Mortaine’s Blog

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(X-posted to and )

So, Sam the Eagle is being a very good daddy, and today I decided whether I want to take him out of the tank or leave him in.

If I take him out, I’ll be taking full responsibility for the 300 or so fry that have hatched (not that this isn’t my responsibility anyway), and will probably end up with an overcrowded grow-out tank.

If I leave him in….

There is a chance he will eat ALL the babies.

There is also a chance he will only eat the weak babies.

Betty Splendens male-raises many spawns with good success. She makes a point that most breeders can’t afford to do that, since every lost fish is lost potential profit.

But, see, I’m not in it for a profit. This is my first spawn. I’m in it for some fun, for a bit of coddling of my own maternal instinct, as a distraction from snacking (yes, I’m breeding fish to keep myself from running to the fridge), and to begin to establish my own breeding lines. In all such goals, a smaller, stronger/healthier spawn is preferable to an enormous spawn that I have to carefully watch for health and growth.

I’m leaving Sam the Eagle in. Sure, he might eat all of them. Or… maybe not. Maybe he’ll leave them alone. If he eats them all, I’ll try again. I have started feeding the babies (with vinegar eels and baby brine shrimp) and Sam, with a couple of bloodworms. He ignored them so I took them out so they wouldn’t foul the tank.