I was getting frustrated with my male's apparent incompetence at raising large numbers of fry to free-swimming. I finally decided to bite the bullet and try artificial hatching. My first attempt was an abject failure! Despite picking out the obvious bad eggs morning and night, the entire spawn eventually dissolved into some truly disgusting smelling goop. It was so sad to see the eggs with obvious back bones and eyes just go caput over night.
I'm happy to report that my next attempt appears to be a success! (So far). I bought some methylene blue and added one drop to a shallow cup of water floating in the parents' tank. Lots of little ones bobbing around today. It seems as if the larger the burdigala become, the BIGGER their spawns get...there must be at least 40 eggs in there. We'll see how many fry make it!
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