<< They developed on the mothers until they were fully formed, and then
dropped off. I'm not sure, but this took about a month, I think. >>
Yep, depending on temp & food for the 'Mom' dwarf, the cycle runs between
21-28 days. Upper 70's speeds up the process to around the 21-day cycle and
lower 70's temps slows it down to around the 28-day cycle. Given favorable
conditions, the hatchlings reach sexual maturity in about 5-6 months with a
few precocious females at 3-4 months. I once had a "super" mama dwarf that
cycled so that I got a new brood of hatchlings every 27-28 days for 9
monthes! That includes her post-hatch molt & subsequent mating activity.
Her average brood size was around 75. I've always wondered if females could
store sperm like guppies and have broods long after the male was gone, but
haven't been able to prove it.
I've had good luck raising the hatchlings in well-planted aquariums using
tropical fish flake food pinched up into small bits that slowly sink to the
bottom. Females tend to be more secretive after they become berried, yet
readily come out of hiding at the aroma of chopped earthworm and a diet
enriched with chopped earthworms will also increase brood size.
Bruce Scott
Meridian, Idaho
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