Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Bayou Mollies

Collapse
X
Collapse
 
  • Page of 6
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts
Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 template Next
  • #61
    Re: Bayou Mollies

    How weird, I took pictures over this weekend and was about to post them on this thread!!  

    That one looks like a male - how big is he? I would definitely assume he's a molly, but his coloring is a bit different than those Max and I found...then again I've read a few accounts of the local variants of mollies and other natives, so... :)

    I'm going to gather up my pictures and I'll post them in a few minutes.
    "Millennium hand and shrimp!"

    Comment

    • #62
      Re: Bayou Mollies

      Okay, I know these are some HORRIBLE pictures, but one day last week the big guy was really showing off to this one female, he wouldn't leave her alone all day. (I found a batch of fry in the tank a day or two later, maybe that had something to do with it...) It really looked as though he was straining to make his sailfin as huge as possible, so I grabbed the camera. Keep in mind that while he's showing off, he's also darting around the tank at lightning speed, but I managed to get a couple that show how big he's gotten.  :)


      This one also shows the bacopa we found at the same place:


      "Millennium hand and shrimp!"

      Comment

      • #63
        Re: Bayou Mollies

        Wow! He's beautiful!

        Ellen

        Comment

        • #64
          Re: Bayou Mollies

          Sorry about the 3 posts in a row, but I forgot some things.

          First off, the first batch of fry that the isolated female had only has one surviving member.  :(  Not sure what happened, they died off over the course of a couple weeks, but at least there's still one. And this new batch has about 10 or 11, but is now down to about 8 I believe. I did notice one who seemed to have a problem getting off the "ground" after a couple days, and was swimming along the bottom for a day or two, but there was really nothing I could do.

          The next male is starting to color up, and his dorsal is getting larger, but it's only about the size of the big guy's back in October. I'm curious to see if he grows out as well, or if he waits until he can be "alpha." I imagine if he keeps growing at this rate there will be lots of fights in the near future.

          I'm thinking about moving a couple of them to the big tank (40g) in the next week or so...I've just been hesitant because I've become so attached to the other natives in there...think I'm being silly? I get nervous with mollies, the sailfins I had in the 40 originally were always having some sort of problem. I think I might try one of the smaller females...not sure whether or not to include another male, I don't want to set up complications. For instance, there's a male in the 40 right now (the last survivor of the Florida batch) but he's only about an 1 1/2 inches, so he runs the risk of being picked on by others, especially males. Maybe I'll just dump them all in there and let them work it out themselves...of course observing the little guy the whole time.    Sorry for the ramblings!  

          Edit: Thanks, Ellen! I'll let him know, although I suspect he's already pretty conceited.  :)
          "Millennium hand and shrimp!"

          Comment

          • #65
            Re: Bayou Mollies

            Nice little guy you got there Mzungu!
            700g Mini-Monster tank

            Comment

            • #66
              Re: Bayou Mollies

              Definitely a male, about 1". I was hoping to catch the one mystery fish this morning, but ended up discovering this one instead. I just brought him back to positively ID him, was going to release it and a "Damnbusia" (=skeeterfish!) I've had for a couple months now (cycling a new tank), but your recent pictures almost make me want to raise him up to see those tremendous colors and that fin.  
              "The measure of an education is that you acquire some idea of the extent of your ignorance." - Christopher Hitchens

              Comment

              • #67
                Re: Bayou Mollies

                Well, not only that, but you're really not supposed to release anything after you've taken it. Even if you're the most careful person in the world, you never know what could happen.  :)

                Thanks, ek!
                "Millennium hand and shrimp!"

                Comment

                • #68
                  Re: Bayou Mollies

                  Ahhh, see that's where you Houstonites have it over us Coloradans - go catch your own aquarium fish!  We have ... let's see... trout, trout, some occasional salmon species, pike, and hmmm trout!  Wish I could just go catch my own mollies or oscars (love those oscars).  Got a tank full of mollies (which generally isn't too difficult if you get two...), but would love to have the added fun of catching my own pets!  Lucky guys.
                  GOD is ALWAYS online!

                  Comment

                  • #69
                    Re: Bayou Mollies

                    Wait, don't you have trout there??

                    :wink:

                    Just a little update - the female with the missing gill cover seems to be reaching old age...she's eating a lot, though...I've stopped giving her what the other ones eat because I've been keeping the fry in there with her, and she's discovered she likes their food better. And since she seems to be getting thinner and thinner, no matter how much she eats, I figure it's okay for her to eat fatty fry foods. She's not wasting away or anything, but as the weeks go on she's looking much more thin. So I've been doing water changes more often, and just waiting for the (probably) inevitable.  :(  

                    Everyone else is doing great, though!  
                    "Millennium hand and shrimp!"

                    Comment

                    • #70
                      Re: Bayou Mollies

                      Parasites, maybe?

                      Raul
                      Raul
                      PokerFace

                      Comment

                      • #71
                        Re: Bayou Mollies

                        Originally posted by rrocket2002";p="
                        Parasites, maybe?
                        I second that hypothesis. Notice anything odd about the fish poo (clear/white, stringy, etc)? Have you tried a little metro mixed in with the food?

                        The male I caught has finally adapted to eating flake food and seems to be doing well. The sheepshead is eating well also although he seems to have lost weight. His tail fin is growing back nicely.

                        Colorado...dude, I would trade you all the mollies in Houston to switch spots with you! Plus there are TONS of interesting fish in Colorado streams, you just need to look harder!
                        "The measure of an education is that you acquire some idea of the extent of your ignorance." - Christopher Hitchens

                        Comment

                        • #72
                          Re: Bayou Mollies

                          That show off really looks good!

                          max

                          Comment

                          • #73
                            Re: Bayou Mollies

                            Until I read this thread, I never really thought to take a real close look at the fish living around the drainage ditches in the Chemical Plant where I work.

                            Today, I was totally shocked, to see mollies that had powder blue caudal fins with black tips, that had yellow heads and silver bodies.  They look from what I could tell, just like pics posted in some of this thread.

                            Amazing...

                            The males were really amazing, when the sunlight hit them just in the right spot...

                            too cool...
                            380G For Sale $3000 Acrylic tank & stand
                            300G Petrochromis Trewavasae and Tropheus mpimbwe Red Cheek & Duboisi
                            180G For Sale $1,100 Oceanic Cherry with Stand, T5HO Lights, (2) Eheim 2262
                            150G Tropheus Annectens Kekese & Ikola

                            Comment

                            • #74
                              Re: Bayou Mollies

                              Originally posted by saganco";p="
                              Ahhh, see that's where you Houstonites have it over us Coloradans - go catch your own aquarium fish!  We have ... let's see... trout, trout, some occasional salmon species, pike, and hmmm trout! !  
                              I grew up on Galveston and we have a few trout there.   We use them for bait when we go fishing for King Mackerel.  
                              'Dear Lord,' the minister began, with arms extended toward heaven and a rapturous look on his upturned face. 'Without you, we are but dust ...'
                              He would have continued but at that moment my very obedient daughter who was listening leaned over to me and asked quite audibly in her shrill little four-year old girl voice, 'Mom, what is butt dust?'

                              Comment

                              • #75
                                Re: Bayou Mollies

                                Crazy, huh? And by the Chemical Plant, no less! Let us know if you see anything else around there.  :)
                                "Millennium hand and shrimp!"

                                Comment

                                Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 template Next
                                Working...
                                X