Woooohooo (Sorta) baby melachromis auratus!

[ferret]

Remember the one I had to get rid of, because he was mean and took over half a 90 gallon tank? Well that one was a male. What I didn't know is, my other one was a female. I thought at the time it just had subdominate male coloring, nopenope. It was a female! And it had babies at some point!

It seems I have a small baby auratus hiding out near the bottom! Probably a lone survivor, he snuggles up tight under the ornaments to hide from the big guys. Maybe I'll fine more, though its a very mixed blessing, since these guys are so mean as adult males

So cute, classic auratus juvinile colors for the moment, yellow with white and black horizontal strips. He's still under half an inch. Hopefully it'll be female and I can just keep it. I'll have to give it away if its male, those SOBs are just too mean

For reference, the male I got rid of is still at the LFS, in his own 40 gallon tank.. by himself. He killed the other two inhabitants

 

[Allivymar]

Oh how awesome ferret! Can you get us a pic? I've never seen a juvie auratus.

 

[ferret]

I'll try, but I doubt my camera is good enough to clip him. If not I'll hunt down an internet picture. They basicly look like the ones in petsmart though. They're yellow with a white belly, a center horizontal white strip flanked by small black strips on top and bottom, and with white top fin

 

[ferret]

Oops. They dug him out, I think, and got him. Oh well He'd have been mean as heck.

 

[Katie_McKoy]

Gulp!