Attempt Number Two

Around a month ago I made a post detailing the fact that two of my Angelfish -Beauty and Beast- had laid eggs!!

Well unfortunately....a day or so later.
All the eggs had vanished. Y_Y 
Foo.

I came home from church to discover that the leaf the eggs had been sitting on....was completely barren. 
Well...nearly completely.
As one of my plecos was hanging out on the leaf....

Causing me to wonder if he'd eaten all the eggs.....
Or if the angelfish themselves had eaten the eggs.

As I had noticed some of them turning pure white.
Which usually means the egg has gone bad. Y_Y 

So my angelfish's first attempt at being parents....
Didn't fare so well. Y_Y 
And I figured "Well they tried!" 

And thought that they probably wouldn't try again for a while.

Well....

You guessed it. :) 

Beauty and Beast once again attempted to become parents!!

Last week I discovered eggs on the post of one of my ship decorations. 
-They'd switched to a different spot from last time. More off to the side and easier to defend. 

And I only happened to notice the bundle of eggs on the post because I saw that my other fish....had switched up their usually swimming grounds.

As most of the fish in my tank have their 'sections' they like to swim in.
And their sections had shifted further to the right.
Leaving the left side of the tank barren....except for Beauty and Beast.

A close look at the ship post.
And there were the eggs!!
Beauty and Beast were going for round two! 

And a day or so later....
The eggs had actually hatched!! ()_()
You could see these wiggling white masses on the post. 
Which meant.
The eggs were fertile!
The eggs had hatched!!

Woot!!

Now these little wigglies as I called them....wouldn't move from the post for five or so days.
As they just kinda sit there absorbing their egg sac.
Which meant....
Yah still a ton of potential for all the babies to disappear.

Especially since I was disappearing for a long weekend to go see that Eclipse up in Wyoming lol. 

But upon seeing the wigglies, I did some quick research,
And discovered that it's best for their survival to leave a light on for them.
So the angelfish could see their babies....and not forget that they were their babies and eat them. :S 

So for the past weekish I've been leaving one of the fish tank lights on 24/7 
Just to keep the baby fishies safe.
Worrying the entire time I was in Wyoming if they would still be there when I got back.

They were. ^^ 

I mean, there were less of them than the very beginning. 
But they were there!!

And today.
The little wigglies made their first sojourns into being fry. 
As they are now freely swimming about the tank.

Well...about their little post lol.
Beauty and Beast are being really protective of their children. 
Still keeping the fish away from their brood. 

Which makes feeding a bit difficult because those fry are still bite sized.

There's around twenty currently swimming around their parents. 

And they're the most adorable things ever!!

But they don't really look like angelfish yet lol.
It's going to be another couple of weeks before they get their angel looking fins. 
And like another 8 weeks or so before they'll get dime sized...and hopefully large enough to survive without being eaten by my other fish.

Soooo there's a long way to go in this process.
A very very long way.
But I'm excited to see how it all turns out!
See how many end up making it.
And just see how Beauty and Beast continue to be amazing parents protecting their young. ^^

Until you next see these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi