The tiniest bit of progress ever seen

So my big goal this weekend was to spend an entire day working on Fantasy Sampler and then get to stitching on a round robin piece.

On the upside, I did finish designing the round robin piece I need to stitch.

On the downside, I fell into Assassin's Creed II again (that glorious time killer).

Lots of assassinations, not so much with the stitching.

Although I did get a lot of housework done - things cleaned, things cooked, locks changed (I installed one of those electronic keypad locks - both because I hate carrying a key, but also hate getting locked out and because we have a dog sitter coming over this weekend while we game), lots of clothing and shoes bagged up for donation, etc.

But here's poor Fantasy Sampler.  As of Thursday, I was sure I would finish off that lion by the end of the weekend (oops!).

I have a gaming convention coming up this week & weekend, so hopefully next Monday I'll get more done :)  (if I can keep myself from knifing Borgia spies in the back).

And in happier news - WE HAVE BABIES!

I'm only mildly sorry about the jumbo slightly-out-of-focus cameraphone pictures.   I didn't want to try too hard to get good pictures and spook the fish into something bad.

The little blueish-white fuzzy bits are German Blue Ram fry.
I have had two pairs of GBRs.  I bought them from a pretty reputable breeder from the internet (because the local place never had them).   These are fantastic, because they aren't any of the odd-bred strains, like the bubbles or lyre-tails.  They're not hormonally or anything injected, just fresh, happy, "wild type" Rams.

GBRs form very strong pair bonds and tend to mate for life - you'll actually see pairs acting as a unit much of the time.   They're the most docile of the cichlids, preferring community tanks and (most importantly to me) don't tear up or destroy plants.   They need lots of "dither" fish to stay happy (things like neons acting normally make them less stressed).  They're also very particular about their water, which can make some people crazy.   They can be very territorial (mostly to other pairs, especially males), so although my tank could fit 3 or maybe 4 pairs, I kept it at two.   I didn't really want to breed them, but I know they live better together.

The whole aquarium when I set it up - there has been some different plant growth since.
Hilariously - this is in the TV niche the homebuilders put above the fireplace.  Way better show than most tv!

My female ram guarding a clutch of eggs on the volcanic rock

This was their 4th or 5th clutch of eggs.  I kept getting excited when they would guard their eggs, but they never lasted.  It apparently takes a few clutches to get it right (so I've been reading), and I hadn't even realized this clutch had made it!    I love watching the parents guard their fry - it's quite adorable.   I have no idea if I'll be able to grow them up to size (I have a fish store willing to take them once they're about an inch long), but it's so fun!

My other female had died a few days ago, and I was a bit bummed, the male lost all of his color and was super stressed, but seems to have recovered.   I was pondering whether to get a couple of more females to see if he'd bond with them, but I was a bit hesitant.  Guess I don't need to purchase other fish now!

If they do grow successfully (you know, manage not to get eaten or sucked into filters or otherwise go to a soggy demise), I'll do my best to observe pairs and keep at least one pair.   I think I should still have plenty of space with my two pairs and an extra male.    I grew my previous two pairs from juveniles, so I'm super, super excited.    I have killer filtration (biological, especially) in my tank, so I think even with the overload of fish when they're still growing, I can keep the water clean enough with a bit of extra work.

Another bit of irony - some of my plants have melted due to the lack of nutrients (not enough fish waste), so hopefully this will help in the short term (I was thinking of getting more tetras... before fishapalooza 2015).