JLP
03-14-2009, 07:13 PM
Hi All,
I am a beginner at all this fish maddness. I am a college student, and in biology class one day I saved a very small fish from being eatten by ghost shrimp. I took her back to my dorm in a test tube, she grew up in a vase, and as she got bigger I finally got her a nice 5 gallon tank with filter, airator, marbles, rocks and plants. She turned out to be a long finned zebra danio. Once I learned what she was, and what was ideal for her I decided to buy her a mate to play with: one short finned zebra danio (m). Not two days after I introduced the male [who I was unaware was a male at the time ;-)] I had eggs scattered all over the bottom of my marbled tank. I seperated out the adutls and a week later I could count over 64 babies. Now that I have given away most of the offspring, (I have kept four and love watching them grow and play) am I am a little worried about Mom and Dad. Most of the time they chase one another all around the tank, through plants and squeeze between rocks and the wall, but every once-in-awhile I spot the both of them at the bottom the the tank, nesstled in the rocks next to each other. It seems that the female initiates this behavior and that when the male notices her, he goes and joins her. It almost looks like they are cuddling, but from my reading on the fish I know it is unusual for them to just lay at the bottom of the tank. This gal and I have been through so much together, she even travels three hours back and fourth from school with me. I would just be heart broken if anything were wrong with her. What do I do? Is she okay? I never saw her laying eggs the first time around, and she does flutter her fins once in awhile looking like a defensive goose, could she just be trying to spawn again? Her belly is getting big again, but not nearly as large as it was the first time around. If i tap the tank, she immediately perks up and begins swimming around again. Could she be sick? I am so worried about her!
HELP!
Dismayed College Kid, hoping to save her biology specimen!
I am a beginner at all this fish maddness. I am a college student, and in biology class one day I saved a very small fish from being eatten by ghost shrimp. I took her back to my dorm in a test tube, she grew up in a vase, and as she got bigger I finally got her a nice 5 gallon tank with filter, airator, marbles, rocks and plants. She turned out to be a long finned zebra danio. Once I learned what she was, and what was ideal for her I decided to buy her a mate to play with: one short finned zebra danio (m). Not two days after I introduced the male [who I was unaware was a male at the time ;-)] I had eggs scattered all over the bottom of my marbled tank. I seperated out the adutls and a week later I could count over 64 babies. Now that I have given away most of the offspring, (I have kept four and love watching them grow and play) am I am a little worried about Mom and Dad. Most of the time they chase one another all around the tank, through plants and squeeze between rocks and the wall, but every once-in-awhile I spot the both of them at the bottom the the tank, nesstled in the rocks next to each other. It seems that the female initiates this behavior and that when the male notices her, he goes and joins her. It almost looks like they are cuddling, but from my reading on the fish I know it is unusual for them to just lay at the bottom of the tank. This gal and I have been through so much together, she even travels three hours back and fourth from school with me. I would just be heart broken if anything were wrong with her. What do I do? Is she okay? I never saw her laying eggs the first time around, and she does flutter her fins once in awhile looking like a defensive goose, could she just be trying to spawn again? Her belly is getting big again, but not nearly as large as it was the first time around. If i tap the tank, she immediately perks up and begins swimming around again. Could she be sick? I am so worried about her!
HELP!
Dismayed College Kid, hoping to save her biology specimen!