It's About Time!!!

[catsma_97504]

I have been struggling with my Smokeys (Blue and Pinoy) to get them to breed. At 1 year, they paired off and started spawning, but the males were not fertilizing the eggs. I was having a hard time accepting that every male was sterile, so I patiently waited and was becoming frustrated.

Then, about 4 months ago disease struck. I have spent enough money on drugs that I could have set up a 300G Saltwater tank by now!!! It has been quite a struggle. My 13 smokeys have dwindled down to just 3 . I now have a Blue Smokey female, Blue Smokey Pearlscale male and a Pinoy Smokey male that is Streaked.

The two Blues are my last pairing. They have been spawning all along, even with treating the tank for disease. I never collected the eggs as they never seemed to even hatch.

BUT.....a few weeks ago I found wrigglers!! They were gobbled up once they made it to free swimming. But I knew that my male had finally matured. Not wanting to spread disease, and not having a free tank for the pair, I waited for the next spawn and moved the eggs into a small tank.

And.....today I have free swimmers!!!! Had to dust off the BBS equipment as I haven't had any fry all year due to various issues. Hope the BBS eggs are good...lol

Here are photos of the parents..........

Blue Smokey Pearlscale, male:


Blue Smokey, female:

[Danburns]

How are they doing Dena?

[catsma_97504]

Growing little weeds! 2 weeks free swimming now. And noticed last night the larger ones were already starting to develop their extended dorsal/anal fins.

Thanks for checking Dan!

[Danburns]

Sweet! I'm very glad they are doing well for you. Will you be keeping some for future breeders?

[catsma_97504]

Yes, that is the plan. I purchased the Blue Smokeys and Pinoy Smokeys with the intent of breeding them. And got nervous when they started dropping like flies before I could breed them. I have a single Pinoy Smokey remaining. Not sure who I will try to breed him with.

Anyway, I will be selecting a few of the group to raise for the breeding program I had intended to start. And will be selling the rest once they are big enough to start shipping.

[Danburns]

That is good to hear. I will be wishing you all the best in success with this line and many, many sales in the future.

[catsma_97504]

Here's a better picture of the female. It appears she may also carry a gold or gold marble gene. I see some coloring in her dorsal, but it is fairly faint.



And a couple of not so good fry photos. They are almost 3 weeks free swimming.

[catsma_97504]

A few more photos. The largest fry are about the size of a small pea; but there are still many tiny ones. My water changer broke, and it is back to the bucket. Problem is that I have been sick for the past month, so water changes have been lacking. I suspect this is a major factor in the slower growth.

[catsma_97504]

Fry are now mostly pea sized an larger. They are a month old now. Enjoy the video.

[Danburns]

Hi Dena,
Sorry to hear that you've been sick for so long. Hope you get better soon! The fry are looking great and eating like mad in the video. Hope you get some great broodstock out of the batch.
Best wishes,
Dan