I have to admit I wondered what was so great about these spawn diaries and things, watching Admiral and Jaws spawn was cool and all, but watching the babies grow up has got to be one of the greatest learning experiences of my life. I have never in my life seen so many fish in the same tank with so many different personalities. Even now, when they all look alike (Silver-blue) a few of them are so different I can tell them apart from the others and have given them names.
The Boss:
He is the biggest of all the babies, at 5 weeks old he is over half an inch in length, and can best be described as a doughnut with fins. He gets what he wants to eat, when he wants to eat it, and not a fish dares to take it from him. He is the first to try new foods, and usually the only one who can eat the largest bits anyway. Amazingly, he's also the gentlest of the whole group and has never chased or nipped any other fish.
Clutch:
I thought this little dude had a neurological disease, but apparently he's just stupid. I first noticed this little guy when I was watching the fish eating and noticed this was the only one who didn't have a doughnut-belly. Why does he not have a loaded belly? Through trial and error I discovered that it was not because the food was too big or that he was getting picked on or anything reasonable. No, he has a life ambition to eat the tank.
After careful observation I discovered that right after I feed the other fish, he begins eating the tank wall (or trying to) when food is actually dumped on his head, he gets the idea and will switch between eating food and eating the tank. Definately a few bloodworms short of a canister.
Tram:
A few days back I was too tired to cut a daphnia cube in half and thaw it in water with a whole brine shrimp cube and so I just dunked in entire cube into the tank and went off to lay down. When I came back, all the fishies were surrounding the cube staring at it.
What was this strange beast that stood like a tower at the bottom of their tank? It was thawed and warm, but their food has never been presented to them in a pile before. So one of the medium sized, an extra long, stream lined fish solved the problem. He swam back, turned around, charged the cube and KABLAM!!! daphnia all over the tank. He turned, charged the cube-with-a-rather-large-hole-in-it and KABLAM!! daphnia was sprinkled over the entire tank. So all the fish peacefully picked up their tidbits, problem solved.
There are many more I know from unusual shape, color, or deeds, but they don't have any names yet. I look forward to sending you guys more pictures when they hold still for one second!
The Boss:
He is the biggest of all the babies, at 5 weeks old he is over half an inch in length, and can best be described as a doughnut with fins. He gets what he wants to eat, when he wants to eat it, and not a fish dares to take it from him. He is the first to try new foods, and usually the only one who can eat the largest bits anyway. Amazingly, he's also the gentlest of the whole group and has never chased or nipped any other fish.
Clutch:
I thought this little dude had a neurological disease, but apparently he's just stupid. I first noticed this little guy when I was watching the fish eating and noticed this was the only one who didn't have a doughnut-belly. Why does he not have a loaded belly? Through trial and error I discovered that it was not because the food was too big or that he was getting picked on or anything reasonable. No, he has a life ambition to eat the tank.
After careful observation I discovered that right after I feed the other fish, he begins eating the tank wall (or trying to) when food is actually dumped on his head, he gets the idea and will switch between eating food and eating the tank. Definately a few bloodworms short of a canister.
Tram:
A few days back I was too tired to cut a daphnia cube in half and thaw it in water with a whole brine shrimp cube and so I just dunked in entire cube into the tank and went off to lay down. When I came back, all the fishies were surrounding the cube staring at it.
What was this strange beast that stood like a tower at the bottom of their tank? It was thawed and warm, but their food has never been presented to them in a pile before. So one of the medium sized, an extra long, stream lined fish solved the problem. He swam back, turned around, charged the cube and KABLAM!!! daphnia all over the tank. He turned, charged the cube-with-a-rather-large-hole-in-it and KABLAM!! daphnia was sprinkled over the entire tank. So all the fish peacefully picked up their tidbits, problem solved.There are many more I know from unusual shape, color, or deeds, but they don't have any names yet. I look forward to sending you guys more pictures when they hold still for one second!
I can just see him...
They're all so unique, it's adorable 
