I wanted to get a photo of a Microctenopoma congicum bubble nest. So I put a pair in a 10 gallon. I cut a piece of driftwood so it fit snugly across the tank at the surface, front to back. This created a flatwater zone, and the male obliged by building a lovely nest in there last week. I got my photos, but I could see no signs of the male guarding, and the nest gradually broke up.
This morning, I spotted an unexpected movement, and realized I had at least 50 tiny silver fry out in the brightest part of the tank. I grabbed some powdered krill fines, and I guess I'm raising African anabantoids again.
It's a beautiful fish, but if I raise all 50, I have no clue what I can do with them. The fish is very tough, but it gets along fine with equally sized tankmates. They don't get pushed around, and can beat up Cichlids, but they don't care to. If another fish starts a fight, they'll learn something.
I won't count my chickens yet, but I should be able to raise another generation of a cool and very hard to find fish. Just like that. Accidents of the good variety happen in single species tanks.
