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hey folks,

i bought a dozen tiny pencilfish 4 weeks ago, they've since doubled in size and today the alpha male and female were breeding! really interesting - the other ten just hung out together mid-tank while the male guarded the right hand side of the tank, and when the egg-laden female came his way he'd guide her into the plants and she'd lay 5 or 6 eggs at a time. lovely to watch, and the male's colour are just great! i've added some new photos of the pencils to my collection - you can clearly see the difference between the alpha male and the subordinate males. i'll post the link in the photobooth.

I'm not usually one for compliments, but after seeing your tank, it's really no surprise. Happy breeding, or something.

Good job. What species are they? Some are easier to spawn than others, and my unifasciatus have shown no signs of breeding behavior.

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

They looked small in the photo booth. I thought they were ripples in the bag LOL. Good Job! Pencil fish have not yet made their way down to Nawleans yet. Wish they would..

FreeBlaze /:'

Congratulations


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Member of the Malta Aquarist Society - 1970.
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sirbooks, they are beckford's pencilfish. i'd say they're just over an inch long now.

Good job. Are you planning on trying to save the fry?

Last edited by OldTimer at 08-May-2005 20:35

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Water, taken in moderation, cannot hurt anybody. -- Mark Twain

Beckford's are supposed to be the only ones that aren't very hard to breed.

hey old timer - (great avatar by the way) the eggs didn't even hit the ground, what with hordes of tetras (and the mother herself) helping themselves to fresh caviar... if any fry hatch they'll quickly be devoured.

Beckford's reportedly have the unusual habit not just of eating their eggs, but of the male actually hanging around underneath the female's abdomen and gobbling down each individual egg the moment she produces it -- thus allowing very few to escape, unlike most egg-eating fish who limit their cannibalism to waiting until all the eggs have been produced and then trying to track some down. Combine this with the fact that male Beckford's sometimes get so wrapped up in challenging each other with their shimmy-dance that they completely forget about the female (who has to go swimming after them to remind them what all the fuss is supposed to be about), and one can't help thinking that they're a little Unclear On The Concept where reproduction is concerned. It may be a tribute to their viability that the species is still widespread anyway.