FRY!!!
After a month of careful maintenance, I found four red wagtail swordtail fry! It's been a battle- mom got an ich infection early on (a kind of skin parasite) and there was some kind of nitrate explosion (nitrates are the end product of the processing of fish poo by bacteria- they aren't horrific for fish, but in large enough quantities can be toxic) I was worried that her body would reabsorb them and we'd have to wait another month.
But now they're here! They're about the size of a grain of rice, and rather slow swimming- until another fish comes by, then they're like little rockets! I'm sure there's more swimming in the plants that I just haven't found yet, as swordtails can have dozens of fry at once.
Even though they're probably less than 24 hours old, I can already see some of their parents' markings. SO CUTE!!!
But now they're here! They're about the size of a grain of rice, and rather slow swimming- until another fish comes by, then they're like little rockets! I'm sure there's more swimming in the plants that I just haven't found yet, as swordtails can have dozens of fry at once.
Even though they're probably less than 24 hours old, I can already see some of their parents' markings. SO CUTE!!!