Last Post

I have named this post the Last Post for two reasons. The first reason is the Last Post to the Siamese Fighter, who I found dead at the bottom of the tank yesterday morning. As he was one of my favourite fish, he will be missed in the tank, though I guess any baby fish will not as they now have a chance to survive and not become a fast food snack for him. I will be replacing him next year.

The second reason is that this will be the Last Post of the year. It has been an interesting year with setting up the tank, acquiring the fish and plants, dealing with the few problems that have arisen and the general upkeep of the tank.

Thanks to all of you who follow the blog. Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Babies Update

We now have 6 baby Platties in the breeding trap and there are still 7 swimming around the tank. I have decided not to try and catch every one of the babies, as the tank is starting to get full, so I have decided to let nature take its course. Seems nature is already having an effect and the Siamese fighter is not well and appears to have Dropsy. I cannot tell if it is from eating all the baby fish or from some infection.

Out With The Old, In With The New

While L was feeding the fish this morning, she noticed a few new babies swimming around the bottom. When I got home tonight, I was able to catch 3 of the 4 that I saw. They look different to the baby Mollies, and I suspect they are Platties. So I had to fish out the breeding trap which had just been put away. Luckily I am acquiring new fish without paying a penny :-)

Two of the three waiting to go into the breeding trap

By the look of the Siamese Fighter's stomach, someone has had their Xmas dinner early

Freed Babies

Today I decided that the baby Mollies were getting too big for the breeding trap and decided to release them into the tank. I gave them a quick feed and half an hour later released them. Just after I released them, I dropped some frozen bloodworms into the tank to distract the other fish from the presence of the babies. Mommy molly still found them and reminded them who ruled the tank, but so far they seem to be settling in.