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Spawn #7: Steel Blue DTM (From Straits) X Royal Blue STF (From Straits)
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Spawn Description: The Steel Blue DTM is a very young male that was purchased from Straits. Initially, I couldn't find a compatible female for him and was put on waiting list in my spawning program. It is only on the 01 May 2002 (Labor Day) that the female was acquired from Straits again.
Just 2 days into her new home, the Royal Blue STF was put to the mating ritual. I have to say that the female is a very beautiful lady of good potential of producing HM fries as her parentage trace back to HM parents from Straits. Her caudal rays are quite straight and with tertiary ray splits.
- Steel Blue DTM: nice DT loops, > 170 degree - Royal Blue STF: 120 degree, tertiary spilts
The pair was put together on 04 May 2002 night and was seen spawning the next morning at 10:30am. There were some nibbling of fins initially, but the female was fast to succumb to the male's advancement and gave up soon after. Eggs were laid in large quantity with both the parents helping in picking up the eggs.
In this spawn, the female was pretty battered but the male was in perfect condition with no fin tear at all.
Spawning Starts: 04/05/2002 Free Swimming: 09/05/2002 Remove Male: 07/05/2002 (Spawn Fostered By Male In Spawn #8) Results: > 300 fries
Spawn Observations: 05 May 2002: - Eggs were laid. - initial estimate of 200-300 eggs laid.
07 May 2002: - Eggs hatched but the male was too tired to tend to the nest. - Hatched eggs still unable to wriggle dropped from bubblenest. - Removed male and allow Red male in Spawn #8 to foster the eggs.
08 May 2002: - Red male in Spawn #8 doing his job well in looking after eggs from Spawn #7 and #8. - Fries about to free-swim with tails hanging vertically down from nest.
13 May 2002: (Mortality: 0%) - Fries feeding well on daphnia-only diet. - > 300 fries. Some DTs. - Size: 5mm
17 May 2002: (Mortality 0%) - Size: 7mm
07 June 2002: (Mortality 20%) - Size: 10mm - Fries have higher mortality rate due to over-crowding and thus bad water condition. - > 300 fries
24 June 2002: (Mortality 80%) - Size: 15mm - Very high mortality rate due to stress caused by transfer from in-door to out-door tank when the fries were very weak. - Another spawn with the same parents now to be free-swimming soon. (Spawn #9) - About 50 fries left, good finnage.
08 July 2002: (Mortality Rate: 0%) - Size: 20mm - 30mm - All surviving fries growing well but mostly females. - The Double-tails seems to be giving better finnage than the Single-tails but yet to confirm on this since I have only started to jar them at 2 months.
30 July 2002: (Mortality Rate: 0%) - Size: 30mm to 35mm - All grew up with at least secondary splits with gives 4 rays with some having 8 rays. - All delta except 2 which managed to reach 150deg. - Some Steel and some Royal Blue but all with clean color.
Conclusion (30 July) The spawn did provide me with some information on how to get a nice Half-moon. I realized that the female used for the pairing is exceptionally important. So my advice is that never rush into a spawning program unless you have found a very nice female that is worth the effort.
Although the female was good with tertiary splits, I supposed the rays are just not straight enough and the finnage was a bit too long and ray are thin. Which probably explains why the off-springs are up to mark.
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