Fish Abundantly.

It’s all about the fish and nothing but the fish… I have two fish tanks now: The Main Tank and The Baby (Holding) Tank.

The two holding females have been in the “Holding Tank” for a week or so now. Momma #1 was agitated most of last week, rubbing against the rocks in the bottom of the tank. I noticed her gills were swollen and inflamed and I fretted that she had some sort of infection. Then I learned that sometimes, when their time is close, they expand their gills to make more room in their mouth for the babies. How cool is that?

One baby escaped from her mouth Saturday morning. She seemed a bit startled at that, nipped at him and brought him back in. Then later, she let another one out, but he wanted back in right away.

Sunday morning, the Holding Tank officially became The Baby Tank. She let them all out. (Video 1) (Video 2) The babies looked like little crickets, swimming in short spurts, appearing for all the world as if they were hopping across the bottom of the tank. Whereever Momma swam, they herded after her (Video). She would pause and they would “hop” up and bump against her lower lip, knocking for entrance. She let them in and pushed them out several times that first day (Video). When she perceived a threat (someone entering the room, for instance), she pulled them in, sometimes 10 at a time. And at night, all the babies were in – for protection, of course.

I bottle-captured Momma #1 out of The Baby Tank today and put her in a breeder net in The Main Tank, we’re waiting for all the other fish to go to sleep before I let her back in The Main Tank. The idea being that if she is introduced during the night while the fish rest, she’s less likely to get beaten up than if I were to put her back in during daylight.

Then I bottle-captured Momma #2 and put her in a breeder net hanging off The Baby Tank, so she won’t harass Fry #1 or accidentally mix them up with hers once she spits her babies. I mean, can you imagine keeping 25 kids straight in your mind? Well, 50 kids, once she spits hers.

So, I was thinking about what lesson I could pull from all this fish stuff. The biggest one, I suppose, is aren’t you glad you didn’t have to birth your kids 10 times a day?