Two Frazzled Fish

Animal Tales, Blog | March 15, 2010

At the pet store yesterday Lori the manager called me over — “Look, look at this!” There were two parrot cichlids in a tank swimming about in the lower left front corner looking rather strange because there was a whole tank in which to swim.  After a few minutes, I saw a tiny, tiny little speck darting about in that corner — then another — then another. Lori said there were 30 of them. The babies were born just four days ago. She said at first they all stayed in a little depression in the gravel, the parents hovering over them and chasing away all the other fish in the tank. This stressed them so much that she removed all the fish except  two placid suckers who spend their time glued to the back wall. Now,  four days later, the babies were escaping  the nest and darting  about exploring, looking very excited with new life and the joys of having a physical body, oblivious to any danger. The parents would pick them up in their mouth and return them only to have others escape.  The smaller parent repeatedly scoured the bottom for bits of food, picking up morsels, and expelling the food toward whichever babies it could find; attacking fish in the next tank through the glass, then scouring for more food. There was no way these tiny things could eat all the food the parents were blowing at them but they couldn’t help themselves — driven to shower the babies with food, to feed, feed, feed. Periodically in their attacking fits they saw those poor suckers out of the corner of their eyes and an unreasoned fury descended upon the suckers as they peacefully clung to the glass. They would hurriedly unattach themselves, move a few inches and try for peace again. The larger parent swam  in circles over the empty nest looking overwhelmed and frazzled, occasionally rounding up a baby in its mouth and trying to bring it back where it could watch over it and keep it safe. The next day I came back to photograph the fish family and the parents had the beginnings of a pebble wall built up against the front of the tank in an attempt to protect the babies from the prying eyes of humans.  A lot of work for little fish!  Building walls, changing nests, darting, chasing, rounding up, feeding, attacking, trying to keep an eye on their babies and keep them safe…..they were a wreck.
The tribulations of parenthood are universal.

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