The Gobiesox Clingfish larvae I’ve been raising started settling at 25 days and have now completed metamorphosis. They look like exact replicas of their parents now, fins and all. It’s easy to tell when Clingfish settle because they start clinging to surfaces rather than free swimming (I’m now almost certain of their species, since it takes longer for Gobiesox punctulatus to settle than G. strumosus). They have been growing faster and eating more than ever since settling and are now about 3/4″ long. They are expert live Tigriopus copepods hunters; soon I will start giving them a little bit of Cyclop eeze, which is a great transition food for small fry.

I apologize for the grainy settlement photos, I’m not taking macro shots of them anymore since it’s too difficult to pry them off the walls without stressing them. It was much easier when they were free swimming, and I could quickly catch and photograph them before they even knew what was happening. I want to make sure they grow up happy and healthy.

development photos:

Eggs and parents

4 and 7 days old

10 and 15 days old

23 days old almost settled

Felicia has been keeping aquariums since the early 90s and has a keen interest in taxonomy, aquaculture, and seahorses. she is the former Liveaquaria Diver's Den photographer and now works for Philadelphia area's largest aquarium specialty store The Hidden Reef.