Keeping me waiting!

I recently paired these two, as mentioned in another thread...
Dad


Mum


When I went to work on the 2nd Feb, she was looking nice and fat and her breeding tube was down. Now I normally check on my fish at least twice a day (morning and evening), but on this occation I went out straight from work and didn't return until after the lights had gone out. However the following morning, she was much slimmer and appeared to be guarding something on the rear of the breeding cone.

On the 5th, curiosity got the better of me and I gently rotated the cone, and saw what were either eggs close to hatching, or newly hatched wrigglers. I rotated the cone back and left them in peace.

Yesterday (9th) they moved the wrigglers to the glass on the side of the tank.
Today (10th) they're still there!

Water temperature is 82f, normally I'd expect eggs to hatch within 48 hours and fry to go free swimming 4 or 5 days after that. Yet here I am, still waiting 8 days after they laid!

Interestingly her previous batch (with a different male) also took 8 days from laid to free swimming, maybe she lays particularily large eggs?

Yes I have a pair that the fry takes ages to go freeswimming, most of the pairs have the fry freeswimming by day 7 or 8.

Mine go freeswimming on day 7 or 8, so yours aren't really behind Lisa's or mine.

Well they were up and swimming this morning, not a huge batch (probably about 100) but still nice to see.
I have high hopes for these, not so much for this generation, but for their potential as mates for some of my other lines.

How exciting. I'm looking forward to updates.

Yesterday morning all appeared well, when I got home from work yesterday evening all the babies were gone, I don't know if they died, or if the parents ate them. So i'm going to have to hope that the parents try again soon.

What a shame, its anoying when that happens.

Oh well Rob, better luck next time.