I did the more thorough cleaning and bigger water change. Felix still has rounded ends to his barbels, but I think I see them growing out already. I was trying to get a photo to compare but he shies away from the camera like usual. Momma stared at it a fraction of a second longer before darting under the shelter of windelov driftwood after him. Oto is just visible on the top of skull, there.