[carlso63]

Dr. Marini:

Am I correct that the eggs are all in a kind of "sac" at first...?


At this very moment I am at work while my wife is fishing out 2 babies from the first brood for their new owner... she is telling me that the male has his mouth open rather wide and it looks like a "sac" inside that is moving around a bit.

Today (1/10) is Day 24 since the 2nd spawn (12/17)... is she witnessing perhaps the "sac" rupturing, or am I off-base on this?

If the eggs are indeed hatching to larvae (or premature fry) at this point in time, then I would guess that (similar to the 1st brood) the male will continue to hold them another 5 - 6 days before the final release, at full-term?

Which means another 29 to 30 day total time from spawn to release... does that seem on the "long" side to you?

BTW, I know sometimes temperature can influence egg / fry development times... in my case my water temp hits a low of about 75.5 - 76F overnight and a high of about 78.5F midday (with the halides on)... is that temp range OK or is my temp too low, and would that lead to longer gestation times?

- Bob